Singkawang Brides
Apr 25th, 2008, in Society, by Patung
What Singkawang in Kalimantan is famous for, friendly people and wife selling.
Extreme Friendliness
The fair town of Singkawang in western Borneo, 140 odd km’s from Pontianak, is mainly known for two things. The first, as a classic Wikipedia article wiki discusses below, is the bloody 1999 pogrom by long-standing residents against recent Madurese immigrants:
…. the people of Singkawang are extremely friendly, and when the Madurese arrived with no belongings and nowhere to live, they were given permission to stay in any spare place like people’s front yard. As timed passed, the Madurese got accustomed to the local hospitality, offering nothing in return but rude comments. Soon they started to treat the small pieces of land they were lent as their own, in addition to getting into robbery, pity crimes and extorsion. As one local policeman said: “They started to behave like mobsters.” Soon, they were driven out of the city …..
The same authoritative source says that Singkawang is known as “City of Thousand Temples”, because about half of its population is Chinese (Hakka it seems), and this brings us to the second reason, and more proof of the “extreme friendliness” of the people there, the fairly common practice of bride selling to the highest bidder.
Amoy Singkawang
Maya Satrini, an activist in the town, says recent government efforts to reduce the incidence of bride selling or contract marriages among the ethnic Chinese section of the “Hong Kong of Indonesia” have not met with much success:
In 2007 there were over 100 cases, not much different from the previous year.
However she suggests that the 100+ figure is a considerable understatement, because those cases that get reported generally involve the girl being dumped, or having some other reason to complain about the outcome of the “marriage”, – because she was put to work as a prostitute, abused, or was simply very disappointed with life in the new country.
How to Get a Wife in Singkawang
Most of the men who come to Singkawang looking for young women to marry are from Taiwan, China, Malaysia, or Singapore. These men arrive, get in touch with a broker, the broker then approaches a family with a suitably aged girl and generally offers the parents about five million rupiah (a bit over $500) for her.
The overseas men of course pay the broker much more than this figure, with one 2006 Singapore source suggesting the fee is around 30 million rupiah (about $3,000). Often a time period is stipulated in the contract as well, like two or five years, or sometimes very short periods, and often there is in fact no legal marriage. newpaper.asia1.com.sg
Singkawang has a lot to offer.
What the “Amoy Singkawang”, or the girls involved think about all of this is something of a mystery.
Maya Satrini says the men who contract to buy wives in Singkawang tend to come from middle to lower class backgrounds, or are quite old, and are generally not the most eligible of bachelors, if they’re bachelors at all.
Economic hardship in Singkawang lays at the root of the problem, she says. antara
Find Indonesian Chinese brides, possibly from Singkawang, at Meet at IndonesiaMatters!
35 Comments on “Singkawang Brides”
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A sad fact of life!
Maybe with a little more attention paid to this then perhaps something can be done to address the apparent economic hardships that drive this industry. Although, any initiatives in this area probably rank fairly lowly on the Indonesian Government’s “to do list”!
Good weekend to all!
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If this is a sad fact of life and circumstances dictate that this practice will continue, then I think the local people need to take control. Cut out the “middleman”, be more selective to whom they engage with and eventually if the monies are returned to the community, they will be able to develop a better longer term viable strategy. Arranged marriages take place in many areas of the world but this is more along a business model.
I know not ideal solution, but much better you have a say in the exploitation than not.
Some control is better than none, in my view. -
wowid11 says:
The truth is these men are loser. They are the “unwanted” bachelor in their origin country. No girls in their origin country want to marry them, that why they come to singkawang. They pretend to be rich people to fool these girls.
I went to Taiwan once and met one of the girl marrying the taiwanese. Back home she was promise with lots of fortune and better living but the truth; she is living in a very poor condition, much worse than the condition in singkawang, however, she can’t go back because she has no money and the new husband wont let her… poor thing!
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Purba Negoro says:
Wowid11:
Absolutely correct.Poverty is not the reason- merely a convenient excuse. Exactly like prositution- 99%++ of the world’s women choose a life of dignity rather than selling their flesh.
