A Malaysian has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for beating to death his Indonesian maid while another Malaysian received a 12-year prison term and nine blows with a cane for raping his Indonesian maid three times, news reports said yesterday. His wife was sentenced to six years for restraining the woman during the rapes.
The cases bolster complaints by human rights groups including Amnesty International about the abuse of Indonesian workers, who form the bulk of Malaysia's domestic work force. It was not immediately known if the convicted Malaysians will appeal the convictions and sentences.
Gan Hun Loong, a factory manager, was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Sonirih Casnawi in 2001, the New Straits Times daily said. It said he allegedly rained at least 45 punches on Sonirih's stomach, which caused her internal organs to rupture.
"This is the most brutal and inhuman case of physical abuse that I have ever seen," Sessions Court judge Akhtar Tahir said.
Gan's wife testified that she was on the first floor at their home in Kuala Lumpur when she overheard her husband and the maid quarreling about her chores in the kitchen below. She later found the maid unconscious in the bathroom. The couple rushed Sonirih to the hospital but she died on the way.
In a separate case, Seow Eng Aik, 37, was jailed on Thursday for 12 years for raping the maid on three occasions last year in the northern Penang state while his wife Tan Seok Hoon received a six-year jail sentence for assisting him, the Times reported.
The sessions Court judge also ordered Seow to be caned nine times for the offenses, the report said. A court official in Penang confirmed the sentencing. During the trial, prosecutors said Tan held the maid's hands while her husband raped her.
International group Human Rights Watch last month urged Malaysia to protect the rights of migrant domestic workers, especially Indonesian maids, saying they are regularly falling prey to abusive employers and labor agents because of inadequate labor laws. Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia typically are forced to work 16 to 18 hour days, seven days a week, while earning less than US$5 a day. More than 90 percent of Malaysia's 240,000 domestic workers are Indonesian.
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