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Unpaid Lankan worker allegedly beaten to death by drunken employer in Malaysia
The Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare is investigating into an incident where a 26-year-old man was beaten to death by his drunk employer in Malaysia. The deceased Mohammad Suffrine, a resident of Puwakpitiya in Galewela, had requested for his due wages from his employer, which resulted in the fatal assault.
Mr Suffrine had gone to Malaysia about one-and-a-half years ago, with hopes of supporting his sick father and his sister’s education. He was employed at a vehicle wash station at Rs 42,000 per month. However, his employer, who has a reputation for being drunk most of the time, had failed to pay Mr Suffrine for six months. His requests to his Malaysian employer for his wages went unheeded.The father of the deceased recalled that, on one occasion, several months back, his son had called saying that he hadn’t been paid and cannot contact his family more often because he did not have enough money for phone calls. Mr. Suffrine was not able to leave his workplace because his passport and other relevant documents were with his employer.
Following a prolonged silence on Mr Suffrine’s part, his family turned to the Ministry of Employment for help. The ministry officials were able to track down the employer by his name, which was the only detail the father had of his son’s whereabouts. When his son’s fate was revealed, the father had fainted in shock.
All the circumstances surrounding Mr Suffrine’s death were revealed by another Sri Lankan man employed at the same vehicle wash station. The man, who did not wish to be named, said a confrontation had occurred between the employer and Mr. Suffrine, when he accidentally damaged a car belonging to a customer, while trying to reverse it. The issue was settled by the employer who paid Rs 20,000 as damages.
Two weeks after the incident, Mr. Suffrine was sent for by his employer who was drunk, along with some of his associates. Together they severely beat the young man who kept begging for mercy. The beatings continued for some time, and on one occasion Mr. Suffrine had sought refuge at a mosque, but was returned to his employer by the police.
One day, Mr. Suffrine was found dead in a pool of blood. It is believed that the suspect has bribed the Malaysian Police who have not taken any action against him. Meanwhile, the Malaysian High Commission is also conducting investigations into the death.