Second RI maid escapes hangman
Agencies, Jakarta
A 19-year-old Indonesian maid working in Singapore was sentenced to life in jail on Wednesday for strangling to death her employer's mother-in-law just days after another Indonesian maid was jailed for life in a similar case.
Purwanti Parji received the maximum sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter, AFP reported.
A number of local non-governmental organizations advocating migrant workers' rights criticized the rulings, saying they failed to deliver justice and that the maids had been abused by their employers.
The Singapore High Court was told during the trial that Purwanti killed Har Chit Heang, 57, on Aug. 4 last year by strangling her while she was asleep in her bedroom. She then cut the victim's wrist to make it look like suicide.
The High Court was told that Purwanti had become angry after Har scolded her.
Purwanti had been forced to work weekdays for Har and weekends at the home of the woman's daughter-in-law, her official employer. It is illegal in Singapore for maids to work in two households, although it is a common practice.
On Friday, Sundarti Supriyanto, 23, was sentenced to life in jail after being convicted of murdering her boss, Angie Ng, 33, and the woman's three-year-old daughter, Crystal, in May 2002.
She avoided the death penalty after the High Court ruled Ng had abused her.
"The Indonesian government must initiate political diplomacy to help the maids in Singapore. They do not deserve the death penalty or life sentences as they are also victims of their bosses," said the Working Forum for Migrant Workers' Justice in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian government said it respected the Singapore court's decision but would appeal the verdict, an official said.
"First, we will appeal. Second, we will provide diplomatic assistance in line with international law," Ferry Adamhar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' citizen and corporation protection director, said as quoted by the detik.com news portal.
Adam said three more Indonesian maids were currently facing the death penalty on similar charges. He said the government had provided lawyers for them.