Indonesia maid 'killed in Saudi Arabia'

[gubbi]

Indonesia maid 'killed in Saudi Arabia'

Indonesia has demanded an inquiry into reports that a maid working in Saudi Arabia was killed by her employers and her body dumped on a roadside.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said a team had been sent to the Saudi town of Abha to investigate reports of the murder of 36-year-old Kikim Komalasari.

It comes as officials arrived in Saudi Arabia to follow up claims of torture against a second Indonesian maid.

Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa is recovering in hospital in Medina.

Her injuries include gashes to her face and cuts to her lips, allegedly inflicted by her employers using scissors. She was also burned with an iron and suffered internal injuries, officials say.

Indonesia's president has demanded justice for the "extraordinary torture".

Indonesian media reported on Thursday that the Saudi Arabian government had arrested the female employer of Sumiati, and apologised for the maid's treatment.

'Beyond inhumane'
Reports of the murder of a second maid came on Friday.

Indonesia's labour minister Muhaimin Iskandar said Ms Komalasari's neck had been slashed and she had severe cuts to the rest of her body.

Indonesia's president described it as "beyond inhumane".

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene told the BBC that the Saudi envoy had denounced the crime and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.

An Indonesian official said he had been told that Ms Komalasari's employers had been arrested.

Earlier Indonesia's cabinet met to discuss the need for greater protection of the country's migrant workers in the Middle East. There are estimated to be about one million.

Rights organisations say many foreign domestic maids in Saudi Arabia work in harsh circumstances and often suffer abuse from their employers.

Mr Tene said Indonesia was pushing for a memorandum of understanding through diplomacy, but said he was aware that Saudi Arabia does not have such a deal with any other country.

The Saudi Labour Ministry has in the past acknowledged some problems with the treatment of domestic staff, but the government also says foreign workers' rights are protected under Islamic law.

Analysis

Emily Buchanan
BBC world affairs correspondent
Several countries across the Middle East and Asia host millions of migrant domestic workers, ranging from 196,000 in Singapore to approximately 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia.

Whether or not they are well treated is a matter of luck rather than legislation.

Employers have huge control over them and the workers have few rights. Most have their passports taken away.

It is hard to document their treatment as they are "hidden" in people's homes, but abuse is systemic, according to Human Rights Watch.

Traditionally, the Philippines has been a stronger advocate for its workers than the other "sender" countries, but the protest by the Indonesian president is unusually high-level - especially as it occurred during the Muslim Eid celebrations.

There has been growing tension between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia over rising fees charged by private Indonesian recruiting agencies. Saudi Arabia was even considering banning Indonesian domestic workers.

WTF's wrong with the Saudis? This is not the first case.

 

[Vimana1]

This is nothing yar just google the case of the Saudi gay prince who killed his gay servent in London hotel and was caught.

 

[StingRoy]

That is an unfortunate reality for most migrant low wage workers in Saudi. These incidents keep on cropping up every now and then.

 

[BATMAN]

That is an unfortunate reality for most migrant low wage workers in Saudi. These incidents keep on cropping up every now and then.

this is cheap attempt to ward off other nationalities while pushing Indian labor instead.

Any one can die at any moment of his life even when he is travel and in SaudiArabia these people live their lives hence chances of them getting died in Saudi Arabia is more than their home towns.

Yes livign conditions are much better in Saudi therefore the death rates of foreigners is dramtically low, as compare to their respective states.

it seems union of evil states is cooking some thing against Saudi Arabia.

 

[below_freezing]

this is cheap attempt to ward off other nationalities while pushing Indian labor instead.

Any one can die at any moment of his life even when he is travel and in SaudiArabia these people live their lives hence chances of them getting died in Saudi Arabia is more than their home towns.

Yes livign conditions are much better in Saudi therefore the death rates of foreigners is dramtically low, as compare to their respective states.

it seems union of evil states is cooking some thing against Saudi Arabia.

nah i'm pretty sure that saudi arabia is a feudal monarchy. mecca and medina did fine under ottoman and persian rule, why can't it go back? the saudis are just being propped up by uncle sam and petrodollars, without oil they'll just be back to the stone age where they belong. turks and iranians have significant experience in managment of low IQ tribals and without the interference of the west, Ottoman Empire would've never collapsed and let the saudis rise.

i'm not a fan of indonesia but torture of migrant workers is a serious problem especially in the middle east.

