Eight opposition lawmakers from the Sam Rainsy Party are demanding that a recruitment firm compensate a Cambodian maid after she was allegedly abused by her Malaysian employers.

On Friday, the lawmakers sent a letter to the labour minister seeking his assistance after the maid – Moa Latty, 27 – approached them for help.

SRP politician Mu Sochua said, “It is too bad that [Latty] returned [from Malaysia] disoriented. Now she has a mental illness and is unable to work.”

With her mental condition affected, Latty is unable to support her family and deserves compensation from her recruitment agency, Human Power Co Ltd, added Sochua.

Last month, Latty was picked up by human rights NGO Licadho and immigration officials when they had found her mentally unwell and lost after she stepped off a flight from Malaysia, where she had worked for five years for the same Malaysian employer.

They handed her over to rehabilitation NGO Hagar International, which has been treating her condition these past weeks.

Latty’s mother, Em Sovan, 54, said Latty is much better, but was “still unhealthy”.

Lieng Vichheta, who runs Human Power, said Latty had not approached the firm with her allegations of abuse.

Vichheta added that during a meeting last week when she met with Latty’s family, NGO representatives and the police to discuss Latty’s condition, Latty had seemed “physically and mentally fine”.

“She looked a little shaken, but she still recognized me and called me ‘Madam’ even though we had not met in five years,” said Vichheta.

Vichheta told the Post that Latty had worked for the same family for five years and that they shared a very good relationship. 

To contact the reporter on this story: Sen David at [email protected]

With assistance from Danson Cheong