Beaten and Starved, Indonesian Woman Becomes Victim of Modern Slavery in Australia

An Indonesian woman was beaten, denied food, and forced to sleep on stairs or in the garage for months while allegedly working as a “slave” for a husband-and-wife couple in Melbourne, as revealed in the County Court of Victoria.

The criminal trial of the couple, Chee Kit Chong and Angie Yeh Liaw, both Malaysian nationals, began on Tuesday (31/03) as the prosecutor outlined the case.

The Indonesian worker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, agreed to stay with the couple at their property in Point Cook after Liaw gave birth to her second child.

The alleged victim was supposed to stay for a month in early 2022, according to testimony in court, but Chong blamed her for the loss of a company credit card and told her she had to work to pay off the debt.

After that, Chong “very much controlled” the alleged victim’s life, prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg S.C. told the court.

“Chong threatened and forced [the alleged victim] to provide domestic services,” he said.

“He repeatedly told her that she had to work to pay off the debt. And when [the victim] failed to meet Chong’s expectations… they would punish her by assaulting her, as well as depriving her of sleep and food.”

Chong is accused of intentionally treating the woman as a slave, while his wife is charged with aiding or abetting the offence.

The defence lawyer told the court that various allegations were still in dispute, including claims of abuse, sleep deprivation or lack of food, as well as the story about the credit card.

“There may be reasons [for the complainant] to exaggerate or embellish or say things that are not true,” said Chong’s lawyer, Diana Price.

The couple have pleaded not guilty.

Illegal immigration status made the alleged victim vulnerable

Chong had previously formed a “mother-son” relationship with the Indonesian woman after they met at a church in Malaysia, where the alleged victim was a pastor, the court heard.

She moved to Australia on a tourist visa to stay with the couple in 2017, but the couple returned to Malaysia without telling her, leaving her homeless for four years.

In 2021, the couple informed the Indonesian woman that they had returned to Melbourne and offered her work for a month.

Her illegal immigration status made her vulnerable to exploitation, the prosecutor said, and Chong behaved as if “he owned” the victim.

“On one occasion, he told her that if she paid one million dollars, she could leave,” Ginsburg said.

The woman was ordered to clean the house, wash dishes, and massage Chong’s feet, according to court testimony.

Once, when she fell asleep while massaging, Chong allegedly hit her with a vacuum cleaner.

Other punishments included being ordered to stand all night so she could not sleep and being locked in the garage, the prosecutor said.

“He often hit or kicked her. He also punished her by saying she was not allowed to sleep or eat that day,” Ginsburg said.

“Chong controlled access to food and facilities [for the alleged victim].”

A nurse reported the alleged abuse to police

A local medical clinic and a hospital recorded various injuries suffered by the woman in the months she stayed with the couple, according to court testimony.

The woman’s stay with the couple ended in October after a nurse reported the matter to federal police, prompting officers to investigate.

Chong told police that he had offered the woman accommodation because she was homeless.

He gave various explanations for the woman’s injuries, including diabetes, falls, and assaults by other homeless people, the court heard.

He denied ordering the government to perform those tasks, saying it was the woman’s own idea.

Liaw told police that they met the woman on the streets of Melbourne and felt sorry for her because she was homeless. She denied restricting the woman’s access to food.

The trial continues.