Law change considered to help tsunami families in “legal limbo”
The families of more than 900 Britons missing, feared dead, following the Asian tsunami disaster have been warned that they face years of legal limbo before the financial affairs of their relatives can be settled.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that if the bodies of the missing British citizens are not found, relatives will have to wait seven years until death certificates can be issued, during which time the finances of the victims must be legally frozen.
The current seven year rule means that it will be impossible for relatives to inherit assets, or sell property belonging to their missing loved ones. It is also feared that relatives of the victims will be unable to claim on life insurance policies.
It is feared that the bodies of many of those feared dead, following the Boxing Day disaster, will never be found. Officials in Thailand are still struggling to identify thousands of corpses of different nationalities.
Acknowledging the “exceptional circumstances” surrounding the disaster, the Foreign Office said yesterday that it was reviewing whether special arrangements could be made under the current law, to help bereaved families in Britain.
Kath Lloyd-Jones, whose husband Barry is still missing after being swept from a Thai beach by the tsunami, told The Guardian: “From every point of view, for bereaved people to have to wait seven years for a death certificate so they can tidy up their affairs is a terrible prospect, both from a practical point of view and what is called closure.”
“We are being left in limbo,” she added.
Since the earthquake and tsunami hit south east Asia on 26 December, 51 Britons have been confirmed dead.
