Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Indonesia has demanded Malaysia investigate and punish employers suspected of killing or abusing Indonesian workers after another Indonesian maid was allegedly tortured to death in the country.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo said Indonesia would not tolerate abuse against its citizens, and a tough stance by Malaysian authorities was urgently needed to prevent abuse against migrant workers in the future.

"If Malaysian authorities investigate and punish offenders, there will be a deterrent to prevent similar abuse against our citizens in the future. We believe this is a key factor to stopping abuse," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

A 24-year-old Indonesian maid, identified as Kunarsih, was found dead in her room Tuesday after suffering blunt force injuries to the chest and abdomen.

Malaysian police are investigating the case, in which the maid's Malaysian employer, identified only by her initials GEK, has denied any responsibility. Kunarsih, a mother from Demak, Central Java, had only worked for her Malaysian employers for four months.

"GEK has been detained and charged with murder by the police. Under the law, there is no way she can be offered bail," Kristiarto said. He said Kunarsih's body, which is now at the Serdang Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, would be flown to Demak on Saturday.

"We also demanded that her rights, such as her salary and insurance compensation, would be taken care of by the agency. We have contacted Kunarsih's family," Kristiarto said.

Abuse carried out by Malaysian employers against Indonesian migrant workers has claimed many lives in recent years. This year alone, 21 Indonesian workers have died after suffering at the hands of their employers. More than 300,000 Indonesian citizens work in Malaysia.

While Malaysian officials have claimed the mistreatment of domestic helpers is not widespread, some 1,500 Indonesian maids run away from their employers every month, often because of abuse or dissatisfaction with long working hours, a lack of freedom or unpaid salaries.

Kunarsih's death came a day after another Indonesian maid climbed out the window of a 17th-floor apartment in Kuala Lumpur to escape her employer, who allegedly strangled her and beat her with a rattan stick.

In June, the spectacular escape of 33-year-old Ceriyati Dapin, an Indonesian housekeeper who made headlines when she used a makeshift rope to flee a 15th-story apartment in Malaysia after allegedly having been beaten and threatened with death by her employer, highlighted the fate of many Indonesian workers abroad.

Meanwhile, Siti Tarwiyah from Ngawi in East Java and Susmiyati from Pati in Central Java were found after having been tortured to death in Alfaj, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 3. It has been alleged the men's employer and his relatives were responsible for the deaths.

Also in Saudi Arabia, Ruminih from Pandeglang in Banten and Tari from Karawang in West Java remain in intensive care in a hospital in the nation's capital after sustaining serious injuries caused by alleged torture.