A1SaudiArabia.com

DAMMAM – Private recruitment offices in the Eastern Province have increased the waiting time for Indonesian housemaids from seven weeks to three months.

Adib Abdul Jabar, formerly of the regional Chamber of Commerces Recruitment Committee said that offices in the Eatsern Province had put new measure into effect.

According to Jabar, the move follows new procedures introduced by the Indonesian government such as a one-month training course for all maids coming to the Kingdom and new passport procedures.

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JEDDAH – Muhammad found himself in a difficult situation after he divorced his wife and married the woman who was working as his housemaid.

A month after his marriage, his new wife left him. In addition, the wife he divorced and his children and relatives wanted nothing to do with him. He was left alone, nursing a guilty conscience.

This is but one example of a growing reality in society. Marriage officials can bear testimony to these marriages taking place.

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RIYADH: Princess Hussa Al-Shoalan, the wife of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, told reporters that the king once told her to thank their housemaid on his behalf as he had forgotten to thank her after she served him coffee.

The princess said the king told her she would only understand the importance of expressing thanks when she is able to read the maid’s mind. “The word thanks means a lot,” she quoted the king saying. “I sometimes forget to tell thanks. Inspired by the king’s kindness and humanitarian qualities, I have now made it a point to say thanks to my housemaid,” Al-Madinah Arabic daily quoted the princess as saying.

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MAKKAH: The son of a woman murdered by her maid in Makkah has denied reports the killer was treated badly.

He claimed in a report published in Al-Madinah newspaper that his mother and sister had looked after her well. He added that after the murder, they found a foul-smelling bag in the maids room containing his sisters clothes.

He also found small pieces of paper containing strange writings in it. He asked a local sheikh to see the bag, who confirmed that it was a form of black magic.

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RIYADH: Fatima is 70 years old and the widow of an ex-military officer who passed away three years ago.

She lives alone at home, and although she says she is in good health considering her age, she still needs care.

“ I receive SR 3,400 a month, which is my late husband’s pension. I am expected to use it to pay my bills, the maid (SR1,500), my driver (SR1,700) as well as for essential modifications around the house that I need due to my age. You do the math and tell me how I can survive.”

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JEDDAH: Nine days after her arrival to Qatif, Eastern Province, to work as a housemaid, the 21-year-old Indonesian woman identified as Leni says she was abducted and gang-raped by eight masked men.

Police are searching for suspects after the maid was kicked out of a vehicle in front of a hospital. They took me in a car to an unknown place, she told Al-Yaum Arabic daily in a report published on Friday.

She said two men grabbed her and three other men were in the vehicle that had windows tinted. Leni says the men took her to a place about 10 minutes from the home where she works. She was forced into a building where she encountered three other men.

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ABHA – Authorities in Asir are investigating a married couple suspected of torturing their Indonesian maid to death.

The victim was working at the couples home in north Abha where she was reportedly subjected to burns which were left untreated and became infected, leading to her death on Monday.

Police detained the couple, who have five children, while the wife is currently in hospital after fainting during interrogations.

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ASIR – The Haia in Mahayil Asir detained on Sunday a housemaid of Asian nationality who fled from her sponsor 10 years ago. A Haia report said the lady ran away from Jeddah to Jizan where she stayed with a group of persons of the same nationality, before attempting with their help to return to Jeddah. The woman was spotted by a member of the Haia at a bus station in Mahayil Asir who questioned her after having his suspicions raised. – Okaz/SG

HAIL – A 35-year-old Asian housemaid was taken to hospital in Hail on Saturday in order to extract from her stomach swallowed “evidence” that she intended to “practice magic” on her employer. The master of the household reportedly found the lady in possession of “magic talismans” and upon the discovery she immediately swallowed the items to prevent them being used as evidence against her. The Commission for Prosecution and Investigation was called in and the woman was taken to Hail General Hospital. Police are still awaiting a hospital report on its findings. – Okaz/SG

JEDDAH – A private driver has confessed to helping a Filipina maid steal a diamond and expensive watches from their employer in the Al-Faisaliya district of Jeddah after he was detained by police on Wednesday. Police are still trying to locate the housemaid.

According to the report made by a Saudi woman, the maid stole the jewelry while everyone in the household was at work and then sought the drivers help in fleeing the house. The driver told investigators that he had no knowledge of her whereabouts and that he had been “tricked into helping her escape”. – Okaz/SG