No-one puts a gun to these people’s head.
But- typical Chinese scum too- and their Semitic money-lust.
Everything has a price to a Chinaman.
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Deng Xiao Phing says:
haiya … koh Deng Xiao Phing … mau pesan satu bride Singakawang …haiya …
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As has become the Purba Negoro standard — narrow-minded racist diatribe that evidences nothing but some kind of warped anectdotal “evidence”!
What is scary is that there are people like Purba Negoro walking among us, perhaps our neighbour, perhaps a work colleague, but not someone actively seeking resolutions to our communal problems but rather someone seeking to exacerbate existing problems by revisting old stereotypes!
Yet, it seems that it is PN who has a price and it is not a high one because he espouses nothing but cheap racist rhetoric!
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sputjam says:
FYI, those who want arab blood as brides can go to a village near bogor, and Padang, where the wealthy arab descent can choose whom he wants, just like in singkawang. Money change hands, so it is not particularly a chinese thing. It is a dream to escape poverty, but may end up being life long slaves instead.
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@Purba: “Chinese and their Semitic money lust…” Er, if you want to go by stereotypes isn’t there a redundancy here when you put the words Chinese and Semitic together?
Poverty has everything to do with it. If the society was less poor then young girls would have the option of working (usually in factories if the economy is getting a head start) instead. They would not have to suffer the indignities of having to marry sometimes old, unattractive men.
If their bloodlust for money is not assuaged then they can always become golddiggers, who marry for completely different reasons – more money, instead of security and survival of themselves and their families.
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Utter codswallop.
If poverty was truly the cause of prostitution- why aren’t all poor women prostituting themselves- including the long term unemployed?
Actually there are Chinese Jews- for your information- they were heavily involved in the Opium trade- yes the British brought it- but who smuggled it in?
You think John Bull with a treasure box of Chinese tobacky is going to go unnoticed in Imperial China?Rob- How dare you. You are obviously a total ignoramus with no historical knowledge and most likely a total pansy mincing about with his Western middle-class angst and bourgeoisie chattering-class cosmopolitan fantasies.
A short history leson:
in 1930’s the Chinese voluntarily funded Dutch anti-Nationalist and anti Japanese intelligence fearing we pribumi would actually start to rule ourselves.
During the Perjuangan- Surabayan Chinese collaborated with the Dutch and British, betraying many Nationalist sympathisers.My ancestral lands around Yogja were appropriated by the Dutch and given to the Chinese “Sian” in the late 1800’s and due to Kultuurstelsel- which was administered by the Dutchmens’ Chinese lick spittles- over 3 million of my people died- from starvation.
During a time when Java had around 40 million people- which equates
to 7.5% of Javanese population- in today’s terms thiwuold be a death toll of 16000000+- considerably higher than the Holocaust.For my fathers’ valour during Perjuangan- the Sri Sultan himself returned a portion of our lands.
Chinese remain the enemy in the minds all pribumi. Live with this reality.
Lest we forget our past and our heroes. -
timdog says:
rob, unspun et al, I believe there is no need to panic – though he reeled me in briefly while ranting about bule-Indonesian marriages I have now, thanks to my special psychic powers, been able to conclude that like some other notable posters here, Purba Negoro is not real…
He’s good though – so good that even though I can see his Cheshire cat-like smirk coming through as he posts, he has managed too reel me in just a little bit again:PN – even though I know you are not real and am therefore not scared of you I have to point out that:
Actually there are Chinese Jews- for your information- they were heavily involved in the Opium trade
You appear to have confused “Chinese Jews” with “Jews in China“. There certainly are people who are apparently ethnically Chinese who have a Jewish heritage and who practice some kind of rather corrupted (from an orthodox perspective) Judaism… They live in Henan province, and are rather famous, but they certainly weren’t involved in the Opium trade…
Jews were involved in the Opium trade in China, though not to any special or unique extent. But these Jews were “real” Jews rather than the Chinese Jews – much more recent immigrants and settlers to Shanghai, Canton and other ports and cities from the Middle-east, South Asia, and of course, Russia… Just thought that ought to be pointed out for the benefit of anyone interested in the curious subject of Chinese Jews…Also, there has been some significant reappraisal of the Cultivation System and its impact by modern historians (not that I personally have a position on that; just thought it might be pointed out for anyone interested in the topic).
