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The Malaysian government has vowed to speed up the trial of a suspect in the death of Muntik binti Bani, 39, an Indonesian migrant worker who died after allegedly suffering abuse by her employer, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said on Sunday.

Widyarka Ryananta, head of the embassy’s information, social and cultural affairs section, said the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry had appointed a senior official specifically to prioritize the investigation and trial.

“On Nov. 3, the case will be brought to the Shah Alam High Court after the lower court recommended at the first trial last Friday that the case be tried in the high court,” he said.

Widyarka said the case against Muntik’s male employer, who has been identified as Murugan, was strong and he would face the death penalty for first-degree murder.

“Since the chronology was revealed, and Murugan has been declared a suspect by police, now the Malaysian team is working on proceeding to trial much faster,” he said. “Usually, cases involving migrant workers take a long time to be processed.”

Muntik, a migrant worker from Jember, East Java, died at Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang, near the capital in the western state of Selangor, on Oct. 26.

Muntik was found in the bathroom of her employer’s home when police raided it on Oct. 20 after a tip-off from a neighbor. Her back was broken as well as her right wrist, and there were severe bruising on her face.

Iskandar Maula, director of overseas workers at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, said Muntik had been locked in a bathroom for two days without food or water. He also said that she had been beaten with metal bar.

Iskandar officiated the repatriation of Muntik’s body to Surabaya on Saturday before it was transported to her family in Jember for burial.

Widyarka said the Malaysian authorities were taking Muntik’s case seriously and had committed to resolving the case as soon as possible.

He said that Indonesian representatives in Malaysia had also prepared lawyers to monitor the trial. The embassy was also trying to get Muntik’s employers to pay compensation, he said.

Iskandar said that there have been some companies, including insurance firms and migration agents in Indonesia, that were offering to assist in the legal process. He said that the Manpower Ministry would ensure the case was resolved according to the law, and that the employer was punished fairly.

Wahyu Susilo, a public policy analyst at advocacy group Migrant Care, said Muntik’s case should not be viewed in isolation and that her case should be used by the government as a catalyst to ensure proper protection for all Indonesian migrant workers abroad.

“I hear that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will be visiting Malaysia in the middle of November,” he said.

“Migrant Care will see what is discussed and how the government stands up for its migrant workers in Malaysia.”