 

[BATMAN]

nah i'm pretty sure that saudi arabia is a feudal monarchy. mecca and medina did fine under ottoman and persian rule, why can't it go back? the saudis are just being propped up by uncle sam and petrodollars, without oil they'll just be back to the stone age where they belong. turks and iranians have significant experience in managment of low IQ tribals and without the interference of the west, Ottoman Empire would've never collapsed and let the saudis rise.

i'm not a fan of indonesia but torture of migrant workers is a serious problem especially in the middle east.

I have been there and faced no such problems.

You can ask any Indian working in Saudi, if he have better living conditions in Saudi Arabia or back in Indian.

problems can occur in any society... unfortunately house servant are subject to bad treatment in most of the world.

Saudi petrol belongs to Saudi in the same way, as petrol in Nigeria belongs to Nigerians and diamonds to Liberians and Uranium of Afghanistan to Afghanis.

 

[below_freezing]

the thing is, it is not other countries on the news for torture of migrant workers and saudi arabia is not nearly important enough for reports about anything related to it other than oil.

 

[StingRoy]

this is cheap attempt to ward off other nationalities while pushing Indian labor instead.

Any one can die at any moment of his life even when he is travel and in SaudiArabia these people live their lives hence chances of them getting died in Saudi Arabia is more than their home towns.

You sound pretty ridiculous in your argument bringing in Indians. Where in my statement did I champion for Indians? I am against cheap exploitative labor in the gulf... irrespective of nationalities and religious attachments.
It is not the question of dying while traveling, read the content of the news... I quote:

Her injuries include gashes to her face and cuts to her lips, allegedly inflicted by her employers using scissors. She was also burned with an iron and suffered internal injuries, officials say.

 

[Karachiite]

Some of these Saudis have forgotten their aukat. They consider everyone from south and south east asia to be dirty and outcasts. Just a few months ago some Saudi abused his Sri Lankan maid by jamming his nails inside her body.
Without oil and labourers breaking their backs these Saudis are worst off than Africa.

 

[StingRoy]

Some of these Saudis have forgotten their aukat. They consider everyone from south and south east asia to be dirty and outcasts. Just a few months ago some Saudi abused his Sri Lankan maid by jamming his nails inside her body.

Well put! They need to be taught dignity of labor and human life.

 

[Jackdaws]

A few weekends ago I had a major fight with a Saudi tourist in Bombay. I was at a buffet at a 5 star and was slightly drunk when this big fat robed Saudi dude who was accompanied by 3 women who collectively weighed a ton tried to cut the queue at the buffet. I flicked my thumb to indicate to him to get in queue when to my utter shock the buffoon shoved me with both his hands and started shouting. I socked him on his face - and slapped him as well and the hotel security came to solve the issue and were initially siding with the Arab who couldn't believe I had just punched him on his face. I threatened to call the cops - what a fun night. So the hotel apologized and they made the Saudi fatso apologize too who clearly didn't mean it. I wish I had taken a video.

 

[5.8x42mm]

Some of these Saudis have forgotten their aukat. They consider everyone from south and south east asia to be dirty and outcasts. Just a few months ago some Saudi abused his Sri Lankan maid by jamming his nails inside her body.
Without oil and labourers breaking their backs these Saudis are worst off than Africa.

You are correct. I don't understand why people go there.

Di ru-ba du, nga na-ghi-du.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

I wonder how these people and countries send there women to other countries to work and face abuse>???????

They should discourage this thing............ as well as we shouldnt sterio type all saudis.... i met some saudis in Arty school,Nowshehra,NWFP..... and they seemed to be great people.

And saudi govt should take some solid steps to protect such people.

 

[Vimana1]

I wonder how these people and countries send there women to other countries to work and face abuse>???????

They should discourage this thing............ as well as we shouldnt sterio type all saudis.... i met some saudis in Arty school,Nowshehra,NWFP..... and they seemed to be great people.

And saudi govt should take some solid steps to protect such people.

Poverty my friend and the dream of a better life no1 likes to leave their homeland but sometimes one does not have a choice why else you have millions of Pakistanis and Indians in UAE who send paisa to family back home?

 

[SubMachine]

Saudi Arabia is the only nation on earth to be named after a family. The family which are traitors and who sided with the enemies of Islam and joined forces to fight against their fellow Muslims.
This is nothing new and these types of inhumane acts are the
norm in Arab lands. They are sitting back in luxury while their fellow Arabs and Muslims, the Palestinians are being butchered, they aren't going to care about anyone else.
The sooner this dictatorship falls or the oil runs out, the better for the planet.