Ethiopian Suicides and Nasawiya try to shed light on Sri Lankan maid death

On March 19, 2010, the National News Agency reported the ‘suicide’ of a Sri Lankan maid in Jal El Dib by jumping from the window of Al Rabih employment office located at the fourth floor of Hafiz Abu Jaoude building

The death was presumed to be a suicide according to the National News Agency, from which the newspapers picked up the news.

On Saturday 20th, Ethiopian Suicides and Nasawiya attempted to shed more light on this case by going to the scene of the fall and ask a few questions. To our great surprise, just like in the previous cases, the neighboring shops did not know anything. It turned out that, first new piece of information, the fall happened at night, and that the ambulance and the police came early in the morning.

When we tried to ask questions to the owner of the employment office, Al Rabih, he and the Sri Lankan man who was in the office felt seriously uncomfortable and refused to comment.

We later paid a visit to the Antelias police station where we couldn’t get much info either.

Finally, our calls to the Sri Lankan embassy were answered by a Lebanese woman who went on the defensive to reassure us that the embassy is trying to do everything it can on this issue – BEFORE we asked her about anything. The minute we asked about the Sri Lankan woman who died last week she automatically said and reiterated that it was a suicide. “We are sure it was a suicide” she said. She took our number and told us that the consul will call back in two minutes. No one called us till date.

The main question we did not find an answer to, for the past few weeks of “attempting”: Was she alone when she ‘fell’ or ‘decided to jump’ from the balcony? We doubt that.

Below are some photos of the location, including the corridor leading to the room where she presumably jumped.