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Hong Kong: Updates & news on the case of Kartika, the abused Indonesian domestic worker

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by IDWFED published Sep 18, 2013 12:00 AM
A Hong Kong couple described by the presiding judge as “cruel” and “vicious” were found guilty and sentenced to jail on Wednesday for systematically abusing their Indonesian maid over a span of two years. Judge So Wai-tak also said the actions of the couple had damaged Hong Kong’s reputation as a safe place to work. Tai Chi-wai, 42, was sentenced to three years and three months in jail, while his wife Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, received a sentenced of five and a half years in jail. They were charged with eight counts of assault and one count of false imprisonment involving their 30-year-old domestic helper Kartika Puspitasari. They denied all charges. Domestic worker-support groups are urging the government to scrap policies they say are contributing to the abuse of foreign workers.

Details

HONG KONG -

2013.9.18

Highlights:

A Hong Kong couple described by the presiding judge as “cruel” and “vicious” were found guilty and sentenced to jail on Wednesday for systematically abusing their Indonesian maid over a span of two years.  Judge So Wai-tak also said the actions of the couple had damaged Hong Kong’s reputation as a safe place to work.

Tai Chi-wai, 42, was sentenced to three years and three months in jail, while his wife Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, received a sentenced of five and a half years in jail.  They were charged with eight counts of assault and one count of false imprisonment involving their 30-year-old domestic helper Kartika Puspitasari. They denied all charges.

Domestic worker-support groups are urging the government to scrap policies they say are contributing to the abuse of foreign workers.

English Scrap domestic helper policies that lead to abuse, say groups SCMP
Hong Kong couple sentenced to jail for abusing Indonesian maid SCMP
Hong Kong couple jailed for torturing maid who was 'forced to wear diaper' Reuters
Hong Kong couple jailed for 'inhumane' abuse of Indonesian maid Global Post
HK couple get jail terms for torture of Indonesian maid BBC News
Couple sentenced to jail for abusing Indonesian maid for two years UPI
Abusive HK salesman and health worker caged HK Standard
for brutal attacks on Indonesian helper
Chinese 夫婦虐待印傭8項罪成被判入獄 香港新浪新聞
(now)
印傭涉被虐案夫婦傷人罪成判囚 有線新聞
法官批評虐印傭被告嚴重違反誠信影響港聲譽 新城知訊台
外傭組織要求政府檢討政策 香港新浪新聞
(now)
夫妻虐印傭分囚39月5年半 明報
Indonesian Siksa PRT Asal Indonesia, Pasutri Hongkong Dipenjara Kompas
Cyber Media

2013.8.31

Highlights:

The trial of a couple accused of systematically abusing their Indonesian maid heard yesterday that the maid's injuries could only have been caused by her employers.  Prosecutor Fu Chong-sang said in his final submission that according to medical opinion, it was "quite impossible" that the injuries and scars found on the back of Kartika Puspitasari, 30, had been self-inflicted.

Fu then read out part of a police interview with her employer, Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, in which she said Kartika had never asked to go out during the two years she worked for Au and her husband, Tai Chi-wai, 42. Au said the maid stayed in the flat even on her holidays.  Au admitted she had never given Kartika keys to the flat, even when the family went on holiday to Thailand for five days last year.  Fu also quoted parts of a statement made by a caretaker at the Serenity Park residential development in Tai Po. The caretaker said he saw Au and Tai move into the building with their children and Kartika in October 2010. He said he had seldom seen Kartika leave the building and that when she did, she had always been with Au or Tai.  The caretaker also said it seemed Kartika was always wearing ill-fitting clothes and looked very dirty.

Deputy Judge So Wai-tak adjourned the case until September 18 for the verdict.

English Only employers could have injured maid, judge told SCMP
Chinese 虐傭案男被告:無做過 香港新浪新聞(明報)
夫婦涉虐印傭案下月裁決 香港商報

2013.8.30

Highlights:

An Indonesian worker who says she was subjected to horrendous abuse by her employers could have caused the injuries herself, a court was told yesterday.  Defence lawyer Alan So also suggested it might be possible that Kartika Puspitasari's injuries could have been the result of sadomasochism. But Dr Poon Wai-ming told the District Court the scars he had found on Kartika's body were most likely inflicted by others.  Poon said the scars on the Kartika's upper back were in a horizontal pattern and therefore unlikely to be self-inflicted. He also found there were old and new scars, some perhaps six months old and others just a week old. The doctor said multiple linear scars on Kartika's legs and wrists indicated she had been bound with cable.

English Indonesian maid’s injuries ‘may have been self-inflicted’ SCMP
Expert backs helper HK Standard
FADWU Responds to the abuse case of Indonesian Domestic Worker FADWU
Chinese 印傭冀盡快回鄉 見僱主仍害怕 明報
印傭疑被虐案結案陳詞 香港新浪新聞(now)
印傭被虐案將結案陳詞 星島日報
香港亞洲家務工工會聯會就受虐印傭案之聲明 香港亞洲家務工工會聯會

2013.8.29

Highlights:

An Indonesian domestic worker Kartika Puspitasari was accused of lying about being subjected to beatings, threats and humiliation by her employers over two years in a bid to help her win a civil suit against the couple, but she rejected the defence claim that she made it all up. 

"They're all true," Kartika Puspitasari told lawyer Alan So in the District Court after he suggested her allegations were lies.

