Singaporeans Only

Johor moots quicker immigration checks for Singaporeans
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal October 29, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — The Johor Immigration Department is now providing mobile counters to allow Singaporeans to register for a biometric system which will get them through immigration checkpoints quicker, the Singapore Straits Times said yesterday.
Introduced in 2009 to attract investors to the Johor Iskandar region, the Malaysia Automated Clearance System (Macs) was extended to all Singaporeans and permanent residents earlier this year.

A statue of the Merlion, a symbol of Singapore, is seen illuminated in front of the city-state’s financial district at dusk in Singapore. The Immigration Department is making it easier for Singaporeans to enter Malaysia. — Reuters pic

For RM30 (S$12), applicants for the biometric system will get a special sticker with a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip attached to their passport, valid for a year, which allows them to use dedicated lanes at immigration checkpoints and bypass filling out immigration forms. Registration would take only five minutes, state director Nasri Ishak was quoted as saying in the report.
The mobile counters, open between 10am and 10pm, are located in the City Square Johor Baru shopping complex, Giant Hypermarket in Tampoi, Jaya Jusco in Tebrau and Holiday Plaza and will be open till November 15.
Last year, tourists from Singapore made up more than half the 24.6 million visitors to Malaysia. Visitors from Singapore made some 13 million trips, an increase of 2.4 per cent from 2009.
The Johor Immigration Department made headlines on June 14 when two Singaporean women, who had intended to drive to Johor Baru for supper, were questioned by immigration officials, handcuffed, thrown behind bars and made to do squats while naked.
The two women claimed they drove through uninspected because the immigration lane was unmanned, and that no one answered the intercom.
Following their punishment, they were allowed to return to Singapore after 48 hours with a warning.
Both women have reportedly vowed never to return to Malaysia after the incident, which drew criticism from Malaysian opposition MPs who called the act “humiliating and ridiculous.”
The Singapore government has that it has not ended the probe into allegations that the two women were forced to perform nude squats by Malaysian immigration officers.
Singapore said it was told on September 9 by the Malaysian High Commission “that a thorough investigation of the case had been completed.

Source: The Malaysian Insider

Singaporeans In Johor Bahru (2)

Immigration Must Justify Nude Squat Incident

I WRITE in response to the recent “nude squat” incident involving two Singaporean ladies.
As a female, I would like to express my outrage.

I think that it is important for the Home Ministry to answer what the ladies did to deserve such treatment from Malaysian Immigration.

From my own experience, Johor Immigration officers do “skip” checking the passports of those who go through Malaysian Immigration (in or out) by car.

The officers would just ask “Malaysia”? I nod my head and they let me through without checking my passport.

I had experienced this several times while travelling in a Malaysian registered car.

This means that anyone in a Malaysian registered vehicle can run the possibility of going through Immigration check without a valid entry/exit stamp.

In the case of the two Singaporeans, it could possibly be the error of both the women and Malaysian Immigration for failing to ensure that the passports were stamped.

Nevertheless, I do not think that this warrants degrading them, unless the Immigration Department can justify it.

As a Malaysian working in Singapore, I find it embarrassing to defend my own country over such acts.

I have been treated with respect by Singapore Immigration all this time.
I hope that foreigners who come into Malaysia are as well treated. 

MELISSA TAN MEI WEI,
Puchong.

Source: The Star - Friday, June 17, 2011 

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Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said they will be looking into how we can improve on the current standard operating procedures if needed.

Meanwhile, the women would submit their written statements to the Singapore Foreign Ministry (MFA).
MFA would then hand over the statements to the Malaysian High Commission.
The ministry hope this will help the Malaysian investigators come to a quick conclusion.
They will closely monitor the outcome of the official investigation.

Chang, a manager in an insurance company, said she would take legal action, though she had not met a lawyer.
She had been driven to Johor Bahru by her friend, Lim, a property agent, at about 1.30am.

However, Lim said she would let the matter rest after making a formal complaint.
If she wants to sue, she will have to enter Malaysia to go for the hearing, but she does not want to step into Malaysia anymore.

Lim had been driven there before by friends.
But on that fateful early morning, she was driving her new Nissan Latio for the first time into Malaysia, and went through an unmanned immigration lane.

The ladies had unknowingly driven right through the immigration check point when they did not find officials manning the booth, while the gantry was left wide open and showing a green light.
Lim failed to get both their passports stamped by immigration officials.
They made a U-turn on the Causeway to admit their mistake to the officials.

Their nightmare began when they were handcuffed for not having their passports checked at the Causeway.
Immigration officers detained them for several hours at the checkpoint.

They were later brought to the Pekan Nenas detention centre where there were about 50 other people, mostly Filipinos and Indonesians.
They were thrown behind bars, pending investigations to their case.
They were also threatened with a RM$10,000 fine and told to strip off clothings and performed 10 squats after a full body check.

The horror saga ended 48 hours later when they were released after the Deputy Public Prosecutor in charge of the case decided that they should be deported.
They were eventually let off to return to Singapore at 5pm with a stern warning and made to sign a document in Malay that they did not understand.

Superintendent Nazri of the Johor Immigration Authorities said conducting body search sometimes requires detainees to remove their clothing for thorough checks.
They are sometimes strip-searched but squats are not standard procedure.

He added that the Johor Immigration had completed its investigations and has already submitted a report to its headquarters.

******  

Block Off Unmanned Immigration Lanes

I REFER to the the recent incident involving two Singaporean women who drove to Johor Baru recently for supper and were detained overnight by Malaysian immigration officers (“Arrests of Singaporeans done according to law” – The Star, June 15).

