Employer arrested for slapping, threatening Indonesian domestic worker

A screenshot of the FB Live video

The Hong Kong police arrested on Thursday night a 79-year-old woman who slapped and threatened to kill her Indonesian domestic worker, an incident that was caught on a Facebook Live video that went viral online.

The police arrested the woman, surnamed Pang and a resident of the Grand View Garden apartments in Wong Tai Sin, for common assault and criminal intimidation, according to local media reports.

She was later released on bail but was required to report to the police next week.

According to the complainant—a 35-year-old helper—this was the third time that the woman lost her temper and threatened to kill her.

The woman’s son, who works in the mainland and visits Hong Kong once a week, had apologized for the two previous incidents.

Incidents like this are a great concern for foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, especially after the controversy over the rule requiring them to live with their employers.

Last month, the High Court rejected a Filipino domestic worker’s petition against the so called “live-in” rule. The tribunal said the rule did not violate the basic rights of foreign domestic workers.