VIENTIANE, June 28 (Xinhua) — Lao officials have expressed concern about illegal marriages with foreigners, local daily Vientiane Times reported Tuesday.

Some 1,600 marriages involving Lao citizens and foreigners were recorded from 2012-2015, according to figures from Lao Public Security Ministry.

In 75 cases, foreign women married Lao men, according to a recent consultation meeting held in capital Vientiane.

The meeting discussed stricter rules on marriage between Lao citizens and foreigners after it learnt that some people were breaking the rules and going against Lao culture, the report said. People of 47 different nationalities are married to Lao citizens, with most foreign partners coming from the three nations of Thailand, South Korea and China.

An official from the Vientiane Administration Office said that foreigners who wanted to marry Lao citizens in line with the regulations needed to buy a marriage form from the Office.

Foreigners were required to take the form to their country to fill in detail for approval by local authorities, then return to the Vientiane office to apply for a marriage certificate.

In the first six months of 2016, the Protection Police and Lao- Anti Trafficking Department investigated 16 cases of dual-nationality couples who were violating the law, Vientiane Times reported.