The news comes at a time when a high-powered delegation from Indonesia is holding talks with the officials of the Ministry of Labor here since Tuesday in an effort to work out a compromise formula to boost relations in the manpower sector and to defuse the crisis in the process.
This was disclosed by Tatang Budie Utama Razak, director for Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities in Indonesia, on Wednesday.
Razak, who arrived with the 12-member delegation from Jakarta to participate in the talks with Saudi officials, confirmed that Darsem Binti Dawud Tawar, 26, arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday morning and was received by her family members, friends and several Indonesian officials.
Darsem, from Subang, West Java, was convicted of murder by a Saudi court in 2009 and was sentenced to death for killing her employer, who allegedly attempted to rape her. The housemaid was granted pardon by the victim's family after the Indonesian government paid about SR2 million in blood money on June 25.
The victim’s family forgave Darsem on Jan. 7 this year, but required her to pay the blood money within six months. The Indonesian government, on behalf of Darsem, paid the blood money well before the July 7 deadline.
Razak thanked the Saudi and Indonesian officials, especially Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, for their efforts to solve the case.
In a press statement, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said “Thank God, Darsem has returned in good condition, and this is the result of our collective efforts on the Indonesian president’s instruction, but we still have a huge task ahead of us.”
Asked about the outcome of the meeting between Saudi and Indonesian officials after the crisis started following the execution of a housemaid in the holy city of Makkah, Razak said: “There is renewed interest on both sides to continue negotiations on issues affecting our relations in manpower sector.”
He pointed out that the ongoing talks had been organized within the framework of a joint working committee entrusted with the task of reviewing the situation.
The Saudi side in the talks was led by Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, deputy minister of labor.
The two sides, Razak said, had discussed the legal framework for the protection of female workers.
He also pointed out that the families of the victims had pardoned six other female workers facing death sentences in Saudi Arabia. The two sides are working to pave the way for the release of the six migrant workers, said Razak, adding that the Indonesian government has made arrangements for a 200-hour mandatory training session for every female worker willing to travel abroad for work.
Saudi Arabia is home to over 1 million Indonesian migrant workers. About 90 percent of them are domestic helps.
