Malaysia yesterday condemned the abuse of Indonesian maids after a 26-year-old woman was raped and scalded, in an attempt to quell rising anger over the issue.
In June last year Indonesia barred domestic workers going to Malaysia after a series of incidents of shocking mistreatment.
In the latest case Malaysian police arrested a couple last week for attacking their maid with a hot iron and scalding water. The husband is also accused of raping the woman.
PHOTO: AFP
The maid, from East Java, was rescued by a passerby after her employers, a 41-year-old building contractor and his wife, abandoned her at the roadside.
“The government of Malaysia strongly condemns all forms of abuse against any worker, regardless of nationality or sector of employment,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement.
“It is regretful this incident took place, despite repeated advice to Malaysian employers of domestic workers,” he said, in a rare move that signals the issue’s potential to further damage bilateral ties.
Anifah promised a swift probe into the affair and said the perpetrators would be handed “the necessary sentence.”
Indonesian Labor Minister Muhaimin Iskandar cautioned Indonesian women not to work there until their safety can be assured.
“The minister just wanted to reiterate that please don’t go to Malaysia to work as a maid until the moratorium is lifted,” said Widyarka Ryananta, a spokesman for the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur. “Don’t use social or tourist visas to come here and work as a maid.”
Meanwhile, about 500 Indonesians staged a motorbike protest outside the Malaysian Ambassador Syed Munshe Afdzaruddin’s house in Jakarta to condemn the abuse of Indonesian maids in Malaysia.
They demanded the envoy leave Indonesia within two days. They also threatened to roam through a nearby shopping mall and order any Malaysian they find to go back to their country.
“We want the Malaysian ambassador to leave Indonesia in two days. If he doesn’t, we’ll remove all the things in his house,” said Mustar Bonaventura, of youth group Bendera, which organized the rally. “Malaysia has really gone too far.”
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