ONCE upon a time, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella had to battle witches and overcome spells to find Prince Charming.

Now, young women are discovering that the road leading to "happily-ever-after" is wider, shorter and much less of an obstacle course.

In recent years, a large number of the fairer sex have chosen to sign up with matrimonial websites to increase their chances of meeting a knight in shining armour.

The mail-order bride industry has been around for ages. However, limited to print ads in monthly magazine, singles had a slim chance of finding their perfect mate.

But like everything else, the mail-order bride industry has evolved to reach almost everyone, anywhere in the world, through cyberspace. And with the Internet entering more homes, it's no surprise that more women are clicking away on their "mouse" to have a chance encounter with destiny,
The women, between the ages of 18 and 55, aren't thinking twice about advertising their vital statistics and uploading their picture-perfect smiles on international and local websites that charge a membership fee of about RM150.

Most of these women are from Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Russia. But, more and more Malaysian women are now putting themselves "out there".

Is there a lack of eligible Malaysian men? Or are Malaysian women too shy to meet the opposite sex?

Whatever the reason, Malaysia's fairer sex is on display on numerous websites.

One of these websites promises to introduce foreign men to single, Malaysian women who are petite, feminine and affectionate. It claims the only way to find marital bliss is to marry from within our shores. Another website says it has thousands of eager Malaysian women searching for true friendship and to possibly become a "Malaysian bride".

"You're about to meet hundreds of beautiful and available Malaysia women from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, known as 'Ticas'. This country has over 1.5 million beautiful single women," another site proclaims.

Incidentally, this company also arranges group parties for foreign "grooms" and travel tours that promise a great holiday and a perfect wife.

While Chinese and Indian women seek help from websites such as www.malaysianwomen.biz, Muslim girls are choosing to sign up with www.muslima.com and www.qiran.com, which promise matches made in heaven.

"Muslima" is an international Muslim matrimonial website with over 800,000 members, featuring mostly men from the Middle East, many of whom have chosen "Malaysian women" as their first choice for a wife. Although some might be sceptical, others have found their better half through this match-making process.

Salmiah (not her real name), 23, says she's been happily married to a Tunisian man for over a year and is glad she made the decision to "sign up" for a husband.

"My family was against it at first. They felt I was making the wrong move. But I'm very conservative and hardly go out. My day is only work and home. I stumbled upon the website while surfing the Net to download music. I signed up for fun and started chatting with some Muslim men."

Her husband, she says, is an engineer in Dubai and he went online to find a "good and understanding" wife.

"We clicked instantly. He was there for me everyday when I switched on my home PC. I used to tell him about my day and he told me about his problems at work."

She didn't have to meet him to know he was "The One".

"I know it's strange to find a husband this way, but it's like a blind date. After chatting online for a few months, he came over to meet my parents and everyone was happy for me. We didn't have a big wedding. We registered our marriage and I moved to Dubai with him."

Salmiah says she has no regrets and would advise her single friends to give it a try.

Another Malaysian single, Chew (not her real name), 33, says she gave up on getting married before she met her soul mate online.

"After turning 30. I didn't think any guy would marry me," she said.

"But to my surprise, I found my husband through the Internet. It seems that foreign men are more open to the concept of getting married when you are older. My husband is a divorcee, but that doesn't bother me."

Chew, who's been married for the past two years, says Internet marriages are no different than arranged marriages.

"I have friends who rely on their families to find them the perfect mate. What's the big deal in letting a computer programme do the same thing? With the options available online, I was able to pick my future husband based on his height, weight and even religion. That's good enough for me."

Malaysian women aren't the only ones scouting around for the perfect mate.

Putri posted her "success story" on "Muslima".

"I found my Mr Right and will be married soon. He is Malaysian. Thank you, Muslima, for giving me the opportunity to get to know people from other countries. I hope Muslima will get more members who wish to find their soul mate. Hopefully, one day Muslima will be a famous website on the Internet."

Just like Putri, there are many "success stories" of couples who've found true love through matrimonial websites. But as tempting as it may be, t religious groups and others advise caution.

Sisters-In-Islam programme manager Masjaliza Hamzah says this is a modern phenomenon that was bound to happen. The mail-order bride concept is not much different from any other form of matchmaking, but extra precautions need to be taken because the bride has to move to another country.

"Be vigilant. Because of the distance, there are certain things women would not be able verify, such as the man's family background.

"We can't stop these women from making this choice, but we should look for the best possible way to protect them. We need to empower them with knowledge and provide support.

"Women who marry foreign spouses should know of women's groups that can help them in the country they are going to. They should have the number of the Malaysian embassy there. They must look at legal and citizenship laws of that country so they aren't left stranded should the marriage not work out."

When the marriage is going well, Masjaliza says, women usually don't worry about what might happen. It's only when things take a turn for the worse that they start panicking.

"When the marriage breaks down, problems arise. Custody and maintenance issues are bound to come up. Find out what avenues you have if you want to get out of the marriage. We have divorce and custody problems even within Malaysia, what more when you're crossing borders?"

Masjaliza says women have always been the ones to take care of the children, so for their protection they need to ensure the child's citizenship will be in their favour.

"If they think it's a better option for their children to have Malaysian citizenship, they have to make sure that happens. They need to deliver the child in Malaysia."

Women who choose the Internet to find their husbands should be more alert and aware, Masjaliza says.

"What rights do you have in another country? You should check it out and see how it impacts your life. Make informed choices so when you get in trouble, there's someone to help."

Project director of the Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association, Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin, says: "This is not a new thing, there are lots of cupid type of companies out there. The only difference is that the concept has shifted from manual to web-based procedures, to reach more people.

"We've received complaints from those who have been conned by the websites. It's not a good way within the Muslim community to find a spouse like this. We don't have specific rules and regulations, but we must ask the National Fatwa Council, Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) and the religious councils in all states to evaluate if it's according to Islam."

He says most single girls o panic when they can't find a husband at the age of 30.

"The older women in the Malay community will tell you it's time to 'proceed to a better life', meaning to get married. Most of these websites and the foreign men target this group of women. They play on their emotions."

The Malaysian embassy, Noor says, should take an active role in this issue.

"If there's an Arab seeking to marry a Malaysian girl, we should see how we can use the Malaysian embassy there to check on his background."

"Although the girls take the risk, we must do the preliminary vetting. It may not be the government's responsibility, but they need to investigate these websites."