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Purba Negoro…
Perhaps I am an ignoramous with no historical knowledge because I can see through your twisted and bitter racism. But in any event, can you point to a source where I can read about the 3 million people that the Chinese Indonesians murdered through starvation at the behest of the Dutch?
How dare I? Simple, I have a brain and I can have an opinion! It is a democracy and I have the right to disagree with you! There is nothing in my earlier comments that are not legitimate interpretations of what you have previously said. You are a racist and the next paragraph reflects this.
If your view is the dominant view with regards to Chinese Indonesians being the enemy, then this makes a mockery of Pancasila, it makes a mockery of Unity in Diversity, it makes a mockery of Indonesia. Your view is that Indonesia is Java and Java is Indonesia!
Utter codswallop…now there is a Javanese term born out ot the Javanese struggle against the Dutch and their lickspittle Chinese lackeys! You are not Javanese and if you were you would have the testicular fortitude to identify your real self so that we who have already identified ourselves can at least see who is proferring this racist and sexist garbage!
But post some links or let me know where I can find the “evidence” on which you rely! I am happy to admit that I am wrong about you provided you are willing to endeavour to convince me with something other than anectdotal evidence…
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I have not heard of mass starvation anyhwere in south east asia other than the massacre by pol pot and his regime.
Even sex is easily obtainable, therefore no sex starved south east asians as well.
In China/India, starvation is common through the centuries. Even europe suffered from starvation, including presently prosperous states of sweden and ireland.Many europeans who made thailand their home eventually married female workers in the sex trade, and some live in with gays and transvestites. Many girlie bars at cowboy soi are owned by europeans and the atmosphere beats bangkok’s Hard Rock cafe anytime. Mind you the young bangkok(er)’s are no pushovers and they drink whiskey with their steaks at hard rock (pun unintended)
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@all: Is there a bit of a diversion here. The original argument, IMHO, is about why people turn to “selling” their daughters to marriages. Women who are sold into marriages are usually done so because of the poverty of the families; women who turn to prostitution could have done so because of their families’ poverty or if they can make relatively a lot of money. Starvation and poverty has little to do with prostitution, otherwise the developed countries would be bereft of red light areas.
@purba: are you related to the ukelele player Achmad Sudarsono?
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Unspun…
Diversions always occur and particularly so on IM where personal opinions take the debate away from the original point…
Nevertheless, my personal opinion is that poverty plays a part in whether a daughter is sold or not. Although, I would agree with the propostition that it is not the sole reason for the trading of children and women.
I am interested in the assumption that you make that western countries are free of poverty and starvation and the analogy you draw to red light districts. Poverty and starvation are issues in western countries but perhaps not to the same degree or scale as in other places such as Africa, parts of Asia, parts of South America, and parts of Eastern Europe…but it does exist.
Homelessness, poverty, soup kitchens, food stamps, social security are issues in Western countries too.
So on point, perhaps you are right in suggesting that in Singkawang that poverty is not the sole reason for this trade in young female brides, but I have not done any empirical research in the area to be able to refute you with facts and figures, I also have not read any reports upon which I would be willing to rely…nevertheless, my gut feeling is that poverty is an issue (and my gut is pretty big so it is a pretty big feeling!)…
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Purba is real and no relationship to the bule Achmad.
Sputjam- you obviously have not read much history, have you?
Rob- from your perch upon muesli mountain, where you and the other bule middle-class moral onanists dwell as (albeit self-appointed) Grand Arbiters of Truth, Reason and Morality- as I have a thorough grasp of English- I must not be Javanese?
