Couple starved maid to death, court told

There is no reason for the deceased to steal food or to take food scraps from a rubbish bin if she was given proper food, said DPP.

FMT

PUTRAJAYA: A couple should have been convicted for the murder of their Cambodian maid because they had deliberately deprived her of food over a period of time which caused her death, the Court of Appeal here was told today.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lailawati Ali submitted that not only was Mey Sichan, who only weighed 26.1kg, not given food to eat, she was physically abused with injuries all over her body.

She said the High Court judge had failed to analyse evidence with regard to the conduct by the couple on the deceased which could infer their state of mind.

“There is no reason for the deceased to steal food or to take food scraps from a rubbish bin except that she was not given proper food,” said Lailawati, who added that Mey was also deprived of medical care.

The prosecution is cross-appealing the Penang High Court’s decision on May 16, 2013 to convict hardware store owner Soh Chew Tong and his wife Chin Chui Ling on a reduced charge of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder instead of the original charge for murder.

The couple were sentenced to 24 years’ jail each for causing the death of Mey, 24, at their home in Taman Asas Murni, Jalan Bukit Minyak in Bukit Mertajam, Penang between January 1 and April 1, 2012.

Soh, 46 and Chin, 43, are also appealing against their conviction and jail term.

Lailawati also argued that it was not an act of negligence on the part of the couple to have caused the deceased’s death, instead it was a series of acts over a prolonged period of time.

Their lawyer, K. Kumaraendran, argued that the prosecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased died as a result of starvation.

He said the prosecution failed to adduce evidence to show that the deceased did not suffer from other diseases which could have led to the progressive wasting and emaciation of her body.

“Without ruling out the probabilities that the deceased suffered from, for example, tuberculosis, pernicious anemia or anorexia nervosa, it cannot be concluded that the deceased’s gastric ulcer was caused by her deprivation of food by the appellants,” he said.

He said at the very best, his clients could be found to have acted so negligently as to have caused Mey’s death whereby despite her (Mey’s) persistent refusal to meet a doctor, they (the couple) ought to have nevertheless ensured that she got the necessary medical care.

The three-member panel comprising Justices Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Zakaria Sam and Ahmadi Asnawi reserved their decision to a date to be fixed.

Mey who started working for the couple in July 2011, was found dead at the couple’s shophouse with old and fresh injuries on her body and was severely dehydrated. She had sunken cheeks and eye-sockets. Her death was caused by perforation of a gastric ulcer, an acute peritonitis that was left untreated for a week.

– BERNAMA

“Help! My boss is abusing me”, pleads desperate maid

An Indonesian maid is recuperating after her employer allegedly pulled out her teeth, shoved objects into her privates and kicked her face.

FMT

AMPANG: A distraught Indonesian maid took to pasting a hastily scribbled note on her employer’s apartment door, desperately begging for help from her neighbours, in a bid to escape the horrific abuse she has suffered in the hands of her employer for the past eight months.

According to a report from The Star, the 32-year-old woman, who is now recuperating in Ampang Hospital, alleged that her employer had pulled out several of her teeth and even shoved objects into her private parts.

Unable to tolerate the abuse any longer, she resorted to sending out a call for help by pasting a note bearing the words: “Tolong, boss dera saya” (Help, my boss is abusing me).

A neighbour, on seeing the note called the police immediately.

A source told The Star the woman’s injuries were horrific and that her face was “completely swollen” from being allegedly kicked and punched at by her 47-year-old employer.

Ampang Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Mohd Nazri Zawawi confirmed that the maid’s employer was under remand until Saturday and that police had also arrested a 39-year-old woman friend of the suspect the following day.

“We are investigating if she had also been involved in the alleged abuse.

“She is also remanded until December 27,” said Supt Mohd Nazri.

Najib, Susilo Achieve Progress In Talks On Domestic Maid Issue

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya

JAKARTA, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Indonesia Thursday agreed that their respective foreign workers recruitment agencies engage in a formal cooperation in the sending of Indonesian domestic maids to Malaysia.

The agreement was reached between Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia at their annual consultation in Jakarta after Najib raised the proposal.

Najib said the involvement of the private sector representing Malaysia and Indonesia in a joint understanding in the business was an extension of the MoU on the recruitment and protection of Indonesian maids, as agreed by the two countries in Bali in 2011.

The Bali MoU saw Indonesia agreeing to withdraw its moratorium on the sending of maids to Malaysia.

"The president also agreed that an MoU be signed between the Malaysian Association of Foreign Workers Agencies (Papa) with the Indonesian Manpower Suppliers Association (Apjati)," Najib told a joint news conference at the conclusion of the annual consultation at the Merdeka Palace of the Indonesian president.

"If both sides can sign the MoU, I am confident we can get the number of Indonesian maids that we need," he said.

Although there was much demand from Malaysian employers for Indonesian maids, their despatch by the Indonesian foreign workers agencies through cooperation with the Malaysian foreign workers agencies has not been encouraging.

Among the inhibitive factors is believed to be the recruitment fee of RM4,511 imposed by the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities, which was said to be unprofitable for the agencies.

