From VIVAnews

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono eventually spoke about the death execution of Indonesian migrant worker from Bekasi, Ruyati binti Satubi. Accompanied by some ministers, President Yudhoyono held a press conference at the Presidential Palace this morning.

“I’m also in mourning. I’m concerned over the issue and deliver a protest to Saudi Arabia,” said Yudhoyono at the president’s office, Thursday, June 23, 2011.

Three of his ministers, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar and Manpower and Transmigration State Minister Muhaimin Iskandar gave explanations. According to Yudhoyono, the three ministers are related to the matter of Indonesian citizen’s protection and vindication.

The Indonesian government, said Yudhoyono, protests against Ruyati’s death execution because it in fact violates international norm. Moreover, the Indonesian government was not informed about the execution.

In the press conference, President Yudhoyono also responded to the rebuke against the government, deemed failed to protect its citizen abroad. According to Yudhoyono, the rebuke was unnecessary if the problem was clear.

“Thus I believe I need to give a clear explanation to Indonesian people about the what, why and how,” Yudhoyono went on.

Ministers’ Explanation

Then Yudhoyono gave the respective ministers time to give explanations. Foreign Affairs Minister Natalegawa emphasized that the government had worked hard to save Ruyati. He also stressed that Indonesia was not the only country not being informed when its citizen was executed in Saudi Arabia.

Natalegawa said that even the Philippines, which has the image of able to protect its workers in Saudi Arabia, was once ignorant of a death execution of its citizen. In 1999, he said, the Philippines’ government found out about the execution of a citizen in Saudi Arabia two weeks after.

In the mean time, Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said that the government has been successful to have leniency from death sentence for its workers.

In the same occasion, Manpower and Transmigration State Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said that the government had already scrutinized Indonesian migrant worker issue. The government decided to have a moratorium on sending Indonesian workers to Saudi Arabia until some requirements are agreed upon.

Some of the requirements are the chance to communicate with relatives and salary of minimum 11,000 Riyal.

Last Tuesday, the House of Representatives held a plenary session to discuss the issue of migrant worker. The session was due to the death execution of Ruyati. All factions agreed to urge the government to do moratorium on sending Indonesian migrant workers abroad.

The moratorium, as the session concluded, is effective until the government has improved migrant worker recruitment system, which has been considered as one of the causes of Indonesian migrant worker problems.