RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Cambodia news in English! Here you'll find all the breaking news from Cambodia translated into English for our international readership and expat community to read and comment on. The majority of our news stories are gathered from the local Khmer newspapers, but we also bring you newsworthy media from Cambodia before you read them anywhere else. Because of the huge population of the capital city, most articles are from Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Kampot often make the headlines as well. We report on all arrests and deaths of foreigners in Cambodia, and the details often come from the Cambodian police or local Khmer journalists. As an ASEAN news outlet, we also publish regional news and events from our neighboring countries. We also share local Khmer news stories that you won't find in English anywhere else. If you're looking for a certain article, you may use our site's search feature to find it quickly.
Barang_doa_slae
The Dark Horse
Posts: 1298
Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 1:12 pm
Reputation: 83
Cambodia

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by Barang_doa_slae »

While 1270$ might seem over valued, I have assisted and organized many deceased cremations and the 30$ quoted is BS. In my experience it costs from 100+ to plenty thousands of $.
User avatar
AndyKK
Expatriate
Posts: 6448
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:32 am
Reputation: 2248
Great Britain

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by AndyKK »

vladimir wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 8:09 pm
Kuroneko wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 7:43 pm "because nobody has paid the $1,270 cremation fee" But its only about $30 for a cremation. I once helped a family out for a funeral for their son. I gave them $500 and it was a very palatial affair, wagon to take the body to the wat, cremation, Large marquee, food for guests etc. Not forgetting the loud annoying music. :D Seems a bit of a rip off.
Kuroneko, I see a business oppo...
vladimir wrote: I hear lots of deadwood in Takhmao, maybe we can start gathering fuel there
Why! Just do a little land grab and some prime timber cutting, nothing new, only for a good cause. :stir:
Always "hope" but never "expect".
Anchor Moy
Expatriate
Posts: 13458
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:37 pm
Reputation: 3974
Tokelau

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by Anchor Moy »

For me, if the US Embassy asked for a $ 1200+ cremation, then they should pay for it, and not the Cambodian family.
Difficult to know what really happened in this case.
User avatar
phuketrichard
Expatriate
Posts: 16790
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 5:17 pm
Reputation: 5733
Location: Atlantis
Aruba

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by phuketrichard »

from US embassy site; https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-se ... s-citizen/
The next-of-kin or legal representative of the deceased is responsible for paying all funeral home expenses and costs associated with shipping the remains and any personal effects. In most cases, the next-of-kin is able to make payment arrangements directly with a funeral home.
Heres some costs for ya ,
https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/upl ... l-2017.pdf

$1,200 is a but high being as its Cambodia.

PS: gf mother cremation was held in their back yard ( outside Svay Rieng) last year, total cost for wood and monks was less than $100
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
User avatar
Cam Nivag
BANNED
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 10:17 am
Reputation: 735
Sao Tome & Principe

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by Cam Nivag »

Roy Day has raised $640 on gofundme:

https://www.gofundme.com/jimmie-sillavan-burial-fund

Michael Estep apparently started a gofundme campaign for this a few months back too, but the page has been deleted, it's unclear how much, if anything, was raised:

https://www.google.com/search?ei=FW8CWq ... Vq_Y57c_5I
User avatar
Kuroneko
Expatriate
Posts: 3809
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 11:18 am
Reputation: 879

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by Kuroneko »

Barang_doa_slae wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 9:06 pm While 1270$ might seem over valued, I have assisted and organized many deceased cremations and the 30$ quoted is BS. In my experience it costs from 100+ to plenty thousands of $.
Its not BS at all. I am talking here of the basic act of cremation. When you are poor, you take the body to the Wat yourself and pay between $20-$30 for wood and the cremation. Afterwards you pick through the ashes and collect the remains, and put them in a jar and take them home. Of course in addition you would also pay for monks and possibly food for guests depending on what you could afford, and where you sit in the community.In these circumstances the community usually assists.

The example I quoted where I spent $500, the whole process was reasonably elaborate and the body was transported in a coffin on a suitably attired truck. There were monks hired the previous day for chanting. There was also food and drinks for guests after the cremation. However the money payed to the guys chopping the wood and burning the body was still around $30. PR's quote of under $100 for wood and Monks is my experience also. The extra expense comes from the cost of hiring monks and catering for guests, not in the cremation itself.
User avatar
cptrelentless
Expatriate
Posts: 3033
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2015 11:49 am
Reputation: 565
Location: Sihanoukville
Korea North

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by cptrelentless »

Do they have bone crushers here? What do they do with the bones? When we burnt my wife's mother and her grand-parents they'd already been buried for a while so they fit into small pots and there wasn't much left over, if you have a fresh body you're going to get a lot left over. Especially on wood. I've never seen a communal ossuary here.
User avatar
roy.day
Tourist
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:24 am
Reputation: 6
United States of America

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by roy.day »

UPDATE
On Nov. 1, 2017 an article appeared in the Stars & Stripes about Jimmie Sillavan, an American Air Force veteran who died in Cambodian on Dec. 21, 2015, leaving behind his Cambodian wife, Thavy, and infant son, Hemmie.
As is often the case, the funeral home would not release the remains until all services had been paid for. After Jimmie’s death, Thavy, with limited income was unable to settle his affairs and did not know where to find assistance. Airman Sillavan’s cremated remains were in limbo for almost two years.
Roy Day, Commander of the VFW Mayaguez Memorial Post 11575 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia met with Thavy and friend of the family, Michael Estep, to coordinate assistance. Even though Airman Sillavan was not a member of the VFW, Day started a web fundraiser and reached out to his fellow comrades in Post 11575 and VFW Pacific Area, District V (Thailand, Cambodia and Australia) for assistance. Over the next two weeks, Post 11575, its members, friends of the post and two members of Post 12074 in Chiang Mai donated $790.
Kenneth Stein, the District V Commander, contacted the posts in District V and secured approval to donate the remaining balance of $750 needed to have Airman Sillavan’s ashes released and pay the necessary fees to file for Hemmie’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
On the morning of Nov. 19, 2017 at Wat Ounalom in Phnom Penh, 12 VFW members and supporters attended the funeral service for Jimmie. District Commander Stein presented an American flag to Thavy and Hemmie.
In upholding one of the key principles of the VFW, “Perpetuate the memory of our dead and assist their surviving spouses and orphans,” Post 11575 will continue to assist Mrs. Sillavan and her son with other related issues and entitlements.
User avatar
Username Taken
Raven
Posts: 13897
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:53 pm
Reputation: 5962
Cambodia

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by Username Taken »

That great news. Thanks for the update Roy.
User avatar
phuketrichard
Expatriate
Posts: 16790
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 5:17 pm
Reputation: 5733
Location: Atlantis
Aruba

Re: RIP ? US veteran's ashes held for non-payment by funeral home

Post by phuketrichard »

great news to have his ashes released.
BUT; to file for report of birth abroad, i was led to believe both parents ( thats what it was in my case) need be there and even so
dont see what his son having a us passport will do, not like they can move there with no $$
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot], Amazon [Bot], Bing [Bot], Lost50, Semrush [Bot] and 851 guests