Wouldn’t such a prejudicial view be bigotry? Therefore if you were to label me a bigot or a racist- it comes from the pen of an expert bigot/racist?
The smug moral (self-percieved) superiority of the liberalist white-guilt-wracked middle-classes would be amusing if it were not offensively Colonialistic.
This same slef-obsessed pathetic peer group of hand-wringing moral activistas would self-congratulate themselves onanistically on what a favour they were visiting upon their quaint colonial natives or “new caught savage peoples, half-devil and half child” according to Kipling.Rob your facetious middle-class moralism and its’ associated “White Man’s Burden” with a dash of social-liberalism are the wet dreams of the frustrated bourgeoisie armchair activist.
Feel-gooder, Merlot Marxist bed-wetter flagellant-multiculturalistas like Rob remain too dimwitted to read between the lines and heed the irony of Kiplings’ genius.
Java is Indonesia is Java right down to the Kawi “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika”, exactly like Panca Sila, “Satu Nusa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa”, “Nusantara”, Rekso Rekmekso, Sempa Pemuda.
It was the Javanese Sukarno, Hatta, Yamin, Maramis, Subardjo, Hadikusumo. Hasyim, Salim and Abikusno who created Panca Sila and “In pieces, yet One” national slogan.
It is dervied from Majaphit poet Mpu Tantulars “Kakawin Sutasoma” – again Javanese.
The poem:
Rwaneka dhatu winuwus Buddha Wiswa,
Bhinnaki rakwa ring apan kena parwanosen,
Mangka ng Jinatwa kalawan Siwatatwa tunggal,
Bhinneka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa.Bhinneka tunggal ika translates as “fragmented (pieces) yet of (and remaining) one” not Unity in Diversity.
This is a poor transliteration as it does not consider connotations of the English substitutes.
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is like dropping a cangkirAs the National Slogan- it implies National Territory not Western multiculturalism.
Kerakyatan- rakyat has no inference to include Colonial imports or economic parasites like Chinese, Indians or Arabs. Rakyat and Wong Cilik imply pribumi natives only.
Here’s some very quick info links for the poorly read.
Wikipedia (yes I know not peer-reviewed- but best I can do on short notice):“Japanese aggression in Manchuria and China in the late 1930s caused anxiety amongst the Chinese in Indonesia who set up funds to support the anti-Japanese effort. Dutch intelligence services also monitored Japanese in Indonesia.[5]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Occupation_of_Indonesia
Vickers “A Modern History of Indonesia”, . Cambridge 2005 on page 83 details Chinese anti- Japanese efforts.
The Imperial War Museum has plenty of photographs about featuring Chinese collaborators.
Furthermore wikipedia:
“In order to handle and process the cash crops, the Dutch set up a network of local middlemen who profited greatly and so had a vested interest in the system, (compradores).
In the google available text “Commercial Networks in Modern Asia”,
By Shinya Sugiyama,, Compradores are identified as Chinese.
And in “The Chinese and the National Integration in Southeast Asia”
by Jacques Amyot, page 48.If you had any interst in Indonesia aside from debauchery you might try reading Eduard Douwes Dekker’s Max Haavelar where the whole tale of Dutch exploitation is told well.
QED bule.
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I believe the most satisfactory and effective translation of “Bhinneka tunggal ika” is “From many, one”; “Unity in Diversity” is not satisfactory, reading as it does like a cheesy tourist brochure slogan.
Purba Negoro, you know your wikipedia-instant-history-of-Indonesia, but you don’t know your Chinese Jews…
As I know that you don’t exist I have decided to create an equally non-existent alter-ego for myself with which to counter you. Thus I introduce Timothy Doggington-Smythe, chotta peg in right hand, penang lawyer in left hand, collected works of Kipling under arm…
Timothy Doggington-Smythe says:
“Ha! Look at this ridiculous little fellow! It’s well-known these Javanese are the most enervated, effeminate race on the planet – look at them! Look at their preening ways; they will never achieve anything. Give me a good, stout Pathan any day, now that’s a real man…
Purba Negoro he calls himself, calls himself a proud Javanese! Uppity little fellow isn’t he? Ideas above his station. But you know the best thing? The ungrateful little bugger is claiming we oppressed him – but good lord! You know the best of it? To prove our oppression he has to invoke that croaking twitterer Dekker! Ha! He needs one of US to tell him that we oppressed him! Ha! He’s nothing, the preening little piccaninny! We made him! He needs us to tell him his own history! Without us he doesn’t even know what he is! We created him and now he bites the hand that feeds!
