Jakarta ( CNN ) -- Indonesia will impose a moratorium on sending workers to Saudi Arabia , effective August 1 , the country said late Wednesday . The move comes after the Gulf kingdom beheaded an Indonesian worker without first informing the Indonesian government . `` The government has decided to impose a moratorium on the placement of informal Indonesian migrant workers to Saudi Arabia effective August 1 , 2011 , until an Indonesian-Saudi memorandum of understanding on the protection of migrant workers is signed and a bilateral joint task force is established , '' the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration said on its website . Public furor erupted after the beheading on June 16 of Ruyati binti Satubi , a 54-year-old migrant worker . Ruyati was executed for killing her employer 's wife . Indonesia says it was in the process of seeking her clemency . Late Wednesday , Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene told CNN that Saudi Arabia had apologized for not informing Indonesia before the execution was carried out . Indonesia filed a diplomatic protest with Saudi Arabia and summoned its ambassador in Jakarta for clarification . It also recalled the Indonesian ambassador to Saudi Arabia . On Tuesday , authorities scrambled to save another Indonesian migrant worker from execution in Saudi Arabia . Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , it paid about $ 525,000 or Rp 4.7 billion , as compensation to the family of a Saudi man whom the migrant worker said she killed in self-defense . She said her employer tried to rape her . The family agreed to spare her life in exchange for the money , said Abdul Wahid Maktub , an adviser to the Indonesian ministry . Prior to the announcement of the moratorium . Migrant Care Executive Director Anisa Hidaya had said it would represent `` momentum for improvement '' and emphasize `` a firm stance on the part of Indonesia towards Saudi Arabia . '' Twenty-three other Indonesians are on death row in the Arab kingdom and an estimated 345 have been condemned in Malaysia . `` It is important that Indonesia is sending a strong message to Saudi Arabia , '' Human Rights Watch Senior Women 's Rights Researcher Nisha Varia told CNN . `` That it is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia to execute one of its nationals without informing them . '' However , Varia said the latest incident was not a surprise , given Saudi Arabia 's treatment of its foreign workers . It also highlights , she added , that Indonesia needs to better protect its citizens who seek employment abroad . Anger has been brewing in recent years over allegations of abuse of Indonesian workers by employers , particularly toward domestic helpers . Activists are demanding the Indonesian government review its policies and regulations in the recruitment and deployment of migrant workers . But the moratorium will not stop Indonesians from illegally entering these countries and might expose them to more risks , Varia said . Indonesia would benefit from working with other countries like the Philippines , whose government sends representatives abroad to demand better employment conditions for its workers . Of the 4.3 million documented Indonesians working overseas , some 1.2 million are in Saudi Arabia and another 1.2 million are in Malaysia . An estimated 3 million others are undocumented , according to the Indonesian Placement and Protection of Overseas Workers agency . Indonesia had already begun negotiations with Saudi Arabia on a Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU ) that would stipulate better protection and employment conditions for its workers , Maktub said . The moratorium may speed the signing of the agreement , which had been expected by the end of the year . `` There is a huge reformation internally and the demand for Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia is very high , '' Maktub said . Arrangements with other labor recipient countries will also be reviewed , he added . After a two-year suspension , Indonesia has just signed an MOU with Malaysia and resumed sending workers there . The impact of the moratorium on Indonesia and on the millions of Indonesians looking for better paying jobs overseas is unclear . According the World Bank , remittances from migrants to the country exceeded $ 7 billion last year .
Indonesia : The moratorium goes into effect August 1 . Yemen : Saudi Arabia has withdrawn . The Indonesian government says it should have been notified prior to the beheading . Migrant workers send $ 7 million back to Indonesia each year , the World Bank says .