Singapore maid adds disinfectant into cereal, gets jailed

It seems, she was fed up of all the nagging she had to hear every day, so this Singapore maid decided to get even.

In April this year, Mya Thet Wai, from Myanmar, decided she had had enough of her employer's mother-in-law's nagging and wanted to leave. The maid had been working for the household from January this year.

That morning, the mother-in-law Madam Toh Sew Keok, had made a cereal drink for herself, and kept it in the kitchen, covered with a lid. She then proceeded to feed her 7-month-old grandchild in another room.

While she was busy feeding the baby, the maid added some Dettol disinfectant into Madam Toh's cereal and quietly put the lid back. 

After some time, Madam Toh asked the maid to take care of the baby while she had bread. In between, she drank from the cup; she immediately spat out the drink, and rinsed her mouth multiple times realising that something was wrong.

When confronted, the maid denied any wrongdoing. Madam Toh immediately informed the matter to her daughter-in-law.

When Mya Thet Wai's employer returned home later, CCTV footage was viewed and the truth came out in the open. Police was called. The maid then confessed to her mistake, claiming that she did so because she was tired of the incessant nagging, and also because she did not want to continue working for the employers.

Apparently, she hoped that by mixing Dettol into the drink, she would be punished by being sent back to Myanmar. 

According to The Straits Times, on Monday (Aug 14), Mya Thet Wai, 24, was sentenced to 5 months of jail for adding disinfectant into cereal, knowing that it could harm the health of the victim. Thankfully, the victim was unharmed.

How can we have a healthy and trustworthy relationship with our maids? Here are some tips:

• Choose a reputable maid agency when hiring a maid: Check out the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)’s website for maid agencies. Choose agencies with no demerit points.

Filter using these parameters – Agency Experience (preferably > 5 years), FDW Placement Volume (> 200), FDW Retention success rate (>50) and FDW Transfer rate (0 – 10).

In case of a transfer maid, do not hesitate to contact the previous employer to better understand the the maid’s nature and the reason for transfer.

• Lay out the rules : Right from the beginning, your maid should be aware of the house rules. Be specific about house rules, such as work that needs to be completed everyday, use of handphone etc.
• Don’t overload your maid: Many a time, the maid vents her frustrations and insists on returning home, because she’s too stressed out with work. Sit with your maid, and make sure she’s comfortable with the tasks at hand.

Discuss on a timetable that you can follow daily. Make sure that she is healthy, and has enough sleep and energy for all her tasks.

• Communication and training : Wherever possible, write down specific instructions to be followed, and put it up on the wall, or on the fridge.

You might even want to take some time off work to train your maid in the initial days, until she gets used to your home environment. Teach her how exactly to take care of your child or your elderly parents.

• CCTV camera helps : If you really want eyes on the house when you are not around, get CCTV cameras installed in vulnerable areas. 

Also READ: Singapore mum checks maids phone. What she found was shocking!

(Source: The Straits Times)