House Asks Saudi Family to Save Indonesian Worker

November 11, 2011


The House of Representatives has sent a letter of apology and offered to pay compensation to save the life of an Indonesian woman, who is facing imminent beheading in Saudi Arabia.

Priyo Budi Santoso, deputy speaker of the House, known as the DPR, said on Friday that, “in the name of brotherhood between the two nations,” the House was appealing to the family of Suud Malhaq Al Utaibi, who was killed by Indonesian migrant worker Tuti Tursilawati.

“We are sure that God’s willing to approve,” Priyo added.

Tuti, from Majalengka, West Java, has been convicted of murdering her employer, Al Utibi, in May 2010. She claims Al Utibi attempted to rape her, so she struck him in the head with a piece of wood and fled with 31,500 riyal ($8,400) as well as her employer’s watch.

The execution is expected imminently and the family say they can no longer communicate with her.

Priyo said that if the family accepted the apology, the government would prepare the payment — often referred to as ‘blood money’ — though he did not specify how much they were willing to pay.

The government has previously paid Rp 4.6 billion ($534,000) to secure the release of Darsem binti Dawud Tawar.

Darsem, like Tuti, alleged that she killed her victim in self-defense because her employer had attempted to rape her.

Lawmaker Rieke Dyah Pitaloka, from the Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle (PDI-P), criticized the government’s slow response.

“The government should have actively protected its citizens, not only after the case appeared but preventive protection,” she said. “The government should increase the number of lawyers for migrant workers who are facing stiff cases. The budget could be taken from migrant worker insurance.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa has previously said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had already sent two letters to Saudi King Abdullah, asking him to cancel the planned execution.

The House also copied the letter and sent it to the king, Yudhoyono, the Indonesian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Arabia ambassador to Indonesia and the Migrant Worker Task Force.



(as read in the JG)