Another Problem

July 23, 2007 (LBO) – The sudden recall of Sri Lanka's envoy in Saudi Arabia may affect the case of a teenager on death row, a rights body which championed her cause said Monday in an open letter to President Mahinda Rajapkse. AHRC said it hoped the case of Rizana Nafeek may serve as a wake-up call to awaken authorities and persons concerned with the welfare of migrant workers to find ways to provide effective services to persons who may face problems in the future. It also urged the government to sign a treaty that will allow better legal protection for migrant workers in that country.

The Asian Human Rights Commission referred to a report on The Sunday Times newspaper which said Sri Lanka's ambassador in Riyadh had been recalled over his failure to get official appointments for a visiting Sri Lankan deputy minister.

The minister wanted to meet Saudi officials and the parents of a baby who died while being bottled fed by Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan housemaid who was said to be 17 years old at the time.

He was accompanied by the condemned teen's parents. Earlier the Saudi embassy also delayed visa's for the delegation citing the lack of appointments.

"It is not our intention to comment on the internal matt