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SL maid rescued after 13 years

22 June 2011 03:06 pm - 20     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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A Sri Lankan housemaid was kept against her will by her Saudi sponsor and not paid since she came to the Kingdom in 1997, sources from the Jazan governorate said.

According to the sources, the authorities rescued 45-year-old Weerawardena Hettiarachchilage Indrani Mallika Hettiarachchi and arrested the sponsor on instructions from Jazan Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Nasser, who had been tipped off about the maid by a Saudi living in the neighborhood.

“It was the governor who took prompt action to rescue the maid from the clutches of the Saudi sponsor, who had kept her in captivity since she came to Jazan in 1997,” Deputy Jazan Gov. Abdullah Mohamed Al-Suwaid said.

The authorities had admitted her to the Social Affairs Protection Center in Jazan where she will stay until the sponsor pays her outstanding wages.

According to Al-Suwaid, the Saudi sponsor, who is currently in custody, had said that he cannot afford to pay the estimated SR60,000 in outstanding wages.

Hettiarachchi has two children back home — 20-year-old son Asanka Pradeep who is handicapped and 19-year-old daughter Dilrukshi who has just finished school.

The maid’s husband Sunil Premathilake told Arab News over the phone from the historical Sri Lankan city of Polannaruwa, 300 km from the capital of Colombo, that his family thought Hettiarachchi had died since there had been no news about her from the Kingdom.

“I am very happy to know that she is living and we want her back home as quickly as possible,” he said.

Sri Lankan Consul General in Jeddah Sabarullah Khan said that he sent a special team headed by the mission’s labor welfare officer Mohammed Meeran Jeffrey to Jazan to assist the maid. According to Jeffrey, Al-Suwaid had promised that authorities would make arrangements to pay some outstanding wages to the maid and she would be repatriated home within two months.

Al-Suwaid also said that he would claim as much as possible from the sponsor and top up the rest using state funds, Jeffrey added.

The diplomat thanked the National Society for Human Rights who were taking a special interest in Hettiarachchi’s case. (arabnews)


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  Comments - 20

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  • bernard Thursday, 23 June 2011 03:03 AM

    But our Maharaja needs the money to take plane loads of his supporters and stay in six star hotels.

    Mohamed Thursday, 23 June 2011 05:34 PM

    Well ya: The rest will go to our corrupted politician to settle this. I am sure the politician are better in money matter.

    athula Thursday, 23 June 2011 11:38 AM

    Cahnnel 4 should show these to the world how sri lankans are treated..

    Auditor Thursday, 23 June 2011 10:07 AM

    SR 60,000 for 13 years, worked out to SR 385 per month, which is LKR 11,538. Foreign mission should not settle anything less than SR 800 per month, which is the minimum salary.

    eresh S kumara Thursday, 23 June 2011 07:24 AM

    Stupid husband did not contact her or embassy or F.Bureau

    Bird Eye Thursday, 23 June 2011 07:24 AM

    Yeh may be after 100 years

    mike Thursday, 23 June 2011 04:00 AM

    spark may be best leader for you is prabakaran

    ajith Thursday, 23 June 2011 03:47 AM

    Can there be a UN resolution to ban ladies going to Saudi Arabia for jobs.

    SR Thursday, 23 June 2011 03:35 AM

    oh yes, typical man. just bcos he had not heard from her, he assumes that she is dead. if it was the woman, she would have gone roun d in circles trying to find out what had happened to the husband. may be that fool is married again...
    pl. do not go as housemaids to these dirty countries where u are only getting abused and torchured

    spark Thursday, 23 June 2011 03:06 AM

    But we do not have the same category of leaders in SL with honesty and principles that are found in Indonesia after the dictators such as Sukaron and Suharto were kicked out.

    Roy Wednesday, 22 June 2011 03:52 PM

    1. Great husband to just "assume she's dead" if there were no word from her. Did he even try contacting the sponsor? Typical Sri Lankan males.

    2. Why the hell does the writer need to disclose information on her children? It does nothing more than put her future at stake.

    3. It is ok to allow people to work abroad. But most Asians are hated in the Arab world. It is time to stop foreign employment in that region.

    Shyam Wednesday, 22 June 2011 05:12 PM

    Follow Indonesia where there will be no more sending housemaids to these abusers.

    IRS Wednesday, 22 June 2011 05:06 PM

    The whole responsibility should be shouldered by the consulate officials and SL government since these officials have not learned for the last 30 odd years the untold problems faced by the poor village folks. They continue to send them just fill their pockets and these laze government officials are typical government servants like our govt departments in SL. So do not cry over spill milk. Learn from past mistakes and try to put a period. Otherwise, you'll just blaming the Arabs who does care too hoots.

    Karu Wednesday, 22 June 2011 05:09 PM

    Will the Minister try to get milage on this.

    LIMA Wednesday, 22 June 2011 04:54 PM

    i have written many times to this paper , why we send them to the middle east , let these females suffer in SL which is better than go and serving the HUMAN BRUTE (animal in human form) , they take advantage and advance sexual agression to these innocent womans. LET those brutes live to serve themselves.

    gal banda Wednesday, 22 June 2011 04:51 PM

    Hmm, There are good people among bad. God allah will thank them. Maximum punishment should be given to the offender. 1,000 lashes.

    SL tamil Boy Wednesday, 22 June 2011 04:49 PM

    my dear sister i pray god siva for your welth come back and be happy with your loving family government of SL who enjoy our housmaid money send to sri lanka from midleast please please stop sending housemaid and help them to stand on there own...

    abdullah Wednesday, 22 June 2011 04:45 PM

    why there is no coments????? when saying about good of kingdom of saudi arabia .....

    sunny Wednesday, 22 June 2011 04:32 PM

    Where is human rights? Are we so desperate to bow down to oil power and inhumanity?

    saba Wednesday, 22 June 2011 04:07 PM

    well... first time in history...


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