ONE WOMAN DIES IN SAUDI RESIDENCY PROTEST IN INDONESIAN CONSULATE
Jeddah, 1 Sya’ban 1434/11 June 2013 (MINA) – One woman was reportedly killed and part of the Indonesian consulate in Saudi Arabia set on fire during a riot by a group of 8,000 workers who had been waiting hours to confirm their residency status.
The crowd of Indonesians gathered outside the consulate in Jeddah on Sunday, trying to sort out their papers in the face of a July crackdown by Saudi authorities on illegal immigrants.
“Some of them lit a fire near the walls of the consulate seeking to enter by force, but leading to the death of a woman,” a source told the AFP news agency.
Before the fire, rocks and stones were thrown at the consulate by the Indonesian workers frustrated by long waits to get their cases dealt with, according to Aljazeera report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
The action was “limited to the walls of the compound and did not touch the offices,” said the consular source.
Videos posted online and verified by witnesses showed a fire against the wall of the consulate. Other pictures showed men with scarves over their faces setting alight plastic barriers next to the wall.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday confirmed that an Indonesian had died during the disturbance. No further details were available.
About 180,000 illegal foreign workers have left Saudi Arabia since April 1 under an amnesty that allows them to try to sort out their papers or leave without paying a penalty, a newspaper report said on Sunday.
This wave brings the number of foreign workers who have left Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year to 380,000.
Workers without proper papers are becoming increasingly concerned as violators of the immigration rules in the oil-rich kingdom will face penalties when the amnesty period ends on July 3, with punishment including imprisonment of up to two years, and fines of up to $27,000. (T/P08/E1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
