ALTERNATIVE OVERSKRIFT: PREPARED FOR THE AFTERLIFE? THINKING ABOUT GETTING OLD IN ASIA?
AsiaOne: One hour of planning for forever peace/AsiaOne prepares you for forever peace OR ALTERNATIVE OVERSKRIFT: PREPARED FOR THE AFTERLIFE? THINKING ABOUT GETTING OLD IN ASIA?
When you walk inside the bright and peaceful rooms in the Teck Hong Funeral-building you are more likely to believe you are wandering inside an exclusive hotel instead of the family-run funeral service, AsiaOne Teck Hong Funeral. A hotel you only will visit once in a lifetime..
“Our new facilities calm people down. Relations in grief should not be met in dark and gloomy rooms, and we believe it’s more respectful with beautiful interior for the last goodbye,” says Donnie Ekström, Marketing Executive for AsiaOne.
Being Thailand’s first and oldest provider of funeral services and international repatriations AsiaOne Teck Hong Funereal (in this article referred to only as AsiaOne) has trough 60 years served foreigners and locals when their loved ones have passed away. Their agelong experience has made the AsiaOne-team specialists and are therefore first choice for all embassies, international insurance companies and multi-national corporation when death occurs. Another main reason why AsiaOne is the most demanded funeral service in Asia is their great English language knowledge. The company was founded in 1954 and started out as an coffin manufacturer. During the Vietnam war in the 1960’s there was a large influx of foreigner into Thailand, mostly Americans. The company owner Mr Sathien taught himself English, and because of the many dead American soldiers his help and assistance in foreigners native language was needed. AsiaOne was established and has been helping foreigners, mostly American expats, with funeral services ever since. Today, Scandinavians has become one of their biggest clients.
“Thailand has become extremely popular the last 15 years. The retired Scandinavian community has grown. Especially Swedes are retiring here ,” says Donnie Ekström and explains “Thailand is the one of the most attractive countries in the world for Scandinavians to retire in. Thailand is a very peaceful region, it’s safe and it has become more easier to get the VISA. It’s perfect for retirement.”
But even if many Scandinavians are prepared to live their life happily ever after in Asia, AsiaOne notices Scandinavians are not prepared for the next step.
“It’s a common problem among Scandinavians not thinking about their death. It can be a huge financial burden for their families here and/or abroad and for the embassies in the country they live in,” says managing director Saranya Thurdnampetch.
AsiaOne has developed a concept to solve the increasing problem. Chairman for AsiaOne Hirun Thurdnampetch calls it Pre-paid Funeral Plan. “We want to educate and enlighten Scandinavians. When a loved one passes away relations should not be handled even more burdens such as wills, paperwork, licenses and repatriation. The process is long and complicated, and we want to make it as easy as possible; that’s why we came up with this service,” says Hirun Thurdnampetch.
AsiaOne knows death can come as a shock for many. So can all of the financial cost and paperwork accompanied with a funeral do too. The funeral service company suggests everyone to take an hour off to visit their office and plan for the future and that way avoid any redundant burdens. Their team consists of Scandinavian-speaking staff, so language will not be problem.
Even if it’s possible to have bodies flewn back to their respective homecountries in coffins, the most common thing among Scandinavians is to be cremated and sent back in an urn. How simple it may sounds, it requires a great deal of paperwork and preparations for sending the ashes home. Most of the times there will be two ceremonies; one in Asia before the ashes are shipped with airplane to its homecountry, where another ceremony will take place and the urn will be buried or the ashes be scattered. Beside taking care of getting the legal licenses, permissions and authorization to ship the ashes, AsiaOne also arrange the ceremony with everything it takes. That is for example:
- providing for locations for ceremony, familyroom and lounge
- arrangement with priest
- cremation
- transport for everything (crematorium, airport etc)
- inform embassy and local authorities about the funeral and/or repatriation
- collecting estate of the deceased person and deliver them to right owner
- translations
- flower decorations
- and many, many other things..
AsiaOne are openminded to special requests and over the years they have provided extraordinary services for families wanting different wishes for their loved one’s funeral. The AsiaOne-team agrees that their most noble job is to be there for the grieving family.
“This is a different kind of business, where you are dealing with people in deep sorrow. You have to really care for others to be in this business”(, says Donnie Ekström and Saranya Thurdnampetch adds “We can’t help but getting emotional attached. We see people cry everyday, and we offer our help and hearts for people who need it. We want to make it less painfull.”
Death is inevitable, but many people are not aware of the financial costs of having a person buried in a graveyard on the other side of the world or the many other issues one should commit themselves to accompanied with the already great pain of losing someone. Like the tranquil atmosphere you meet in the Teck Hong-building, so should the whole funeral process be according to AsiaOne. That way, everyone will stay in peace.