Apparently, at the Malaysian immigration side of the Causeway, they drove into a lane that was not manned.

“There wasn’t anyone at the station and the green light was on,” reported one of the women. “I pressed the intercom and couldn’t hear anything because of the static, so I just continued driving when the barrier opened.”

As a frequent traveller on the Causeway, the above scenario is totally palpable as unmanned booths are not gated off nor are the Touch n Go pads deactivated. This allows the barriers to go up once tapped to pay the toll.

It totally defeats all additional security measures currently imposed especially in regards to biometric scanning when this blatantly evident loophole allows any person to circumvent the system.

I have noticed many Malaysian drivers driving through in the same manner as their passports need not be stamped.

On most occasions, only visual inspections of Malaysian passports are done upon entry/exit. As no information is recorded, authorities would not be able to tell if a person has bypassed the normal immigration procedures.

In contrast, the Singaporean authorities block off any immigration booth that is unmanned to avoid such happenings. The toll card readers are also deactivated as they are incorporated into the single immigration booth.

The immigration officer also ensures that the toll is paid and handles any problem/discrepancies with the cardreaders. This actually saves on manpower cost as well as enhancing security.

The immigration officer himself activates the lifting of the security barrier and it does not lift automatically even if the toll is paid. This is unlike the Touch n Go pads at the Johor checkpoint which, it seems, are virtually activated all the time.

I hope this security loophole will be plugged to ensure that our borders are well secured as well as to prevent any genuine visitor from inadvertently being caught on the wrong side of the law by their carelessness or ignorance. 

M. SINGH,
Johor Baru.

Source: The Star - Thursday, June 16, 2011

Singaporeans In Johor Bahru

Let Suhakam Head Nude Squat Probe 
Patrick Lee 

In another development, two Immigration officials in Johor have been temporarily suspended pending an inquiry into the incident.
 
KUALA LUMPUR: An inquiry into the Singaporean nude squats should be chaired by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

In a letter to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, three MPs said the inquiry should also comprise Bar Council representatives and MPs, as opposed only to departments under the control of the Home Ministry.

The letter was inked by Independent Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui, DAP-Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him and DAP-Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan.

“We have come up with this suggestion because we are of the opinion that the accusation involving these two women is very serious.

“An inquiry comprising Suhakam representatives, Bar Council and MPs will give the public confidence that the investigation is free, fair, transparent and without favour,” they said.

Such an investigation, the MPs added, would maintain good relations between Malaysia and Singapore.

According to a report by the Singapore Straits Times, two Singaporean women in Johor Baru were interrogated by Immigration Department officers before being thrown behind bars.

The duo were then allegedly stripped and forced to perform nude squats. They had since returned to Singapore and vowed never to return to Malaysia.

Following this, the Home Ministry launched an inquiry comprising immigration officials, the police and prison authorities.

According to Bernama, the inquiry would be chaired by the Immigration Department Deputy Director-General Raja Mohd Raja Ismail.

Sim however felt that the decision to appoint Raja Mohd as the head did not reflect the seriousness of the situation.

“This is a serious matter. This not only affects bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore, but we have to show to the world that we have intergrity,” he said.

While he thanked Hishammuddin for taking action, Sim however said that a “low-level committee” headed by Raja Mohd was not enough.

The MPs also felt that Immigration Director-General Alias Ahmad’s earlier statement had compromised the upcoming inquiry.

According to a news report, Alias said that a full body check was part of the immigration detention depot’s standing operating procedure. 

Two officers suspended

Meanwhile in another development, Alias revealed today that two Immigration officials in Johor have been temporarily suspended pending an inquiry into the nude squat incident.

A report in the Star stated that the decision was made by the inquiry committee.

“Investigations into the incident started on Thursday and will continue for the next one week,” he was quoted as saying.

He added that the officers have been temporarily suspended until they determine whether the incident was true or not.

“Other than that, we will also be looking on how we can improve on the current standard operating procedures if needed,” he said.

Source: Free Malaysia Today - June 17, 2011

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Arrest Of Singaporean Women At Johor Bahru Lawful

The arrests of two Singaporean women at the Sultan Iskandar Immigration check-point in Johor Baharu on June 9 was done according to the law, said Immigration director-general, Alias Ahmad.

He said the women were detained under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act for attempting to exit the country illegally.

“They were detained by immigration officers on duty at the check-out counter for not having any visit pass or valid entry stamp on their passports,” he said this in a statement today.

He was responding to a posting in MalaysiaKini.Com today which quoted a report by Singapore daily, Lianhe ZaoBao, as saying that the detention of the two women was unlawful.

Alias said that the claim by the two women that there was no supervising officers at the check-in counter to stamp their passports when they came into the country the same day, was not true.

Their passports showed that they had previously entered the country on July 31 2010 and April 6 2010, respectively, he added.

Alias said the investigation papers on the case were referred to the public prosecutor’ office which ordered their deportation the same day. - Bernama

Source: Komuniti Kini - Wednesday, June 15, 2011

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Illegal Entry
By TAY TIAN YAN
Translated by Soong Phui Jee

The Immigration's attitude deserves recognition as it has carried out an investigation over the nude squat incident involving two Singaporean women.

Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said that the arrests of the two Singaporean women were done according to the law as they had entered the country illegally.

It is indeed true.

Even the women had admitted that they had entered the country without getting their passports stamped. Undoubtedly, it was an legitimate detention since they had entered the country illegally.

However, it is not the point. The immigration investigation has actually missed two important parts.

1. Under what kind of circumstances did the women enter the country illegally?
2. Is nude squat legitimate and necessary?

The first question is indeed more important than the second.

I mean, illegal entry is a serious offence. It might be a problem and responsibility of the women or the Immigration.

