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Starved, beaten with hammer, slept with dog: worst domestic worker abuse cases of Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
Source: SCMP
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The pair – who were sentenced two years ago in a separate case regarding the abuse of an Indonesian domestic worker – caned and kicked Myanmar national Moe Moe Than, 32, and also forced her to perform chores in her underwear.
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STARVED TO DEATH
A Malaysian couple were convicted of deliberately starving their Indonesian domestic worker to death in June 2011. Fong Kong Meng, then 58, and his wife Teoh Ching Yen, then 56, failed to provide food and medical treatment for Isti Komariyah during the three years she worked for them, the Malaysian High Court found.
Isti, 26, who weighed barely 26kg, was declared dead on arrival at the University Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. She had weighed 46kg when she started working for the couple. The pair were sentenced to hang for murder in March 2014 but the Federal Court amended the charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced the couple to 20 years in jail last year, according to Malaysian media.
ERWIANA
Former domestic worker Erwiana Sulistyaningsih suffered months of abuse between May 2013 and January 2014 at the hands of her Hong Kong employer. The Indonesian, then 23, returned to her home country on January 10 in a critical condition and was admitted to a hospital in Sragen, Java. The court heard that Erwiana had a metal tube from a vacuum cleaner shoved into her mouth, injuring her lips. In another incident, she was stripped naked, sprayed with cold water and forced to stand in front of a fan for up to two hours.
Law Wan-tung, 44, was sentenced to six years in prison in 2015. She was convicted of 18 of 20 charges, including assaulting and criminally intimidating Erwiana and another Indonesian domestic worker, Tutik Lestari Ningsih. Law was released from jail after serving only about half of her six-year sentence and her whereabouts are now unknown. She is yet to pay damages owed to Erwiana and Tutik as ordered by the court.
Erwiana graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in economic management at the Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta. She is now advocating for better laws to protect domestic workers in Hong Kong and beyond.
KNIFE, MOP, HANGER, UMBRELLA
A Malaysian woman was convicted for attacking her Indonesian domestic worker with a kitchen knife, a steel mop, a clothes hanger and an umbrella on June 21, 2016. Suyanti Sutrinso, then 19, suffered multiple injuries to her eyes, hands, legs and internal organs. She also had a broken scapula, injuries to her right lung, a blood clot near her brain and a cheek fracture.
Rozita Mohamad Ali, who holds the honorific title “Datin”, was initially charged with attempted murder. On March 15, 2018, the 44-year-old was placed on a good behaviour bond of 20,000 ringgit (US$4,938) for five years after pleading guilty to the amended charge of causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means. The case sparked public outrage, and a change.org petition calling for “equal justice for the rich and poor” surpassed its target of 50,000 signatories. Rozita was sentenced to eight years in prison after the High Court reversed a lower court decision, Malaysian media reported.
SCALDED WITH HOT WATER
A Singaporean couple were convicted of abusing their Myanmese domestic worker, including forcing her to pour scalding hot water on herself and drink dirty water mixed with floor cleaner between August and October 2016. Phyu Phyu Mar was not paid her salary throughout her employment. She was also denied food, which caused her weight to drop from 50kg to 38kg.
The domestic worker was forced to pour hot water onto her left shoulder on two occasions and suffered scald marks and blisters on her skin. She was given a needle to puncture the blisters herself and did not receive medical care.
Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, was found guilty of six charges – five for assault and one for making Phyu Phyu drink tainted water – and jailed for three years. She was also ordered to pay the victim S$11,800 in compensation. Her husband Lim Toon Leng, 44, was convicted of punching the maid on the forehead and sentenced to six weeks in prison.
Seah forced Phyu Phyu to knock her head against the floor, grabbed her hair and hit the Myanmar national with a mobile phone multiple times, the court heard.
BEATEN WITH A HAMMER
A Singaporean couple were convicted of assaulting their Indonesian domestic worker with household items such as a hammer, bamboo pole and scissors between June and December 2012, causing permanent disfiguration.
In September 2017, Zariah Mohd Ali, 56, was found guilty of 12 charges of abuse, while her husband, Mohamed Dahlan, 58, was convicted of a single charge of hitting their domestic worker Khanifah with a frying pan cover. Khanifah, who was 32 at the time, was hit on the head with a hammer on about five occasions. Her teeth were knocked out or broken when she was hit on the mouth with a hammer on more than two occasions, The Straits Times reported.
FORCED TO SLEEP WITH DOG
An Indonesian domestic worker forced to sleep outdoors with a Rottweiler owned by her Malaysian employers died in Penang last February. Neighbours reported that Adelina Lisao, 21, was abused for more than a month before she was rescued by assistants to Democratic Action Party MP Steven Sim on February 10, 2018. “There were wounds on her hands and her face was covered in bruises,” Por Cheng Han, a staff member for Sim, told Reuters. “She was so terrified and couldn’t speak a word, she just shook her head.”
