Singapore, 14 years in prison for woman who tortured Burmese maid to death

The sentence for assault - not murder - against Prema Naraynasamy came six years after the death of 24-year-old maid Piang Ngaih Don. Due to the physical and psychological abuse, the girl, originally from Myanamar, weighed 24 kilos. But in the city-state it is widely believed that some nationalities are more prone to submission.

Singapore (AsiaNews) - Six years after the death of a 24-year-old maid of Burmese origin named Piang Ngaih Don, the sentence has come down on the woman responsible for starving, torturing and segregating the girl along with her daughter.

The case has turned the media and public spotlight on the fate of thousands of domestic helpers and caregivers who suffer from the stereotypes with which especially foreign female workers are viewed and received in Singapore. It is believed, for example, that some nationalities, including Burmese, have a greater attitude to submission.

64-year-old Prema S. Naraynasamy, also avoiding indictment for murder, was sentenced on 9 January for assault to 14 years in prison, counted from the date of her arrest on 26 July 2016.

Her 41-year-old daughter, Gaiyathiri Naraynasamy, the legal employer of Piang Ngaih Don, a housewife and former policeman's wife, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on 22 June 2021. The ex-husband, who divorced Gaiyathiri in 2020 after being suspended from duty in 2016, also faces several charges in connection with the case.

The investigation and trial revealed circumstances that, as Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy himself confirmed, make it one of the worst cases of abuse of a foreign worker.

The brutal abuse of the Burmese maid began in October 2015, shortly after her arrival, with a crescendo of physical and psychological assaults that led to her death: deprived of the possibility of feeding and resting properly, she had been prevented from washing and had been forced to use the toilets always with the door open.

Every day she was subjected to beatings. "Dragged around the house like a rag doll," the prosecution confirmed, her life was "little short of a waking nightmare and for this Prema is largely responsible."

During the last 15 days of her life, Piang Ngaih Don had also been tied to a window grate in her room and forced to sleep on the floor. At the time of her death, which was due to severe neck trauma, she weighed 24 kilos, 15 kilos less than when she was hired.

It is difficult to understand the reasons for such doggedness, if not for a sense of possession and impunity that exacerbated problems already present in the family. Piang Ngaih Don's fate has been affected by the misconceptions of which many foreigners who come to Singapore to work as domestic servants are victims, allowing local families to pursue careers and prosperity, but with serious difficulties in asserting their rights, both in their country of origin and destination.