[ad_1]
DOHA: Female passengers on 10 planes leaving this city were forced to undergo invasive physical examinations, the Australian Foreign Minister said, as Qatari authorities lamented the distress caused to the women.
Qatar had already come under immense pressure after it was revealed that the women were removed from a Qatar Airways flight to Sydney and forced to undergo vaginal inspections in search of a newborn baby that had been abandoned at the airport. from Doha.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced on Wednesday that the number of planes attacked was much higher than previously thought. He told parliament that the women in “10 planes in total” had been the subject of searches, which he had previously described as “extremely disturbing” and “offensive.”
Payne said 18 women, including 13 Australians, were affected on the Oct. 2 flight to Sydney, along with “other foreign nationals.” Agence France-Presse understands that a French woman on the flight was among them.
He did not detail the destinations of the other flights, adding that he did not know if there were Australian women on those planes.
Frances Adamson, director of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said there was “anguish, loathing and deep questioning of how this could have happened.”
Officials said Australia was also working “very closely” with other countries to jointly raise concerns with Doha, but declined to name those countries, citing privacy concerns from women on the Sydney-bound flight.
“There is a very strong and related opinion on this – other affected countries absolutely share Australia’s views and the strength of Australia’s views,” Adamson said at the Senate hearing.
Faced with potentially devastating reputational and business damage, the Qatari government issued a statement Wednesday to explain its version of events and promise to ensure the future “safety, security and comfort” of passengers.
“While the purpose of the urgently decided search was to prevent the perpetrators of the horrific crime from escaping, the State of Qatar regrets any distress or violation of the personal freedoms of any traveler caused by this action,” the statement read.
Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani had ordered an investigation and the results would be shared with international partners, he added.
However, the statement did not specifically detail that the women had been forcibly examined, only referring to a “search for the parents.” The statement said the newborn baby had been found abandoned in a trash can and was wrapped in a plastic bag.
Payne said he had not spoken directly to his Qatari counterpart and was “waiting to see the report” on the incident, which he expected to receive this week.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport called on Sunday for the child’s mother to come forward, saying the baby remains unidentified but is “safe under the professional care of medical and social workers.”
Qatar Airways is one of the few airlines that has maintained flights to Australia since the country closed its international border at the beginning of the pandemic and restricted the return of its own citizens. Experts believe that the airline could suffer damage to its business, regardless of whether or not it was involved in the incident.
It may also have invested Qatar’s efforts to improve its reputation before the Gulf state hosts the soccer world cup in 2022.
[ad_2]