For example, the women did not sneak into Johor Baru neither by digging a secret tunnel nor swimming across the Strait of Johor.

If they deliberately entered the country illegally, they should not only be detained, but must be prosecuted.

According to the women, they had accidentally entered Johor Baru without getting their passports stamped by driving through an unmanned immigration lane as they thought the biometric fingerprint scanning system has started been implemented.

However, they felt wrong half an hour later and decided to turn back and admit their mistake to officials. Only then, they realised that they had actually entered the country illegally.

It is weird to have an unmanned immigration lane. Moreover, isn't it absurd since the Malaysia-Singapore border is only about a hundred meter long instead of over a thousand miles like the US-Mexico border?

Of course, we must not blindly listen to only what the women said. Therefore, the Immigration must investigate into the incident properly and find out whether they were telling the truth.

The investigation should not be a difficult task. The immigration checkpoints should have a closed circuit television (CCTV) recorders and all they need to do is just replay the tapes.

Or, if the women entered by force, they should have activated the security alarm. There should be a record of it.

Since the Immigration checkpoints play an important role in guarding the country, not only the alarm should be activated, but a heavily armed force, a group of police officers and a helicopter should also be alarmed. They should rushed out and surround the intruders to defend our sacred territory.

However, please don't tell us that there is no CCTV recorder at the immigration checkpoints, nor a security system, not to mention armed forces, police officers and a helicopter.

Is Malaysia so lagging behind? Isn't the checkpoints have just been renovated?

At least, if we follow the standard of 50 years ago, there should be Immigration officers performing their duties at the immigration lanes, right?

The women had indeed entered the country illegally, been detained and asked to perform nude squats. But how about the management of the immigration and accountability of the officers?

Source: My Sin Chew - June 17, 2011

The Maid - Unholy Acts In The Holiest Place (11)

Daring Escape

A newly arrived Asian housemaid, in her 20s, had a fall three days ago, from the third floor of a residential building in Alkhobar, eastern town of Damman, Saudi Arabia.

She made the run away attempt from the seventh floor apartment through a kitchen window.
She then clung to pipes stuck to the building and started to slide down.
Upon reaching the third floor, the pipes collapsed due to her weight and she hit the ground, where she met the fatal fall.
Arab News reported she was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries but later died at the hospital.

******

Another death fall befell on a housemaid in her 40s, in an attempt to flee her sponsor's house in Makkah.

She was trying to escape through sanitary pipes along with her personal belongings.
Okaz / Saudi Gazzette reported the “homesick” housemaid arrived in the Kingdom two months ago in March, only to find death the next month, in the second week of April.

The housemaid suffered multiple fractures of her arms and legs.
She suffered from brain hemorrhage too, which caused her death.

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Early this year, January 12, Arabic language daily Almadina reported yet another Indonesian housemaid's death.

The female migrant worker sneaked through the bathroom’s window in an attempt to flee her employer.
She went up to the roof of the the fourth floor building in the central town of Makkah.
Once there, she found a rope, dangled it down to reach the ground.
She then tried to climb down using the rope, but lost her balance and plunged down.

The maid laid on the ground for nearly 15 minutes before she died.

She was found by residents who were leaving a mosque after prayers.

****** 

Photo: ist

PT Aji Ayahbunda Sejati (AAS), flew then 19-year old Armayeh binti Sanuri, from Teluk Lerang, Kuala Mandor, in the district of Kuala Mandor, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, to Saudi Arabia.

She started working for the family of Hasim Ahmad Ali Bader Saeni and Madam Hanan Hasim in Madinah on March 24, 2009.

Armayeh admitted of receiving almost daily abuse and mistreatment from her female employer since the third month into her job.

Wounds and pus on her head.

Her head was often stepped on.

She suffered infectious ears, and were almost torn-like.

She was poured hot water too.

She could bear no longer. 

She seized the opportunity to flee from her working place when the door was not locked.

With wounds all over, she fled on January 26 at 3.30pm.

A neighbour, another Saudi citizen, who happened to spot her critical plight, helped to rush her to Al Ansar Hospital in Madinah at 10pm.

The medical staff immediately called the Indonesian Consulate General.
The Indonesian Consulate has agreements with some Saudi hospitals to notify the embassy or consulate, should an Indonesian national be admitted.

Armayeh's serious condition led her hospital stay transferred to King Fahad Hospital in Jeddah.
She underwent plastic surgery performed by team from King Abdullah Hospital at 1am.
She is currently, still receiving treatment.

Her female employer, Madam Hanan Hasin had been arrested.
Before the arrest was made, her employer visited Armayeh at the hospital.
The girl was offered SR18,000 (Rp 52.9 million) for her change of statement.
The offer was flatly turned down.

Although her salary is SR800 per month, she had just sent home SR6.000 Riyal (Rp 14,3 million) to her parents, during her 23 months stint in the Kingdom.

PT Aji Ayahbunda Sejati (AAS), who made Armayeh's presence possible in Saudi Arabia, bear full responsibility of the girl's welfare.

Her family was provided initial financial assistance of Rp 25 million (SR10,500), with insurance of Rp 100 million yet to receive.

PT Aji Ayah Bunda Sejati brought the parents of now 20-year old Armayeh binti Sanuri, to Saudi Arabia to see first hand of their daughter's condition.
The company provides their needs while in Saudi.

