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Matchmaker pursues man for dodging fee <!-- TITLE : end--> <!--
Some try to secretly meet and marry Vietnamese women behind matchmaker's back. -TNP --> </td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr> <td colspan="2" align="left" valign="top" width="550"> <table> <tbody><tr> <td> <table> <tbody><tr><td>
</td> </tr> <tr><td class="content_subtitle" align="left"> Tue, Dec 22, 2009
The New Paper </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td align="right" width="400"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right" valign="top">
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</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3" class="bodytext_10pt"> <!-- CONTENT : start --> By Crystal Chan
FOR every 10men seeking Vietnamese brides, one will try to bypass the matchmaker's fee by privately arranging a marriage with a woman he fancies. While many get away with it, say matchmakers, at least one "bride snatcher" here has had to face legal action taken by a bridal agency.
In February, Mr Loi Eng Tuang, owner of South Phoenix Marriage Centre, took one such customer, Mr Yip King Yin, 48, to the Small Claims Tribunal. Now, he is in the process of recovering the $4,888 the tribunal ordered Mr Yip to pay. Mr Loi had introduced Ms Dong Kip Thi, 26, to Mr Yip in November last year. Mr Yip was interested, but kept delaying payment. Ms Thi returned to Vietnam when her social visit pass expired after a month. The following month, Mr Loi learnt from the woman who introduced Mr Yip to him that the couple had tied the knot. It was the first time Mr Loi had faced such a situation in his five years in the matchmaking business. He said: "It was a matter of principle. I gave him a service and he refused to pay. How could I let him get away with it?"
Sneaky
While such sneaky customers turn up every now and then, not every matchmaker wants to spend time taking the cheats to task. Veteran matchmaker Mark Lin, owner of Vietnam Brides International, told The New Paper on Sunday that he has been tricked on at least six occasions but he has never struck back. He said: "When it happens, I treat it as bad luck. I think it's pointless going to court when I can spend the time attending to other customers." Matchmakers usually hear about these sneaky marriages through word-of-mouth. Mr Lin, who has been in the business since 2003, was almost conned again two weeks ago. On 4 Dec at around 8pm, a Singaporean man in his 40s walked into Mr Lin's shop in Orchard Plaza with his mother.
He showed interest in Miss Vu Hoa Phuong, 25. The man then left the shop, saying he needed time to make a decision. What Mr Lin did not know was that the man was waiting on the ground floor of the mall for Miss Phuong. He approached her and suggested a secret arrangement. She was to return to Vietnam when her social visit pass expired at the end of the month. He would then bring her back to Singapore for the marriage, without having to pay Mr Lin the matchmaking fee of $8,000. The fee covered the girl's living expenses, air tickets, health check-ups, and payment to Mr Lin's Vietnamese middleman. But Miss Phuong declined, and later told Mr Lin about the incident. Mr Lin then confronted the man. When The New Paper called the man, he claimed he wanted to date Miss Phuong, but without having to pay the non-refundable deposit.
Hesitant
The man said: "I was hesitant after reading news reports about foreign wives harming their in-laws. "I have apologised to Mr Lin if my actions caused him any inconvenience and I've promised never to contact Miss Phuong again." The agencies' practice is to collect a non-refundable deposit of between $1,500 and $2,000 when a customer shows interest in a girl. This is to discourage men from taking the women out just for sex, said Mr Lin. Once the customer decides to marry a girl, he will pay the rest of the fees. Mr Francis Toh, owner of First Overseas International Matchmaker in Katong Shopping Centre, said that out of every 10 cases, at least one tries to cheat. He said in Mandarin: "Some men approached my girls when they go to the washroom. They'd then arrange a marriage behind my back.
"Some of these couples are so brazen, they return to Katong Shopping Centre to have coffee. "And when I confront them, they deny having met through me. They claimed they met in Vietnam and decided to get married." Like Mr Lin, Mr Toh has never acted against such clients as he does not want to waste his time. But the matchmakers said that while the men have resorted to unethical means to get their brides, it takes two hands to clap. Mr Toh said: "Some girls just want to marry a Singaporean man. So if the latter wants to avoid paying up, they will go along with it."
