Abused maid stays on in S'pore

Abused maid stays on in S'pore

SINGAPORE (AFP): A Filipino maid whose Singaporean employers were fined and jailed for abusing her is staying on in the city- state despite her harrowing experience, The Straits Times reported yesterday.

"I'm happy this is over. I just want to work and earn money for my family back home," Lilybeth Aguillon, 20, told the newspaper.

Aguillon's employers, Ng Guan Lam and his wife Chan Ngan Heng, were given prison terms of six months and one week respectively by a judge last Tuesday for subjecting her to physical abuse, including beatings with a cane.

The maid tried to run away in August after being flogged and was spotted by a resident who called in the police. The police took her to a hospital where doctors found multiple bruises on her arms, legs and buttocks.

Aguillon, who has found a new job with an elderly couple, said she was trying to put the memories behind her. More than 60,000 Filipinos work in Singapore as domestic helpers.