Cambodia - Information for Bereaved Families - June 11

Cambodia Desk Consular Directorate WH4.26 King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH Tel: 0207 008 1500 Fax: 0207 008 0161 Email: [email protected]

Information sheet related to death in Cambodia 2017

The death of a relative or a friend can be a traumatic experience. When the death occurs overseas, family and friends in the UK can feel additional distress as they are unfamiliar with foreign procedures and perhaps are unable to communicate in the language of the country where the death occurred. Consular Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our Embassy in Phnom Penh are ready to help as far as they can. Whilst every reasonable effort will be taken to accommodate a family's wishes regarding the repatriation or local cremation of a deceased loved one, local laws and custom, together with facilities for dealing with the death of a foreigner all impact on how each particular death is handled. You should be aware that Cambodian procedures may differ to those in the United Kingdom.

The information contained in this document is not meant to be a definitive statement of the law, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice.

Autopsies (Post Mortems)

Autopsies (Post-Mortems) are not carried out in Cambodia.

Mortuary Facilities

There are two mortuary’s in Phnom Penh; i) located in the grounds of Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh. Mortuary facilities are not comparable with those expected in the UK and the costs is USD 40 per day or ii) with the 2 International Undertakers in Phnom Penh - John Allison Monkhouse and Osborn Funeral Services (see details in International Funeral Directors section) who should be contacted direct for cost. There are also mortuary facilities in Siem Reap at the Royal International Hospital – mortuary facilities there cost USD150 per 24 hours. The cost of mortuary storage has to be met by next of kin (NoK) directly with the mortuary or via an international undertaker.

Other than those listed there are no other mortuary facilities anywhere in Cambodia. In certain circumstances the Cambodian authorities will go ahead with a local cremation on public health grounds within 24 hours of a death. We would therefore strongly recommend that you make a decision as to your loved one's funeral arrangements or repatriation and contact an undertaker as soon as possible.

Funeral Options

Following the death of a British national in Cambodia, the NoK, or their formally appointed representative, must decide whether to: i) repatriate the deceased to the UK, or a third country; ii) have a local cremation and the ashes repatriated to the UK or a third country, or iii) have a local cremation and the ashes scattered in Cambodia.

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, it is important that NoK contact the insurance company without delay. If the insurance company grants cover, you should discuss with them what funeral arrangements they will cover. If there is no insurance cover, the cost of repatriation or cremation will need to be met by the family. The services of an international undertaker are necessary to help with these arrangements as neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor our Embassy in Cambodia has budgets to meet these costs. The NoK should also be aware that all hospital and or mortuary bills must be paid before the body can be released.

The NoK will need to discuss funeral arrangements and costs with an international undertaker. The international undertaker will then pass on to our Embassy in Cambodia the wishes of the NoK about the funeral of the deceased, and details of who is taking responsibility for the costs involved. We will do our best to ensure these wishes are carried out.

It is important to remember that if the deceased was travelling with a tour operator, they can be a valuable source of assistance and advice.

We appreciate that the NoK may not always live in the UK. International Funeral Directors can organise repatriations to most countries in the world.

Repatriation

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, the insurance company will normally have a standing agreement with an International funeral director in the UK to arrange repatriations on your behalf. Documentation required to repatriate the deceased will be provided by the undertakers with the assistance of the Embassy. Local formalities for repatriation can take up to seven days to complete. In certain circumstances repatriation may not always be possible. Our consular staff will try and inform NoK as soon as possible if this is the case. If the deceased is not covered by insurance, the NoK will need to appoint an international undertaker in the UK. Below are details of some such companies:

Funeralcare International 221 Upper Richmond Road Putney London SW15 6SQ Tel: 020 8788 5303 Fax: 020 8788 2525 [email protected]

Kenyon Air Transportation 81 Westbourne Grove London W2 4UL Tel: 020 7258 1130 Fax: 020 7243 3125 [email protected] www.gnf24.dial.pipex.com

Rowland Brothers International 299-305 Whitehorse Rd Croydon CR0 2HR Tel: 020 8684 2324 Fax: 020 8684 8000 [email protected] www.rowlandbrothersinternational.co.uk

National Association of Funeral Directors 618 Warwick Road Solihull B91 1AA Tel: 0121 711 1343 Fax: 0121 711 1351 [email protected]

International Funeral Directors

Alternatively, there are two international undertakers in Cambodia, and a third providing services from Thailand. These have been highlighted because their staff are English speaking. Below are the details:

1. JOHN ALLISON MONKHOUSE CO LTD Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital #156 St 271 Sangkat Toumnup Teuk Khan Chamcar Mon Phnom Penh Cambodia Telephone: +855 (0)16 889 068 (24hours) website: www.monkhouse.com.au

Main contact in Cambodia: Mr Han Rutten (Funeral Director), mobile: +855 (0) 16 553 329 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] Alternative contact: Contact: Mr Clive Allison (mobile when out of country +61 (0) 405 114 545

2. OSBORN FUNERAL SERVICES #74 Street 58P Phnom Penh Thmey Phnom Penh Cambodia Telephone: +855 23 231 648 / Website: www.osbornfuneralservices.com Email: [email protected]

Contact: Bayard Osborn (Funeral Director) +855 (0) 85 303394 Alternative Contact: Kate Osborn (Funeral Director) +855 (0) 85 303 395

Teckhong Funeral and Repatriation Service 81 Rama 4 Road Bangkok 10100 Telephone: +66 2221 1680/5091 Fax: +66 2623 0028/0388 Mobile: +66 81 845 7592 e-mail: [email protected] and [email protected] Contact: Ms Jessica Thurd

All speak fluent English.

