S'pore offers safety education for maids

S'pore offers safety education for maids

The government is giving foreign maids safety tips on washing high-rise apartment windows in Singapore, where dozens of domestic workers have fallen to their deaths from the tall buildings, officials said on Thursday.

The Ministry of Manpower announced the move after a 21-year- old Indonesian maid, Sanginah Sangsuardi, died Monday after falling 16 stories from her employer's kitchen window.

Sangsuardi's death is being investigated but "no foul play is suspected," said police spokeswoman Audrey Ong.

The Straits Times newspaper reported earlier that Sangsuardi was believed to have been hanging laundry when she fell.

Hundreds of thousands of women from less-affluent Asian countries flock to the wealthy city-state of Singapore to work as maids. Many are unaccustomed to city life.

Thirty-six maids fell to their deaths in Singapore between 1999 and 2001, according to the Ministry of Manpower. Some fell while washing windows, and 10 cases were labeled suicides. -- AP