Reading the letter, [#1] Foreign wives at the mercy of discriminatory laws [/#] (April 4) by Jaclyn Kee, communications officer of the Women's Aid Organisation, I found myself nodding my head and saying, "Yes, yes."

Not many Malaysians are aware of such blatant injustice against foreign wives. I became aware of this because the mother of one of my daughter's classmates is a foreigner. Her husband found a younger woman. He also stopped supporting the family. The husband demanded and got custody of the child. The wife is permitted to have the child with her whenever the husband needed a babysitter. The mother goes to school whenever she can just to see her daughter.

Incensed by what I regard as a ridiculous situation, I advised her to sue for divorce. That was when I discovered the sad dilemma of foreign wives, as detailed in the above letter. The poor woman is completely at the mercy of her husband who threatens to have her deported every time they have a disagreement over nearly everything .

Foreign wives with such husbands are living with the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

I thank malaysiakini for giving publicity to this problem and many other issues concerning women's rights.

Discriminatory laws against women should be changed. Until then, all foreign women wishing to marry Malaysian men should be made aware of the potential hazards ahead should there come a day when the music dies.