The Manpower Ministry said in the letter, a copy of which was sent to AFP Friday, that all foreign workers including maids were governed and protected under local rules and regulations.

"From time to time, foreign embassies in Singapore have sought to impose their own specific employment conditions, including arbitrarily setting minimum wages, on their nationals seeking employment in Singapore," the letter said.

"Foreign governments and their diplomatic embassies cannot impose their laws and regulations on Singapore employers and employment agencies," it added.

The Indonesian embassy last month sent a letter to all maid agencies calling on them to lift the salaries of Indonesian maids from S$230 (US$140) to $280 to reflect the better quality of maids the Singapore government is trying to attract.

The Singapore government announced in September that from next year all new foreign maids must be at least 23 years old, up from the minimum age of 18, and that they must have at least eight years of formal schooling.

Unlike in Hong Kong and other places in Asia, the government in Singapore does not impose a minimum wage, preferring instead that the salary scale be set by "market demand and supply."

About 150,000 foreign women work in Singapore as domestic helpers, with most coming from Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India.

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