Indonesian maid sentenced to death for murdering Malaysian boss
Indonesian maid sentenced to death for murdering Malaysian boss
Agencies Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta
An Indonesian housemaid was sentenced to death by hanging for killing her Malaysian employer who scolded her for burning a meal, news reports said on Friday.
Herlina Trisnawati, 22, had pleaded insanity when charged with murdering businesswoman Soon Lay Chuan in a Kuala Lumpur suburb on Aug. 14, 2001.
However, High Court judge K.N. Segara rejected the insanity plea on Thursday, saying he believed "there was premeditation" in Herlina's actions, the New Straits Times reported.
Herlina, who comes from Surabaya, was expected to appeal the verdict.
She was accused of killing Soon by striking her with a pestle -- a handheld tool for grinding food -- after Soon had reprimanded her for a burning a meal of curry.
Indonesian migrant workers association Migrant Care criticized the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia on Friday for being too slow in dealing with Herlina's case.
"We wonder why the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia never announced that an Indonesian woman migrant worker was facing serious charges, for which she could get the death penalty. We also do not know what steps the Embassy took to support her in this case," Wahyu Susilo, Migrant Care's labor policy analyst, said in a press statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Migrant Care demanded the Indonesian government take proactive measures to appeal the case immediately so that the life of Herlina could be spared.
"The Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia must be transparent in explaining the chronology of this case," Wahyu demanded.
Migrant Care is also sending one of its members to Malaysia on Saturday to investigate this case.
Death by hanging is the mandatory penalty in Malaysia for murder convictions.
Herlina appeared puzzled when the sentence was passed and asked for permission to see her parents, Bernama news agency said.
Segara ordered the visit to be arranged and told Herlina: "Don't worry, you will not be hanged tomorrow."
The judge said neighbors had testified that while Herlina often complained about being overworked, she never mentioned being hit by Soon, the manager of an export agency.
More than 90 percent of some 240,000 domestic workers in Malaysia are Indonesian. They typically work 16 hours to 18 hours daily with no days off, and earn less than 25 US cents an hour, the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.