Category Archives: Malaysia

Thailand’s TPP application threatens to overshadow Presidential visit

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Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will now not discuss Thailand's TPP membership application with US President Barack Obama during visit

Bangkok is abuzz at the imminent visit of freshly re-elected US President Barack Obama on a whirlwind three-nation tour to shore up US support in the region, however trade discussions threaten to overshadow the stated purpose of the visit, a courtesy call to mark 180 years of Thai-US relations. While details such as the number of security personnel to be deployed (more than 1,000), snipers being stationed on Bangkok rooftops (nothing new in that) and details such as the US President travels with his own bottled water supply and his advance team are concerned about giant water monitors at Government House have proved entertaining reading, it is trade that is capturing the most interest. On Monday the Thailand government announced … Continue reading →

"Sadistic" Malaysian employer Yim Pek Ha sentenced to 18-years jail for abusing maid: Released on bail

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Yim Pek Ha being lead away from court in Malaysia where she was sentenced to 18-years for abusing her Indonesian maid

In August 2007 I wrote Death of maid in Malaysia highlights endemic foreign worker abuse which chronicled the widespread abuse of domestic foreign workers (commonly referred to as maids) by Malaysian employers. Death of maid in Malaysia highlights endemic foreign worker abuse focused on the murder of 24-year-old Indonesian domestic worker Kunarsih, who used just one name like many Indonesians, from Demak in Central Java by Goo Eng Keng and his wife Chen Pei Ee, while another incident referred to the horrific injuries received by 19-year-old Nirmala Bonat from Kupang, West Timor, from her employer Yim Pek Ha. Yim was accused of pouring boiling water on Ms Bonat, beating her, and pressing a hot iron on her breasts and back … Continue reading →

Death of maid in Malaysia highlights endemic foreign worker abuse

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The horrific injuries inflicted on Nirmala Bonat by Yim Pek Ha in 2004

The torture-murder of a 24-year-old Indonesian maid in her employers house in Malaysia last week is just the tip of the iceberg of a litany of human rights abuses foreign workers there are subjected to. Abuses that regularly result in workers who arrive in Malaysia full of dreams of improving their life and sending money home for the education of their children, returning home with broken bodies, shattered spirits or as in this case, dead. While Malaysian officials have attempted to play down this latest killing, claiming abuse of foreign workers is a rare occurrence, the facts belie this. In commenting on the this latest incident, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, pressed for Kuala Lumpur’s firmness in handling the case, … Continue reading →

Foreigners caned most in Malaysia

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A freeze frame from the smuggled video showing a prisoner being caned in Malaysia.

When video of a drug trafficker being caned (rotaned) in Malaysia was leaked onto the Internet last week it resulted in headlines and still images from the video appearing in leading newspapers around the world. It wasn’t that people being caned in Malaysia was something the world hadn’t heard of before, but rather the first time that actual footage or photographs of the barbaric act of caning prisoners had been seen publicly outside of Malaysia. The video of the prisoner being caned was rapidly copied from the original posting site, Liveleak.com to video hosting sites around the world. Caning in Malaysia Caning in Malaysia dates back to British colonial times and involves using a wet rattan stick to whip the … Continue reading →

Visit Malaysia 2007 … why bother?

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To celebrate 50 years of independence the Malaysian Government is spending RM 149 million (US$ 12 million) on it’s third “Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) promotion in the hopes of attracting more than 20 million foreign tourists. However skyrocketing street crime, increasing Islamic conservatism, an entertainment industry that shuts down at 2.00 am along with the rudest taxi drivers in Asia and the task looks formidable. Added to this is a dramatic increase in the debilitating mosquito borne disease Dengue Fever in the capital, drink prices that are amongst the highest in Asia, and a police force that sees itself above it’s political masters and the prospects of a 14 % increase on 2006 arrivals looks very difficult. In addition, a … Continue reading →