M'sian couple in Australia allegedly kept Indonesian woman as slave for 10 months after she lost credit card

A Malaysian couple, Chee Kit Chong, 44, and his wife Angie Yeh Ling Liaw, 29, are facing modern-day slavery charges in Australia.

According to Australian media, they allegedly exercised "coercive control" over an Indonesian woman and kept her as a slave for 10 months.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail.

The Indonesian woman had initially agreed to stay in their home to care for their newborn child.

According to ABC Australia, Chong had previously established a "mother-son" like relationship with the Indonesian woman, after they had met at a church in Malaysia.

The woman was a pastor there, the court heard.

Chong, however, allegedly blamed her for the loss of a company credit card and demanded she work off the debt.

The court heard that Chong then heavily controlled the woman's life. He allegedly threatened and coerced the woman into providing domestic services.

When the woman failed to meet Chong's expectations, the couple would purportedly punish her by assaulting her, and depriving her of sleep and food.

Once, he allegedly hit her with a vacuum after she had fallen asleep while giving him a massage.

The victim was only saved after a nurse reported the matter to federal police in 2022.

The woman died in 2024, but the court noted that it was not related to this case.

Chong denied the charges, saying he offered the woman a place to stay because she was homeless. He also gave various explanations for her injuries.

He also denied ordering her to do tasks, saying it was her idea.

Both of them have pleaded not guilty.

Image from Kompas and Canva