Indonesians Vent Anger over Maid Abuse in Malaysia

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - About 500 angry Indonesians staged a motorbike protest outside the Malaysian ambassador’s residence in Jakarta on Wednesday to condemn the abuse of Indonesian maids by Malaysian employers. Incensed by the latest case of rape and torture of an Indonesian domestic worker in Malaysia, protesters besieged Ambassador Syed Munshe Afdzaruddin’s house and demanded he leave Indonesia within two days.

They also moved to the Malaysian embassy to continue their demonstration and threatened to go to a shopping mall and hotels nearby to tell Malaysian tourists to leave the country, as police kept a watchful eye.

“We want the Malaysian ambassador to leave Indonesia in two days. If he doesn’t, we’ll remove all the things in his house,” said Mustar Bonaventura, of nationalist youth group Bendera, which organised the rally.

“Malaysia has really gone too far. Again they’re torturing and raping our domestic workers. We’ve lost our patience. They’ve degraded Indonesia and its citizens.” Protesters shouted “Malaysians are insolent”, sang the Indonesian anthem and carried banners with messages such as “Crush Malaysia”.

“We’ll tell the Malaysian shoppers in Senayan City mall to stop shopping in Indonesia and get out. But we’ll tell them nicely because we’re not like those Malaysians who are torturers and rapists,” Bonaventura said.

Jakarta police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told AFP: “The police were at the ambassador’s residence to provide security. We’re also on standby. Don’t worry.” Protesters had been barred from entering the shopping malls, police official Hamidin said.

“We deployed 200 officers to Senayan City. About 200 protesters came on motorcycles but we didn’t allow them into the mall, so they left,” he said.

Spats regularly erupt between Indonesia and Malaysia over an array of issues, particularly Malaysia’s treatment of the some two million Indonesians who work there. Malaysia earlier Wednesday condemned the abuse of Indonesian maids after a 26-year-old woman was raped and scalded with an iron by her employers. The couple accused of abusing the woman have been arrested.

In June last year, Indonesia barred domestic workers going to Malaysia after a series of incidents of shocking mistreatment, but the move has had little practical effect. Malaysia and Indonesia have been working to establish official working conditions for maids, but negotiations are making slow progress due to disagreement over a proposed minimum wage.

Source : kompas

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