SAUDI POLICE CLASH WITH MIGRAN WORKERS, TWO DIED
Security forces in riot gear fired into the air and used truncheons to disperse large crowds on Saturday in Manfuhah, as scores of men ran through the streets, some throwing stones and other objects at cars and police, Al jazeera reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
The Saudi police said late on Saturday that two people were killed, one of which was a Saudi while the other was unidentified. The police added that 68 people were injured, and 561 people arrested.
Most of the foreign workers involved in the clashes appeared to be Africans, the media added. In some streets in Manfuhah, men in Saudi dress had also gathered in small groups, some of them carrying knives and iron bars, saying they were protecting their property.
Authorities this year said they would no longer ignore foreign workers breaking visa rules by working for companies that had not sponsored their entry into the country
The intention is to end a black market for cheap imported workers, cut the foreign labour force, reduce the flow of remittances to other countries and make more private sector jobs available for Saudi citizens.
Foreigners were given a seven-month amnesty to rectify their visa status without penalty or leave the country, prompting hundreds of thousands to leave. Thousands more have been arrested since the amnesty expired on Monday.
On Wednesday, an Ethiopian was killed in a raid after he tried to grab a policeman’s weapon, the Arab News English-language daily reported on Friday.
Many expatriate workers say they were unable to take advantage of the amnesty because of bureaucratic difficulties or disputes with their original sponsors.
Time’s up on amnesty
Earlier this year, Saudi authorities said they would no longer ignore foreign workers who were violating the country’s visa rules by taking up employment in the country illegally.
Over the past seven months, Saudi authorities have offered foreigners an amnesty aimed at allowing illegal migrant workers the chance to correct their visa status without facing a penalty or without having to leave the country. The measure prompted an estimated exodus of 1 million foreigners, while nearly 4 million foreign workers managed to find an employer to sponsor them.
After the grace period expired November 3, thousands were reportedly arrested by inspection squads from the labor and interior ministries.
On Tuesday, parts of the capital were said to appear deserted as many foreign workers stayed inside to avoid arrest.
The following day, an Ethiopian was killed in a raid after he allegedly tried to grab policeman’s weapon amid an ongoing government crackdown on illegal labor.
‘Flushing out the illegals’
Foreigners, primarily from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Yemen, account for one-third of the Kingdom’s population of 27 million.
Many migrants cannot leave the country because they are missing official papers, including passports, the Saudi Gazette reported earlier this week. An undocumented worker can be jailed for six months to a year and fined $3,200-$5,300.
Saudi authorities hope that by reducing the number of illegal workers, they will create more job opportunities for native job-seekers. Despite the country’s massive oil wealth, 12.5 percent of the country’s citizen population remains unemployed, AFP reports.
The majority of migrants, however, are unskilled laborers or domestic workers – jobs rarely taken up by Saudi nationals.
Saudi employers say labor costs have surged following the crackdown, as the freelance tradesmen who once loitered in the country’s public squares looking for odd jobs have all but disappeared.
Saudi economists say the short-term problems currently affecting the labor market will be balanced out by the long-term benefits.
“The flushing out of illegals will … help in controlling the gray economy,” AFP cited economist Bu Hulaiga as telling the Saudi daily Arab News.
A separate statement by Saudi economists and businessmen carried by the daily said the crackdown on illegal foreign workers would pay dividends in the future.
“The move will help eradicate the gray economy, besides creating more job and investment opportunities for young citizens,” the business group said. (T/P04/P03)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
