Singapore pair held over Myanmar maid’s death

A 58-year-old Singaporean woman and her daughter have been charged with murder over the death of their Myanmar domestic helper, media reports said last week.

Ms Prema Naraynasamy and her daughter, Ms Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 36, did not enter a plea when they appeared in a Singapore court on July 27 and were remanded in custody, the reports said.

The murder charge against the pair followed the discovery at their Bishan apartment on July 26 of the body of Ma Piang Ngaih Don, 24, who was described as a Myanmar national.

Documents presented to the court did not say how the alleged murder was committed, reported Singapore daily, Today.

The next hearing in the case has been set for August 4. The maximum penalty for murder in Singapore is execution or life imprisonment.

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In a social media post, the chairman of Singapore’s Centre for Domestic Employees, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, said the CDE would work closely with the authorities to see how it could offer help and support to the dead woman’s family, Today reported.

Yeo said foreign domestic workers in Singapore were “uniquely vulnerable” and they deserved greater care and concern from their employers.

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