IN LAST Tuesday's article ('Matchmaking's fine, but not bride-buying'), the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) stated that 'matchmaking services are legitimate and the industry is not regulated, as is the practice in many countries'.
I was surprised by the reasoning that we do not do it because other countries don't. We are always told that such an attitude equals complacency.
Statistics may not show the correlation between marriages with foreign brides and domestic abuse/divorces because many foreign brides and their children could be suffering in silence.
The practice of giving the foreign spouse a visitor pass is a loophole for unscrupulous people to bring in unwitting young women to work as maids, surrogate mothers and sex slaves - no bank guarantee, government levy or minimum pay required, only a one-time fee.
The ministry can do more.
While not copying Taiwan's model, MCYS can still enforce rules, such as setting a minimum regular income requirement for male citizens, and service fees for the vital checks required to ensure compliance and genuine intent.
Lim Lay Choo (Ms)
sex slaves?