Burmese Refugee Hit with Hammer in Malaysia

15 January 2012 – KUALA LUMPUR: A refugee from Burma, Tia Da Aye, 37, was fined RM 1,300 (US$420) by Malaysian magistrate’s court after pleading guilty for hitting a fellow national with a hammer.

A shop assistant, Tia Da Aye, was accused of hitting a restaurant worker, Tin Zar Zar Khing, 30, on her head and face outside the premises in Kampung Cempaka near Kuala Lumpur on 2 January 2012.

Tin Zar Zar Khing and her husband were eating at a restaurant when they were approached by Tia Da Aye, who suddenly attacked her with a hammer.

The offence is punishable by a maximum three years’ jail, fine or whipping or any of the two punishments upon conviction.

The court however made a lenient decision saying the two women had known each other for a long time and the fight was due to a misunderstanding.

Reporting by Thomas Chong