Lanka embassy official says no Kuwaiti ladies humiliated

KUWAIT CITY: A diplomat at the Sri Lankan embassy on Sunday refuted a report published in a certain Arabic newspaper, which alleged that she assaulted a Kuwaiti female sponsor when the latter visited the embassy to look for her runaway maid.The maid had sought refuge in the embassy over non-payment and maltreatment by her sponsor and the embassy is looking into the matter.Speaking to the Arab Times, G.P.M. Liyanarachi, the Counselor at the Sri Lankan embassy observed that the Kuwaiti lady arrived at the embassy with two other ladies in tow and requested to see her maid. The sponsor then asked her maid to return back to work. 'I requested the sponsor to settle the maid's unpaid wages but she (sponsor) said she had already paid all her dues and also denied maltreating her.'The Arabic newspaper had earlier reported that the Kuwaiti woman was humiliated and beaten by the counselor and employees of the Sri Lankan embassy.The 57-year-old counselor went on to explain that the Kuwaiti lady began yelling at the maid when she turned down her sponsor's request to accompany her to her house. 'I tried to make the Kuwaiti lady understand that it was in her best interest to resolve the matter by settling her dues and repatriating the maid as she did not wish to continue working for her.'The Kuwaiti lady then flew into rage and tried to grab her maid by her dress even as the latter took cover behind the counselor. This further infuriated the lady sponsor and she picked up some documents lying on my desk and put them in her bag and began walking towards the door, she added. 'I tried my best to stop her but she managed to leave the room. I immediately alerted an embassy officer, who followed her and politely requested her to hand back the documents but she refused and assaulted the officer,' explained Liyanarachi. Elaborating further, the counselor noted that the Kuwaiti lady then assaulted her and as a result the she fell to the ground and sustained minor injuries.What followed next was that the sponsor together with her colleague turned violent and attacked some officers at the embassy, and in the process threw around embassy equipment. The counselor was referred to the Mubarak Al-Kabeer hospital for treatment. The embassy reported the incident to the police who rushed to the scene and took all three women into custody. 'I wish to clarify that no one assaulted or humiliated these Kuwaiti ladies. As a diplomatic mission, our embassy always respects Kuwaiti nationals visiting the embassy. Our mission is to strengthen existing friendly and cordial relations with Kuwait.' She said the embassy has informed the Kuwait's Foreign Ministry about the incident. It was reported by the newspaper that the Kuwaiti woman had gone to the embassy looking for her maid who had allegedly run away from her home for reasons unknown to her. The newspaper also said that the Kuwaiti woman was about to leave the premises when a security guard pushed her and a large number of Sri Lankans, including visitors, beat her up. She later went to a police station and filed a complaint.However, senior officials at the embassy are reported to have lodged a counter complaint with the Jabriya Police Station accusing the Kuwaiti woman of stealing official documents, the newspaper added.

By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
Arab Times Staff