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Malaysian men are said to be acquiring Vietnamese brides for up to 30,000 ringgit (HK$65,562) from agents who parade young girls in rural coffee shops.
The practice is described as "sickening and immoral" by Michael Chong, head of the Malaysian Chinese Association's public service and complaints department. The MCA is a political party and member of the ruling National Front coalition.
"The practice of parading the girls and selling them off to local singles or divorced men mostly take[s] place in rural areas," Chong told The Star. "It is a sickening practice and shames our nation. Women should be treated as equals and by no means are they to be paraded and sold in such a manner."
Girls brought in from Vietnam are sold from 20,000 to 30,000 ringgit each, he said, and are paid for on the spot and taken away by local men.
"The prettier and sexier the girl, the higher price she fetches," Chong said.
He said authorities had no power to stop the unscrupulous agents since most of them had registered businesses.
"We cannot stop them from making money by selling foreign girls for marriages," Chong said, "but we can definitely stop them from parading the girls."
Chong said most of the girls are from poor families and hope for a better life by marrying Malaysian men who are mostly divorced, rich or old.
The All Women's Action Society - a group that champions the rights of women in Malaysia - called on authorities to investigate the circumstances of the Vietnamese women.
"Instead of rushing to judge, we need to understand why it is that the women are in this position," said society president Judith Loh-Koh. "It is of the utmost necessity to establish if they consented to the marriage. Even if the answer is yes, under what circumstances do they consent?"
She said foreign women who marry Malaysian men should also be made aware of their legal rights, since they are economically dependent on their husbands. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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