Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers mourn their losses in deadly fire
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
More than 200 foreign domestic workers, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, were living in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex when the fire broke out on Nov 26.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Anjali Tsui, Francesca Regalado
Follow topic:
HONG KONG – For many Hong Kong families, they are the women who cook their meals, bathe their elderly parents and care for infants at home – often unseen, they are indispensable.
More than 200 foreign domestic workers, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, were living in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex when the deadly fire broke out
In one 16th-story apartment, Ms Cucu Susilawati, a worker from Indonesia, ran down the stairs with nothing but the clothes she was wearing. Elsewhere in the complex, Ms Carren Dadap, a Filipina worker, rushed out the door with the 5-year-old boy in her care.
In another home, Ms Rhodora Alcaraz, who had just arrived in Hong Kong a day earlier from the Philippines, clutched a 3-month-old baby as smoke filled the room they were in.
Their stories reveal how foreign domestic workers also bore a significant share of the danger. There are almost 370,000 such workers in Hong Kong, the vast majority of whom are women, and they do the housework and provide child care for millions of residents.
Government rules mandate that they live with their employers, forcing many women to occupy cramped spaces in already crowded high-rise apartments. Workers who lose their jobs must find a new employer within two weeks or return to their home countries.
Many of those affected by the fire are worried about losing their jobs, as their employers, who have lost their homes, may not be able to afford their wages, said Ms Sring Sringatin, secretary of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union.
On Nov 26, fires swept through seven high-rise apartment towers in a residential complex in the northern district of Tai Po. As of Nov 30, authorities said at least 146 people have died,
At least 230 foreign domestic workers – 140 from Indonesia and 90 from the Philippines – were living and working in Wang Fuk Court, according to estimates provided by the two consulates.
As of Nov 29, seven Indonesian domestic workers were confirmed dead, two were hospitalised and 45 were still unaccounted for, according to the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong.
At least one domestic worker from the Philippines had died and seven people were unaccounted for, according to the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong. NYTIMES
