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Three
Malaysians jailed for deadly beating, rape of Indonesian maids
(AP) 24 June 2005 KUALA LUMPUR - A Malaysian has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for beating to death his Indonesian maid while another Malaysian received a 12-year prison term and nine blows with a cane for raping his Indonesian maid three times, news reports said Friday. His wife was sentenced to six years for restraining the woman during the rapes. The cases bolster complaints by human rights groups including Amnesty International about the abuse of Indonesian workers, who form the bulk of Malaysia's domestic work force. It was not immediately known if the convicted Malaysians will appeal the convictions and sentences, which were passed Thursday. Gan Hun Loong, a factory manager, was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Sonirih Casnawi in 2001, the New Straits Times daily said. It said he allegedly rained at least 45 punches on Sonirih's stomach, which caused her internal organs to rupture. "This is the most brutal and inhuman case of physical abuse that I have ever seen," the Times cited Sessions Court judge Akhtar Tahir as saying. Gan's wife testified that she was on the first floor at their home in Kuala Lumpur when she overheard her husband and the maid quarreling about her chores in the kitchen below. She later found the maid unconscious in the bathroom. The couple rushed Sonirih to the hospital but she died on the way. In a separate case, Seow Eng Aik, 37, was jailed Thursday for 12 years for raping the maid on three occasions last year in the northern Penang state while his wife Tan Seok Hoon received a six-year jail sentence for assisting him, the Times reported. Sessions Court judge Hadhariah Syed Ismail also ordered Seow to be caned nine times for the offenses, the report said. A court official in Penang confirmed the sentencing. During the trial, prosecutors said Tan held the maid's hands while her husband raped her. International group Human Rights Watch last month urged Malaysia to protect the rights of migrant domestic workers, especially Indonesian maids, saying they are regularly falling prey to abusive employers and labor agents because of inadequate labor laws. Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia typically are forced to work 16 to 18 hour days, seven days a week, while earning less than US$5 (ò4) A day. More than 90 percent of Malaysia's 240,000 domestic workers are Indonesian. Many domestic workers are forbidden to leave their workplace and many suffer psychological, physical, and sexual assault by labor agents and employers, Human Rights Watch said. Malaysia is one of the largest importers of foreign labor in Asia with about 20 percent of its work force comprising of migrants, primarily employed in construction, palm oil plantations and domestic service. ------------------------------------------------ ADIL-Net will remain a Free Forum until further notice. Disclaimer: The opinions and views posted are not necessarily that of the list owner's or ADIL's -------------------------------------------------- Send a blank e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - to subscribe to the list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - to unsubscribe from the list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - to switch your subscription to normal [EMAIL PROTECTED] - to switch your subscription to digest ADIL Homepage: http://members.easyspace.com/reformasi/ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
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