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From Frying Pan To Fire Runaway Maids End Up In Harsher Conditions

JEDDAH: Housemaids who flee their sponsors due to bad working conditions to seek work in the black labor market often end up in a situation of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

In many cases they find themselves at the mercy of sleazy labor brokers who send them to work illegally in conditions that are little different from the legal situations, and often much worse. 
“They seize our IDs, lock us up in secluded rooms and make us live in very difficult conditions, which is no less than indentured servitude,” a maid told Arab News on condition she not be named.
Nuriyyah, an Indonesian maid who has been working for two years in Saudi Arabia, describes the situation she found herself in as “slavery” after being legally recruited and brought to the Kingdom. The wage she ended up receiving was not enough to feed her family back home.
“My sponsor often delayed my payment under the pretext that he had other pressing commitments,” she said. “I had no other choice but to flee.”
Nuriyyah said she lived in a small apartment after her escape with a large number of illegal housemaids who came for Haj or Umrah and overstayed their pilgrimage visas.  She said the man who ran the house essentially acted as an illegal-labor broker.
But what Nuriyyah discovered is that people who hire maids illegally often end up being worse than employers who seek workers through legal channels and at greater expense.  “The new employer and his wife used to beat and humiliate me all the time,” she said. “They also took my iqama. I served them for my food only.”
The maid says she has never been paid for her work. Eventually she fled her illegal employers. She ended up under the Sitteen Bridge, a congregation point for foreign laborers who have fled their sponsors in the hope they will be picked up by the police and deported.
Another Indonesian maid, who did not want to be named, said though she had been an adventurer all her life and would work hard to earn money, she had fears that she might fall victim to inhuman practices on the hands of her new employers.
“I now live in a small house with a large number of illegal African and Asian housemaids,” she said. “The brokers who distribute us among their customers do not care much for what will happen to us. They are only after money.”
She added that she was living in very difficult conditions in this house but her need for money would force her to continue.
The unidentified Indonesian housemaid said she witnessed her co-workers being beaten by merciless employers who know that illegal domestic servants are essentially hostages with few choices.
“Many housemaids had similar experiences but were finally able to make some money and go back home. In order to succeed, you have to take chances,” she said.
Commenting on the issue, spokesman for Jeddah police Col. Misfer Al-Juaid said many of the houses that accommodate runaway maids are found in the districts of Al-Bawadi, Ghulail and Kandara.
“We carry out weekly raids on such houses after identifying them,” he said. “We arrest the illegal residents, take their fingerprints before handing them over to the Passport Department for deportation.”
After these workers end up in the custody of Saudi immigration authorities, a long process for exit clearance takes place. Often these workers have no ID because their passports are with the employers from whom they fled. Saudi authorities must work with foreign missions to establish identities and check for criminal backgrounds before they can be sent home. 
Al-Juaid pointed out that an illegal worker can be exposed to more abuse than legal workers, because sponsors are aware that there is little recourse for reporting or challenging abusive situations. “The illegal housemaids bear all these inhuman treatment in order not to be caught by the passport police and sent back home,” he added.
The most common form of maid abuse is not paying salaries, followed by physical and sexual abuse. The Saudi authorities do not offer statistics of the number of abuse cases reported to them, but the problem is acute enough that labor rights activists and foreign missions – especially of Indonesia and the Philippines – maintain shelters for fleeing maids, especially women.
Supervisor of the National Society for Human Rights in Makkah province Hussain Al-Sharif described violence against housemaids as inhuman and un-Islamic.
“Just because they are paying them money, some employers will come to believe that they literally own their housemaids and they have the right to ask them to do anything,” he said.
Al-Sharif agreed with Al-Juaid, saying that illegal workers face a greater chance of being abused with impunity.
“Violence against housemaids, whether they are legal or illegal stayers, is inhuman and totally against Islam,” he added. “We completely reject such practices and deplore exploitation of any human being.”
Al-Sharif asked all employers to consider the pressing conditions that drove the housemaids to come all they way from their countries in the first place. The main reason is remittances, the money they can save up to send home to feed their children or other family members. Not paying a maid could mean a child back home goes without food, clothing or medicines.

Source: A1 Saudi Arabia - January 12, 2011

to be continued...

The Maid - Squeezing Dry The Employers (2)

Distressed Bosses Want Laws To Protect Their Interests

PETALING JAYA: Distressed employers are seeking protection against fraudulent agencies and runaway maids.
Having lost large amounts of money to agencies that draw up lopsided contracts, the employers are hoping new regulations will be put in place to safeguard their interests.
An employer who only wanted to be known as Alan, 39, said he paid an agency RM11,500 for an Indonesian maid.
“We got a complete lunatic who carried a knife around with her,” he said, adding that the maid stole money, jewellery and his children’s clothes to send to her own family.
“She threatened us with the knife when we confronted her,” he said, adding that the agency refused to give him a refund when he sent her back.
College lecturer S. Kumaran, 40, from Klang, lost RM6,000 in downpayment to a maid agency after their Sri Lankan maid left after just three months.
“She worked for exactly three months before suddenly claiming that her daughter was sick and that she had to go back to her country immediately,” he said.
Junaidah Ramadan, 52, said an agency collected RM7,000 from her before sending her a maid with a health problem.
“She could hardly walk, let alone do much work as she would experience severe pains in her joints,” Junaidah said, She added that the maid would often sit around and cry.
“The agency insisted that we pay half the original amount for a new maid, knowing that if we went to another agency, we would have to come up with another RM7,000,” she said.
An employer called Aileen lost her RM9,000 downpayment when her maid ran away after four months.
“The agencies make up their own rules that work to their benefit,” she said.
Bar Council chairman Ragunath Kesavan urged employers to lodge a complaint with the Human Resource Ministry or the Consumer Claims Tribunal if they suspected foul play by maid agencies.
Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) president Alwi Bavutty said maid agencies would be blacklisted if they would not provide a replacement if a maid ran away within the first three months.

