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Yet another social ill with the rise of FTrash here. Not only are our jobs being snatched away, our women are being snapped up too.
Expat divorces on the rise in S’pore?
By Angela Lim – February 7th, 2011
Expatriate men who travel often for work are most susceptible to cheating, lawyers say. (AFP Photo)
It looks like foreign wives living in Singapore will have to keep a closer eye on their husbands considering the recent hike in expatriate divorces here.
According to Singapore divorce lawyers, more foreign men are leaving their wives for Singapore and Asian women, reported My Paper.
Family lawyers have recently found their base of expatriate clients increase from just a handful to nearly 70 per cent of the total number of cases they handle.
Apparently, it’s the men who tend to travel often for work who are most susceptible to cheating.
Lawyers say while there is no specific social setting that breeds infidelity, the third parties involved are mostly air stewardesses, female co-workers and women at nightspots or social events.
Expatriate wives often suspect their husbands are up to no good upon discovering the usual giveaways like a flirtatious message, receipts for expensive gifts, peer reports and now more popularly, Facebook photos.
Many of them would then hire private eyes, who can follow a suspect all the way overseas to expose them.
Lawyers add that it is common to receive private eyes’ reports detailing the men having a wild time partying every night and indulging in romantic dinners with women, even inviting them to their hotel rooms.
Ms Wong Kai Yun, a partner of law firm Chia Wong, revealed she has handled more than 100 cases involving expatriates in the last five years.
She said that many of them were from high net-worth families, with husbands who were posted her to take up managerial positions or directorships in the multinational companies they worked for.
“In some scenarios, both husband and wife held high positions before the man was assigned overseas. The wife gives up her job, relocates with her children to Singapore where, a few years down the road, he is charmed by an Asian woman and wants a divorce,” explained Ms Wong.
The trend of more husbands relocating here because of their jobs appears to coincide with Singapore’s growing pool of Employment Pass holders. This is reflected in the increase from 99,000 in 2007 to 142,000 last year, according to Ministry of Manpower records.
Why do expatriate couples choose to settle their divorces here?
According to Mr Koh Tien Hua, a family lawyer with Harry Elias Partnership, jurisdiction and convenience are the two main reasons couples choose to end their marriages here instead of in their home country.
Lawyers claim that many expatriates come from as far away as Russia and Britain to nearby Asian nations to file for a divorce. These clients are mostly in their mid-30s and older, as one would need to be in a relatively senior position to get an overseas posting, they added.
And ending a marriage here does not come cheap.
Some cases can cost a good five times the usual amount a Housing Board flat-dwelling Singapore couple would have to pay for a divorce. An industry insider added that an expatriate couple can rack up between S$80,000 and S$100,000 in legal fees for extra legwork.
http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/02/07/expat-divorces-on-the-rise-in-spore/
Expat divorces on the rise in S’pore?
By Angela Lim – February 7th, 2011
Expatriate men who travel often for work are most susceptible to cheating, lawyers say. (AFP Photo)
It looks like foreign wives living in Singapore will have to keep a closer eye on their husbands considering the recent hike in expatriate divorces here.
According to Singapore divorce lawyers, more foreign men are leaving their wives for Singapore and Asian women, reported My Paper.
Family lawyers have recently found their base of expatriate clients increase from just a handful to nearly 70 per cent of the total number of cases they handle.
Apparently, it’s the men who tend to travel often for work who are most susceptible to cheating.
Lawyers say while there is no specific social setting that breeds infidelity, the third parties involved are mostly air stewardesses, female co-workers and women at nightspots or social events.
Expatriate wives often suspect their husbands are up to no good upon discovering the usual giveaways like a flirtatious message, receipts for expensive gifts, peer reports and now more popularly, Facebook photos.
Many of them would then hire private eyes, who can follow a suspect all the way overseas to expose them.
Lawyers add that it is common to receive private eyes’ reports detailing the men having a wild time partying every night and indulging in romantic dinners with women, even inviting them to their hotel rooms.
Ms Wong Kai Yun, a partner of law firm Chia Wong, revealed she has handled more than 100 cases involving expatriates in the last five years.
She said that many of them were from high net-worth families, with husbands who were posted her to take up managerial positions or directorships in the multinational companies they worked for.
“In some scenarios, both husband and wife held high positions before the man was assigned overseas. The wife gives up her job, relocates with her children to Singapore where, a few years down the road, he is charmed by an Asian woman and wants a divorce,” explained Ms Wong.
The trend of more husbands relocating here because of their jobs appears to coincide with Singapore’s growing pool of Employment Pass holders. This is reflected in the increase from 99,000 in 2007 to 142,000 last year, according to Ministry of Manpower records.
Why do expatriate couples choose to settle their divorces here?
According to Mr Koh Tien Hua, a family lawyer with Harry Elias Partnership, jurisdiction and convenience are the two main reasons couples choose to end their marriages here instead of in their home country.
Lawyers claim that many expatriates come from as far away as Russia and Britain to nearby Asian nations to file for a divorce. These clients are mostly in their mid-30s and older, as one would need to be in a relatively senior position to get an overseas posting, they added.
And ending a marriage here does not come cheap.
Some cases can cost a good five times the usual amount a Housing Board flat-dwelling Singapore couple would have to pay for a divorce. An industry insider added that an expatriate couple can rack up between S$80,000 and S$100,000 in legal fees for extra legwork.
http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/02/07/expat-divorces-on-the-rise-in-spore/
