Immigrant workers in Saudi Arabia starving

This 1 August 2016 video is called Unemployed Indian workers in Saudi Arabia face ‘food crisis’.

Translated from NOS TV in the Netherlands:

Saudi Arabia makes Asian workers hungry

Today, 17:29

Tens of thousands of laborers from countries like India, Pakistan and the Philippines are stranded in Saudi Arabia. They have not only lost their jobs but do not have passports and money.

Diplomats and politicians from the affected countries are now busy organizing help for their compatriots who are stuck. Last weekend the Indian Consulate in Jeddah distributed 16,000 kilos of rice, oil and onions. But the home countries cannot continue to feed their subjects: they need exit visas and plane tickets. …

The two largest construction corporations, Saudi Binladin Group (the family holding of terrorist Osama bin Laden) and Saudi Oger have dismissed in recent months tens of thousands of people.

“It often starts with people still at work but no salary is paid anymore,” says correspondent Joeri Boom. “Then the work stops. They often live together in camps, which were built by the company they work for. The next step is that the camps are closed. That means there is no water, no electricity and no food and then you are stuck.” …

Foreign workers after dismissals usually lose their residence permits. A passport they often do not have anyway anymore. The bosses keep that as a ‘guarantee’.

Joeri Boom: “That’s a measure in Saudi Arabia to ensure that workers who are paid very poorly, cannot go away. They really are stuck without money and without a passport..”

Furthermore, the workers are thus in the country illegally and may be fined. But without money and without possibility to leave they have to attend an urgent concern in Saudi Arabia: food and drink. …

Before the sharp drop in oil prices ten million foreigners, mostly from South and Southeast Asia, used to work here.

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