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Desperate Employers Paying High Prices For Temporary Maids 
Stories by MUGUTAN VANAR, P. ARUNA and REENA NATHAN

PETALING JAYA: Maid agencies are cashing in on the shortage of domestic helpers in the country by charging desperate employers up to RM1,500 monthly for temporary maids.
The employers are paying a high price for these “temps,” who are hired for a few months before being “rotated” by the agency to other households.
With people willing to pay up to RM1,500 per month for such a temp, it is estimated that agencies are raking in up to RM18,000 each year for every maid under them.
Under the temp system, which is illegal, the employers will fork out the payment to the agencies, who would then pay the maids low wages and pocket the rest.
To fulfil the supply of maids as temps and due to the continued freeze by the Indonesian government, it is believed that the agencies are “recycling” those who have run away from their employers.
The growing practice was exposed by employers, who confessed to having paid large sums of money for these temps.
An employer from Kuala Lumpur, who declined to be named, said he was paying a registered agency RM1,500 per month for a temporary Cambodian maid.
“The agency told us she was a ‘rejected’ maid and we agreed to take her on because we were desperate for help and she was available immediately,” he said.
He said when the agency first informed them of the availability of a temp, his wife went to pick her up only to be told that she had already been hired to another household.
“We were told to come back after two days as these temps were in high demand,” he said.
Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) president Alwi Bavutty said it had received several reports of agencies supplying such temps and had sent letters demanding for an explanation.
“It is illegal and we will take action against any agency providing such services,” he said.
Alwi said maids were brought into the country only to work for specific employers and that the transfer of a maid to another employer could only be carried out once with approval from the Immigration Department and the first employer.
“If the second employer returns the maid to the agency, she has to be sent back to her country immediately,” he said, adding that there were many unregistered agencies getting maids through illegal means and offering them as temps.
Employers are also caught in the dilemma because the illegality of the temp system and the lack of documentation from the agencies mean that they cannot even file an official complaint if they are dissatisfied with the work.

Both Sources: The Star - Sunday, January 16, 2011

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Indonesian maid was hired by Ms Wee five months ago.

Deposit of RM5,000 was paid, with a promise that processing will be 2 to 3 months.

If not, Ms Wee has the right to cancel the contract with full refund.

Exactly three months later, the salesperson of the maid agency which Ms Wee approached, called to inform that the maid is not coming to Malaysia.

Since the promised time frame had elapse, Ms Wee requested for a temporary helper but was turned down by the agency.

She was asked to choose a new biodata of her another choosen maid.

A month later, there was no news from the agency.

So, Ms Wee called to ask the latest development of the date when the chosen maid supposed to arrive, or she insisted on being provided with a temporary helper.

The salesperson assured her the temporary helper is ready for her.

Two days later, when she appeared at the maid agency's office to take home the helper, she had a shock of her life.

She was to pay an additional RM6,500.

Frustrated, she asked for the full refund promised to her.

She was sent an email. 

Refund was RM1,000 less minus miscellaneous expenses...

******

Eve engaged a maid agency a year ago, as her then existing maid wanted to go back to Indonesia. 

She was promised of a new maid within 3 months after payment was made.

A trusting person, she believed what was promised by the agency.

Taking their words, she terminated the existing Maid’s visa on the promised month when the new maid is supposed to arrive.

She bought a flight ticket home for her existing maid too.

A month lapse, there was no sight of the new maid.

The exisitng maid is ready to fly home.

She went to the immigration, did not mind the penalty, and pleaded the immigration officer to renew the existing maid’s visa.

The maid agency once again promised Eve her new maid will be arriving in another month's time.

Again, she terminated her maid's visa and again, purchased air ticket for the second time for her maid to return home. 

The whole promised month, for thirty days, Eve waited for the new maid. 

Once again, she was no where in sight. 

The immigration refuse to renew the visa of her existing maid the second time. 

Since the promised maid did not appear, Eve was provided with a temporary maid. 

That was when her house was robbed. 

The maid who was sleeping in her room downstairs, did not hear any commotion when the house was entered into. 

Eve felt cheated, send back the temporary maid, and asked for the return of her deposit. 

They took another 4 months to return the money, minus the temporary maid’s salary, which is double the permanent maid...

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NO-SHOW HOUSEMAID
Submitted by pekwan

Couple Upset Over Partial Refund For Fruitless Wait
NADIRAH H. RODZI Joseph Kaos Jr