English My abuse claims are true, Indonesian maid tells court SCMP
Boss tells court of maid knife threat HK Standard
Chinese 受虐印傭否認亮刀求加薪 香港新浪新聞(明報)
辯方10點反駁疑被虐印傭 香港新浪新聞 (星島)
疑被虐印傭 辯方質疑說謊 雅虎香港新聞(now)
僱主駁虐傭:頭撞牆自殘 文匯報
法醫:印傭45傷難由自己造成 now新聞
法醫:被虐印傭自殘機會低 明報
印傭疑被虐案驗傷醫生作供 有線新聞
法醫證印傭全身有45處傷疤 星島日報
虐傭案兩被告部分控罪表證成立 香港新浪新聞 (星島)

2013.8.28

Highlights:

Giving evidence in the District Court Kartika Puspitasari, 30, also made further allegations against the pair, including that she was forced to work wearing only a translucent plastic bag and a diaper.  She said Tai Chi-wai, 42, and Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, had treated her normally in the beginning, but changed like “beasts” after the first three months.  Kartika, who also says she was not paid for her work, said her agent had visited her soon after she started working for the couple in July 2010.  But Au was always around and she had no chance to complain about the lack of pay. Au also used threats to stop her from telling anyone anything, she said.  She could not telephone for help as the couple used only mobile phones.

English Terrified maid prayed to be rescued from ‘beasts’ SCMP
Maid tells of having to drink water from toilet HK Standard
Chinese 辯方質疑何以不反抗逃走 印傭:肚餓被餵鹽 am730
香港被虐印佣斥雇主如野獸 肚餓只准吃鹽 香港新浪新聞
印傭續爆3日食1餐 肚餓迫食鹽 香港商報
印傭3日1餐 被逼飲廁水 文匯報
疑被虐印傭 辯方質疑說謊 now新聞
庭上答質詢 越講越荒誕 30歲被虐印傭稱已無月經 蘋果日報
受虐印傭批主「野獸」 都市日報

2013.8.27

Highlights:

An Indonesian worker told a court yesterday that she was forced to endure degrading, slave-like conditions while working for a couple who constantly beat her for no reason and failed to pay any wages or allow her to have holidays for two years.  Kartika Puspitasari, 30, testified in the District Court yesterday against her former employers, Tai Chi-wai, 42, and Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41. The pair denied seven counts of assault and one of false imprisonment.

English Maid tells court she was "beaten, tied and had to sleep in the toilet" SCMP
Tied-up, beaten maid recalls life in hell flat HK Standard
Chinese 不准著內衣褲   遭熨斗辣臉   印傭展傷疤   證僱主虐待 新報
印傭遭虐打兩年冇出糧 都市日報
夫婦虐傭兩載   禁穿底褲從未出糧 文匯報
熨斗燙臉(界刂)刀傷腰   印傭頂證僱主8宗罪 am730
印傭供述2年非人生活 大公報
印傭憶述遭恐嚇(界刂)刀奪命   兩年無出糧放假 強行剃髮 晴報
僱主涉變態虐待 不准穿胸圍內褲   逼印傭剪光頭 「唔剪殺咗你」 蘋果日報
僱主涉變態虐待 不准穿胸圍內褲   逼印傭剪光頭 「唔剪殺咗你」 蘋果日報
Indonesian Indonesian worker tells court she was "beaten, IDWN
tied and had to sleep in the toilet" (Indonesian only)
SUARATUBE - Sidang Kasus Penyiksaan Kartika - 27 Agustus 2013 Suara Tube

2013.8.26

Highlights:

The court heard today about the several instances where the worker was physically abused by the defendants. The Indonesian domestic worker, Kartika Puspitasari, claims that her former employers Tai Chi-wai and his wife, Mrs. Tai, started abusing her in October 2010.  Kartika explained in details how they would beat her on the head with shoes or a hanger.  And they would hit her so hard that she would bleed.  She recalled one instance in which they burned her arm and face with a scalding hot iron.  She says that when she came to work for them, they threw away all her clothes that she brought with her from Indonesia.  She was only allowed to wear old clothes given to her and wasn't allowed to wear underwear.  She claims her hair was forcefully cut without reason.  And after it grew out, Mrs. Tai tried to cut her hair again but the worker refused.  Mrs. Tai then threatened to kill her if she didn't cut her hair.

English A couple of being charged of burning their domestic helper TVB Pearl News
with an iron and threatening to kill her (at time-slot 09:19)
Chinese 被虐打印傭作供稱受聘期間僱主未發過工資 亞視新聞
印傭指被夫婦虐打續審 稱用衣架及鞋打 無線新聞

2013.8.24

Highlights:

A couple forced their domestic worker to put on a diaper then tied her to a chair before leaving her without water or food while they went for a five-day holiday in Thailand with their children, the District Court heard yesterday.  This was just one incident related by the prosecution in the trial of Tai Chi-wai, 42, and his wife, Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, who are facing one count of false imprisonment, one of assault and six of inflicting grievous bodily harm on the maid between October 2010 and October last year. The couple, who deny the charges, are also said to have beaten Kartika Puspitasari with a bicycle chain and a shoe, and scalded her on the face and arms with a hot iron.

English Indonesian maid ‘left in diaper, tied to a chair’ SCMP
Hong Kong couple on trial for assaulting Indonesian maid The Malay Mail Online
Chinese 夫婦涉8大酷刑虐印傭 太陽報
被控虐印傭夫婦拒認罪 大公報
夫婦涉虐傭   包尿片斷糧水禁錮   兩年無出糧   禁戴胸圍外出 明報
夫婦涉虐傭 酷刑鞭燙 頭條日報
變態虐傭2年   中年夫婦被控 文匯報
斷糧禁錮   又綁又鞭   夫婦涉七毒招虐傭 蘋果日報

Source:

Story Type: News

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