Adelina died the following day at Bukit Mertajam Hospital due to multiple organ failure, according to The Star. Her employer, S. Ambika, 60, was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. No plea was recorded from her. Ambika’s daughter, R. Jayavartiny, 32, was charged for employing a foreigner without a valid work permit.
Asian Film Awards: ‘Shoplifters’ Named Best Film, Lee Chang-dong Wins Best Director
Source: Plugtimes/Ming Pao
13th Asian Film Awards Winners list
Best Actor
YAKUSHO Kōji – The Blood of Wolve
Best Actress
Samal YESLYAMOVA – Ayka
Best Supporting Actor
ZHANG Yu – Dying to Survive
Best Supporting Actress
Kara WAI – Tracey
Best Newcomer
Johnny HUANG Jingyu – Operation Red Sea
Best New Director
Oliver CHAN Siu Kuen – Still Human
Best Production Design
MA Kwong Wing – Shadow
Best Visual Effects
Alex LIM Hung Fung – Project Gutenberg
AFA Rising Star Award
PARK Seo-joon
Best Costume Design
CHEN Minzheng – Shadow
AFA Next Generation Award
KIM Jae-joong
Best Cinematography
ZHAO Xiangding – Shadow
Best Editing
TSUKAMOTO Shinya – Killing
Excellence In Asian Cinema Award
YAKUSHO Kōji
Best Screenplay
JIA Zhangke – Ash in Purest White
Best Original Music
HOSONO Haruomi – Shoplifters
2018 Highest Grossing Asian Film
Operation Red Sea
Best Sound
Yang Jiang, ZHAO Nan – Shadow
Lifetime Achievement Award
LEE Chang-dong
Hong Kong man shot dead by police after knife attack at Kai Bo Food Supermarket in Yau Ma Tei
Source: SCMP/Appledaily/On.cc
Hong Kong police on Saturday shot dead a knife-wielding man in Yau Ma Tei after he attacked a supermarket manager whom he had a quarrel with minutes earlier.
Officers patrolling the area had noticed the man running along Reclamation Street with a 40cm knife, according to Tsang Chung-bun, assistant district commander (crime) superintendent for the Yau Tsim police district. They chased and shouted at him but he ignored them and ran inside Kai Bo Food Supermarket at the junction of the two streets. “Without a word, he just started attacking the store manager,” Tsang said. Police gave him two warnings before opening fire. When he tried to strike the victim again, an officer shot him from about a metre away, Tsang added. The bullet struck the right side of his chest.
The supermarket manager sustained injuries to the back of his head. Both the men were sent to nearby Kwong Wah Hospital, where the attacker was certified dead at 1.21pm. “According to our initial investigations, a few minutes before the attack, there was a dispute between the manager and the suspect. The suspect then left the scene, found a knife nearby and went back into the store to attack him,” Tsang said.
Surveillance footage obtained by the Post from a fruit stall located a block away from the supermarket showed the man, wearing a light-coloured T-shirt and black sneakers, running along Saigon Street at around 12.26pm. He paused momentarily before swiping an object off a table outside a Chinese barbecue restaurant and ran off with it. He then turned onto Reclamation Street where the supermarket was located. Seconds later, two officers jumped out from a police vehicle arriving at the junction of Saigon Street and Reclamation Street and gave chase.
Police were investigating the suspect’s motive and whether it was necessary to use a gun. Under the Police General Orders, officers are allowed to open fire in three circumstances: to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury; to bring about the arrest of a person who has just committed a serious or violent crime; or to quell a riot or insurrection.
An officer would have to assess both their own safety as well as the safety of others in the vicinity before making a decision to shoot, said Lam Chi-wai, chairman of the Junior Police Officers’ Association. “Under those circumstances, there is only one objective if the police were to open fire, and that is to make sure they are able to stop the attacker armed with a lethal weapon from causing more harm to others,” Lam said. During training, police officers are taught to aim at large areas of the body, instead of the arms and legs so they are able to stop the attacker as quick as possible. When asked whether it was appropriate for the officer to shoot inside a supermarket where it was likely to be crowded, Lam said: “There are many places in Hong Kong where there are lots of people. Only the officer in question would be able to make the assessment of whether it is safe under those conditions for everyone.” “Having served on the front line for 30 years, I probably would have made the same decision if I were there,” he added.
A woman who runs a vegetable store outside the supermarket said the dead man had been a regular in the neighbourhood. “He behaves weirdly and we know he steals stuff so we’re always careful of him,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. A supermarket staff member said he had noticed a man behaving suspiciously in the store some time before the incident, as if he were trying to steal something, according to Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Benny Yeung Tsz-hei, who cited information from police and witnesses. The manager then shouted at the suspect, telling him to leave, said Yeung, speaking at the scene.
