Jeddah/Dammam: The number of work visas issued for Indonesian workers has not been affected by the alleged torture of the Indonesian maid, 23-year-old Sumiati BT Salan Mustapa, by her sponsor, according to Abdul Rahman Al-Khayat, the Kingdom's Ambassador to Indonesia. Al-Khayat said he had met the Indonesian Minister of Labor, who did not mention any plan to stop the recruitment of workers from his country. Saudi Arabia employs more Indonesian workers than any other country in the world. There are over one million Indonesian female and male workers in the Kingdom. “Consequently, a single odd incident can't be generalized and used as a rule. I don't think that this would make people forget about the good treatment Indonesian workers enjoy in the Kingdom. The Saudi public respects and appreciates all the foreign communities in the Kingdom, including the Indonesian community,” he added. He said statements from some Indonesian officials about the freezing of recruitment were just to ease the public pressure on the government. Al-Khayat had held a press conference where he addressed Indonesian journalists, saying the Saudi government will act harshly against anyone found abusing their workers. He told journalists that all the Indonesians in the Kingdom are respected and treated well, and that Mustapa was receiving intensive medical care. An official source at the Indonesian consulate in Jeddah said the Indonesian government wants to ensure the protection of all their workers. The source said the consulate has assigned an Indonesian person to look after her, and that Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Majed Bin Abdulaziz, Emir of Madina, is personally following up on the case. Hussein Al-Muttari, member of the recruitment committee at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce, said the Kingdom's embassy in Jakarta issues about 1,000 work visas daily for Indonesian maids, and also 700 exit visas daily.
