Malaysian Couple In Melbourne Accused Of Keeping Indonesian Woman A Slave
The woman was allegedly hit, kicked, starved, and wasn’t allowed to sleep if she didn’t perform chores up to expectations.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
Two Malaysians allegedly kept an Indonesian woman as a slave at their Melbourne home. Chee ‘Max’ Chong, and his wife, Angie Liaw, are facing trial at Victoria’s County Court after pleading not guilty to slavery-related offences.
Chong is charged with intentionally possessing a slave and three counts of common assault, while Liaw is accused of assisting or encouraging the slavery offence.
The woman has since passed away in April 2024 due to causes unrelated to the case. Although she has passed, her recorded testimony given to police, friends, and family will be presented before the 14-member jury.
The couple first met the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, in Malaysia in 2015 when she was a pastor at the church Chong attended. The woman allegedly developed a mother-and-son-like relationship with Chong and frequently gives him money. Chong apparently has money problems, and she used almost all her money, even borrowing from family and church members, to help him.
In 2017, the couple planned to move to Melbourne and invited the woman to stay with them. She agreed.
However, the couple returned to Malaysia for a period of time without telling the woman, and essentially left her homeless.
Over the following four years, Chong had intermittent contact with the woman but didn’t tell her they had returned to Melbourne until late 2021.
In early 2022, the woman was living and working at an op shop. Chong asked her to come and assist his family for a month after their second child was born.
She agreed and moved to the couple’s Point Cook home in early February. This was allegedly when their relationship changed, and the abuse started.
Chong allegedly accused the woman of causing an issue around his work credit card and demanded she work off the ‘’debts.’’
It was alleged that the woman was expected to cook, clean, massage Chong’s legs, and wake him up for work. She claimed she was given a bedroom before being forced to sleep on the stairs or in the garage. Her movements and communications were also restricted by Chong.
Chong also controlled her welfare needs, sleep, food, and medical care. He allegedly told her that she could leave if she could pay a million dollars.
If she ever failed to perform her duties or failed to complete them well to Chong’s satisfaction, he would allegedly hit or kick her, or prevent her from sleeping or eating that day.
Chong allegedly kicked the woman in the head and hit her with a vacuum after she fell asleep while massaging his legs. He also allegedly knocked her head into a wall. She wasn’t allowed to seek medical care for the wounds or injuries she sustained.
On 7 October, the woman ran away and went to St Vincent’s Hospital, where staff identified her injuries, including a grossly swollen ear, foot laceration, leg swelling, and indicators of malnutrition. The Australian Federal Police were called when she claimed she was assaulted for doing poor work.
According to police interviews, the couple claimed they took in the woman because she was homeless and they felt sorry for her. They denied she was forced to work or assaulted.
The couple also denied that they restricted her access to food, adding that they paid for her expenses.
Chong’s lawyer asked jurors to keep an open mind and consider whether the woman’s contributions to the house ‘’were anything different to what you might expect in a family of three adults and two children.’’
The lawyer suggested that there may have been reasons for the woman to exaggerate, embellish, or say untrue things.
Meanwhile, Liaw’s lawyer told jurors they wouldn’t be hearing much from him over the course of the trial because there’s very little evidence related to his client. He suggested that the evidence did not show Liaw intentionally assisting in the alleged slavery offence.
The trial is still ongoing and is expected to run for several weeks.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
