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Government Sends Diplomatic Note to Riyadh
Tuesday, 19 July, 2005 | 01:07 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian government sent a diplomatic note to the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry last week to question the reason for detaining Nurmiati binti Sanapiah, an Indonesian worker from Sumbawa who was tortured by her employer until she was paralyzed at the beginning of this year.

“Nurmiati is the victim, so why was she imprisoned?” I Made Arka, Director General for the Empowerment and Placement of Foreign Workers at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, asked Tempo on Sunday (17/07).

The case regarding the torture of Nurmiati by her employer, Nahi Fadh al-Dousri, has been in the public’s eye in Saudi Arabia since March this year.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah even ordered that the victim be treated at the King Fahd Special Hospital until she recovered.

However, the Saudi Arabian government has imprisoned Nurmiati, who is now paralyzed, rather than her employer, who is still free.

Arka explained that Minister of Empowerment and Transmigration Fahmi Idris has ordered that a legal defense be prepared for Nurmiati.

“The Indonesian government is to hire several lawyers to release Nurmiati,” said Arka, adding he was convinced that Nurmiati would win the case.

He made this statement because several cases similar to Nurmiati’s were won by the Indonesian workers involved.

In addition, Arka said that the Saudi Arabian Minister of Manpower has ordered employers to settle cases concerning Indonesian workers directly with him.

“If the cases are not settled, employers are not allowed to employ Indonesian workers,” he said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yuri Oktavian Thamrin said that as well as sending the diplomatic note, the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has made approaches to the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, to the hospital where Nurmiati was treated and to the prison.

Thamrin also said that the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta would also summon the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia. (ISTIQOMATUL HAYATI-Tempo News Room)