By DPA,
Kuala Lumpur : A Malaysian state has offered to pay for a second honeymoon for any married couple on the brink of a divorce, a news report said Monday.
Several holiday packages, which also include marriage counselling sessions, would be introduced by the end of the year with the aim of reducing the increasing number of divorces in the north-eastern state of Terengganu, the Star online news portal said.
The all-expense-paid trips would only be offered to couples who are going to file for divorce or separation, said the state’s community development committee chairman Ashaari Idris.
He said the state had conducted a pilot project earlier this year, selecting 25 feuding couples for a free three-day trip.
Ashaari said the outcome of the holiday was “positive”, but declined to say if any of the couples had changed their minds on their intention to separate.
“With this package, we hope the couples will treasure their marital ties and avoid separations,” he said.
Government statistics reveal that some 20 percent of all marriages in Malaysia end up in divorce annually, with the numbers increasing every year.