Woman jailed for slapping RI maid

Woman jailed for slapping RI maid

SINGAPORE: A woman initially fined for slapping her Indonesian maid will now spend three months in a Singapore jail under stiffer punishments for maid abuse, it was reported on Friday.

This is the second time this week Chief Justice Yong Pung How increased an employer's sentence for the offense, noting violence against maids had to stop, The Straits Times said.

Businesswoman Chong Siew Chin assaulted Bonasih Sarmo, 23, and told her to say she had fallen into the toilet if anyone asked about the marks on her face, according to court documents.

Chong told Bonasih her parents would die if she told the truth.

The judge agreed with the public prosecutor that the 1999 offense deserved a jail term. Chong will get back the S$4,500 (US$2,500) she paid in fines under the original sentence.

Last week, the judge tripled the three-month jail term of housewife Farida Begam Mohamed Arthan for hitting her Indonesian maid with a slipper and wooden handle, saying the crime was giving Singapore a "terrible reputation." --DPA