SINGAPORE, Nov 17 1998 (IPS) – Commerce-savvy Singapore just isn’t anyone to miss out the potential for cashing in on company on the web. Because of the alleged “E-commerce” predicted to improve five-fold this current year and achieve some 34 billion bucks, the island state is busily wanting to place it self whilst the web business hub for the East. Singaporeans by themselves are already among the list of an incredible number of customers associated with the shopping that is virtual. If the reaction to a regional play right here is any indicator, a number of Singaporeans are perhaps not going to overlook the disadvantage of cyber shopping.

Certainly, whilst the play ‘Mail Order Brides and Other Oriental Takeaways’ points out, “the Web” have not just offered merchandise that is such books, music cds and assorted foodstuffs you will find brides for hopeless grooms aswell.

‘Mail Order’, written and directed by a satellite tv newsreader Pek Siok Lian, ended up being likely to only have a two-week period. But which was extended by per week till Oct 29 because of demand that is popular. Presently there are intends to re-stage it for the next in early December week.

During a particular performance during the nyc Global Fringe Festival in August, the play additionally received high praise from experts. The ‘New York Times’ has since included ‘Mail Order’ in its Fringe Selection list.

“The event workplace told us that ‘Mail Order Brides’ was one of many best-attended programs at the Festival. We had standing ovations at the conclusion of virtually all shows,” boasts producer and director that is artistic Uekrongtham.

‘Mail Order’ arrived on the scene of Ekachai’s and Pek’s need to compose one thing about “the apparently impossible love” amongst the bargirls of Bangkok’s Patpong red-light district and their Caucasian customers.

“We soon realised that the Patpong woman just isn’t alone”, recalls Ekachai. “All over Asia, a huge number of Asian ladies fancy the exact same fantasy to be taken far from poverty or tradition-bound lifestyles by guys from more developed nations.”

As an element of their research, they did a online search, with the expression “mail order brides.” Your time and effort with one internet search engine yielded nine entries with links to above 100 internet internet web sites and another inundated them with an increase of than 160,00 feasible matches.

“What is noteworthy is that these lenders hawking individual commodities are Western clothes providing up to a western clientele, and their goods are touted as exotics through the developing globe, particularly mostly appealing yet submissive young Asian ladies” states Pek, that is additionally the play’s director.

She asks,”Is this still another type of Western hegemony or perhaps is it simply flesh trade?”

Based on the play’s programme, the amount of “mail order marriages” between Asian ladies and men ukrainian women dating that are western 1986 ended up being approximated to reach at the least 2,000. By 1994, such marriages involving ladies through the Philippines and Western guys had reached 19,000.

Interestingly sufficient, almost all the brides-to-be that is hopeful their cyberspace postings from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are Filipino ladies working as domestic helpers within these nations.

But there is however additionally a trend that is growing of males seeking mail-order brides from China. While just eight mainland Chinese females became the brides of Singaporean males in 1986, at the very least 1,000 such marriages were held year that is last.

A Chinese bride that is mail-order one of the play’s four characters, because are a definite Filipino domestic helper, a Thai intercourse worker and a Singaporean “sarong party girl” – a lady who runs after Western expatriates.

The intercourse worker, the maid and also the bride that is chinese’ make postings on a web site, hoping international males will save them from their unsatisfying life.

The party that is sarong comes upon the web site while browsing the web, is incensed, and gets sucked to the site’s talk space. The play’s first half is a number of quick monologues where each girl attempts to justify her actions.

Because of the last half, the maid, the Chinese bride as well as the intercourse worker have all undergone terrible experiences, and tend to be lamenting their choice to use the internet.

The Filipino domestic helper whom left her task in Singapore to marry a U.S. soldier happens to be raped by his buddy; the Chinese mail-order bride is in prison for stabbing her Singaporean husband whom attempted to rape her together with intercourse worker has contracted AIDS.

Whenever ‘Mail Order’ was initially staged a year ago, the ‘Straits Times’ reviewer Clarissa Oon criticised it as an “unimaginative one-hour- plus rehash of all of the worst stereotypes of Asian females, Singaporean men and their Caucasian counterparts”.

The play has since been restructured, plus it had been this variation which was selected due to the fact very very first entry that is asian the latest York event. But Oon continues to be critical of ‘Mail Order’ and says it nevertheless does not have an actual discussion on just what it indicates become A asian girl today.

Literature graduate Emma Yong, whom plays the part regarding the Filipino maid claims though: “I am relocated by my character’s courage. She risks every thing by marketing herself to unknown strangers on the web – within the slim hope that she’s going to be rescued from a life of poverty and servitude.”

Lawyer Deborah Ng, whom plays the bride that is chinese additionally states of her character: “She’s A asia doll with a might of steel whom embarks on a journey to produce a far better future for herself by in search of a spouse.”

Pek by herself is unperturbed by remarks that the play presents stereotypes, retorting, “We are seeing these things taking place at our very own doorstep.”

Dr Phyllis Chew, mind for the Singaporean women’s association AWARE, is quite supportive of this play. “It is an obvious feminist statement associated with the discrimination and exploitation faced by scores of Asian ladies she says as they struggle to better their lot. “Any play that highlights the plight of females, if they are underpaid, overworked, abused or raped must be motivated.”

Pek in reality is stoked up about the thought of presenting ‘Mail purchase’ to wider audiences into the western due to the fact guys who fuel the industry additionally the Web businesses that work as the agents have a tendency to there be from. Her partner Ekachai adds they are now taking a look at the possibility for making a new manufacturing of the play in the usa.

“If all goes well, we aspire to jointly create it with an existing theatre business here and now have it tour around America into the forseeable future” states Ekachai. They could additionally bring the play to Britain and Canada year that is next.

In terms of Oon’s reservations about ‘Mail Order’, the dilemma faced by numerous Asian girls looking for Caucasian husbands is apparently summed up nicely by Beatrice Chia, whom plays the Singaporean party woman.

Toward the final end of this play, her character says: “Maybe I’m the Occidental Oriental. No, the accidental Oriental. The banana that is original. Yellow on the exterior, white in the inside!”