Malaysians will soon have to buy insurance policies for their foreign maids to boost their safety and security.

Home Affairs Minister Mohamad Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the insurance will cover the maids in the event of death, accident and hospitalisation.

"We hope the insurance scheme, which is expected to cost (an annual) 75 ringgit, will make the maids happy, confident and secure while working in Malaysia," Radzi was quoted as saying in The Sun daily.

The proposal, which is expected to be approved by the cabinet in two weeks, came after Radzi met with his Indonesian counterpart Irwan Suparno in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Radzi said the request for a pay hike for maids from Indonesia was still being discussed.

No minimum wage

Indonesia and Malaysia in May 2006 signed a memorandum of understanding on the treatment of domestic workers to protect them from abuse, but no minimum wage was stipulated.

Indonesian maids currently earn about RM450-RM500 monthly, whereas those from the Philippines are paid almost three times as much as they are valued for their ability to speak English.

Malaysia employs 350,000 foreign maids, 95 percent of whom are Indonesians, who share cultural and religious ties with Malaysians. About 20,000 maids from the Philippines work in the country.