Appearances have to be maintained. Still, few people are outraged by the practice, says computer shop manager Pichit Khitaphanna. If anything, having a mia noi is now a growing practice, says Siriporn Scrobanek, a women's counselor. It affects all layers of society. Even men who are not well-off end up taking a minor wife.
Some husbands cite a poor sex life or marriages turned sour.
But these are seldom the reasons. Take businessmen Somchai and Preecha. Neither has any complaint about their legal spouses. Nonetheless, both men secretly maintain second households. There is no problem, they say, as long as their wives don't know.