Indonesia recalls envoy to Saudi over execution

Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in protest over the execution of an Indonesian migrant worker convicted of murdering her employer, an Indonesian embassy official in Riyadh said.

He said that Saudi Arabia had beheaded Ruyati binti Satubi, a 54-year-old female Indonesian migrant worker, on June 18.

The embassy had not been advised beforehand that the execution was to take place, the official said.

"The Indonesian ambassador will return to Indonesia today because the government is really upset with the beheading and sees it as an unfair decision," the official told Reuters.

"He might return at some point but we are still not sure. We just want the Saudi government to hold talks with us before they take a decision to execute a national," he added.

In Jakarta, a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono confirmed the ambassador's recall "for consultations" and said Indonesia had summoned the Saudi envoy to express its "disappointment and deep regret" over the execution.

"We respect their legal system, but in this case, we feel they have failed to fulfil the Geneva convention on how to interact among countries," Teuku Faizasyah, the presidential spokesman for international affairs told Reuters.

"(The Saudi government) are being disrespectful of convention, they should have informed the embassy on any occurrence involving our nationals, especially in such cases where they are planning to execute our nationals," he said.

People convicted in Saudi Arabia of murder, rape, drug smuggling and, increasingly, armed robbery often are executed by public beheadings.

The execution has left Yudhoyono's government on the defensive as critics said there was not enough protection for Indonesian workers overseas.

About 50 people rallied with placards outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday demanding cutting off diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is Inhumane" one placard said.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said there are 216 Indonesians overseas facing execution, including 23 in Saudi Arabia.

There are about 1.2 million Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and 2.2 million workers in Malaysia -- two of the top country destination for the Southeast Asian country.

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