News by The Malay Mail Online
Reported by Thasha Jayamanogaran
28th April 2015
PETALING JAYA — A 23-year-old Indonesian maid, who left her family behind to seek a better life, miraculously survived after being found in the forest by an Orang Asli at Ulu Yam in Hulu Selangor, around 9.30am on April 19.
Norfia Linda from Lombok, East Java, claimed her employers had dumped her in the jungle and left her to die with her hands tied and face covered.
Indonesian deputy chief of mission Hermono said Norfia, who had a broken finger and bruises on her body, was rushed to a clinic in Kuala Kubu Bharu by the Orang Asli, who alerted his friends for help.
Norfia, who entered Malaysia illegally through a middleman, is currently under the care of the Indonesian embassy.
She is reported to be in stable condition after undergoing four days of treatment at the Selayang Hospital.
Hermono said the employers, a couple in their 30s, were arrested on the same day of the incident.
However, the wife was granted police bail as she has a six-month-old baby to care for.
The husband, a government servant, remains in police custody.
“We will make arrangements to send Norfia home once investigations have been completed and the couple is charged in court.”
Relating the story to Hermono, Norfia said she could not recall the exact time she was dumped in the forest because her face was covered throughout the journey from Kuala Lumpur to the jungle.
“She realised she was in the jungle when she heard animal noises, the sounds of windy trees and felt insects crawling on her body.
“She is still shaken and police are giving her some time before recording her statement again.”
Norfia had been here for a month and she told the embassy that her torture began in the fourth week.
She claimed her employers beat her with a steel rod and sharp objects.
Four months ago, Malay Mail front-paged the alleged torture of 32-year-old maid Meriance Kabu, who was allegedly held captive for eight months by her employers at a low-cost apartment in Pandan Jaya, Ampang.
She claimed her employers used sharp objects to pull her teeth out after kicking and stomping on her face. They also inserted a hard object into her genitals, forced her to swallow her “sleepy dust” (tahi mata) and kept her imprisoned in a two-room apartment with their dog.
Ong Su Ping Serene, 47, was later charged at the Ampang sessions court for hurt and attempted murder. She denied the charge.
The maid’s bid for freedom came when she wrote on a piece of paper in Malay that read: “Every day, I’m taking a bloodbath” and dropped it outside the door of the flat.
A neighbour walking by read the maid’s cry for help and contacted the police.
Picture :- Norfia Linda recuperates at the Selayang Hospital, April 27, 2015. Her fate could have been fatal if she had not been discovered by the Orang Asli. — Picture courtesy of the Indonesian Embassy.