The question of alleged low wages offered by Malaysian employers compared to places such as Hong Kong and countries of the Middle East is also believed to be a reason why Indonesian maids are not keen to come to Malaysia.

In a statement issued Thursday, Najib said only 513 Indonesian maids were sent through the channel agreed to in the existing MoU.

What is clear from the current development is that the number of Indonesian maids brought into Malaysia by the foreign workers agencies is too low to match the demand from Malaysian employers who need about 30,000 maids annually.

It is understood that about 127,000 Indonesian maids are currently registered in Malaysia.

Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Richard Riot, when met after the talks, said the Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Working Group (JWG) on the recruitment and protection of maids agreed in September to set at RM7,800 the new fee for the recruitment of Indonesian domestic maids.

Of the total fee, RM6,000 would be borne by the employer and RM1,800 by the worker. So far, there has been no MoU on the setting of the fee at RM7,800.

Riot said it was better that the recruiting of Indonesian maids be managed by the foreign workers agencies at the business-to-business (B to B) level because there had been little progress at the government-to-government level.

Clerk threatened by bogus maid agency

A bogus maid agency has threatened a clerk after she asked for a replacement because the earlier one was making too many demands.

SUBANG JAYA: A clerk has claimed that a bogus maid agency threatened her after she asked for a replacement because the earlier one has been making unreasonable demands.

R Vanita said she later found out that there was no such agency at the given address.

She said she hired a maid from Sri Lanka in March through Todo Esta Bien Global Services to look after her disabled mother-in-law and agreed to pay RM700.

“But after a month, the maid demanded RM1,000 and wanted to bring her husband to work as my driver.

“When I could not put up with her attitude and demands, I called the agency for a replacement. Until today the agency has not given me a replacement.

“The agency threatened and challenged me to do what I wanted,” said Vanita.

She said she paid RM6,000 to the agency, which was represented by two maid consultants Rajkumar and Premnath.

After all her attempts to contact the maid agency became futile, she lodged a police report on May 19 but no action had been taken.

Vanita was relating her predicament at a press conference organised by Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa).

The association did a background check and found that there was not such company at the given address.

Cassa President Jacob George believed that Premnath and Rajkumar were linked to secret societies.

He said he had received four threats from an unknown caller from Johor asking him not to pursue the case or face the repercussions.

He said Cassa was urging the Home Affairs Ministry to conduct a probe because the association had received similar reports.

‘Blame manipulating employers, not the maids’

Tenaganita claims that it has information that there is no proper investigation on the matter thus, urged the authorities not to deport the maids without permit.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: Tenaganita is urging the authorities not to deport Filipino maids who were caught without permit as the NGO has claimed that there was no proper investigation on the matter.

“This is based on the information that we have. Many forget that these domestic workers rely completely on their employers to get their work permit,” its co-founder Irene Fernandez said in response to a Sept 27 FMT article on two Filipino maids facing deportation.

Jemie Ramos, currently detained at the Machap Umboo Immigration Detention Centre in Malacca and scheduled to be deported on Oct 4, had said she would sue her employer and the Malaysian police upon her return to the Philippines.

Ramos claimed that her employer who is a lawyer had failed to apply for the renewal of her work permit.

She and a compatriot Lisa Balajadia were arrested at their employer’s house on Sept 9 for not having valid documents.

“The employers should be held responsible if foreign workers are caught without work permit. We call on the authorities to stop the deportation to allow an appeal so that justice could be served,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez told FMT that they would facilitate the appeal, and that the maids should be granted bail immediately.

It’s maid’s right to sue, says embassy

In another development, the Philippines embassy told FMT that it was Ramos’ prerogative to seek legal redress when she is in her home country although the embassy was of the opinion that the matter was best resolved here.

“It appears to us in this case, it is the employer who is at fault as he has not renewed Ramos’ work permit after repeatedly promising her that he will do so,” the embassy’s spokesman Consul Johann Veronica Andal said.

Andal reiterated that the onus was on the employer to renew the maids’ work permits, and that the maids should not be punished for their employer’s omission of duty.

“We have checked on her condition and we will facilitate her return to the Philippines,” Andal added.

The embassy also urged employers to only hire maids from reputable and licensed agencies to ensure that the maids have valid visas to enter and permits to work in this country.

Saudi Abuse of Foreign Workers

 

 There are numerous reports of abuse and torture of housemaids in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia in particular

(BBC) “Please, sir… help us to go back to Sri Lanka,” one woman after another cries and pleads over the phone from a detention centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

I cannot see these women but I hear them fighting to reach the mobile phone that belongs to the inmate that I am on the phone with.

Thangavelu Sarojini, a young Tamil woman, says she was tortured by her employer.

“I still have wounds and scars in my hands, neck, legs. They beat me, pinched me and burnt me,” she says from the Olaya detention camp where hundreds of migrant women from south and southeast Asia are held.

Their crime, they say, was running away from employers to escape physical, sexual or psychological abuse. They are all now classified as illegal immigrants under Saudi law.