[email protected]
</td></tr></tbody></table>
Matchmaker pursues man for dodging fee <!-- TITLE : end--> <!--
Some try to secretly meet and marry Vietnamese women behind matchmaker's back. -TNP --> </td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr> <td colspan="2" align="left" valign="top" width="550"> <table> <tbody><tr> <td> <table> <tbody><tr><td>
The New Paper </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td align="right" width="400"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right" valign="top">
</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3" class="bodytext_10pt"> <!-- CONTENT : start --> By Crystal Chan
FOR every 10men seeking Vietnamese brides, one will try to bypass the matchmaker's fee by privately arranging a marriage with a woman he fancies. While many get away with it, say matchmakers, at least one "bride snatcher" here has had to face legal action taken by a bridal agency.
In February, Mr Loi Eng Tuang, owner of South Phoenix Marriage Centre, took one such customer, Mr Yip King Yin, 48, to the Small Claims Tribunal. Now, he is in the process of recovering the $4,888 the tribunal ordered Mr Yip to pay. Mr Loi had introduced Ms Dong Kip Thi, 26, to Mr Yip in November last year. Mr Yip was interested, but kept delaying payment. Ms Thi returned to Vietnam when her social visit pass expired after a month. The following month, Mr Loi learnt from the woman who introduced Mr Yip to him that the couple had tied the knot. It was the first time Mr Loi had faced such a situation in his five years in the matchmaking business. He said: "It was a matter of principle. I gave him a service and he refused to pay. How could I let him get away with it?"
Sneaky
While such sneaky customers turn up every now and then, not every matchmaker wants to spend time taking the cheats to task. Veteran matchmaker Mark Lin, owner of Vietnam Brides International, told The New Paper on Sunday that he has been tricked on at least six occasions but he has never struck back. He said: "When it happens, I treat it as bad luck. I think it's pointless going to court when I can spend the time attending to other customers." Matchmakers usually hear about these sneaky marriages through word-of-mouth. Mr Lin, who has been in the business since 2003, was almost conned again two weeks ago. On 4 Dec at around 8pm, a Singaporean man in his 40s walked into Mr Lin's shop in Orchard Plaza with his mother.
He showed interest in Miss Vu Hoa Phuong, 25. The man then left the shop, saying he needed time to make a decision. What Mr Lin did not know was that the man was waiting on the ground floor of the mall for Miss Phuong. He approached her and suggested a secret arrangement. She was to return to Vietnam when her social visit pass expired at the end of the month. He would then bring her back to Singapore for the marriage, without having to pay Mr Lin the matchmaking fee of $8,000. The fee covered the girl's living expenses, air tickets, health check-ups, and payment to Mr Lin's Vietnamese middleman. But Miss Phuong declined, and later told Mr Lin about the incident. Mr Lin then confronted the man. When The New Paper called the man, he claimed he wanted to date Miss Phuong, but without having to pay the non-refundable deposit.
Hesitant
The man said: "I was hesitant after reading news reports about foreign wives harming their in-laws. "I have apologised to Mr Lin if my actions caused him any inconvenience and I've promised never to contact Miss Phuong again." The agencies' practice is to collect a non-refundable deposit of between $1,500 and $2,000 when a customer shows interest in a girl. This is to discourage men from taking the women out just for sex, said Mr Lin. Once the customer decides to marry a girl, he will pay the rest of the fees. Mr Francis Toh, owner of First Overseas International Matchmaker in Katong Shopping Centre, said that out of every 10 cases, at least one tries to cheat. He said in Mandarin: "Some men approached my girls when they go to the washroom. They'd then arrange a marriage behind my back.
"Some of these couples are so brazen, they return to Katong Shopping Centre to have coffee. "And when I confront them, they deny having met through me. They claimed they met in Vietnam and decided to get married." Like Mr Lin, Mr Toh has never acted against such clients as he does not want to waste his time. But the matchmakers said that while the men have resorted to unethical means to get their brides, it takes two hands to clap. Mr Toh said: "Some girls just want to marry a Singaporean man. So if the latter wants to avoid paying up, they will go along with it."
[email protected]
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