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HONG KONG - AN INDONESIAN maid has appeared in a Hong Kong court accused of adding menstrual blood to her employer's food in an effort to improve their stormy relationship, a report said on Thursday.
Indra Ningsih, aged 26, mixed the blood in a pot of vegetables in the belief that the recipe would help smooth over her difficult work environment, The Standard newspaper reported.
In some South-East Asian cultures, menstrual blood is thought to have special powers, the paper added.
The maid has been charged with one count of 'administering poison or other destructive or noxious substances with intent to injure,' and has not yet entered a plea.
The report cited a prosecution statement that said Ningsih's ingredient had been discovered after her female employer, surnamed Mok, peered through the kitchen door and saw the helper acting suspiciously.
She entered the kitchen and found the accused throwing something into the rubbish bin. When she checked the pot, she found blood clot-like substances mixed with the vegetables and water, the English-language daily said.
Ms Mok later discovered a used sanitary napkin in the bin and called the police, according to the paper.
Ningsih told police Ms Mok had been unhappy with her performance since being hired last July.
The helper was remanded in custody until the next hearing on May 13.
Hong Kong has around 200,000 domestic workers, the vast majority from the Philippines and Indonesia.
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