“I was not paid for one-and-a-half years, they tried to kill me, then I fled to the embassy,” Sarojini tells me.

Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan women arrive in the Middle East every year and they are a major foreign revenue earner for the island. But many claim to be ill-treated, tortured, or not paid for the work.

In one notorious case in August 2010, 24 nails were removed from the body of LP Ariyawathie, a 49-year-old Sri Lankan domestic worker in Saudi. Saudi authorities have pledged to investigate her case but there has been no reported progress in the investigation.

‘Imprisoned and unpaid’

But it is not only physical abuse that forced these hapless women to flee their employers.

About 24 nails were removed from LP Ariyawathie’s body after arriving in Sri Lanka in August 2010

 

 About 24 nails were removed from LP Ariyawathie's body after arriving in Sri Lanka in August 2010

 

Kusuma Nandani, a mother-of-two who has not returned to Sri Lanka since 1993, says she was not paid by her employer for at least 15 years.

She says that she suffered stress and depression because her employers did not allow her to keep in touch with her husband, son and daughter in Sri Lanka.

As Kusuma Nandani cannot read or write, she was was only able to write a few letters – and then only with the help of other Sri Lankans.

One day, she was told by the employer that she would not be paid anymore after she forgot to hand over pocket money to the children before dropping them off at school.

From then, she says she was imprisoned by her employers for more than a decade. Rescued by the Sri Lankan embassy officials in Riyadh in 2009 after a tip-off, she has been a detainee at the camp since then.

Her daughter says she is puzzled as to why the Sri Lankan embassy authorities have not been able to send her mother home even though Kusuma was granted an exit visa some time ago.

WG Mala Mangalika is another maid who fled alleged ill-treatment. She says she was told to work without pay for more than a year because her employer paid a Sri Lankan agency nearly 7,000 riyal ($1,866).

Now she is facing a lawsuit filed by the employer.

"The employer says he has paid to the agency for four years so he would not allow me to go back," says Mala Mangalika.

Detention centre inmates say that although Sri Lankan officials helped when they first arrived at the embassy, they are concerned about the delay in sending them back home.

Apart from those in the camp, hundreds more abused maids are currently staying in an embassy hostel.

Their plight is worsened because they become illegal immigrants as soon as they leave their employers, the legal "sponsor" for their work permits.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has long been campaigning for more protection for domestic workers in the Middle East and has called for migrant domestic workers to be included into local labour laws so that they are better protected.
Reform needed

"My legs are still swollen and blackened after I fell from upstairs," Mala Senananayake weeps as she grabs the phone from others in the queue in Olaya camp, in Saudi Arabia.

"I have no one in Sri Lanka. My parents are gone, my husband is trying to divorce me, I have only daughter who doesn't know who to approach to get help."

"Please sir, please help me to go back to Sri Lanka," she repeatedly begs me.

The labour officer at the Sri Lankan embassy in Riyadh told the BBC that the files of the detainees at Olaya camp have been transferred to the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) in Colombo.

But SLFEB head Kingsley Ranawaka did not answer repeated telephone calls to get a response.

In an open letter to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, HRW urged them to "ensure a timely and comprehensive response" to alleged abuse and implement "systemic reforms to prevent such abuses in future".

It has urged Saudi Arabia to "prosecute alleged perpetrators, allow victims to return to their home countries before the trial and seek both criminal penalties and financial compensation".

It also wants the cancellation of the Kafala system that requires the consent of the employer to repatriate migrant workers.

The BBC has had no response from the media office of the embassy of Saudi Arabia in London.

Maid gets 20 years' jail for attempted murder of baby

Yuliana being led out of the court room in Kuantan

KUANTAN: An Indonesian maid was sentenced to a total of 20 years' jail by the Sessions Court here after
she pleaded guilty to attempting to murder and abusing a four-month-old baby boy last Friday.

A closed circuit television recording showed her throwing down the baby nine times.

Judge Mohd Azhar Othman, when handing down the sentence Tuesday on Yuliana (pix), 23, said the offence committed was very serious and had a huge impact not only on the victim's family, but also on society.

"Your action has resulted in society being afraid and not having a peace of mind when leaving their children with their maids.

"The court feels that the sentence is commensurate with the offence committed and be a lesson to you," he added.

Yuliana, from Sukarame in Acheh, had only just started work as a maid with the victim's family when she committed the offences.

Earlier, when a recording of her action was shown in the court, Yuliana, clad in an orange lock-up uniform, did not show any reaction or facial expression.

However, in mitigation, she said, "I'm afraid".

Yuliana, who has two children, was charged with throwing and hurling the baby, Mohamed Hareez Mohamed Zamri, nine times, an act which could cause death, at 7.45am on Feb 15 at 7 Lorong Bukit Setongkol 38, Jalan Bukit Setongkol here.

The charge was made under Section 307 (1) of the Penal Code for attempted murder, which carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years upon conviction.

She was also charged under Section 31(1) (a) of the Child Act 2001 with abusing the child at the same place and time.

Yuliana was sentenced to 15 years' jail on the first count and five years on the second count.

