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