It’s a sad tale but true. It’s a sad tale often repeated throughout history. A man marrying the woman of his dreams and then the marriage turns into one of hell. Here, this man was forced to sign away everything to his Made-In-China wife.
However, before you read the story, I’d just like to bring up an anecdote told to me by a lawyer several years ago. She said that she had seen men in their 50s, with balding pates and protruding tummies, declaring to her that there were still women who found them attractive. Yes, she replied, the women were attracted all right but not to the men. Little did the men realise – until too late – that the women were attracted to the men’s tidy savings in their EPF accounts. Yes, indeed, that’s the attraction. So be warned!
The story said that she even used his name to secretly open a massage parlour. “Obviously, she marries me not because she loves me. Not only did she secure all benefits to this marriage, she exploited me and opened a massage parlour. I’m worried that if I continue to be with her, I may be pushed to violate the law.”
Su, 48, is a factory operator who met his wife in 2006. “She brought her daughter of about 10 years along to Singapore to pursue an education. She was working at a massage parlour in Chinatown, and had approached me on the street with massage services. We even went to a hotel together after that. I was mesmerised by her beauty and would frequently visit her in Chinatown every week.”
The two grew intimate and in September this year, registered their marriage. Soon afterwards, all hell literally broke loose. According to him, his wife made seven presumptuous demands:
- Pressurising him to will and state that his wife and daughter will be the only benefactors.
- The house must include her name, as well as the daughter’s. Any member of his family, including his ex-wife and children, are not allowed into the house.
- Sign an agreement and promise her the ownership of the house.
- Apply permanent residence for her as soon as possible.
- Buy insurance to let her be the benefactor.
- Allowing her to keep the marriage certificate.
- Insists that he submits his identity card and CPF account number to authorise the opening of the massage parlour.
So his wife used his name and documents to open a massage parlour and then hired female masseuses without work permits. When he went to cancel the license of the shop, she got very angry and threatened him with a knife. His wife also squandered his lottery winnings of over $100,000. He even applied for a credit card and a personal loan for her and is now burdened with debts. He tried getting a divorce but because they had been married for only a short time, his request for divorce was rejected.