However, Mohd Azhar ordered the jail sentences to be served concurrently from the date of her arrest.

Prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Mohamed.

According to the facts of the case, at 7.45am on the day of the incident, Mohamed Hareez's parents were out having breakfast when they watched their son being thrown and hurled by the maid through a closed circuit camera recording on their handphone.

The boy's mother, Nina Suraya Sulaiman, 24, then called a neighbour for help and rushed home with her husband, who contacted the police.

The maid was arrested at 9.15am the same day. - Bernama

Najib: Malaysia And Indonesia To Continue Negotiations On Manpower Issues

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia and Indonesia would continue negotiating towards agreeing on setting a reasonable agency fee for recruiting workers from the republic.

He said the Lombok Agreement signed during the eighth Malaysia-Indonesia Annual Consultation in Lombok, Indonesia last year had been adhered to, but there were still problems over the agency fee which was regarded as high.

"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has agreed that we work at setting a reasonable fee to enable the Lombok Agreement to be fully implemented," he said at a joint news conference with Susilo at his office, here, Tuesday.

Najib also said that cooperation in education, culture, tourism and people-to-people relations needed to be intensified so that it would grow more comprehensively and mirror the seriousness of the political leadership of both countries in forging closer relations for mutual benefit.

Susilo and his 18-member delegation from Indonesia had arrived in Malaysia earlier today for the 9th Malaysia-Indonesia Annual Consultation for two days with Najib.

Najib and Susilo will sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the area of social welfare and community development after the annual consultation.

Meanwhile, Susilo said Indonesia and Malaysia would continue to work at finding solutions to the manpower issues.

"We have made much progress and we thank Malaysia for providing the educational facilities for the children of Indonesian workers, especially in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

On border issues, Susilo said Indonesia and Malaysia would continue with discussions towards finding solutions that would be good and appropriate for both countries.

"Actually, we have made much progress and have resolved a lot of issues. As neighbours, we have been interacting almost daily.

"We should resolve issues in the best and wisest way so as not to affect our relations and jeopardise what we have built all this while through cooperation.

"We have the same spirit and commitment. On one hand, we want to enhance cooperation in various fields and on the other, we want to tackle issues that could disrupt what we have built thus far and with the hope of resolving them amicably," he said.

Indonesian embassy warns maids to avoid Malaysia

A spokesman for the embassy says Malaysia is asking for Indonesian maids but they cannot protect them well.

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia warned its nationals not to work as maids in Malaysia after a weekend raid freed 105 women who were confined against their will and forced to work without pay.

In the latest maid abuse scandal to hit Malaysia, authorities said they had freed 95 Indonesians, six Filipinas and four Cambodians who toiled as housemaids by day but were locked inside a building near the capital Kuala Lumpur at night.

Recurring reports of abuse of Indonesian maids have soured relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours and in 2009 prompted Jakarta to angrily cut off the supply of domestic workers to Malaysia.

The two sides announced a year ago that the ban would be lifted after they reaching an accord to provide maids better protection and working conditions.

But the latest case showed Indonesians were still at risk, especially those who come to Malaysia illegally without going through proper recruitment channels, a spokesman for Jakarta’s embassy said.

“The Malaysian authorities should take tough action… It’s better for Indonesian maids not to work in Malaysia,” spokesman Suryana Sastradiredja told AFP.

“They (Malaysia) are asking for Indonesian maids but they cannot protect them well.”

The women freed on Saturday — who according to Malaysian media reports had arrived illegally over the past several months — have been taken to a shelter and will eventually be sent back to Indonesia, Sastradiredja said.

Sastradiredja said that since the ban was lifted, fewer than 100 Indonesian maids had arrived through official channels, turned off by the low salaries and abuse reports.

But, citing reports from Indonesian and Malaysian activists, he said Jakarta fears thousands more may have been duped into coming illegally with promises of well-paid work since the ban was set in 2009, and were now working in vulnerable situations.

One of Southeast Asia’s most affluent and developed countries, Malaysia has long attracted women from its poorer neighbours, mostly Indonesia, seeking work as maids.

Before the ban, some 300,000 Indonesians were legally registered as working as maids in Malaysia.

Recurring incidents in which foreign maids have been confined, abused, beaten, or even killed have repeatedly rankled Malaysia’s neighbours.

In October, an advertisement in Malaysia that offered Indonesian maids “on sale” went viral online in Indonesia, sparking new outrage.

Last month, police said they were investigating a man in northern Malaysia for allegedly raping his 15-year-old Indonesian maid, while in a separate case, three police officers were charged with raping a 25-year-old Indonesian woman at a police station.

Cambodia also banned sending maids to Malaysia last year following numerous abuse complaints.

Malaysia condemns rape of Indonesian maid in Seremban

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has strongly condemned the rape of an Indonesian maid in Seremban, the second case in two weeks following the rape of an Indonesian restaurant worker in Penang last Friday.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, in expressing the condemnation, said the incident was a despicable and inhuman act.

