VOANews.com
March 7, 2001
A court in Malaysia has rejected the appeal of a woman convicted of physically abusing her Indonesian housemaid and added three years to her sentence.
The woman, Hau Yuan Tyng, was already facing eight years in prison for her mistreatment of the maid, who escaped to the Indonesian embassy after being assaulted with scalding water, scissors and a hammer.
Photos of the maid's condition contributed to strained relations between the two countries over repeated mistreatment of domestic helpers. Efforts to negotiate new regulations for the treatment of Indonesian housemaids in Malaysia are hung up over demands for a minimum wage.
In announcing the ruling Tuesday, the judge expressed sympathy for Hau, who is a single mother with a disabled child. But he said Hau has shown no remorse for her actions.
Lawyers for Hau said they will appeal to the final level.
