Malaysian woman lodges report to counter maid abuse claim

By Sean Augustin
New Straits Times
Monday, Mar 19, 2012

Putrajaya - A mother of three lodged a police report on Saturday following allegations in a Cambodian newspaper that she had mistreated her Cambodian maid.

Cynthia Lim (pictured) will meet with officials from the Cambodian embassy today to clear the air over the report that was published on Thursday in the Phnom Penh Post.

In the report, Im Meoun, 52, said her daughter, Phon Sophea, was forced to take drugs and was fed only once a day.

Meoun also claimed that her daughter had to work from 4am to 10pm, and that her contract expired last month but Lim would not allow her to go home and forced her to sign another contract to continue working.

Meoun has lodged a report with a human rights organisation in Cambodia.

"The truth is, she wakes up at 7.30 every morning, takes five meals a day and finishes her day with at least an hour in front of the television.

"The drugs given to her are by a doctor, but only when she is sick.

"She agreed to renew the contract but wanted to go back to see her mother. We had already booked her flight home," an annoyed Lim told the New Straits Times yesterday, saying the police report was to counter the allegations made in the newspaper.

Lim said Phon, who had worked with her for two years, has since rubbished the allegations but her mother has instructed her to acknowledge the newspaper report or risk being jailed for lying.

"This has not just caused us great inconvenience and cost of lost work days, but also mental distress."