He said in a statement that the ministry would follow up on the case with the police and extend the fullest cooperation to the Indonesian government.

He also said that the employer of the maid was being remanded from Nov 13 to 20. The rape allegedly took place on Sunday.

According to The Jakarta Post, police have arrested the employer of the Acehnese maid, said the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

The embassy said on Thursday that police detained the employer and his wife on Tuesday, one day after the two fled their home in Seramban, Negeri Sembilan.

The employer has been charged with rape, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars if found guilty.

A rapist can also face whipping under sharia. The police will detain the employer until Nov 20 before submitting the case dossier to the court.

The employer's wife has been charged with assault.

The crime was revealed when the employer's wife took the maid to a police station, accusing her of theft.

The rape came to light when the police noticed that the maid was injured and questioned her about it.

Last Friday, a 25-year-old Indonesian restaurant worker lodged a police report in Penang that she was gang-raped by three policemen.

Three policemen were being held under remand for investigation into the gang-rape. - Bernama/ANN

M’sian students condemn rape, abuse of Indonesian workers

Malaysian authorities urged to complete their investigations into these 'inhumane' cases.

JAKARTA: Malaysian students in Indonesia have condemned the rape and abuse of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia and expressed the hope that the offenders would be severely punished.

The National Association of Malaysian Students in Indonesia (PKPMI) expressed its regret over the incidents and hoped that Indonesians, especially undergraduates and other young people, would not generalise all Malaysians over the cases.

“Rape and abuse cases are inhumane and should be condemned by all quarters regardless of whether they involve Malaysian citizens or foreign nationals,” PKPMI president Ahmad Nabieh Abqory Rahmat said here today.

He also urged the Malaysian authorities to quickly complete investigations so that justice could be served.

The association was commenting on the reported rape of an Indonesian worker by three policemen in Penang and of a maid by her employer in Negeri Sembilan.

“We are most disappointed by the incident involving policemen because the police are the enforcers of the law and they should be protecting the people,” Ahmad Nabieh said.

He said Malaysian students in Indonesia hoped that the good ties between the two countries would not be tarnished by the actions of a few irresponsible individuals.

“We really hope for stronger ties between Indonesia and Malaysia in the future, especially between youths and university students,” he added.

- Bernama

Rape of Indonesian girl prompts Penang to renew call for IPCMC

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the press conference after meeting with the Acting Indonesian Consul General Sofiana Mufidah (behind left). – Photo by K.E. Ooi

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 15 – The Penang state government has called for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to be set up to prevent cases like the alleged Indonesian rape case involving three cops.

“The IPCMC will not only provide an avenue for Malaysians but also foreigners such as Indonesians working in the country to channel their complaints against the police,” said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

He said the existence of an IPCMC would ensure the reduction of criminal cases involving police personnel.

“It will be a check-and-balance for the country’s police force,” he said.

Lim, who met with the Acting Indonesian Consul General Sofiana Mufidah today, said the state government will stay in close contact with the Indonesian consulate to provide assistance to the victim if needed.

Lim urged the police to speed up the investigations into the case and bring the culprits to book.

“I will speak with the Penang police chief on this case as the victim wants to go back to her country and hoped that the case would be expedited,” he said in a press conference at the consulate.

Lim also said the case is an isolated case but that the state government stands in solidarity with the victim.

“We will offer whatever support or assistance that the victim may need,” he said.

Currently the 25-year-old victim is under the care of the consulate and is now being given counselling.

Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng has also promised to bring the matter up in Parliament.

Sofiana said she was confident that the police would act with full professionalism in handling the case.

Last week, the 25-year-old restaurant worker alleged that she was raped by three policemen at the Prai police station.

The suspects were arrested and remanded until tomorrow.

They are expected to either be charged in court tomorrow or have their remand extended.

Cambodian maid's 7 years of suffering after M'sia - Malaysiakini

When Phat Sokleang, a Cambodian national, returned to her country after serving four months in Malaysia as a domestic helper, she was no longer in a "proper mental state".

This "horrific mental trauma" has ruled her life for seven years since leaving Kuala Lumpur in 2005, said Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC), a Cambodian NGO based in Phnom Penh.

During the period the 15- year- old was in Kuala Lumpur, she was totally cut off from her family living in Kampong Cham District.

But one day, the recruitment agency called her parents informing them that Sokleang (right) needed to return to her homeland, and asked that they fork out US$500 (RM1,600) for her passage back.

"If I had that kind of money, I would not have allowed my daughter to work in Malaysia at all," the father had told the agency.

Several days later, Sokleang landed at the Phnom Penh International Airport; her mother ,who went to pick her up, found a completely changed person.

Ban on Cambodian maids
Sokleang is only one of an estimated 50,000 maids currently working in Malaysia, many of whom have returned home, and her story was related to Malaysiakini by CLEC head Tola Moeun.

Like Tola (right), local activists have been highlighting dozens of cases of sexual abuse, exhaustion from overwork and exploitation of Cambodian domestic workers.

In April, police detained a couple over the alleged murder of a 24-year old Cambodian maid, who had allegedly died from starvation.

