Qatar 'regrets' compulsory examinations of female passengers after abandoned baby found at Doha airport

DOHA - Qatar said Wednesday it "regrets" the compulsory medical examinations of female passengers after an abandoned baby was found at Hamad International Airport in Doha.

Earlier this month, women onboard a Sydney-bound Qatar Airways flight, including 13 Australians, were forced to undergo medical examinations after a newborn was found in a trash can at the airport.

"This egregious and life-threatening violation of the law triggered an immediate search for the parents, including on flights in the vicinity of where the newborn was found," said a statement of Qatar's Government Communications Office.

"While the aim of the urgently-decided search was to prevent the perpetrators of the horrible crime from escaping, the State of Qatar regrets any distress or infringement on the personal freedoms of any traveler caused by this action," said the statement.

The Qatari government promises that the results of a "comprehensive, transparent investigation into the incident" will be shared with its international partners, according to the statement.

The Australian government has expressed its concern over the incident.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said "this is a grossly, grossly disturbing, offensive, concerning set of events. It is not something that I have ever heard of occurring in my life, in any context."

"We have made our concerns very clear to the Qatari authorities at this point, pending the arrival and availability of their report, and I want to be confident that they are very well aware of our views on the matter and I don't expect to see a recurrence," she said.