HONG KONG: A Filipina maid has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her Hong Kong employer, police said yesterday.

The body of the 47-year-old female victim was discovered by police in the lounge of her Happy Valley flat. The woman had received multiple cuts, a police statement said. A knife was found next to her body.

Local broadcaster RTHK said the victim was a civil servant who worked as an engineering project manager.

Police were called at 4:50 am by neighbours who heard the woman crying for help, assistant police commander Gareth Williams said.

Neighbours "heard some shouting coming from the flat on the 12th floor", he told RTHK.

"(Police) saw some bloodstains on the door, so they broke open the door. When they entered they found the body of the deceased lying on the floor in the lounge, with multiple serious injuries all over the body," he said.

The maid, aged 35, was found in the bedroom and was arrested, the statement said. The maid had also suffered injuries, though she was conscious, and was taken to hospital for treatment.

More than 100,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, mostly as low-paid domestic workers.

Relationships between maids and employers are sometimes strained. Local activists say many of the workers are underpaid and live in poor accommodation, although violence is rare.

Val Roque, spokesman for the Philippines Consulate, said consular staff were trying to contact police investigating the case, and hoped to visit the suspect.

AFP

(HK Edition 06/12/2009 page1)