Singapore Embassy

Singapore Embassy
responds

I refer to the article S'pore a 'killing field' for RI migrant
workers: Study, published in The Jakarta Post on May 16.

The article, based on a "study" carried out by the Institute
for Ecosoc Rights (IER), contains unsubstantiated allegations and
factual inaccuracies concerning the working conditions of
Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore. In particular, the use
of the term "killing field" is irresponsible and reprehensible.
The number of Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) that encounter
problems in Singapore is a very small percentage of the 150,000
total FDWs in Singapore.

The Singapore government is committed to safeguarding and
protecting the welfare of all foreign workers in Singapore,
including foreign domestic workers from Indonesia. All foreign
workers who choose to work here are governed and protected under
Singapore rules and regulations, without prejudice.

As part of the work permit conditions, employers must agree to
ensure the well being of their FDWs. This includes personal
safety, proper housing, prompt salary payment, adequate food and
rest. Employers who breach these work permit conditions are
liable to be prosecuted and fined.

We recognize that the living environment in Singapore is
different from that in Indonesia. As such, several new measures
have been put in place to improve the safety of all FDWs, who
must attend a compulsory safety awareness course conducted in
several languages, including Bahasa Indonesia. The course covers
topics such as the hazards of working in an urban high-rise
environment and highlights the necessary safety precautions to be
taken.

The Singapore government will continue to safeguard the
interests of all FDWs in Singapore. In a recent survey conducted
by the Straits Times newspaper in December 2003, 80 percent of
all FDWs said that they were happy with their employment in
Singapore. The facts speak for themselves.

If FDWs are "not only overexploited but physically abused and
trapped in forced labor", as the coordinator of the study claims,
why then do so many FDWs express satisfaction and still prefer to
work in Singapore?

SHANG THONG CHIE
Second Secretary (Political)
Singapore Embassy
Jakarta