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There are new developments for the abuse case of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, the Indonesian maid, who, upon returning home from Hong Kong was covered in bruises and welts.
The brutalized employee finally reported her employer to Indonesian authorities. The employer, 44-year-old Ms. Luo, has been taken into custody at the Hong Kong airport as she was preparing to leave the country. Ms. Luo was detained Monday afternoon and is currently under police investigation.
According to reports, the suspect was on her way to Bangkok, but due to her involvement in the case was on a no-fly list. She was then handed over to the police by the Port Authority. Currently the case has been filed as a serious assault and has been taken over by the Hong Kong authorities.
23-year-old Erwiana Sulistyaningsih left Hong Kong at the beginning of the month beaten black and blue. It was not until she reached home and heeded the advice of someone from her village that she reported the case of abuse to local authorities. The case has since become a talking point in the international community and has been the topic of heated discussion.
Yesterday thousands attended a demonstration, demanding a thorough investigation and justice for the abused maid.
The Indonesian Workers Union announced that they have been in contact with Erwiana and have informed her that her former employer has been detained. According to Hong Kong media, a former employee of Ms. Lou, now in Singapore, says that she was also abused by the suspect. According to the latest statistics, there are reportedly 300,000 foreign laborers in Hong Kong, most of whom are from the Philippines, however many Indonesian also work in Hong Kong.
