Barclay Crawford is an investigative reporter at the SCMP, with recent efforts including his exploration of alleged-coke selling hookers at Fenwicks. Back on August 12th he reported on a domestic helper who claimed she had been abondoned by her employers. This was followed up by an August 14th article with comments from the employer denying the accusation and a rehash of the original article. Both articles are reproduced below the jump.

Without passing judgement or comment as to the truth of these allegations, I have received an email from a source with knowledge of the case:

His [Crawford's] story of an abandoned helper left without food or "essentials" or housekey is fabricated. The unit the helper works/lives in has a property caretaker named Mr. K his telehone number is XXXX-XXXX. Barclay never interviewed him now even knew of his existence. Mr. K lives on the premises at issue.

Mr. K works directly for the landlord who owns all units including [a PR executive's] home. Mr. K can verify the utilities not being turned off. Even the Helper's personal A/C was not affected. Mr. K can vouch that no utilities were off for the Helper's unit except 4 hours on 7/31 electricity and water another day for 4 hours both were area wide by Hong Kong government. Watson's bottled water service for the Helper's unit was delivered weekly without interuption. All this can be verified not just by Mr. K but the utilities and Watson's bottle water. Barclay Crawford did not verify - why?

Food. A police report filed on August 13 the day the employer's returned # 3501 will show the police arrived called by the employer, the house fully furnished with food and in fact the Helper to have been consuming. Barclay Crawford never set foot into the Helper's unit. Barclay alleges this Helper was left without food showing an empty fridge. That fridge is not the same fridge as in the Helper's unit. Look at photo on August 14. The same police report shows the Helper refusing to sign her own resignation that she had typed up that gave the employer's 30 day notice to September 14. Police report #06003542 on August 14 shows the Helper refusing to leave forcing the police to threaten forcible removal. The Helper was terminated by the employer paying wages in lieu of notice, wage, plane ticket. The Helper insisted on staying to Sept. 14.

In reality the Helper had been terminated once before during visa processing. Helpers in Hong Kong must leave Hong Kong under preterm contracts unless death of employer, financial hardship or abuse. This helper could not do the first 2 so abuse was her only option. See Hong Kong Immigration Department Foreign Domestic Helpers Section reference file 27274/04 dated July 3rd notifying her that she has to leave if these employer's dropped processing.

2 charities donated food to this helper. NONE set a foot into the helper's unit to validate the helper's false claim. One charity organization Helpers for Domestic Helpers made an impromptu stop on August 14 and at the employer's invitation was shown the Helper's accommodations and food situation.

Property camera's can show employer's bought no food when they return as their flight on Gulf Air landed at 3:30pm August 14. The police report was taken 4:30pm August 14 within 15 minutes of their arrival home.

No housekey. There is a helper agency the helper visited twice in Central. A Mr. T of ZZZ agency can verify this. Easier, Mr. K on the property can verify this Helper's exits as well as the camera film on the property.

Barclay wrote this Helper was left without a key to leave to even buy food. Helper left without money to buy food. Helper was left on top of a full fridge, bottled water and 3 paid Holidays $150.00 [sic]. Helper used this to buy chicken and fruits receipt from Wellcome.

What is interesting is that Barclay can write any fiction about anything. Completely unaccountable. Without basic inquiry.

What is more interesting is his relationship with [a PR executive], the PR firm head of YYYYYYY in Hong Kong. This is not a big story but [PR executive] must have influence over Barclay, hence SCMP.

August 12th - Helper claims she's been abandoned

A domestic helper from Sri Lanka says she has been abandoned for nearly two weeks in her employer's multi-million-dollar mansion without any food, money, gas for cooking or a key with which to leave the residence.

Saroja Priyangani Jayasekara Vithanage, 36, has been relying on food handouts
from neighbours and the charity Helpers for Domestic Helpers while her employer and his family take a holiday in Egypt.

Ms Vithanage's employer, her second since arriving in Hong Kong in 2004, is a
top banker in the city. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

Two charities, Christian Action and Helpers for Domestic Helpers, confirmed
they had contacted Ms Vithanage and organised for food to be brought to her.

A spokeswoman for Helpers said the charity would write to the Immigration
Department about the case and had notified the police. 'She doesn't have anything and she is scared to leave the house because she
doesn't have a key,' the spokeswoman said.

Speaking next to two late-model German-made cars in the garage of her
employer's luxury, multilevel home in Chung Hom Kok, Ms Vithanage held a copy of her contract, which showed that she was paid HK$3,400 a month - the minimum wage for a domestic helper in Hong Kong.

The contract also has a clause stating that she should be given HK$300 a month
if she is not provided with food, but Ms Vithanage said she had yet to receive
this sum.

The instructions left by her employer warn her that she is 'on probation'
because they are unhappy with her performance since she began working on July 18. The instructions also state that she can leave the house only on August 8.

'It's so hard for me because I have a family and three children at home whom I
support by working in Hong Kong,' she said. 'But I have to resign from here, I
cannot take it any more.'

A tearful Ms Vithanage said she had to keep her clothes and food in the garage
since arriving. 'I can't take it any more; I'm going to hand in my notice when they get back to Hong Kong,' she said.

A source close to Ms Vithanage's employer and his wife said that the family
had hired and fired several maids in the past year. 'They all cry and are very unhappy with the madam, who just shouts and blames the girls for everything,' the source said.

Ms Vithanage's employer's secretary at the European investment bank at which
he works said her boss was on holiday but could be contacted by e-mail, which he checked regularly.

Ms Vithanage's employer did not return any e-mails requesting a response to
her allegations.

The case follows a report last month by the New York-based Human Rights Watch, which praised Hong Kong for protecting domestic workers' rights.

August 14th - Employers deny leaving helper with no food or door key

The employers of a domestic helper who claimed she was abandoned without food, money, gas or a key to their exclusive residence for almost two weeks said yesterday they were the real victims.

Saroja Priyangani Jayasekara Vithanage, 36, said last week she had to appeal
to charities and neighbours for food because her employers had left her nothing. Police were called to the residence yesterday by the employer, a top Hong Kong banker, who had returned from holiday. His wife, who agreed to talk to the Post as long as she was not named, said Ms Vithanage may be trying to make a claim against them through the courts.

She said there had been no need for the helper to appeal to charities or
neighbours for food because there was plenty of food in the house and they had
given her $150 to live on while they were away on holiday. A key was available at all times for the maid, she said.

Two charities, Christian Action and Helpers for Domestic Helpers, confirmed
last week they had contacted Ms Vithanage and organised for food to be taken to her.

'Why would we not want her to eat the food here?' the wife said, pointing to
fruit in bowls and in the refrigerator. 'It is only going to go off if it is not
eaten. I have never told her that she cannot eat anything in this house. We even
have emergency supplies in case of a typhoon and water delivered every week.'

The family said they had had a legal problem with a previous helper who had
stolen from them. The Labour Tribunal ruled in their favour, forcing the helper
to pay them back HK$200, she said.

Ms Vithanage offered a resignation letter yesterday, giving them 30 days'
notice. But the wife said they would not sign off on it without advice from the
Labour Department.

'We don't want to sign something until we know what it means. She could be
planning to make a bigger claim because she thinks we are wealthy,' she said.
'But all we have is our reputation. We have four children to support and our
reputation is our way of earning our living. If she really doesn't like us that
much, she can just go now, but she is now saying she will stay and work.'

Ms Vithanage last week showed the Post a copy of her contract, which specified
her pay as HK$3,400 a month, the minimum wage for a domestic helper. It also has a clause saying she should be given HK$300 a month if she is not provided with food, but Ms Vithanage said she had not received the sum.