We hired a Sri Lankan maid through a local agent.

The maid insisted on having her own mobile telephone when she first arrived, to which we relented reluctantly.

After a month-and-a-half into her contract, she walked out of our home while we were away overseas, and found her way to the agency.

She informed the agent that she was afraid to be left alone at home.

Our agent confiscated her telephone and informed her that her family could contact her on her employer’s mobile telephone, which they did about two to three times a week.

Again about a week ago, and eight months into her contract, the maid walked out of our home again and found her way to the Sri Lankan embassy.

We had met with the officials of the embassy soon after and the embassy insisted that she should be sent back as she was homesick.

We had attempted to inform the embassy that she was under a valid contract for two years, but the embassy informed us that it was our problem and that we should sort it out with our local agent.

We had tried to reason with the embassy that we had expended a large sum of money in agency fees, but they would not hear of it.

The maid admitted to the embassy officials in our presence that she had told her husband to lie to her employers that her mother was ill and that she needed to return home.

We had paid our maid an advance of two months’ salary when she informed us that her husband was in debt and that her daughter, who attends a private school, was not allowed to sit for her exams unless her fees are paid up.

We had also offered to pay for the educational expenses of the maid’s daughter should she complete her two-year contract and return to work for us.

We had at Christmas sent her family a bonus of RM500 together with gifts for her family members.

We also bought her a pair of gold earrings, which she had apparently used to pay the cab driver who took her to the Sri Lankan embassy.

Treated as part of the family

She was always treated as part of our family and we took her along for our family gatherings as well as for our Christmas gatherings.

One of the maid’s complaints was that she was over-worked.

Incidentally, there are three adults who live at home and we do our own laundry and mow our own lawn. We also do the cooking as often as possible as the maid does not cook well.

We are very disappointed with the way the Sri Lankan embassy had handled this matter.

When we suggested to the embassy that she return to work with us and that the embassy officials could check on her periodically, they had refused our suggestion, insisting that she returns home immediately. The embassy had also threatened to ‘blacklist’ us.

Besides losing a large amount of money in agency fees, we have also suffered much distress, injustice, embarrassment and humiliation at the hands of the Sri Lankan embassy officials.

It has always been the plight of the maids that is given widespread coverage, with little or no attention given to the plight of employers who have been cheated not just by the maid but indeed by the authorities.