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.