President Asked to Lobby Saudi King on Amnesty

Semarang, Central Java (Antara) - The Team of Amnesty Monitoring Volunteers has urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to lobby Saudi King Abdullah Al Saud into extending the deadline of amnesty for Indonesian over stayers in that country. The Team asked for an extension of three months from the deadline on Nov 3, 2013 for Indonesian workers overstaying their visas in that country. Thousands of Indonesians over stayers in Saudi Arabia are facing being thrown into the streets and became homeless drifter in Saudi Arabia, according to Ninik Andrianie, the Team initiator said earlier. A number of Indonesian workers had complained that their employers plan to dismiss them before Nov. 3, 2013, said Ninik via telephone on Monday. "Thousands of Indonesian housemaids may lose their jobs and become homeless," she said. A number of Indonesian workers overstaying in Saudi Arabia may lose their jobs as their employers would not risk being fined and punished by the Saudi government for employing illegal workers, she said. "Many Saudi employers already terminated contracts with their Indonesian workers overstaying their visa for fear of being punished by the Saudi government," she said. Since the launch of amnesty program by the Saudi government many Indonesian workers fell ill as they are physically not strong enough to go through the difficult process, she said. Some over stayers are already arrested by the Saudi authorities and serving jail term, she said. On Monday Ninik said the team has also asked the speaker of the House of Representatives Marzuki Ali, who was on a visit to Saudi Arabia to convey their request to the president to lobby King Abdullah Al Saud into extending the deadline. Meanwhile, law maker of the House Commission III Eva Kusuma Sundari said it is necessary to hire volunteers to help Indonesian over stayers renew their visas in that country. "This is an emergency . If necessary volunteers could be hired officially to take over the job that should be done by the Indonesian embassy in that country," Eva said here on Monday. (*)