‘Mail-order brides’ leave Malaysian hubbies in a tight spot

KUALA LUMPUR: Many Malaysians who married foreign “mail-order brides” have found themselves in a spot after their wives left the country. Most of them also took their children.

In all the cases, the women left while their husbands were at work.

MCA Public Services and Com­plaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said 25 such cases have been reported since last year.

“Of the number, 18 disappeared with the children,” he said.

Vietnamese women are the highest on the list, followed by Indonesian and China nationals.

In four cases, the women had even demanded money from their husbands in exchange for the children.

“The demands ranged between RM15,800 and RM31,600 to surrender a child,” said Chong.

While some men were willing to pay, they doubt they would get their child back.

“The best way for the men is to seek the help of the agent who introduced them to their wives,” Chong said at a press conference.

He said the agents would know how to get in touch with the foreign wives.

One victim who went to his wife’s village in Vietnam to find his child was beaten up by villagers.

Chong said these men were legally married to their foreign wives and that their children were Malaysian citizens.

“This matter has become very serious in our country over the last six years,” he said. “Malaysian men must be very careful when choosing their partners.”

Even the authorities and embassies were not able to help them deal with the matter, he added.