But then that is the white man’s burden, old fellow, that is the white man’s burden…
I say, another peg?”**For the benefit of anyone who struggles with my curious post-colonial sense of humour I must stress what should be obvious: the above words are those of Timothy Doggington-Smythe, who like Purba Negoro, does not exist.
Timdog, however, categorically does exist, and incidentally Purba Negoro, Timdog has a revisionist approach to Kipling. Timdog… I must stop referring to myself in the third person right away – it’s wrong, so wrong, but it feels dangerously good (as does channelling the spirit of T.D-S ;-))… I think that Kipling is not only a great writer, but also, rather than a mere jingoistic champion of empire, actually a remarkable sort of proto-hippie and a direct antecedent of the likes of Hesse in his literary approach to the “East”…
I think it is interesting to compare him to E.M. Forster – as has often been done before, but in a new way… for I believe that Forster, the liberal, the anti-colonialist, actually despised India and Indians, and this comes across very much in his book on the subject. He approached “Asiatics” in a way that our dear Purba Negoro is familiar with – a remarkably modern way: tortured liberal condescension. Forster believed that Indians were his equal… and yet he could not accept it, he could not truly accept their equality to him, as he was at the very pinnacle of valour and enlightenment – Western secular liberalism. Thus as he condemned the very existence of colonialism his tortured contempt for the colonial subjects shines through…
Kipling on the other hand approached India free from such tormented, angst-ridden hypocrisy – with deep and uncomplicated affection, and crucially, a sense of equality…Er… sorry… did it again – went very much off on one… ummm… er… yeah, I WANT 2 GET SEXY SINGKAWANG GURL LOL! LOL! LOL! er… yes…
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PN…
Unfortunately, for you I am neither a racist nor a bigot…I was not questioning your overall grasp of English and I know many Javanese with a better overall grasp of English than you evidence. I was merely pointing out that your turn of phrase as it relates to codswallop was one I had never heard a Javanese person utter.
You can call yourself Javanese and whether you are or not is not all that important. However, your views are. I do not have any white man’s burden that I am operating under. However, that is the easy way for you to dismiss any argument against you by saying something along the lines “you just do not get it because you are white”…
but hey…I guess I will never understand you, Indonesia, or the Javanese…
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Rob- apology accepted- let’s kiss and make up.
Timdog. very amusing. Finally a cultured bule- I thought they were non existent in the Colonies.
I like TD Smythe too. Is he related to the St John-Smythes (“Sinjan Smithe” is the correct pronounciation, correct?) of Sodom upon the Wye, Herts.? Buggery Hall or something?
But does he make his own chutney?
Wikipedia and Google-books are used for veracity or cross-checking my claims, lest someone feel I’m making facts up as I go along.
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dewaratugedeanom says:
Purba Negoro said
If you had any interst in Indonesia aside from debauchery you might try reading Eduard Douwes Dekker’s Max Haavelar where the whole tale of Dutch exploitation is told well.
And if you do you will be well aware that the Dutch never could have managed without the support and help of the local Javanese ningrat (nobility).
