Employer Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Employee Mistreatment

28 Year Old Indonesian Maid Claiming Mistreatment from Employer

Indonesian maid Nirmala Bonat recently filed a lawsuit with a Malaysian court in an attempt to seek compensation from her former employer who was recently sent to jail for assaulting her in 2004, according to the Jakarta Post.

Nirmala is reportedly seeking $12,837.56 according to The Star, the Post’s fellow Asia News Network (ANN) member.

Reports indicate the 28-year-old East Nusa Tenggaranese mother of one son is claiming damages for loss of comfort, medical expenses, humiliation, physical and mental anguish, permanent scars and transport expenditures, besides costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.

Employer Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

On Oct. 1, Nirmala’s former employer, 44-year-old housewife Yim Pek Ha, was finally convicted in a legally binding verdict and sentenced to 12 years in prison after prolonged trial processes due to appeals by the defendant.

Malaysia’s Court of Appeal upheld a High Court’s decision to impose the 12-year jail term on Yim, who was found guilty of three counts of inflicting injuries on Nirmala.

Yim, who had been free until eight years after he assaulted Nirmala and triggered concerns from many Indonesians, finally began serving her jail term at the Kajang Women’s Prison in Selangor.

Malaysian Home to 2 Million Indonesian Workers

Malaysia is home to more than 2 million Indonesian workers, many of whom are illegal.

Mistreatment of Indonesian workers, as well as tension regarding conflicting territorial claims has from time to time led to strained relations between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.