Malaysian minister visits abused RI maid

Malaysian minister visits abused RI maid

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A Malaysian minister on Tuesday visited an
Indonesian maid who suffered serious head injuries in an attack
blamed on her employer's wife and said such cases damaged
Malaysia's image as a caring society.

After visiting housemaid Kusia Manijan in a hospital intensive
care unit, Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn said the
ministry was planning a program to make employers more caring
towards their maids.

The maid was admitted to hospital in the northern city of Ipoh
on Monday after being struck with a hard object, allegedly by her
employer's wife.

Apart from a suspected skull fracture she also had injuries on
her abdomen, scars and fresh wounds on her back, swelling in both
legs and scalding on her palms. Police described her as having
been tortured.

A 44-year-old housewife has been remanded for eight days for
police investigations.

Malaysian immigration authorities are looking into safeguards
to stop employers attacking foreign maids.

In a widely publicized case, one Indonesian maid said she was
tortured by her boss for more than a year.

Nurjanah Matyak, 40, was told to cane herself 50 times on her
thighs for "mistakes" in performing her duties and suffered from
blurred vision following various other assaults.