In November last year Hong Kong police faced criticism after an officer opened fire in a crowded public area. A policewoman shot an assailant in the abdomen after he came at her and a colleague with a blade at Sham Shui Po MTR station. Police also drew criticism in July last year after officers fired two shots near a housing estate in Tuen Mun when a suspected triad member tried to run them down with a car.
Mother thought to have attempted suicide arrested on suspicion of murdering son in Hong Kong
Source: SCMP/On.cc/Appledaily
A 55-year-old woman has been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of killing her son after police found the man’s body on a sofa in her flat. Officers believed the mother, who was a widow, drugged and strangled the 23-year-old before attempting suicide, though the cause of death was unclear. They found rat poison and two lengths of cable at her home on Shin Ming Estate, Tseung Kwan O.
Police were called to the flat on Saturday night after the mother, whom they said appeared dazed, told a security guard at the public housing estate that she and her son had taken the poison. After breaking into the flat, police found the son’s body lying on the sofa in the living room. Chief Inspector Cheung Ting-fung said the body was covered with a blanket, with a badminton racquet placed on top. “We found strangle marks on the neck, but there were no wounds on other parts of the body, or signs of a struggle,” Cheung said. “The exact cause of death can only be confirmed after further examination and toxicology tests, but we believe he had been dead for one to two days.”
Inside the flat, officers found two packs of poison, along with a large quantity of sleeping pills. Cheung said the deceased could have eaten food mixed with sleeping pills before he was strangled. Police also found two charging cables for mobile phones inside the flat, one of which they said had been snapped. They believed it was used in the killing.
Cheung said the other cable, which had been hung from a small window outside a bedroom, had been tied into a loop. “We also believe the woman had attempted suicide by hanging herself inside the flat and taking poison,” Cheung said. A suicide note, which officers believed the mother wrote, was also found. “But we cannot find a note by the deceased,” Cheung said. After getting in touch with the son’s friends, Cheung said they could find no reason that he would have killed himself, which is why they arrested the mother on suspicion of murder. The woman had been sent to Tseung Kwan O Hospital.
The police source said the woman, who moved into the flat in 2011 with her son, did not mention her motives in the suicide note. The source said she wrote that people should not mourn them, and detailed her wishes for after their deaths. Another source familiar with the situation said the woman had been getting treatment for depression and psychosis.
Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan said the woman had occasionally volunteered at her office. She was gentle and polite, and appeared physically healthy, Fong said, adding that she last saw her about a year ago. “We don’t know what kind of difficulties she was facing. The government should deploy more resources to help poor and single-parent households,” Fong said.
Jackie Chen, an executive member at the Hong Kong Social Workers’ General Union, noted that the Social Welfare Department provided counselling for mentally ill residents, but said its centres usually struggle with a large workload. “It may not be possible for the centre’s staff to do home visits,” she said.
Fight breaks out inside MTR train carriage over kid stepping on woman’s foot
Source: Coconuts UK/Appledaily
Five people were arrested yesterday afternoon over a brawl inside a packed MTR train carriage that began after a child stepped on a passenger’s foot. Police confirmed to Coconuts HK that they arrested five people at Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station just before 3:30pm.
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The mainlanders were a husband and wife surnamed Wang, 31 and 28, who were accompanied by the husband’s 54-year-old mother, surnamed Liu, and a young girl believed to be the couple’s daughter. Chong told the newspaper that the fight broke out because the daughter had stepped on Chan’s foot, prompting the couple to demand an apology from the group. Wang, the husband, can be seen in the video yelling at Chan and Yeung, while Yeung can be heard saying: “Your kid stepped on someone, and that’s not right. Stop yelling.” Then, without warning, a fight breaks out in the middle of the carriage. As the fight rages, the young girl can be heard crying, while other passengers can be heard screaming and yelling at the group to stop fighting.
Police arrived at Tsim Sha Tsui station to break up the fight. Police confirmed to Coconuts HK that all five participants sustained injuries, either to their heads or hands, and that all five refused to be admitted to hospital. The case is currently being handled by Yau Tsim district’s criminal investigation team.
Yesterday’s fracas joins a list of past episodes of MTR-related strife, including fights breaking out over
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Some commenting on the Apple Daily story remarked that it was “typical mainland behavior,” pointing to the growing influx of mainlanders who come into Hong Kong either as tourists or so-called
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“The Hong Kong government has no policy on how to resolve the differences between Chinese and Hong Kong culture, and the implementation of these white elephant projects has only intensified the differences between China and Hong Kong,” said one commenter, referring to controversial projects like the
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Some, however, said that the Hong Kong couple should have just let the matter go, and that the trio being mainlanders had nothing to do with why the fight broke out. “There’s nothing unique about this incident [someone stepping on someone else’s foot],” one noted. “There are so many Hongkongers who accidentally step on other people on the train, and not just that mainland kid. It’s so strange that the Hongkongers just simply can’t bear with it.”