Following a series of similar complaints, in October last year, Cambodia imposed a temporary ban on sending their workers to Malaysia.

Tola said that no one really knew what had happened to Sokleang in Malaysia, and as her father (below) had emphasised - the girl was a completely normal person before leaving her country.

"She used to be a good and smart kid. She did well in her studies. Why did she become improper?" asked Tola, in an email conversation with Malaysiakini.

"Villagers, including her village chief, all emphasised that Sokleang was a very good, disciplined and smart child," Tola said.

"She respected everyone in her community, especially the elders.
"They assume that she was sexually abused during her employment, but the details are not clear and remain between her and her doctor," he added.

Sokleang's story is documented in a video by CLEC, where the young woman's physical and mental conditions are portrayed for all to see.

In the video, her family was told that she can earn a better wage when working in Malaysia.

In an interview with CLEC, Sokleang's grandmother is seen expressing deep pity that since the family was so poor, they had to let the girl leave for a foreign country to work.

When Sokleang returned home sick, the family was burdened with her medical bills, yet they carried on sending her to the doctor because they loved her.

"I do not know how we can make income besides farming. We sold all our farming lands for her treatment and now we have nothing left," her grandmother is heard saying in the video.

She didn't recognise hubby, child

Meanwhile, Sokleang's dad told CLEC that since Sokleang's return , she had refused to speak, spent a lot of time sleeping and did not want to wear clothes.

Until today, she does not want to talk about what happened to her in Malaysia, Tola said.

Sokleang was later treated in a mental hospital but it did not help her much.

Still, she got married to a man from her village but he left after two years, because she had became more unstable after giving birth and used to beat her husband (right) since she could not recognise him.

"Her neighbours in the villager suspect she had been harassed, or violently abused when she was in Malaysia as she was never like that before," a villager is heard saying of Sokleang in the video.

Since she wandered a lot and stole people's properties, her dad finally decided to tie her up at home.

Tola said after locating Sokleang in 2011, CLEC has been helping her family to provide proper medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Seven years on, she is receiving treatment from psychologists, and she now manages to speak a little and even sing songs that she liked, as evident in the video.

"But Sokleang left her home again on the morning of August 27 and disappeared for two days," said Tola.

"She was found in Tuol Krosang Pagoda, located in Sen Sok District, Phnom Penh on Wednesday afternoon, August 29 and Sokleang is now at home safely in Kamong Siem District, the province where she lives," he added.

Malaysia canes, then sends home over 170 Indonesian workers

KUALA LUMPUR: Human rights organizations have accused the  Malaysian government officials confirmed to Bikyamasr.com on Sunday that the deportations had in fact taken place, but denied that any of the workers had been caned due to their violations in the country.

“They are being deported because they violated labor laws and nothing more,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Bikyamasr.com, denying local rights group’s report that dozens of the workers had been caned. Bikyamasr.com could not confirm these reports.

The workers will be temporarily sheltered in Tanjungpinang, Riau.

“We will provide temporary shelter before sending them to their villages of origin,” troubled migrant worker chief Juramadi Esram said in Tanjungpinang on Friday.

Juramadi said that the workers failed to show valid documents to work in Malaysia and most of them had entered Malaysia on tourist passports.

One of the workers, Ari, said that they were treated roughly during their detention in Malaysian prisons and that their belongings were seized by the Malaysian authorities.

“Nothing’s left but the clothes on our backs. Everything has been taken by the Malaysian police,” Ari said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Some workers were also reportedly caned as punishment for their legal violations.

It comes as Malaysia and Indonesia face a number of setbacks in discussing trans-migrant labor issues and the issue of maids has also been at the heart of the growing disputes.

Many in the country believe that the added restrictions for Indonesian workers will result in less workers arriving in Malaysia or Singapore, meaning there could be a workers shortage in the near future.

Subramaniam: Malaysians must prepare for life without maids

The minister said a day may come when foreign maids will no longer “want to come and work here.” — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Malaysians must be prepared to “do their own work” should the time come when foreigners no longer wish to work as domestic help here, Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam said today.

The human resources minister said while foreign maids were readily available now, economic growth in source nations may mean foreigners will one day prefer to work in their home country instead.

“We have to learn how to do our own work. We have opened it so long as there is availability, it’s fine.

As countries evolve, we may not need maids or maids may not want to come and work here

“But... as countries evolve, we may not need maids or maids may not want to come and work here,” he told reporters at Menara Perkeso here.

He was responding to questions about the ongoing talks with Indonesia to send maids to Malaysia.
Jakarta banned its citizens from working as maids in Malaysia in June 2009, after numerous cases of maids being abused by their Malaysian employers.

Indonesia withdrew the moratorium on December 1 last year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bali at the end of last year as part of efforts to resolve the issue amicably.

But Jakarta has yet to start allowing the return of Indonesian domestic helpers to Malaysia despite rescinding the moratorium, leading to confusion here.

Subramaniam added today that the government was strengthening “support mechanisms” for Malaysians now with an eye to a possible maid supply crunch in the future.

