Alex Au (Yawningbread) takes up the issue of human trafficking, in particular those by so-called “marriage brokers” and how the local press and the Singapore government may be complicit in this.
I hope the Vietnamese police track down the identities of the Singaporean counterparts to the so-called marriage brokers, and when these Singaporeans step into Vietnam again, they are arrested and thrown into a rat-hole of a Vietnamese prison. It shouldn’t be hard to trace them; just look up the old editions of the Sunday Times whose stories gave them free publicity. In fact, while they’re at it, the Vietnamese might want to arrest the Sunday Times writers and editors responsible for promoting the said business.
All of them conspired to present a purchase of females after (a) a flesh parade in the broker’s shop and (b) a cursory date with an interpreter interposed between the couple, as some kind of romance. A quickly-organised wedding follows and then the woman is brought to Singapore as a life-long serf, either to be a baby factory, or a handmaiden to aged parents, or an assistant in some hawker stall. More likely, all three.
The baby factory part is key to the scheme. The Singapore government probably likes the idea of more babies being produced; the Sunday Times probably thinks it has a “nation-building” duty to talk it up in the hope that more unmarried male Singaporeans would follow the example.
Nobody stops to think about the moral depravity and criminality of the whole thing.
Read the rest of the article on Yawning Bread.
Picture from Foreign Policy Blog.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
One Minister said “Its better, cheaper and faster”. Another said “Its affordable”.
We have to agree with the Ministers especially if they are also referring to producing babies, isn’t it ?
The Singapore govt has lost is moral authority long, long time ago. Its lackeys, SPH and many others, obviously follow suit.
Moral issues are of no interest to the govt. Otherwise, they would have reduced their unjustifiable high salaries when a majority of Singaporeans disapproved of it or built casinos when there was an outcrry from the locals.
Money. money and more money is all that matters to them. Singapore Govt Incorporated is what we are talking about now.
Have we a future? No, because this govt has ruined the country beyond repair and they will continue to remain in power through flagrant abuse of power as we move slowly but surely towards the doldrums. How can there be progress when the country is managed by an authoritative 87 years old emperor whose word is law and whose primary concern is to build a legendary name for himself at the exclusion of everything else.
With this current govt, we are a nation condemned.
Though I am all for opposition in Singapore, I think this article is slightly way off. I dont always agree with the policies of our current government but then again you have to acknowledge the constraints and environment we are living in. How do we reconcile a shrinking population, increased middle aged single men and at the same time cater to a still very much conservative population? How does one link the problem of apparant human traffiking with the home affairs minister being thrown into jail?
I can give some leeway to TOC for this as the article wasnt written nor vetted by TOC but i feel that this piece is not very well written and expouses too much emotion into what should be an objective news article.
True, the promotion of mail order bride agencies may or may not be tacitly enciouraging the traffiking of women from developing countries but i do not see the link between this and “arrest(ing) the Sunday Times writers and editors responsible for promoting the said business.” And the emotive inclusion of the gay marriage diabacle into the debate seems uncalled for. One has to realize that Singaporeans are still not ready to accept an open alternative lifestyle and living arrangement. Public housing policies are formulated and implemented in public interest for the greater good of its peoples and at the end of the day, meant to promote the traditional notion of a heterosexual union capable of procreation and childbirth.
Some women marry for money.
Perhaps the government can also use the $10 million to teach Singaporeans foreign language.
I have to agree with non-pap supporter. Don’t rojak the issues.
Govt always use singapore’s physical and economic constraints as an excuse to bring in more foreign trash, with the hope of receiving ever-increases annual bonuses, at the expense of Singaporeans’ prosperity and happiness.
It is true, sadly that a majority of govt policy in Singapore is largely geared towards the bottomline. Would you be surprised to know that public university students are only subsidised up to their 4th year of study? In certain liberal societies, there aren’t even tuition fees to begin with. Going back to the issue, I agree that it is ethically and morally disconcerting for a (state) newspaper to seemingly endorse an article on mail-order brides. Personally as a guy, I would preferably marry a local lady or just remain single.
Perhaps some form of regulation with regards to the phenomenon of foreign brides may be appropiate. Besides, there are already problems with fake marriages of convenience cropping up. MCYS has a comprehensive set of procedures that govern the adoption of foreign babies and I am sure a guideline similar to this can be implemented. A hands-off, lassiez-faire approach is definately not the way to go.
My God, I am still wondering what the author of the article wanted to say, really? Vietnamese wives? I am not sure. Can the author please quote some serious research about the topic?
total confusion. Hope to read something better really.
“I’ve mentioned it before, but it is utterly disgusting to me that gay couples who have genuinely been in love for years cannot get married under Singapore law and are excluded from these benefits — paid for by the taxes they have pay.”
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
While I empathise with gay couples on this and feel they should have some sort of legal way to be together (call it civil unions or whatever), to castigate on single-men who do not have courting skills but still wish to have a wife of his own and to condemn it as human trafficking is being ungracious at best and sour at worse.
The key ingredient to determine if it is human trafficking is to see whether the vietnamese brides themselves are willing participants or not. If they are, then it’s matchmaking not trafficking, as evident in a video posted some time back.
Not all marriage are products of dinner, movies and chocolate.
i am a world frequent traveller from singapoor thru bataam via johore bahru on transit thru chiangmai alon the silk road to china and returned by junk ale tigerairways.com in cebu.
everyday/everywhere i have offers to have myself nett for the good of future mankinds with a hopes for my next generations of coe/erps payees.
i hav calculated the debit/credit scheme of startin the next generation and come to a conclusion…………….
why brin the COWs home when you just want to drink milk only?
Come on, I don’t think ST made the story romantic.
Efficient Markets my friend. The world is in a more ‘Pareto Optimal’ state when the seller has found a buyer. Both are happier…. As Tina Turner once said “What’s love got to do with it?”
I doubt legality and morality has either when both are willing parties.
I believe most Sporeans prefer to see Wong Kan Seng spend some time in the same cell as Mas Selamat, before even thinking about Vietnam.
I also believe most Sporeans will not consider it too late for Wong Kan Seng to personally re-enact Mas Selamat’s escape from his cell, followed by a swim across the Johore Straits. Of course the public will not begrudge Wong Kan Seng from doing so with both legs and with the aid of some flotation device.
i still find it funny that people actually buy in the official story, ie. a man with a limp escaping from the highest security point in singapore, with gurkhas, and this man with a limp even managed to get/swim? out of singapore, and after all that trouble, turns out that he is actually just across the causeway.
Is it me or are the ‘Aye’ and ‘Nay’ buttons not working?
I am confuse leh.
I am a poor man who want to look for a wife badly.
Many local girls do not want to friend me when they know about my occupation and income.I cannot find any more ah lian and ah huay and almost everyone here call themselves Jacqueline and Elizabeth .No Swee Char Bor want to get near me and they only approach me when they want to sell me insurance or want me to buy their home made cookies…
I passed Joo Chiat and those Vietnam charbor never make me feel that I am ugly or poor….I started to gain confidence….
Now got this lobang to marry a Vietnamese wife.Why do people think this is trafficking?
Should Singapore’s Home Minister be thrown into a Vietnamese jail?
My answer is:NO,becos this is the only correct thing they do to help the poor.
A stupid article that rojak different issues together. Based on same reasoning, ban organ transplant to prevent organ trafficking. Ban blood transfusion to prevent people selling blood. Ban adoption of babies so no baby trafficking. There are good reasons why some people need help to get married but some people will want to profit from this need. Likewise, the author is guilty of profiteering his own agenda through the problems presented!
Sar buay sek, you got good point …