Husband Saws House in Half After Divorce

by Terri Potratz | October 9, 2008 at 08:51 am

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A couple who were married for more than 40 years have taken the literal route when it comes to splitting up their belongings: the husband cut the house in half. In a village in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia, people were pretty shocked to hear the strange news - especially when they learned of the source of their discontent: the husband was angry with his wife after she didn't care for him enough when he was ill.

Last week, the husband and his friends moved his belongings to one side of the house -- and sawed and chiseled it off, said the reporter, who interviewed the village chief and neighbors.

The couple also divided their property into four sections: for themselves and their two children.

Because the couple side-stepped the provincial courts when they parted ways, their unusual resolution could pose a problem later, said Prak Phin, a lawyer for Legal Support for Child and Women in the province.

"This was a not a legal divorce. It never went to the court," he said. "If they have disagreements in the future, they will not have a legal (recourse)."

The man moved his part of the house to his parents' property, May Titthara said. He lives with his parents, while the wife continues to reside in her precariously perched, upright half.