Maid agencies to prove payment to Cambodian authorities

By P. Aruna
The Star/Asia News Network

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - Local maid agencies are compiling data to prove that more than RM20mil has already been paid to their counterparts in Cambodia.

The Malaysian National Association of Employment Agencies (Pikap) plans to submit the documents to the authorities there so that the Cambodian Government will release 2,500 maids.

It said the money had already been paid to Cambodian agencies before their government's sudden ban on its maids coming to Malaysia.

"The Cambodian authorities told us to show them solid evidence that the money has already been paid to their agencies before they would consider releasing the maids," said its secretary Lim Mei Yun after meeting 60 maid agencies yesterday.

It was reported that Malaysian employers and maid agencies had paid over RM20mil (S$8.2 million) to their counterparts in Cambodia for maids and that the fees were now "stuck" in Cambodia after the government imposed a sudden ban on sending their maids here on Oct 14.

All 36 Cambodian training centres for domestic workers bound for Malaysia have been ordered to shut down by its local authorities and the maids sent home.

Lim said they would submit the relevant documents to the Cambodian authorities by next week.

"Other maid agencies throughout the country that have already paid for Cambodian maids can also contact us," she said in a telephone interview after the meeting.

She added that Pikap was confident that the ban would only be temporary as assured by Cambodian authorities.

"We need employers to be pa-tient and hopefully the ban will be lifted soon," she said, adding that agencies were under pressure from employers to refund or offer replacements for the Cambodian maids that have yet to arrive.

Agencies can contact Pikap for more information at 012-277 2526.