Yahoo – AFP,
4 April 2014
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Indonesian
maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih is seen in her hospital bed in
Sragen district,
central Java, on February 5, 2014 (AFP Photo/Anwar Mustafa)
|
Hong Kong
(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.
 |
| Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih (C) is helped out of the hospital in Sragen district, central Java, on February 5, 2014 (AFP Photo/Anwar Mustafa) |
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.
 |
Members of
support groups for Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih
protest
outside a court of justice in Hong Kong on March 25, 2014 (AFP Photo/
Philippe Lopez)
|
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.
Related Articles:
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Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih gets medical treatment
at a hospital in Sragen, Central Java, on Jan. 15, 2013. Erwiana was
allegedly tortured in Hong Kong by her employers. (AFP Photo/
Anwar Mustafa)
|
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