(Please note: these lists are provided by the British Embassy in Phnom Penh for the convenience of enquirers but neither the British Embassy nor any official of the Consulate take any responsibility for the competence or probity of any firm on the lists or for the consequences of any work undertaken by them).

Local Cremation

Cremation is the norm in Cambodia and is carried out at a Wat (Buddhist Temple). If the NoK choose to have a local cremation and wish to either take the ashes back to the UK or a third country themselves, or to repatriate the ashes to the UK or a third country, they should contact one of the undertakers in Cambodia or Thailand as soon as possible. The undertaker will arrange the necessary paperwork for the return of the ashes to the UK or a third country with the assistance of the Embassy. Relatives should be aware that the urn containing their loved one’s ashes can also contain fragments of bones - this can be upsetting if they chose to look inside the urn.

Local Burial As Cambodia is a Buddhist country, burials take place very rarely and can be very difficult to organise. We advise that if the NoK wish to have the deceased buried that they should consider having the body repatriated and the funeral take place in the UK or country of residence subject to local laws.

Registration of the Death

A local death certificate, sometimes citing the likely cause of death, can be issued by the Cambodian authorities, in the Cambodian language, at the request of the NoK and can be obtained by the International undertakers in Cambodia on your behalf. You should be aware that the cause of death given on the death certificate is often given in very basic terms, and often does not reveal the underlying cause of why the death occurred. Translation services are available in Phnom Penh. If you wish to obtain a certified copy of translation (you may need this, e.g. to assist in the liquidation of the deceased’s estate in the UK) please get in touch with your contact at the FCO.

Deaths of British nationals overseas are not automatically recorded in the UK Register Office, nor is there any obligation for the death to be registered with the British Embassy. However, NoK may find that there are the advantages in doing so: a British form of death certificate is then available, and a record of the death is afterwards held at the General Register Office in the UK. For more information on this, please see: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/births-deaths-marriages-civil/registering-a- death.

Return of Personal Effects

Personal effects are normally returned to next of kin, or their authorised representative, without any formalities. If personal effects need to be returned to the UK and NoK are not present in Cambodia, the undertaker in Cambodia can assist with making arrangements by commercial means. The undertakers will pass on any costs incurred to NoK.

Police/Judicial Inquiries

In the case of a suspicious death, the police in the district in which the death occurred will lead an investigation. Police reports can be difficult to obtain but if the family would like a copy we will write a formal request letter to the police.

A separate document explaining what to expect when someone dies in suspicious circumstances can be obtained through your contact at the FCO.

UK Coroners If the deceased’s body is repatriated to England or Wales, a coroner may decide to hold an inquest if the death was violent or unnatural, or if the death was sudden and the cause unknown. Coroners will only look into the deaths of those persons whose bodies physically lie in their districts (this does not include cremated ashes). The purpose of an inquest is to confirm the identity of the deceased, the place and date of birth and how the cause of death arose, to enable the Coroner to give an official verdict. The Coroner can only give one of three verdicts on how death was caused:

a) by unlawful killing; b) death through misadventure; or, c) an open verdict.

It is not the Coroner’s role to apportion blame for the death nor to investigate any alleged crime overseas.

In Cambodia the cause of death is sometimes given on the death certificate, but the cause is often given in very simple terms compared with what is required in the UK. You should be aware that British coroners do not generally have access to judicial files from other countries. Consequently coroners may order a post-mortem as part of their inquest.

Coroners can however request copies of post-mortem and police reports from the Cambodian authorities via the FCO in London. In some instances this can take many months.

In Scotland, the Scottish Executive is the responsible authority. However, they are not obliged to hold an inquest into cause of death. Coroners in Northern Ireland are also not obliged to hold an inquest into cause of death. However, next of kin can apply for a judicial review if no inquest is held.

For further information on inquests please contact your local Coroners Office. Contact details can be obtained from your local Police Station.

Release of Information

Access to information concerning a death is restricted. The Cambodian authorities will not provide this information directly to next of kin. Requests for this information should be made through a legal representative. Our consular staff can provide a list of English speaking lawyers in Cambodia. The release of any information can take many months if not years, and the documents will be in the Cambodian language.

Legal Aid

Legal aid is only available to Cambodian citizens.

Compensation There are no formal government compensation schemes available in Cambodia. Requests for compensation should be made through a legal representative. Our consular staff can provide a list of English speaking lawyers.