In 1856 Eduard Douwes Dekker had been appointed the position of assistant-resident in Lebak, West-Java. There the drama took place that finally would lead to the writing of the Max Havelaar. The population of Lebak was forced by their own inland leaders to provide cattle and labour without being paid for it. The former assistant-resident already wanted to take measures against this exploitation, but his sudden death had prevented this. His successor, Douwes Dekker, did take these measures and filed a complaint with the Resident against the main culprit, Regent Karta Natta Negara – or was it Negoro(?). However, he refused to reveal his case in detail before the Regent and his family had been removed from Lebak. Because of this Douwes Dekker had a fall out with his superiors who decided to transfer him. Disappointed and indignant because of these measures he resigned, which was granted immediately. He returned to Europe where he wrote his Max Havelaar, as an indictment against the wrongs and injustice inflicted upon the native population. After he left and without his knowledge an investigation into the case took place and his accusations were proven to be correct.
So far for Javanese ‘nobility’.
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gtiving away women as present is a chinese cultural thing.chinese princess were given to monggol chief to prevent them from attacking china.
500 years ago, parameswara, the hindu warlord and founder of malacca, or his siblings had chinese brides or concubines as a gift from the emperor of china.Rich chinese men have concubines who live together with their mother. It is an acceptable mode of conduct.
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Acceptable mode of conduct?
Gotta say that is an interesting take on the issue! Does that mean that we must defer to all practices that are cultural even if we consider them to be abhorrent just because somewhere and at some time they were considered to be the norm?
To the victors go the spoils!
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Janma says:
The smug moral (self-percieved) superiority of the liberalist white-guilt-wracked middle-classes would be amusing if it were not offensively Colonialistic.
yeah…… Purbo …. sounds like your family were colonialists yourselves, and are just sore cause you lost your 3,000,000 chattel people…
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w3n says:
Thanks a lot to the web master to brings up this matter..
From the comment at above, I could judge that some of the comment is from not responsibility people (just imagine one of you sister or family stuck with the illegal contract marriage or after the marriage, becomes a slut??? what do you guys feel???) so… next time don’t just bull sh*t… think first before you speak up.
For myself, even thought I’m from North Sumatera, I could understand the feelings that the girls from singkawang feels… all because I also a girl too.
I believe, when we still young… almost all of the little girls in this world dreamed of cinderella life… we dream of one days the prince charming will come to us and marry us… but, life is not a fairytale. years by years, we grow up and the fairytale gone with the time. we just realize that there is not such a fairytale life.
In here, I’m going to encourage all the girls or women in this earth to face the life, to stand with our own legs, to fight for our own faith. there is no somethings or someone who or which could control our life. our life is control by ourselves. therefore, Marriage is not the only way to escape from the poorest. as long as we still have 2 hands and 2 legs… we still could survive.
I hope that government will thinks this matter seriously… don’t make the self value of Indonesia broke down.
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WT says:
it sounds sad and dignity-hurting condition there, but if someone could imagine an old semi rich bachelor who cant find any bride or simply “a victim” and a young poor girl who got no hope of getting any better life, such social unjustice just make this things happen and eventually become a culture in the mean of parent’s education of their friendliness to these foreigners and acceptance of such a fate. I won’t connect this case with chinese people because of similiar cases on other races all around the world, its just a matter between rich and poor people. The same thing could happen to a white who buys a poor south asian villagegirl.
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Shloka says:
@ Purba Negero,
Such things are done by Arabs in my country India as well. There are about 35 to 40 reported fake marriages occur every year between rich Arabs and young Indian Muslim girls in Hyderabad. The actual figure is much higher. In fact, the Mullahs start chasing these Arabs right at the International airport of Hyderabad. As soon as an Arab lands at the airport, the Mullah pimps target him and the negotiation starts then and there. Photographs of young girls are shown, financial matters are settled and date and place for such marriages are finalized. It’s a big racket. Their shameful acts remain unknown to their own daughters and grand daughters of equal age back home. What is disturbing is that these Arabs are even rented out rooms made conveniently in the homes of these Maulvies who perform these fake marriages. In some cases these Islamic marriages last only 24 hours (Sheikh, 2005). This is how, using Islam, the Mullahs are promoting Islamic prostitution and filling up their pockets with money. Majhar Hussain, the president of the Confederation of Voluntary Agencies said, “This [Mutah marriage] is turning the young Muslim girls into prostitutes”. (cited Brahmachari, 2008). If this practice keeps on going unabated and these Mullahs are not stopped, then very soon Hyderabad might become the centre of legalized, Sha’ria-approved Islamic whore city, another ‘Brothel Mecca’ of fornication sought by Muslim men mostly from the Arab world. Many Muslims will be seen coming to India for Sex-Hajj (i.e, Islamic sex pilgrimage). Once there is shortage of young virgin girls, Mullahs will probably look for young Muslim housewives to carry on the prostitution.
