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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Hainan brides get free legal help
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Half of the 50 pro bono cases handled by Hainan Hwee Kuan involve them </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Theresa Tan
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South Phoenix Marriage Centre boss Loi Eng Tuang says he does not matchmake women who are out to get money from local men and also rejects lecherous old men who want only 'young virgins'. His firm charges up to $8,800 for matchmaking tours. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A SINGAPORE clan association has started a free legal service that has been inundated by brides from Hainan island in China who need help dealing with their abusive or deadbeat Singaporean husbands.
The Hainan Hwee Kuan has handled about 50 pro bono cases since March and at least half involved Hainan brides.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>THEY DON'T WANT MUCH
'Their expectations of marriage are not high. They just want their husbands to have a job and a place to stay. They don't expect the 5Cs.'
Mr Loi Eng Tuang, boss of South Phoenix Marriage Centre, on Hainan women
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Mr Thomas Foo, the clan association's president, thinks even more Hainan brides may need legal aid, considering that there are about 10,000 of them here now.
Some complain about abuse at the hands of their husbands or in-laws, while others need help with divorce proceedings.
Mr Cheng Kim Kuan, a lawyer who is volunteering at the Hwee Kuan, said: 'Sometimes I think Singaporeans bully these Hainan brides because they have no kin or friends here.'
Take for example, Ms Chen, a 24-year-old beautician from Hainan who married a Singaporean last year. The couple were introduced by friends and dated over the telephone for about a year before tying the knot.
But the marriage soured soon after the wedding when her forty-something husband found out she was not a virgin and wanted a divorce.
Ms Chen, who declined to give her full name, said:
'My husband thinks I'm using him to get permanent residency in Singapore. But I didn't marry him for money.
'Now I don't know what to do. If I return to Hainan, people will gossip as divorce is still seen as taboo. I just want to live in Singapore.'
Clan association president Foo said that like Ms Chen, many Hainan brides were introduced to Singaporean men by friends or relatives.
Some would not even have met their spouses in person before they said 'I do'.
It did not help that some men exaggerated their wealth, leading to tension when their brides discovered the truth.
Match-making agencies said that Singaporean men were seen as a good catch by Hainan women as they could offer their wives a higher standard of living than what the women would have in China.
Mr Loi Eng Tuang, boss of South Phoenix Marriage Centre, said of Hainan women: 'Their expectations of marriage are not high. They just want their husbands to have a job and a place to stay.
'They don't expect the 5Cs,' he added, referring to cash, a car, condo, credit card and country club membership.
In the past few years, several agencies matching locals with Hainan women have sprung up, including South Phoenix and Blissful Marriage Consultants.
The companies' matchmaking methods vary, however.
For example, Blissful Marriage Consultants' Mr Han Lin Zhuo said his agency encourages clients to get to know each other through phone calls, video chats and visits before they wed.
On average, he says it takes about three months to go from introductions to the marriage registry.
At South Phoenix, the men can get to know the women they are interested in over telephone before they go on a matchmaking tour.
During the tour, which usually lasts between three and four days, the men decide who to marry and even hold the wedding dinner during the trip.
Mr Loi said he charges between $8,000 and $8,800 for the jaunt, which includes airfare, hotel expenses, his fees and the dowry. He does not matchmake women who are out to get money from local men, and also rejects lecherous old men who want only 'young virgins'.
When asked about problems faced by some of these Hainan brides, he said: 'Even couples who have known each other for over 10 years face problems in their marriage.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Half of the 50 pro bono cases handled by Hainan Hwee Kuan involve them </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Theresa Tan
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
South Phoenix Marriage Centre boss Loi Eng Tuang says he does not matchmake women who are out to get money from local men and also rejects lecherous old men who want only 'young virgins'. His firm charges up to $8,800 for matchmaking tours. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A SINGAPORE clan association has started a free legal service that has been inundated by brides from Hainan island in China who need help dealing with their abusive or deadbeat Singaporean husbands.
The Hainan Hwee Kuan has handled about 50 pro bono cases since March and at least half involved Hainan brides.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>THEY DON'T WANT MUCH
'Their expectations of marriage are not high. They just want their husbands to have a job and a place to stay. They don't expect the 5Cs.'
Mr Loi Eng Tuang, boss of South Phoenix Marriage Centre, on Hainan women
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Mr Thomas Foo, the clan association's president, thinks even more Hainan brides may need legal aid, considering that there are about 10,000 of them here now.
Some complain about abuse at the hands of their husbands or in-laws, while others need help with divorce proceedings.
Mr Cheng Kim Kuan, a lawyer who is volunteering at the Hwee Kuan, said: 'Sometimes I think Singaporeans bully these Hainan brides because they have no kin or friends here.'
Take for example, Ms Chen, a 24-year-old beautician from Hainan who married a Singaporean last year. The couple were introduced by friends and dated over the telephone for about a year before tying the knot.
But the marriage soured soon after the wedding when her forty-something husband found out she was not a virgin and wanted a divorce.
Ms Chen, who declined to give her full name, said:
'My husband thinks I'm using him to get permanent residency in Singapore. But I didn't marry him for money.
'Now I don't know what to do. If I return to Hainan, people will gossip as divorce is still seen as taboo. I just want to live in Singapore.'
Clan association president Foo said that like Ms Chen, many Hainan brides were introduced to Singaporean men by friends or relatives.
Some would not even have met their spouses in person before they said 'I do'.
It did not help that some men exaggerated their wealth, leading to tension when their brides discovered the truth.
Match-making agencies said that Singaporean men were seen as a good catch by Hainan women as they could offer their wives a higher standard of living than what the women would have in China.
Mr Loi Eng Tuang, boss of South Phoenix Marriage Centre, said of Hainan women: 'Their expectations of marriage are not high. They just want their husbands to have a job and a place to stay.
'They don't expect the 5Cs,' he added, referring to cash, a car, condo, credit card and country club membership.
In the past few years, several agencies matching locals with Hainan women have sprung up, including South Phoenix and Blissful Marriage Consultants.
The companies' matchmaking methods vary, however.
For example, Blissful Marriage Consultants' Mr Han Lin Zhuo said his agency encourages clients to get to know each other through phone calls, video chats and visits before they wed.
On average, he says it takes about three months to go from introductions to the marriage registry.
At South Phoenix, the men can get to know the women they are interested in over telephone before they go on a matchmaking tour.
During the tour, which usually lasts between three and four days, the men decide who to marry and even hold the wedding dinner during the trip.
Mr Loi said he charges between $8,000 and $8,800 for the jaunt, which includes airfare, hotel expenses, his fees and the dowry. He does not matchmake women who are out to get money from local men, and also rejects lecherous old men who want only 'young virgins'.
When asked about problems faced by some of these Hainan brides, he said: 'Even couples who have known each other for over 10 years face problems in their marriage.' [email protected]
