The Straits Times
written by AFP staff
Thursday June 23, 2011
JAKARTA - INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday condemned the beheading of an Indonesian maid in Saudi Arabia and accused Riyadh of breaking the 'norms and manners' of international relations.
In unusually strident terms, the leader of the world's most populous Muslim-majority country said he had lodged a 'strong protest' with the Saudi government over Saturday's execution of the Indonesian citizen for murder.
His comments signal Indonesia's growing anger over the treatment of its manual labourers in the Gulf countries, after a spate of cases of abuse and killings.
'This week we were shocked by the execution of Ruyati binti Sapubi. Like all Indonesians, I also express sorrow over the disaster,' Mr Yudhoyono told a nationally televised press conference.
'I also express my strong protest to the Saudi government, which by carrying out the death sentence broke the norms and manners of international relations.' Indonesia is angry that the oil-rich kingdom failed to inform Jakarta that 54-year-old Sapubi, who had been convicted of killing her Saudi employer, was about to be executed by sword.
The South-east Asian country of 240 million people has recalled its ambassador for 'consultations' and announced a moratorium on sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of thousands of Indonesians toil as maids and labourers.
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The Straits Times
written by Reuters staff
Thursday June 23, 2011
JAKARTA - INDONESIA, which has come under fire from abroad for its use of the death sentence, has decided to bar its citizens from Saudi Arabia to work after an Indonesian maid was beheaded for murdering her Saudi employer.
The beheading has also renewed complaints against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government over the lack of protection for its citizens working overseas, mostly as maids and construction workers.
'I decided to apply a moratorium on sending Indonesian workers to Saudi Arabia, to be in effect on August 1, but starting from today, steps toward this have begun,' Yudhoyono said on Thursday on a live TV broadcast. The moratorium will apply 'until Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can come to an agreement to give rights necessary for Indonesian workers', he added.
There are about 1.2 million Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, most of them working as maids, who are a valuable source of foreign exchange reserves and help reduce unemployment in South-east Asia's top economy.
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Indonesia cannot interfere in other country's legal process, as it has also refused interference from other countries such as Australia whose citizens face the death sentence in Indonesia.
The beheading has prompted calls from Indonesian rights activists for the scrapping of the death penalty. Indonesia carries out executions by firing squad. Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia this week in protest over Saturday's execution of the 54-year-old maid, saying it had also not been given prior notice.
3 comments:
Real life experience....
It's unfortunate that Indonesia's largest export is "Women". Although if it were not for these brave women taking the "Known" risks to send back minuscule amounts money to their families, the economic state of Indonesia would (and is going to be) much worse than it already is.
Saudi has not cornered the market here by any means, Indonesian women (and girls) are shipped all over the world like cattle. What sickens me is the way that these women and girls are treated on a daily basis.
My wife is an Indonesian National. She had to escape from Singapore in the middle of the night on a freight ship. This is because her agency couldn't care less about her or any of the other helpers slavery conditions. In a nutshell her day consisted of the following. She was awakened at 4am with a swift kick to the back or stomach as she laid on the floor. She was then allowed to eat one slice of dry bread for breakfast before being whisked off to the employers printing press company to put in a 12 hour shift. But before arriving at the printing company to start work, the family, including my wife would stop off at a restaurant to have breakfast. This is where my wife had to just sit there and watch them eat. She was not even offered anything to drink, EVER.
After she had put in her 12 hour shift with her full tummy which consisted of that one slice of bread, and whatever drinks she could steal in the storeroom at work. The family would again stop at a restaurant to have dinner. My wife was given two Singaporean dollars, and was told to get what she can with the money. The only thing that she could get on the menu was "Chicken rice". This couldn't fill a 10 year old's belly.
Upon her arrival "HOME" she was immediately put to back to work. After all someone had to clean the house spic and span. The cleaning went on until 1 am. Just in time for a good 3 to 4 hour sleep before the inevitable "Wake up kick" to the ribs. This BTW occurred 6 days a week.
It's a fact that the people of Singapore and Hong Kong (My wife worked in HK as well as Singapore) are terrible people. They honestly believe that they are above the Indonesian people. They will not even allow the helpers to posses a cell phone to speak with their families. Almost all of the employers that my has worked for, or any of her Indonesian friends that shared the same slave like conditions, share the same traits. Find work for the helper. Whether something needs to be done or not, if the helper is idle for 1 minute, in the employers evil eyes, that is far too long.
But ... according to my wife, working in HK or Singapore are dream jobs compared to working for the ignorant self-righteous Saudi's. She knows of helpers there who got raped, physically and mentally abused on a daily basis. The lucky ones escaped!
Most people could only imagine "At best" what it would be like living under these types of conditions in this day and age. Yet every minute of everyday these brave women live it.
In closing, I can only pray for the next batch International women, wherever they may come from, who end up on the pig infested shores or deserts of Saudi Arabia. I also feel that Indonesia needs to cut some of the red tape and allow "Bule" or foreigners (men that is....) to establish businesses there more freely. I know that Indonesia does not want to sell out. But, Taxing foreign businesses which employ Indonesian nationals may not be such bad idea.
Thank you.
WOW! Thank you so much Tom for sharing your wife's personal story and what women from that part of the world have to endure.
I was deeply touched. I hope you don't mind, but I would like to share what you wrote on a separate post this week so that my readers can also become enlightened about this horrible slavery that still exists. I'm glad that your wife managed to escape that life and is now with you. I would have done the same thing. Even if it meant swimming across the ocean toward freedom.
I'm giving you and your wife a great big long distant hug! :) Much love to you both! ♥
Hi Princess Mononoke,
Thanks so much for you kind words. My wife and I both feel that we would have absolutely no problem with you using my original post.
Providing your readers, or anyone else for that matter with an eye opener is our pleasure. I "myself" still find this story unbelievable. So I can only imagine how the unaware person may feel upon discovering that this sort of situation still exists.
Anyhow, thanks again.
Take Care
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