Filipina Arrested In Singapore For Murder?

[chua_riwap]

Filipina maid arrested over Singapore body-parts murder

First posted 02:01pm (Mla time) Sept 10, 2005
Agence France-Presse

(UPDATE) SINGAPORE -- A 29-year-old Filipina maid was arrested here Saturday for the murder of another woman, believed to be her compatriot, whose head and limbs were found in the Orchard Road shopping district, police said.

The suspect, whose identity cannot be revealed until she is charged in court, was arrested at her employer's flat, where a chopper and red plastic bags were seized, within 12 hours of the remains' discovery on Friday.

The suspect is to be charged in court on Sunday with murder, police said. If convicted, she will receive a mandatory sentence of death by hanging.

A cleaner was carrying out her normal rounds outside a metro station at the posh Orchard Road district during the lunch period Friday when she came across an oblong sports bag stuffed with a head and four limbs, police said.

The head was wrapped in a red plastic bag, while the limbs were placed in two black trash bags. Hours later, a woman's torso was found at MacRitchie Reservoir, a heavily wooded park several kilometers away from the spot where the head and limbs had been found.

"Police are working on the possibility that all the body parts found yesterday are from the same person. Analysis and tests are presently being conducted by the Health Sciences Authority," a police statement said.

"Based on investigations, we believe that the victim is a 26-year-old Filipina domestic worker," it said, adding that the two women were believed to have known each other.

The case comes 10 years after a Filipina maid, Flor Contemplacion, was hanged in Singapore for murdering another Filipina maid and a four-year-old Singaporean boy.

The execution triggered a bitter diplomatic row between the Philippines and Singapore.

In Manila, Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas said Saturday that labor attaché Miriam Cuasay had met with the suspect in Singapore and that the Philippine government was looking into extending legal aid to her.

Santo Tomas declined to provide the identities of the suspect or victim, saying their families had not yet been informed. She also declined to mention a possible motive.

At the same time, Philippine ambassador to Singapore Belen Anota informed the Department of Foreign Affairs that her office is now arranging for the settlement of the outstanding salaries and benefits of the deceased, as well as the repatriation of her remains.

She echoed Sto. Tomas's statement and said the embassy has already arranged for the services of a lawyer to ensure that the rights of the suspect under Singapore laws are recognized and respected.

Anota said the Registrar of the Supreme Court will assign two lawyers to the suspect, who is scheduled to be charged in court tomorrow.

The murder uncovered Friday is the latest in a series of crimes involving foreign domestic helpers in Singapore. Some 140,000 women work here as maids, mostly from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

On September 5, two young Indonesian maids narrowly escaped the death sentence after being found guilty of homicide for killing their Singaporean employer, but they were handed lengthy jail terms.

The new case also resembled another recent "body parts" crime here.

In June, a 50-year-old Singaporean man, Leong Siew Chor, was charged with murdering his colleague and alleged mistress, 22-year-old China national Liu Hong Mei, whose body was chopped up and scattered in a river.

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Another Flor Contemplacion in the making? At Pinay din ang na-chop chop?

Abangan natin ito......

[imprezawrxsti]

After that Flor Contemplacion thing, I lost my faith on Singapore's Judicial System... pag na charged yong kawawang maid, malamang guilty. Tingin ko mas pinoprotektahan nila yong " image " nila kaya kailangan yong "swift injustice" to show to the world ganon sila ka bilis mag solve ng crime..

[niky]

Mabilis mag-charge ng maid at mag-plant ng evidence to cover up murders by overstressed and over-the-edge businessmen... likely. Will wait to see.

This all hangs on how convincing the evidence is. How likely is it that they would have found the murderer WITH all the implements used in the crime just 12 HOURS after the murder? Eh.

[theveed]

My question is, baket mga OFW kung nagkasala humihingi lagi ng "HUSTISYA AT TULONG" sa gov't???

What difference does it make if they commited a crime abroad or here???

[Linkk]

My question is, baket mga OFW kung nagkasala humihingi lagi ng "HUSTISYA AT TULONG" sa gov't???

What difference does it make if they commited a crime abroad or here???

oo nga, pero di na ako nagtataka, tumingin ka lang sa paligid mo daming holdupper, kidnapper, rapist, snatcher, drug pusher pero di mo makikitang pinakukulong ng pamilya nila, sila pa nga kumukunsinti at nagproprotekta. kung meron man isumbong, eh dahil mismong pamilya ang tinalo. yan ang masama sa pinoy, pag gumawa ng krimen o lumabag sa batas dapat ipakulong at parusahan ke kamag anak o hinde.

[mazdamazda]

My question is, baket mga OFW kung nagkasala humihingi lagi ng "HUSTISYA AT TULONG" sa gov't???

What difference does it make if they commited a crime abroad or here???

er...

dba po, even when you commit a crime (even here) and you can't afford a lawyer - the gov't will still provide you with one.

though let's wait for the verdict kung guilty ba talaga.

[ranod55]

Singapore knowned for their capital punishment by hanging,it might another flor contemplacion again...

[chua_riwap]

Singapore knowned for their capital punishment by hanging,it might another flor contemplacion again...

Di malayong mangyari yan. Yun nga lang magtapon ka ng upos ng sigarilyo, pag nahuli ka S$500.00 na ang fine. Murder pa kaya?

[ts1n1ta]

love triangle daw dahilan. ooohh.... chop-chopin daw ba.. tsk.

[theveed]

John, kahit anong bansa naman may free lawyer ang gobyerno eh.

[mazdamazda]

John, kahit anong bansa naman may free lawyer ang gobyerno eh.

well, sabagay. hehe.

di ko ata na gets lang ang question mo.

[falken]

Ang sakin lang, kung inosente siya, we should give her our full support, pero kung siya talaga ang pumatay, huwag nang sayangin ang gov't funds.

[theveed]

John: hehe falken summarized what i wanted to say :P

[niky]

^agree.

[chua_riwap]

Eh, kaso wala pang malinaw na scenario, kung set-up ba, guilty, or ano ang dahilan kung bakit niya pinatay yung kapwa niya Pinay. Aside sa litrato nung killer, wala pang balita kung ano talaga nangyari.