Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed his concern and anger over the alleged torture of an Indonesian maid by her Hong Kong employer.
In a telephone call with the maid, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, and her father, Rohmad Saputra, the Indonesian leader also promised to help both overcome the ordeal.
Yesterday, Hong Kong police arrested a 44-year-old woman in connection with the alleged brutality. A day earlier, thousands of maids and their supporters protested in Hong Kong over the case.
"Mr Rohmad, I am sad and concerned that this tragedy has happened to your daughter," Yudhoyono said, adding that the case made him angry.
The phone call was made just before Hong Kong police investigators questioned Sulistyaningsih, 23, who returned to Indonesia early this month and is being treated at a hospital in the Central Java town of Sragen.
"Believe me, the law will be enforced," Yudhoyono said. Reporters were allowed in the room while the telephone call was made.
Yudhoyono says he has communicated several times with Hong Kong leaders to ensure a good working environment for Indonesian workers there.
The case drew attention after photos circulated last week among Indonesians in Hong Kong of Sulistyaningsih's injuries, showing her face, hands and legs covered with scabs and lacerations, and blackened skin around her feet.
