Malaysian man charged with killing Indonesian maid

A Malaysian employer was charged in court for allegedly killing his Indonesian maid. The maid died after she beaten and locked in a bathroom for two days. She was allegedly beaten for months up until she died in hospital Tuesday. The victim, Mutik Hani, was found Oct. 20 with cuts and bruises all over her body after a visitor of the suspected killer tipped off authorities as to the whereabouts of the girl who was being held against her will. On Friday in court, A. Murugan was charged with murder. Murugan faces a mandatory death penalty if convicted. The death of Muntik Hani has revived calls by Indonesian officials for better protection for Indonesian maids who complain about persistent cases of abuse while working in Malaysia, according to Yahoo news. There are about 300,000 Indonesian maids working in Malaysia and that number grows by about 3,000 per month. On the average, about 150 Indonesian maids complain to Malaysian authorities about alleged maltreatment, overwork, unpaid wages and physical abuse. Last June, the Indonesian government decided to stop sending citizens to work as maids in Malaysia following the reported abuse by Malaysian employers. In a report by Digital Journal, Indonesian Manpower Minister Erman Suparno justified the government's action, saying, "We want to protect our migrant workers from contract violations and physical abuse." Malaysian Home Minister Hussein on the other hand said that Malaysia may have to look elsewhere to fill up the needs of Malaysian employers.