The Ministry of Labor ban on recruitment of housemaids from the Philippines and Indonesia is still in force, a senior ministry official said Wednesday. The ban continues for the same reason for which it was initially imposed, Hattab Bin Saleh Al-Anzi, spokesman of the ministry, said. Al-Anzi denied recent media reports that recruitment from the two countries would start from Sept. 12. Any further decision on the issue, Al-Anzi stressed, will be officially announced by the Ministry of Labor. Media reports quoting sources in Jakarta said earlier this week that the recruitment of maids from Indonesia was expected to start soon after Eid holidays. The reports said Indonesian officials were working to resume recruitment of workers from the Asian nation and eliminate the conditions set by the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh for employing domestic workers. The conditions include requirements that anyone who employs an Indonesian housemaid must provide pictures of all family members, a recognized certificate of good conduct, a certificate proving that the employer has no criminal record and a map showing the location of the residence. The Ministry of Labor has said it considers these conditions to be intrusions into citizens' privacy. __
