Hong Kong airport took ashes of dead husband - no record of next of kin to give them

Far out. Remember these two? The husband on the left David Bulmer-Rizzi died in South Australia where same sex marriages weren't recognised at the time (I dunno if they've fixed that yet) and created international news when the death certificate issued by SA said that he was never married.

Well, unbelievable as that was, going home to England a week later things didn't get any better. Hong Kong doesn't have same sex marriage, and Marco was going through the airport on his way home. He was carrying the ashes if his late husband David. The airport security people spotted them and asking about it, found that he had no proof that he was next of kin. England's foreign office hadn't issued him with anything either. So they confiscated them. 

At the stopover in Hong Kong – where same-sex marriage is not legal – security officials spotted the ashes as they went through the X-ray scanner, prompting a guard to apprehend him. 

“I was taken to one side and she said, ‘What’s in this box?’” he told BuzzFeed News. “She wanted to open the box. And I said, ‘These are human remains. It’s my husband. My husband died while we were in Australia. She just looked at me and said, ‘I need to take this away.’” But before taking the container, the guard inquired again about the identity of the deceased. 

“She said, ‘Who did you say died?” And I said, ‘My husband. And this is his passport.’ And she said, ‘No. I’m gonna take this [the ashes] away.’” 

Bulmer-Rizzi, who was still in shock from the sudden loss of his husband a week earlier, said that when the security guard removed the ashes he had a “meltdown”. 

“I put my hand down [on the box] and said, ‘No, you can’t. I need to see your supervisor.’” The official’s manager arrived to find Bulmer-Rizzi in a state of distress, trying to stop what was left of his husband from being taken from him. 

“I felt like I was losing him again,” he said, adding: “All I wanted was to be able to travel with David’s ashes on me so he wouldn’t have to travel back by himself.” Buzzfeed

He eventually had his ashes returned to him after pleading with the supervisor. Poor guy I feel so bad for him.