Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23, prepares to leave her hospital bed in Sragen district in central Java island on February 5, 2014. Photo: Anwar Mustafa / AFP
An Indonesian maid allegedly tortured by her Hong Kong employer will return to the city next week for a medical examination to help bolster the investigation in the case that sparked angry protests, officials said Friday.
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23, was admitted to hospital in Sragen, on Indonesia’s main island of Java, in critical condition after returning from Hong Kong in January where she allegedly suffered months of abuse.
Law Wan-tung, a 44-year-old Hong Kong mother-of-two has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Sulistyaningsih, who is set to arrive back in Hong Kong on Monday.
Law’s trial was due to resume last week but was adjourned to April 29, with officials awaiting her medical records from Indonesia.
Prosecutors have alleged that Law turned household items such as a mop, a ruler and a clothes hanger into “weapons” against Sulistyaningsih.
“Police requested the victim of a wounding case, reported to police on January 12, to return to Hong Kong for follow-up arrangement related to the prosecution,” police said in a statement without elaborating further.
A spokesman for Hong Kong-based Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body said Sulistyaningsih was “coming over upon the (invitation) of the Hong Kong police for her to undergo some medical examination”.
“She’ll be here only for about a week,” Eman Villanueva told AFP.
Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, head of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, said the results of her medical examination will be used in the trial of her former employer.
“We are glad that Hong Kong is pursuing this and our hope is that justice will be served, the law will be enforced,” he told AFP.
“This is the hope of all Indonesians. And it’s not just for us — it is for all of those working in Hong Kong.”
Sulistyaningsih’s ordeal had sparked international concern over the rights of domestic helpers in the southern Chinese city, with thousands marching to call for justice for abused maids.
Law, who was arrested at Hong Kong airport in January while attempting to board a flight to Thailand, was also charged with common assault and four counts of criminal intimidation — charges related either to Sulistyaningsih or to her two previous Indonesian domestic helpers.
The Asian financial hub is home to nearly 300,000 maids, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines, and criticism from rights groups over their treatment is growing.
In September a Hong Kong couple were jailed for savagely beating their Indonesian domestic helper, including burning her with an iron and hitting her with a bicycle chain.
Amnesty International in November condemned the “slavery-like” conditions faced by thousands of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong and accused authorities of “inexcusable” inaction.
Story: AFP
valley ledge says
The way many hk'ers treat helpers like they are personal slaves is disgraceful. Confiscating passports, standing over them all day, sending them to clean relatives places, refusing holidays, forcing them to sign higher paid employment contracts and paying them peanuts, constantly accusing them of lying and stealing, and ultimately resorting to violence (it's always the lazy rich wife) . . just makes me sick to the stomach to think these evil biiatches are among us. . . Then they rock up to court, full face mask and designer sunglasses on, driver waiting outside for the getaway after they get a slap on the wrist (small fine) and community service. . . This evil cow even tried to flee the country, it is time to make a statement here HK courts, throw the key away . . this evil specimen should go down for at least 15 years. . Torture? In this day and age, of a defenseless helper who is actually doing your work for you . . throw the key in the harbour, it is time to make a statement to the countlkess other evil bstrds out there. . .