By Cara Van Miriah
TWO recent high-profile incidents of women allegedly beating up men have got people wondering: Is this a growing trend of garang (Malay for fierce) girls going wild?
Singapore's showbusiness circle is buzzing after well-known Cantopop singer Jason Chung, 38, was reportedly beaten up last month by two young women outside Dragonfly club in St James Power Station, where he performs.
One of the women involved in the fracas is aspiring singer Foyce Le Xuan, 30, who in March claimed she had spurned veteran film-maker Jack Neo's advances after he allegedly hit on her in 2004. Although the incident happened two weeks ago, news of it emerged only recently after Chinese newspapers reported the incident on June 8.
In another public spat last year, a woman was caught on video hitting a man repeatedly in the groin with a high-heeled shoe. The video was posted on Singapore Press Holdings' online site, Stomp.
Figures released by the Subordinate Courts indicate a growing trend of abusive women. Last year, 326 applications of personal protection orders (PPOs) and domestic exclusive orders (DEOs) were filed by husbands against their wives. This is a 16 per cent spike from 2008, which saw 280 such cases. The figures exclude other applications filed against ex-wives by their former spouses.
Counsellors and psychiatrists say the spike in such cases is due to the rise of women's economic power. Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, says: 'Compared to 20 years ago, women are more vocal and assertive now. They hold powerful positions of authority and leadership these days, and it's not only socially and culturally acceptable for women to speak out, it's also politically correct.'