However, he did not elaborate on the support mechanisms in question.

Indonesian Maids Undergoing Four Skill-training To Get RM700 A Month

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya

JAKARTA, March 15 (Bernama) -- The first batch of 106 Indonesian maids bound for Malaysia are undergoing four skill-training courses for 21 days starting Thursday and they will be paid at least RM700 a month.

This was concluded at the Malaysia-Indonesian Joint Task Force for Deployment, Placement and Protection of Indonesian Maids' meeting Thursday, said Director-General of Indonesia's Labour Placement Development Dr Reyna Usman.

He said the task force concluded that the maids would be employed to do only one of the four household tasks for which they were being trained for -- cooks, baby sitters, caretakers of elderly people or housekeepers.

"If a maid is employed as a cook, she will only be tasked with chores related to cooking and will not be doing any other duties such as babysitting or washing clothes," he said after attending the task force's meeting at the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration here.

Reyna said that the deal concluded by the joint task force was expected to prevent recurrence of problems affecting maids and employers.

Indonesia will eventually send between 4,000 and 5,000 skilled maids a month to Malaysia, he said, adding most of them were currently being trained for specific skills in Surabaya, East Java and Bekasi, West Java.

He said during initial stages, the maids would be trained by 12 of 176 Indonesian employment agencies while their placement with employers would be taken care of by five of 221 employment agencies in Malaysia.

The deployment of maids from Indonesia was resumed after the Indonesian government withdrew its moratorium on sending maids to Malaysia on Dec 1, 2011.

Indonesia imposed a freeze on the supply of Indonesian maids to Malaysia on June 26, 2009 following reports of cases of abuse by employers.

Indonesian embassy seeks new moratorium following fresh maid abuse claims

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — The Indonesian embassy here has recommended that its government suspend the placement of maids in Malaysia following fresh abuse allegations, barely months after a two-year moratorium was lifted to alleviate the shortage of domestic workers locally.

The New Sunday Times (NST) quoted Indonesian embassy Information, Social and Cultural Affairs Minister-Counsellor Suryana Sastradiredja as saying that the embassy has recommended an indefinite suspension although the maids began their compulsory training earlier this month.

“We received reports that two maids were physically abused by a senior government official and his wife,” Suryana told NST, adding that the two victims were also not paid their salary.

“The official did not respect the agreement made between the leaders of our nations,” Suryana said. He declined to name the official but said that the two maids were recruited eight months ago during the moratorium period.

He said that one of the maids sought shelter at the embassy on Friday night, while the other has already returned home at the request of the official’s wife.

Asked whether a police report had been lodged, Suryana said the embassy was still considering whether it should do so as the allegations involve a high-ranking official.

“Diplomatic channels will be used. We will send a note to the Malaysian Home Ministry on Monday and wait for a reaction. The Malaysian government should act accordingly.”

Suryana said the continuation of the agreement to send maids here would depend on the punishment meted out.

The Indonesian government banned its people from working as maids in Malaysia in June 2009, following numerous cases of maids being abused by Malaysian employers.

Indonesia officially withdrew the moratorium on the sending of maids to Malaysia on December 1 last year.

Human Resources Minister Datuk S. Subramaniam even said in February that the government was optimistic that the first batch of Indonesian maids would arrive in Malaysia this month.

He said at the time that a total of 121 Malaysian employment agencies were working with their Indonesian counterparts on the placement of maids from the republic to Malaysia.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met in Bali at the end of last year as part of efforts to resolve the issue amicably.

In an NST editorial today, the newspaper’s group managing director Abdul Jalil Hamid said that the embassy’s remarks raised the question of “how committed” Jakarta is to honouring its bilateral agreement with Putrajaya over the lifting of the moratorium.

The newspaper is seen as a reflection of the Najib administration’s stance as Abdul Jalil was Najib’s media strategist before becoming an editor.

“Jakarta should not unilaterally delay the lifting of the ban on sending maids to Malaysia.

“There are some 400,000 Malaysian families on the waiting list for Indonesian maids. Such unilateral action by Jakarta to prolong their agony is totally unacceptable,” said Abdul Jalil.

Malaysia Awaiting Arrival Of Indonesian Maids From March

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- The government is optimistic of receiving the first batch of Indonesian maids in early March after a two-year freeze, said Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said Malaysia had done all things agreed upon by both countries and was awaiting the arrival of the first batch of Indonesian maids.

He said the efforts included a meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to iron out the problem amicably at the end of last year.

However, the actual number of the first group of Indonesian maids will depend on the number of applications made through employment agencies in the country, he said at a news conference here Wednesday.

Indonesia officially withdrew the moratorium on the sending of maids to Malaysia starting Dec 1 last year but would only send them from March.

A total of 121 Malaysian employment agencies are getting ready to collaborate with their Indonesian counterparts in the placement of maids from the republic to Malaysia starting early next month.

Meanwhile, Subramaniam urged Indian youths to capitalise on the "My Career Fair 2012' specifically organised for them where over 2,500 job opportunities in government agencies, and government-linked and private companies would be up for grab.