AMRAN and his wife have had a torrid time dealing with an employment agency to apply for a domestic worker.
In September, the couple approached Agensi Pekerjaan Sri Nadin Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur to get an Indonesian maid.
After paying a downpayment of RM2,450 to the agency, the couple was told that the application would be processed after the Hari Raya break, as its Indonesian counterpart would also be closed for the holiday.
A month later, in October, after not getting any news, AMRAN contacted the agency. He was shocked to learn that the agency had yet to receive any document from its Indonesian counterpart because the candidate for the job had not confirmed her impending employment.
Not wanting to wait any longer, AMRAN and wife agreed to select a different candidate. They were promised that the application would be processed, and the maid should arrive in Malaysia by December.
When there was no word from the agency, AMRAN gave them another call.
"Imagine my surprise when I was informed that the maid had not arrived and gave me the same reason as the first candidate, in that the agency had not received her documents from Indonesia.
"I felt that if the agency in Indonesia was ineffective, they should stop using its services, and they should have the courtesy to inform us, and not let us wait here anxiously."
Fed up of the fruitless long wait, AMRAN requested the agency to return the RM2,450-deposit to him.
He was shocked when the agency told him that RM300 would be deducted from the deposit as "administration fees".
AMRAN disagreed and demanded a full refund, but when he eventually received the cheque, the RM300 was still deducted from the full amount.
"The agency highlighted to me a clause in the agency and employer’s agreement that RM300 would be deducted from my deposit in the event that I decided not to proceed with the employment of the maid from their agency.
"I disagreed because no maid was provided to us to begin with. They didn’t fulfill the job that we trusted them to do. How can they charge me RM300 for this?"
AMRAN and his wife insist that they get back their RM300 from the agency.
● When contacted, an Agensi Pekerjaan Sri Nadin manager reiterates the reason for AMRAN not getting his RM300 back.
"It is mentioned in Clause 4.4 (a) that a sum of RM300 shall be forfeited from the Agency Fee after the execution of the agreement, in the event that the employer decides not to proceed with the employment of the maid.
"The term 'agreement' here means that the employer agrees to appoint the agency's services to find the client a maid. The client had to sign this agreement first before paying the deposit.
"We trust that the client is able to understand the clauses in the agreement.
"The client also cannot say that we didn’t fulfill our job because there was, indeed, work being done to get the maid."
The manager says the client offered a RM550 monthly salary for the maids. "So we believe that this was the reason why the two maids in Indonesia decided not to take up the offer. The normal salary range for Indonesian maids is RM600.
"Since the client decided to stop using our services, we had to return the deposit, but as explained in the agreement, the RM300 had to be deducted." 

Source: Malay Mail - Thursday, December 24th, 2009

The Maid - Excessive Baggage + + (2)

No less than RM8,000 is the amount that employer needs to pay to have a maid.
It is then deducted through the maid's salaries for six months.

M.S. wrote, "Maybe, we should be more humanitarian, and pay her something from the first month, perhaps not the full salary, but a decent amount for her to send back home. Her family will be happy and so will she."
??????

M.S. wrote, "Sometimes, the maid will still want to leave anyway.

Then let her go.

But, with a good employer, the maid will not run away unless she is a psychotic.

She asked, "Will a maid run away if she is happy in a home, if she feels she is trusted, if she is given more than what she has contracted to do?"

That is the secret.

But if you are an employer who wants his or her pound of flesh, then be prepared for your maid to flee."

******

A reader, in response to a Malay Mail article written by Muzli Md Zin on January 18, 2011 - "I Don't Care: It's A Maid Problem" wrote,

BRAVO!!! Exactly the problem I am facing. After my last maid who worked for me for 4years took 1 month break to visit her "sick" mother with 4yrs salaries in CASH (she insisted CASH) in late Nov 10 and never returned. she did not even leave the country. i sent her to KLIA, checked her in, got passed Immigration (mind u, I saw she passed with my own eyes and later I have a immigration print out record!!) she did not board the flight (because Airlines called to scream at me for my maid was not there to board and they were delayed) How immigration left her out AFTER they stamped her passport of leaving Malaysia is still a mystery to this day!!! So here comes the serious of run around gave me by authorities (police, Immigration & airport security) finally I have to pay FINE to cancelled her permit!!!! I applied for new maid.. Guess what I cannot afford to pay AGENCY FEE “RM 8500.00” which does not grantee a good maid as if the run away or not suitable I still have to pay another RM1980.00 + immigration FINE RM250. oh by the way, I treated my last maid like my own sister!!! And we do not know any “Pak Latif”, so I am between work and caring of my children… and very clearly nearing to loose my JOB!! who cares about middle class like us :-(

******

There are a small number of foreign maids who run away because of abusive employers.
These maids generally seek assistance from either the Indonesian embassy or non-governmental organisations.
These maids should be warn of implications when trying to run away.
There are bound to be difference working in a different country with different culture.
They have to be open minded about it.
It is usually the culture, language, stress and human factor - fussy employers which cause maids to run away.
Adaptation and accustomisation, on some maids are quick,while others, may take a longer time to do so.

Although only a handful of these maids would eventually run away, most of the time,they did so due to external factors - unable to cope with workload or  their employers, or just being unable to adjust themselves living in a new environment.

******

Then there are those runaways influenced by third party.
Maids sometimes mingled with outsiders and fellow nationals who influenced them to run away with promises of easier and better-paying jobs.
Some find boyfriends, thus can be influenced to leave her job and enjoy an easier life with him.
Scores of foreign maids run away annually and in many instances take along their employer's cash and valuables with them.

A maid of 9 years had ran off with cash and jewellery valued about RM10,000.

She managed to take her passport, which the employer locked away.

Despite being treated at all times as part of family members, she eloped with her newfound boyfriend who present her with a handphone.

The employer's standard one daughter's emotion was affected by her disappearance, as she was being cared for by her, since birth.

******

Children who have been brought up by maids still think fondly of their maids.
Runaway maids, not just financial losses the family suffered, but the children too, whom the maid looked after. They also suffered as there were emotional ties involved.
We can change our mindset, accepting their runaway, but not the kids.
Toddlers and small kids are innocent in trust and love they have, for their minders.

******

Runaway maids are major problems faced by employers.
These maids can reenter the country as individuals on social visit passes through various illegal entry points into the country.
Once they gain entry under different identities, they can easily find employment.
They can be rehired by other unsuspecting employers.

Meanwhile, their former employers, on the other hand, have to fork out another thousands RM again, to hire new maids after their earlier help runs away with valuables.

Last year alone, there were 314 reports of maids running away after stealing from their employers.
Another 418 maids ran away without taking anything.
These included maids who committed various crimes.

******

It is estimated that at least 50,000 households are in need of maids.
There are about 400,000 Indonesian maids working in Malaysia sending money to their families back home.

