Hong Kong is home to over 340,000 migrant domestic workers mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, and concerns have grown about their welfare after due to cases of high-profile abuse. Recently, a call to restrict and limit Hong Kong domestic workers in the middle of high summer temperatures. A local politician even made a sarcastic suggestion that the domestic helpers should "get used to the hot weather".
An employer's Facebook post went viral this week after expressing an outrage that her helper had switched on the air conditioning in her room at night without permission, as temperatures topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) with high humidity.
"I'm very angry," the woman -- identified only as Wong -- said, according to a screenshot of the now deleted post on a closed group for Hong Kong employers of foreign helpers, published by Apple Daily newspaper.
Wong said her maid is "audacious to the extreme", and she would remove the air conditioning switch.
She was widely criticized by some residents, but somehow, there are others who supported her.
Michael Lee, a politician who heads a group of employers, said in a radio interview that helpers should be accustomed to the weather as they came from "hot, hot" countries and called on employers to establish firm house rules.

However, the politician conceded that the temperatures of recent weeks has been very unforgiving, thus, helpers should be allowed air-con at night, but only so they can continue doing their household duties.
"Otherwise she can't sleep, then she can't work," said Lee, a district councilor and spokesman for the pro-business Liberal Party's Taskforce on Foreign Helper's Problems, representing the maids employers.
Lee also said that "he recommend all employers in Hong Kong set up house rules saying what they can and cannot do."
Helpers' rights advocates said limiting air conditioning was "ridiculous, unfair and inhumane".

Domestic workers rights groups have also criticized exploitative city recruitment agencies that extort large amount of fees from foreign domestic workers.
Reforms had long been sought for the condition of domestic migrant workers but the Hong Kong government has turned a deaf ear on their cries and flee.
Source:BBC
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