http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/72129
Indonesian girl: I was raped by Rela member Fauwaz Abdul Aziz Sep 7, 07 5:29pm Suriyani Nas, 20, gently rubbed her bulging stomach (she is five months pregnant) as she related her ordeal at the hands of a member of the people's voluntary corp Rela. "He tied my hands, gagged my mouth, and tied my feet together. He only unbound my feet whenever he came to rape me," the Indonesian told reporters and members of the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam). "He did it many times throughout the one month I was kept at a house in the middle of the rambutan orchard. Sometimes he did it twice a day," she alleged when met at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur today. Suriyani claimed she arrived in the country sometime in 2004 from Lombok, east of Bali. Undocumented and illiterate, she had found a job as a domestic helper to a woman in Johor Baru. According to Suriyani, she worked for two years without receiving a single sen. When she finally gathered enough courage to demand her pay, Suriyani claimed she was threatened at knife-point. Having succeeded in escaping, she was able to flag down a police officer who brought her back to the house to question the employer. "She denied everything. To my face, she denied any responsibility over me!" said a bewildered Suriyani. Having escaped from one ordeal, however, she was soon to fall into another. Placed in the care of an unknown number of persons - one of whom employed her for two weeks as a maid - Suriyani claimed she was at one point offered by a Johor-based lower-rank Rela member to bring her to Kajang, Selangor, to find work. "But instead, he drove to an empty house in the middle of a rambutan orchard. Once inside, he tied me up, and that's when he started. He raped me, treated me as if we were already married - for one whole month," she said. 'Good Samaritan' After about 30 days of torment, Suriyani was surprised late one night - while her rapist was away - by an unknown man who suddenly broke down the door and brought her to the Kajang police station. "He was also a Rela member, but he had heard that a woman was being held captive (by a fellow Rela member) at the empty house," she explained. At the police station, however, Suriyani was again punished - this time for being an 'illegal immigrant'. Sent to the Semenyih detention centre for undocumented migrants, she was only released about a month later by officials from the Indonesian Embassy. It is believed the Rela member who had rescued her from captivity alerted the embassy of her detention in Semenyih. Meanwhile, a senior Rela officer from Johor Baru is alleged to have offered Suriyani RM5,000 and to arrange for her return to Indonesia in order to keep things under wrap. Three months into her stay at the shelter, however, that offer of assistance has yet to materialise. "I just want to go back home. I hope that can be arranged," she said quietly when asked of her next step. Indonesian Embassy consular Tatang Razak (right) said representation had been made to Malaysia's oreign Ministry and pressed to act on the claims made by Suriyani. To his disappointment, however, the ministry responded that the deputy public prosecutor in Johor in charge of the case was of the view that based on the investigations of Johor state police, "there is insufficient evidence to press charges" against the suspect. "However, DNA tests can be carried out to determine whether the child she is carrying is that of the person she has accused of raping her," Tatang said in protest. He noted that only disciplinary action was said to have been taken against the individual. Public inquiry Commenting on the incident, Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said he will apply immediately for Suhakam to begin a public inquiry into Suriyani's allegations and to determine the facts of the matter. "Suhakam is committed to (the human rights of) workers, and it must be said that they have as much human rights as any other human being in this country," said Siva when met at the shelter. "They cannot be set aside (by claims) there is a standard (of laws) for citizens and a different one foreigners," he added. Reluctance of the Johor state police to disclose further details on the issue notwithstanding, Suhakam will seek the truth of the issue by exercising its powers in the inquiry. "We can subpoena all those involved in order to give the facts under oath," he said. When contacted, the Rela spokesperson declined to comment while the director-general could not be reached.
