Domestic helper says she was duped by her brokers

An Indonesian domestic helper said yesterday that her brokers in both Indonesia and Taipei have duped her of over NT$110,000 since she began working in Taiwan two years ago.

Accompanied by a friend of her employer, Nana Priyati broke into tears while telling a press conference how, on March 28, the foreign affairs police forced her to confess that she has been working illegally for two employers.

"They dragged me into the restroom and forced me to admit that I'm working for someone other than my contracted employer," said Priyati.

Priyati said that over the past 18 months, none of her family back home had received any money from her brokers in Taiwan and Indonesia, nor had she gotten paid.

According to Lin Chen-yi (林真邑), a friend of Priyati's employer, Priyati's Taiwanese broker told her that for her first 16 months in Taiwan, NT$7,000 would be deducted from her NT$15,840 monthly salary to pay off the NT$112,000 her Indonesian broker loaned her as an advance.

"Although we later found out that her Indonesian broker didn't actually lend her the money, my friend had already wired NT$62,000 to the broker," Lin said.

Lin added that Priyati's Taiwan-ese broker told the police that Priyati had broken the law by working for someone who is not her contracted employer.

"They do this so they can confiscate Priyati's guarantee bond. In addition, they receive a certain amount of monetary reward from the police for reporting the case. Foreign workers have no rights in Taiwan because most brokers collude with the police," Lin said.

Shih Chih-hsiung (施志雄), who works in the foreign affairs police department's Hsinyi precinct, dismissed Lin's accusations.

"We have sufficient evidence to prove that Priyati has been working illegally for two different employers. The truth will be brought to light when we conclude the investigation, or in a court of law if necessary," he said.

Shih's view was echoed by Shu Ching-lien (徐卿廉), division chief of the city's Bureau of Labor Affairs (勞工局).

"We've been paying close attention to this case. Priyati's employers are using her and trying to switch the focus of our attention to avoid legal responsibility," Shu said.

Employers convicted of illegally hiring foreign laborers face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to NT$900,000.