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.