M.S. wrote: We have to learn to trust maids.

Treat them with respect and kindness in word, thought and deed.

A kind gesture goes a long way
.

But when the maid is an opportunist sort, kind gesture will be misunderstood, or be taken advantage of.

Some maids set their own rules, keep praising themselves, claiming others are not as good enough as them.
They can be big headed, turn rebellious, talk back and yell at employers, telling them what to do.
I've came across many such cases, especially when they know asking for another change of maids mean employers have to retrain new maids all over again.
Especially when they do not have much time in hands.
Employers will then  find ways to win the maids' hearts, to love their kids.
These maids can be spoilt too, unappreciative of kind gestures of all the good things in life, employers shower on them.
Employers will be punished for abusing their maids, but employers abused by their maids?
Lesson learnt.

******

Then there are cases of lazy maids who perform half-heartedly.
And there are those fresh school leavers, never touch any houseworks before.
They need to be taught even simple things as how to sweep and squeeze the mops
I've met many maids who are not poor back home, nor in great financial difficulties.
They become housemaids because of current trend in their home villages, where females become housemaids in foreign lands.
Upon their return, the neighbourhood 'will stood up' to their houses renovations and extensions. 

Watch out for those using your husbands' belongings.

It is all too familiar stories heard of they putting their used sanitary pad into soups, and water that they wash their legs used by their employers' families.

******

I've seen maids who demand to be sent home, crying uncontrollably, even when they understand that they are not allowed home before their two-years is up.
They cook up stories of fathers' very sick, mothers' dying, and grandparents sick too.
At the end of the day, when sympathetic employers sent them home for a week or two, with salaries paid, the maids themselves are usually sick too.
Unable to return!

******

Married maids when receiving news of their husbands run away with another women or marrying another wife, sure have their hearts dissppeared into thin air, followed by tremendous crying episodes.
Employers at these times, have to accept what-to-expect-next.

Or, married maids who extend their services, upon their return from their hometowns, several were known to be carrying babies.
They are usually good helpers, hence the extension.
Sign of relief by employers upon seeing them returning again at the airport will soon ache heads as they need to be send back home, unless employers do not mind if their maids do not have smooth pregnancy.
Again, there are great money involved again, especially when their permits have just been renewed.

******

Usually employers will buy their maids, especially when they are first time maids, new lingeries and toiletries to make them having the welcome home feeling.
But maids with attitude problems, even how matured and independent they maybe, will not return kindness with honesty.
They will not hesitate to stealing, even trivial things.

******

Employers And Foreign Maids To Be Told Their Rights

KUALA LUMPUR: Employers must soon attend a half-day course with their newly-employed foreign maids to learn about their rights and responsibilities to each other.

“The course is expected to start at the end of next month. The parties must participate in the course within six months from the time the maids enter the country,” said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

Representatives of employment agencies would also join in the course, called the Seminar and Dialogue for Foreign Maids, as there had been complaints against the agencies as well.

The Manpower Department (JTK) will organise such courses nationwide.

“This is to show the world that Malaysia is playing a more positive role to improve on the employer-maid working relationship.

“Although 99% of households with foreign maids are coping well, the one per cent of problematic relationships is giving a wrong impression about the country,” said Dr Subramaniam after the launch of a guidebook on the employment of foreign maids at Socso building here yesterday

The Human Resources Ministry would get the list of new maids entering the country from the Immigration Department and use it to notify the parties supposed to attend the compulsory course.

In May last year, the Malaysian Employers Federation had appealed to the ministry to organise induction courses, as the foreign trainers conducting such courses in source countries might not be familiar with the local culture here.

Last November, there was also a proposal for government officers to conduct “friendly visits” to houses to enquire about the welfare of the foreign maids, but the suggestion was shot down as many felt it was an invasion into their privacy.

On the guidebook, Dr Subramaniam said it outlined the role and responsibilities of each party in the service contract; as well as hotline numbers, websites and addresses of related agencies such as the Immigration Department, JTK and police.

“The guidebook will be given to maids attending the course,” he added.

As for the on-going negotiations with the Indonesian parties wanting a RM800 monthly salary for maids, the minister said Malaysia had countered the proposal by urging for the salary scale to be determined by market forces.

He believed the two sides were keen to resolve outstanding issues the soonest possible.

Last June, Indonesia froze the dispatch of Indonesian maids to Malaysia, following reports of abuse by employers.

Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Tan Sri Da’i Bachtiar SH later said that Jakarta would demand higher wages in its negotiations to lift the freeze.

Meanwhile, the Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) deputy president Foo Yap Hooi agreed with the Government’s proposal to allow market forces dictate wages.

“Better trained maid will be able to command a higher salary. Employers must be sure they are agreeable to the salary stated in the contract.

“If they want to change the maid, they will need to do it within the time period given and pay for the exchange fee,” he said. 

Source: The Star - Februaury 22, 2010

Baby Farming In Thailand

Immigration officers raided a Taiwanese company - Baby 101 Co - on Ramkhamhaeng Road in Thailand on Wednesday.
The company was found to offer an illegal surrogacy service.

Thirteen Vietnamese women were rescued.
Seven of them pregnant with children destined for other people.
The Vietnamese women are now in the care of the Baan Kretakaan welfare home under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security while police investigate.

Two surrogate mothers who are 18 weeks and 20 weeks pregnant are likely to be returned to Vietnam. Authorities will discuss with the Vietnamese embassy on Monday about sending them back home.