Organised by the Cabinet Committee for the Indian Community under the Prime Minister's Department, it will be held at the Dewan Tunku Canselor, Universiti Malaya on Saturday, the Skudai Multipurpose Hall, Johor Baharu (Feb 19), the University Putra Malaysia's Grand Hall (Feb 25) and the Tamil Methodist Hall, Ipoh (March 4).

Maid claims she was treated like a slave

The maid claims that she had no off days and worked from dawn till next morning and often went hungry.

MELBOURNE: A Cambodian maid has revealed that she was treated like a slave by her employer in Kuala Lumpur, according to a report in “The Age” newspaper today.

Apparently a one-metre snake “ended” Orn Eak’s two-year ordeal when it entered her employer’s apartment, and her services were subsequently terminated.

(Serpents, or nagas, play a particularly important role in Cambodian mythology.)

“When the snake crawled into my employer’s apartment she blamed me and kicked me out,” Orn Eak, 28, told the newspaper’s Southeast Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch.

“I got the blame for everything, including the death of my employer’s elderly mother.”

Single with a five-year-old son, Orn Eak said she went to Malaysia to work because her mother was struggling to survive in their village in Kompong Thom province.

Orn Eak claimed she had no days off and worked from dawn into the early hours of the next morning, caring for her employer’s disabled mother. She said she was often beaten and went hungry.

The mistreatment worsened after the old woman died in hospital.

Last October, Cambodia imposed a temporary ban on sending domestic workers to Malaysia following numerous complaints of abuse. The order was signed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen following “some negative information” about the working environment of Cambodian maids in Malaysia.

Orn Eak’s mother, Ee Tha, 55, told “The Age” that she received only two payments in almost two years from her daughter’s employer totalling US$270 (about RM840). The employer deducted Orn Eak’s flight ticket home from her salary, which was supposed to be US$180 a month.

When Orn Eak arrived back in Phnom Penh in November, a woman picked her up at the airport and took her to the employment agency.

“I told the story about the snake to a director. Five men came into the room and beat me. They pushed my head onto a glass door and kicked me on the ground,” she said.

Ee Tha, who was asked to come to Phnom Penh to take her daughter home, said: “When I saw that my daughter’s face and body were cut and bruised, my heart dropped.”

After Ee Tha refused to leave the employment agency’s office with her daughter until she was given the money she was owed, a director finally handed over US$1,200 (about RM3,740) – that meant Orn Eak earned only US$1,470 (about RM4,580) for nearly two years’ work.

Social workers have verified her claims of abuse, the newspaper said.

- Bernama

Govt slammed for maid left to die

A senior lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lambasted the government failing to protect a migrant worker left to die in front of a mosque in Saudi Arabia last month.

“The case of Jamilah binti Emang is strong evidence that the government has never cared about migrant workers, especially their protection during their employment,” lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, said on Tuesday.

The body of Jamilah was still in the morgue of King Abdulaziz Hospital in Jeddah, awaiting someone to repatriate it, Eva said.

Jamilah was admitted to the hospital after an Indonesian citizen found her near death at the gate of Masjidil Haram Grand Mosque in Mecca, about 400 kilometers from her employer’s home, Eva said. Jamilah said she had been dumped at the mosque because she was sick.

“According to the information from the hospital, Jamilah underwent intensive treatment for tuberculosis and malnutrition on Dec. 12, 2011. The medical team could not save her life,” Eva said.

Jamilah, formerly of Cianjur, West Java, departed for Saudi Arabia in 2006, sponsored by PT Al Hijaz Indo Jaya, a labor supply company located on Jl. Dewi Satika, East Jakarta.

Eva delivered an official letter to the foreign minister and the Indonesian consulate general in Jeddah, asking that Jamilah’s body be returned to Indonesia as soon as possible.

Jamilah’s case was a strong rebuke for the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Overseas Labor Placement and Protection (BNP2TKI), Eva said, given that both bodies have claimed to improve protections given to Indonesian migrant workers.

“The consulate-general is ignoring the case. This is the fruit of the government’s incompetence in giving adequate information, training and supervision, since the workers’ were recruited from their home villages,” Eva said.

Migrant Care, which advocates for migrant workers, condemned the government’s handling of Jamilah’s case, calling on the President to reform the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and to dissolve the BNP2TKI.

“More and more workers will die or be killed overseas if no measures are taken to mend the ministry’s performance” Migrant Care representative Nur Muhammad said.

Nur warned that Indonesian migrant workers might face even worse abuse given their lack of adequate training and the inadequate supervision and monitoring of worker recruitment and placement companies.

Contacted separately, Abdullah Dahlan of Indonesia Corruption Watch and University of Indonesia political analyst Cecep Effendy agreed that Jamilah’s case evinced poor performance and budget corruption at the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.

Meanwhile, Rusjdi Basalamah, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Labor Exporters’ Association (PJTIKI), defended the Manpower Ministry and the BNP2TKI.

“If Jamilah was not found not fit and did not meet all of the requirements, she would not have been sent abroad,” he said.