Four Chinese women rescued from abusive employer

BALIK PULAU: Police rescued four women from China who claimed that they have been abused by their employer since three years ago, with one of them threatened to commit suicide yesterday.

The women, aged between 23 and 38 years, claimed they had not received their full salary ever since working at a reflexology centre in Queensbay, Bayan Baru, apart from being constantly subjected to mental abuse.

Barat Daya OCPD Supt Mohd Hatta Mohd Zin said police received a report about a woman attempting to jump off the Jalan Aziz Ibrahim pedestrian bridge in Bayan Baru at 3.30pm yesterday.

Police managed to persuade her to come down and upon further investigation, found that she and three others were victims of abuse at the hands of their employer, he said.

"We allow them to take shelter at the Barat Daya district police headquarters. They will be sent to the Chinese embassy by tomorrow," he told a news conference which was also attended by the four women.

One of the women, Wang Li Mei, 38, said her employer forced them to work 364 days a year, except on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Yesterday, she said, she sent a text message to her employer to discuss about their salary arrears and threatened to commit suicide if the employer refused to do so.

"But he told me to go ahead and jump," said Wang, who is fluent in Malay.

The mother of two, aged four and 10, said their employer also forced them to hand over their passports, and had not provided them with any accommodation.

"We were only given beds which were normally used by clients and asked us to sleep in the premises which would then be locked until the shop opens the next day at 11am," she said, adding that they were then allowed 45 minutes to buy food and daily essentials, even then, this was only allowed once in two weeks.

"If we return late, we will be fined RM500," she said.

Police raided the centre at 9pm last night and arrested a 36-year-old man, Mohd Hatta said, adding that police were investigating the case under Section 13 of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2007 which provides for a jail of up to 20 years and fine upon conviction. -- BERNAMA

Four Chinese women rescued from abusive employer

BALIK PULAU: Police rescued four women from China who claimed that they have been abused by their employer since three years ago, with one of them threatened to commit suicide yesterday.

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