Another had given birth on Monday at a private hospital in Min Buri district.
Somboon Kunatikom, president of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Thailand, said the 31-year-old Vietnamese woman who has just given birth is entitled to regard herself as the legitimate mother of the baby boy under Thai law.
Any foreign couples who hired her to be the surrogate mum can only apply to become foster parents of the baby if they wanted to keep it.
Otherwise they would have to have their DNA tested to prove that they are the baby's biological parents.

Deputy immigration police chief Pansak Kasemsant said hospitals involved in the arrangement claimed that they are bound by a client confidentiality agreement.
They need help from the Public Health Ministry to understand surrogacy birth arrangements and decide if additional charges should be pressed against those involved.

"We need help from the health and medical sector. At least we need to know if the implanting of an embryo is a wrongful act," he said.

In some instances, the male partner would provide sperm to inseminate the women.
Some of the women had been raped.
A lack of cooperation from the suspect and the rescued women hindered the probe.
The business had been going on for a year.

A preliminary check found two doctors could be involved.
The Medical Council of Thailandl's sub-panel on medical ethics will discuss the issue next week to determine if the doctors meet the qualifications to perform medical services involving reproductive technology as issued by the council.

A Chinese and three Myanmar nationals were arrested in connection with the business and charged with illegally working in Thailand.
A 35-year-old Taiwanese woman, of the four Taiwanese arrested, was suspected to run the operation.
She was also charged with human trafficking.
The network of people involved with the operation offering the surrogacy service for Taiwanese couples is yet to be pinointed.

So far, only charges of human trafficking, detention and employment of alien workers have been levelled against the suspects.
The gang, which operated under the name 'Baby 101' receives email orders or via agents (here's the website) using them as surrogates for wealthy childless couples overseas who placed orders for newborns online.
Department of Special Investigation deputy director-general Narat Sawettanan would ask the Information and Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) Ministry to block the website. 

The broker company breaks Thai law by advertises its surrogate-mother service on the website.
Commercial surrogacy is prohibited in Thailand under a medical practice and hospital services regulation.
Couples can only use a surrogate if she is a blood relation and is not paid in Thailand  

The baby breeding ring placed the women in two houses in Bangkok.
They were offered US$5,000 (S$6,364) for each baby.
The Vietnamese women told police that company staff lured them to work in Bangkok by promising them well-paid jobs.
The staff allegedly seized their passports on their arrival from Vietnam and asked them to work as surrogate mothers for the firm's clients. 

The fate of the unborn children hangs in the balance.
Thai authorities weigh what to do with the offspring of Vietnamese women.

"There is a risk that those children might end up as stateless, that they won't get citizenship anywhere," said Benedict Phillips, Asia strategy director at Save The Children.

Campaigners fear for the future of the infants who are born to desperate women - perhaps not their biological mothers - and into a legal grey area, with Thailand still mulling the ramifications of the case.

The women were freed after they were able to send an email to the Vietnamese embassy, which tipped off Thai authorities.
Nine of them volunteered  and four said they were tricked into the scam.

Tough Time For Illegals In The Two Holy Places

Today's news reported  Indonesian overstayers  in Saudi became unruly nuisance so they would be picked up by police and deported from the country free of charge.

When I was there last month, many Indonesians stay away from public areas and only come out when night falls under their black veils to do their trade.
Even then, they were always on the lookout for 'searching eyes'.
In Mecca, they had shifted their stay right up to the hilltop, away from the authority's long arm.
The immigration went all out to nab these over-stayers and illegal immigrants.

I had always with me many SR1.00 to be given away in Madinah.
But it was only on the first day of Syawal, after a week of my stay there, did I manage to meet the first girl  asking for money.
Even then, she was beautifully dressed - Aidilfitri perhaps - or to camouflage herself from the patrolling policemen.

The same scenario happened in Mecca, only few children - with beautiful dresses and shirts, asked for money.
I ended up bringing back much of the untouched SR1.00.
For the next trip, perhaps, GOD willing.

A six-month general amnesty was given, on the second week of Syawal, to overstayers after arriving on Haj, Umrah or visit visas but they are to approach the deportation center with their passports and air tickets to get an exit visa stamped on their travel documents.
Many of these illegals I met would rather lined themselves up on the street, hoping to be caught by the authority, jailed and deported - simple - as they said.
They were confidant that their embassy would arrange for their 'free' deportation.

The Saudi immigration really mean business this year - they'll do what they say.
Starting this year, to curb illegals, all food for pilgrimmers will be catered from legal sources.
Travel agencies are not allowed to have their food self-cooked or having their own kitchen hands.

Talking to these seasonal food caterers who had been in Mecca for the past many, many years, they knew their livelihood is at stake.
Even then, none I talked to, wanted to move back to Indonesia although they knew the amnesty is only until March 23, 2011

******

Police Target 'Fake Pilgrims'

Police were cracking down on 'fake pilgrims' after a record number of people registered to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. - Photo: AFP

DHAKA - BANGLADESHI authorities said on Tuesday the police were cracking down on 'fake pilgrims' who may actually be migrants after a record number of people registered to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.

This year, 93,875 people from Bangladesh have registered to perform the annual pilgrimage in November, up from just 58,489 in 2009, religious affairs ministry spokesman Anwar Hossain told AFP.
'We have warned the police, the Hajj travel agencies about fake pilgrims - we are worried some of them may not return from Saudi Arabia,' Hossain said.
Performing Hajj at least once is a religious obligation for all able-bodied Muslims who can afford it.
Bangladeshi police are cross-checking all Hajj applicants under 40 and any who do not appear to come from wealthy families in an attempt to weed out economic migrants trying to get to the Gulf on Hajj visas to work.
Bangladesh, the world's third largest Muslim-majority nation, relies heavily on remittances, but the global downturn affected jobs for migrant workers, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors in the Gulf. -- AFP