Authorities in Hong Kong have filed charges against a local woman accused of brutally beating her Indonesian domestic workers in a case that has sparked outrage.
Law Wan-tung was released on bail Wednesday after being charged with several crimes, including assault that caused bodily harm. She was arrested Monday while waiting for a flight to Thailand.
One of her alleged victims, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, is recovering from serious injuries at a hospital in Indonesia. Hong Kong police traveled to interview her at the hospital this week.
Her doctor says her injuries are so severe that she is still unable to walk on her own.
Sulistyaningsih is alleged to have been beaten daily by her employer until she could no longer work, at which point she was abandoned at the airport.
Two other domestic workers from Indonesia have also filed complaints against Law, who has her next court date scheduled for March.
Sulistyaningsih's father, Rohmat, called for justice for his daughter on Wednesday.
“I was very devastated and shocked to see my daughter’s condition when her friend brought her home from Hong Kong," said Rohmat, who has no last name. "My daughter weighed 50 kilograms when she left for Hong Kong, and now she weighs less than 25 kilograms. It is very tragic, there are scars and wounds all over her body and she’s very weak. I want justice and whoever abused my daughter has to be held accountable, as just as possible, through the legal process.”
Riyanti, another Indonesian working in Hong Kong as a domestic worker, says she saw the injured woman at the airport and helped her return home.
“I found Erwiana at the Hong Kong airport, abandoned and very weak, sick and helpless," she said. "Then I flew with her all the way to Indonesia and took her to her parents’ house in Ngawi, East Java. Her parents immediately took her to the hospital.”
Hong Kong is home to about 300,000 foreign domestic workers, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Yudha Satriawan contributed to this report from Solo, Central Java. This report was produced in collaboration with VOA Indonesian service.
