Awaiting Mahathir’s Birth

Violence is commonly faced by Indonesian workers in Malaysia. This is the story of Suryani Tas, who is waiting to deliver a child conceived after her rape by a member of Rela.

October 23, 2007

She is 20 years old. Each night this young woman sits in a back corridor at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Sometimes she ponders her fate while stroking her bulging stomach. Her name is Suryani Tas. Whenever anyone also lodging there teases her, this woman from Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, just smiles.

These days, Suryani waits for the birth of her child. She can’t wait to find out if she will deliver a girl or a boy. For days

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