http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/rumors-surface-of-indonesian-maids-rape-by-malaysian-minister-in-2007/414712
Rumors Surface of Indonesian Maid's Rape by Malaysian Minister in 2007 Nurfika Osman | January 03, 2011 Malaysian news media have been abuzz for the past week over a three-year-old story involving the alleged rape of an Indonesian domestic worker by a senior government minister. However, few actual details are known, including the name of the minister allegedly involved. Rocky Bru, or Ahirudin Attan, a former editor in chief of free daily newspaper The Malay Mail as well as a well-known blogger, had earlier touched on the alleged incident, which is said to have taken place in 2007, during the rule of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. It immediately became one of the most-read stories of last year after news portal HarakahDaily published a WikiLeaks document quoting Bru. According to the document, the incident had become a topic of conversation in diplomatic circles, including at the US and Indonesian embassies, and was also discussed inside the office of the Malaysian prime minister. Migrant rights group Tenaganita has pointed the media to a statement from Indonesian nongovernmental organization Migrant Care calling for a thorough investigation into the alleged rape. The statement was made by Migrant Care's Wahyu Susilo, Anis Hidayah and Alex Ong, and was dated Aug. 1, 2007. It identified the victim as Robengah, and described the attacker as a "Malaysian senior minister" from "the ruling party." The press release said Robengah, a mother of two from Central Java, had worked for the minister for eight years. Wahyu said he could not comment on the case when contacted by the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. According to the original report by Migrant Care, which was posted on Bru's blog, the victim was afraid to pursue the case, fearful of the possible repercussions of accusing someone so powerful and respected of rape. The Migrant Care report said the victim believed what had happened to her was just a "test" for her and her family. She also said she would not be able to bear the humiliation if her neighbors back home learned what had happened to her. Widyarka Ryananta, a senior official with the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, told the Globe that he did not know anything about the case. "I have not heard about this rape story," Widyarka said. "I would first need to check things out to find out whether or not this story is actually true." Michael Tene, a spokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said much the same thing. "We'll have to delve into this case because it happened back in 2007," he said. "But so far, we have not heard anything about this matter and we will contact Malaysia about it." Widyarka and Michael declined further comment. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
