Sydney, Oct. 28, (dpa/GNA) – Female passengers on 10 planes were subjected to invasive internal examinations in early October after a premature baby was found abandoned in a bathroom at Qatar’s Doha airport, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) said Wednesday.
Initial reports referenced an incident on a flight bound for Sydney, in which women were taken off the plane and forced to remove their underwear, before being subjected to an invasive internal examination in an ambulance on the tarmac.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday that women on 10 flights were forced to undergo the examinations at Hamad International Airport on October 2.
In initial questioning, Payne said 18 Australians were among those subjected to the searches, but later confirmed it was 13 Australians and five women of other nationalities.
Australia has demanded Qatar submit a report about the incident and has referred the issue to Australian Federal Police.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Qatari government said it regretted any “distress or infringement on the personal freedoms of any traveler caused by this action.”
The statement provided further details surrounding the incident that led to the airport searches, saying that “a newborn infant was found in a trash can, concealed in a plastic bag and buried under garbage.”
It added that it was the first incident of an infant being discovered in such a condition at the airport and that the “egregious and life-threatening violation of the law triggered an immediate search for the parents.”
“The baby girl was rescued from what appeared to be a shocking and appalling attempt to kill her. The infant is now safe under medical care in Doha,” the statement said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the incident appalling and unacceptable.
He told reporters on Wednesday that as a father of daughters he could “only shudder at the thought that anyone would, Australian or otherwise, would be subjected to that.”
“We expect to see the result of the investigation very soon – that has been assured to us by the Qatari government,” Morrison said.
In a statement on Monday, when the incident came to light, DFAT described the treatment of the women as “offensive, grossly inappropriate, and beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent.”
“The government has formally registered our serious concerns about this incident with Qatari authorities. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is engaged on this matter through diplomatic channels,” a government spokesperson said.
Qatar has said a “comprehensive, transparent investigation” will be conducted and that “the results of the investigation will be shared with our international partners.”
Meanwhile, the New South Wales branch of the Transport Workers’ Union on Thursday will vote on a boycott of the government-owned Qatar Airways.
Union boss Richard Olsen told national broadcaster ABC if the motion passes its members would refuse to service the airline’s planes when they land in Sydney as early as next week.
“We are absolutely horrified,” Olsen said.
“This is nothing short of a catastrophe in the making for the airline industry.”
GNA