Indonesian mum who died in Hong Kong blaze sacrificed everything for children’s education

When Indonesian farmer Sutiono, 43, saw news footage of the towering inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong on November 26, he immediately called his wife, Siti Khotimah, 40, knowing she worked at the estate. He had spoken to her just hours earlier on that fateful day. She seemed upbeat and was looking forward to returning home for the first time in seven years. Their daughter’s 11th birthday was only a day away. Khotimah had come to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper and raise money for her children’s education. Watching the inferno from his home in Malang regency, East Java, Sutiono clung to hope that the fact his wife’s phone was ringing meant she was safe, despite her not answering. “I thought: ‘Well, her phone is still active, so she must be fine’.” Struggling to fight off dark thoughts, Sutiono told himself Khotimah was probably busy looking after her ward, an elderly woman who might have been injured or traumatised after they evacuated their 11th-floor flat. For the next 24 hours, he dialled her number again and again. Then, on November 27, the line went dead. Two agonising days later, Sutiono received the call he was dreading from the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong. “They said that, sadly, Siti Khotimah was no longer with us. That she had died.” His wife’s ward had also been found dead in the flat, Sutiono said. He did not know whether their bodies were discovered together. The fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, which tore through seven tower blocks, became the city’s worst in decades, killing at least 160 people and leaving thousands homeless. Authorities later pointed to substandard construction materials and safety lapses as the main causes of the blaze. Sutiono recalled that his last conversation with his wife had been full of joy and future plans. “She had bought a bracelet and was planning to give it to our daughter when she came home in March. She had already bought her ticket,” Sutiono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, told This Week in Asia. The trip was timed for Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan – a celebration that Khotimah longed to share with her family after years apart. But she never got to return home or present her daughter, Audi Shyahila, with her birthday gift. ‘My mother believed in me completely’ In Malang, Sutiono toils in the sugar cane fields, harvesting by hand from sunrise to sunset – gruelling work that feeds the raw sugar mills of Java Island. Before leaving for Hong Kong in 2019, Khotimah had stitched garments in a factory and sold ice to make ends meet. Sutiono said money was always tight and his wife had dreamed of a better life for their children. “Neither of my parents had the opportunity to go to university,” said Adit, 17, their son. “They both only graduated high school, but my mother believed in me completely and wanted me to have the education that she never had.” Adit hopes to study engineering at a technical college, a dream made possible by the money his mother sent home each month to pay for school fees and extra classes. “She did not have plans to start her own business in Malang or anything like that,” Sutiono said. “She was solely focused on the children’s education.” That dedication was why she never took regular home leave, even though many helpers in Hong Kong do so at the end of their two-year contracts. Khotimah chose instead to keep working, sending every spare dollar back to Indonesia. ‘What can we do from here?’ Authorities believe the fire at Wang Fuk Court began when scaffolding netting ignited. The contractors had also used foam insulation, suspected to be highly flammable, to seal the windows. At least 13 people linked to the building work have since been arrested on manslaughter charges. Sutiono said he was not hopeful about any legal recourse. “I don’t think that anyone will be held responsible. How can we prove whose fault it was? Even if we wanted the contractors to be prosecuted, what can we do from here?” At least nine Indonesian helpers and one Filipino domestic worker lost their lives in the blaze. The Hong Kong government has pledged almost HK$800,000 (US$100,000) in compensation and funeral grants for their families. Yet Sutiono said the only compensation that mattered to him was the one his wife had worked for. “The only compensation I want is a fund so that my children’s education is paid for in full,” he said. For now, his main focus is on bringing his wife’s body home. “We are still waiting,” he said. “They haven’t told us how long it will be. What I would say to the authorities in Hong Kong is: ‘Please, she needs to come home as soon as possible.’” My mother was so kind, so patient and she loved us so much Adit, Khotimah’s son Both Sutiono and Adit told This Week in Asia that they were overwhelmed with sadness, and though their mother had been away for seven years, they remained a close-knit family. They want Khotimah to be remembered as someone who worked tirelessly for her children’s future and aspirations from afar. “She supported me in everything I wanted to do,” Adit said. “My mother was so kind, so patient, and she loved us so much.”

Indonesian mum who died in Hong Kong blaze sacrificed everything for children’s education

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Siti Khotimah was working to fund her children’s education when she died in the Tai Po fire. Her husband wants to see that wish fulfilled

Siti Khotimah was working to fund her children’s education when she died in the Tai Po fire. Her husband wants to see that wish fulfilled