June 23, 2011
JAKARTA (AFP) - 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," 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 Southeast 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.
Yudhoyono said Jakarta was considering applying a similar ban to other Gulf states where human rights activists say migrant workers also face abuse and exploitation.
