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KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's prime minister said Saturday his government will take stern action against anyone abusing Indonesian maids and urged employers to show greater interest in their welfare.
Najib Razak was responding to an Indonesian government decision to temporarily stop Indonesians from travelling to Malaysia to take domestic work amid outrage over abuse reports.
"We have to take stern action under the law against those who abuse maids," Razak told reporters.
"What we have to do is to ensure that whenever there are abuses they are dealt with expeditiously and that (employers) can step up to show a more caring attitude towards the interest and welfare of their maids," he said.
"I think once the level of confidence is increased I'm sure they will resume sending their maids to Malaysia.
"I believe (the suspension) is a temporary halt, it is to their (Indonesia's) interest as well to allow their maids to work in Malaysia," he said.
Indonesian labour minister Erman Suparno said on Thursday his country would stop sending domestic helpers to Malaysia at least until a mid-July bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur to discuss a new migrant worker agreement.
The action comes after a 43-year-old Malaysian woman was charged earlier this month with causing grievous bodily harm to an Indonesia woman she employed as a maid, allegedly beating her with a cane and dousing her with boiling water.
Malaysia has no laws governing the details of employment for domestic workers but has promised to draft legislation to protect them from sexual harassment, non-payment of wages and poor conditions.
Some 1.2 million documented Indonesians are in Malaysia, with illegals estimated to number about 800,000. - AFP/vm
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