Its not only Chinese, such men are found in every culture. Don’t blame Chinese unduly.Poverty of the woman’s family+ sexual lust of some debauched men is the cause.
@ sputjam,
Its not limited to the Chinese. Muslim Emperors of India too took wives and concubines from their vassals, whether Hindu or Muslim. And I’ve read a very interesting book “White Mughals” by Darlymple which is a historical account, complete with sources. In this book, the heroine a Muslim aristocrat is given to the British Christian Ambassador of her principality in a “honey trap”.Apparently many Britishers too lived in India with their harems, complete with eunuch harem guards. In the West, although there were marriages for political alliances, there wasn’t polygamy or a harem system, so not many women could be so used. In contrast, in the East, be it China,India or the Middle East, the kings and noblemen had harems, and giving or taking daughters as wives and concubines was widely practiced.
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It’s very hard to solve this case, especially majority of the people are wanna become “trade girls” by theirself because the financial problems, i wish someone will change the habits like that, the person of course should gives many chances like jobs, well-beliefs, and so on to makes the “trade girls” become a “normal” people.
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Elvie says:
I like singkawang. Kota yg yg bnr2 terhindar dr kesibukan n stres. Org2 skw jg sgt kekeluargaan n kompak. Makananny jg enak2. I love skw. Skw kota plg aman,tenang d.
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sofia says:
i think goverment must give a serious respeck for each othe
family at singkawang to decrease the problem at
singkawang!!!!! because i belive no one family at small
village in a big country want to do a illegal brides just because their poverty.Not only the goverment have respeck to singkawang however most of indonesian people must
help to face up the singkawang problems!!!!! -
anonymous says:
As someone born and has lived in west borneo for 21 years, I kind of know why some of these girls want to marry foreigners. (I stayed at pemangkat, half an hour journey from singkawang by car)
First of all, like some of u have said, it’s true that most of the foreigners (taiwanese) that are looking for bride aren’t from upper-class. They’re either middle / lower class. But since taiwan(NT) currency is higher than Indonesian RUPIAH, most of the girls’s family believe that they’re rich. (it’s the truth, i know some people that sold of their girls)Some of the girls are lucky enough to get good husband, they live a better life than back in their hometown, some of them even invite their parents to attend their wedding.
BUT MOST of them aren’t that lucky, hence, you can see all those girls live a poor life and some of them manage to escape back.
The thing is, most of their mindset (people that willing to sell their daughters off) are to get money and try their luck (like striking toto or 4D or lotte).
First, once the daughter married someone, the family got a sum of money.
If they’re lucky, the daughter will send some more money back home once they stay in taiwan. — most of them are trying their luck on thisIf the daughter living a bad life, the family will just go and scold the brokers if they found out about it, but can’t do much about it since they don’t have the money.
Most daughters are trying their luck as well, when they want to help their family, marrying to this taiwanese men always give higher hope to earn more money. Most of them aren’t well-educated. Hence the parents….
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It used to be the poor around Haadyai(southern Thailand) who sold their daughters virginity. But now that they are prosperous and with the AIDS epidemic rampaging, those with uncontrollable sexual urges have to look elsewhere.
Singkawang is famous as far north as South Korea and Japan for the place to find obedient brides.
The Hakkas in malaysia are famous for their Chicken rice and Chicken chop plus their “kopi tiam” shops. Lee Kuan Yew is a Hakka.
On the fees, I heard it was about USD10000/- per bride, but maybe, as most cases in Indonesia, the middlemen gets the biggest margin.