JEDDAH, 27 November 2006 — Saudi Arabia will take tougher action against foreigners overstaying their visas as well as against Saudis and expatriates who employ, transport or accommodate such illegal residents, Interior Minister Prince Naif said yesterday.

He said the government would also adopt stringent measures to prevent investment firms from cheating their shareholders.

“We’ll combat overstayers by strictly and quickly imposing punishment, first, on those who employ them, second on those who accommodate them, and third on those who transport them,” Naif told reporters after presiding over a meeting of regional governors on Saturday.

“All of them will receive tough punishment as they deal with illegals.” Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received the governors at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh yesterday and urged them to work for improving the welfare and well-being of citizens and residents. The king emphasized the significance of the annual governors’ meeting, saying it would help exchange ideas and come out with constructive proposals.

Prince Naif said the Passport Department officers would continue to arrest overstayers and deport them. Over the past months, the officers have nabbed thousands of illegal aliens in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah including those who overstayed their Haj and Umrah visas. Naif warned that Haj and Umrah agents who fail to stop their pilgrims from overstaying would find their licenses canceled.

Prince Naif indicated that illegal overstayers were the main reason for the growing number of crimes and immoral activities in the country. “Citizens must cooperate with the Interior Ministry to stop the phenomenon of overstaying,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the interior minister as saying. “They should know that there is punishment for accommodating, transporting and employing overstayers. We will not accept any excuses.”

Naif’s statement comes ahead of the Haj season when a large number of Asians and Africans come to the Kingdom holding Haj visas with the intention of seeking jobs. Many private companies, especially construction firms, as well as Saudi individuals employ them as they are cheaper compared to those workers having valid work/residency permits, known as iqamas.

“We know that the temptation is low wages but people should give priority to national interests,” said the prince. “We don’t want to snowball the problem of illegals like in some countries. Many people like to come to our country for jobs. We want the citizens to cooperate with us. We don’t want to punish them but if they don’t cooperate we’ll strictly apply the punishments.”

He said the Riyadh meeting had also discussed the issue of the growing number of beggars in the Kingdom’s major cities, adding that the beggars, Saudis and foreigners alike, would be punished. Begging has become a lucrative business in the country as illegal begging rackets smuggle in handicapped men, women and children from different countries to make quick money. According to one report, annual revenues of beggars are estimated at more than SR500 million.

The interior minister emphasized the Kingdom’s determination to prevent intrusion of people into Iraq through Saudi borders. He said most Saudis who had gone to Iraq to fight alongside insurgents entered Iraq through other countries.

“As you know citizens are free to travel to any country,” he said. “They will go to one country and from there to Iraq. We are trying by all means to bring them back to the Kingdom.”

The minister also said that the Kingdom would not impose any travel restrictions on its citizens traveling abroad for business or treatment or tourism. Prince Naif urged parents and families to play their part to prevent their sons from going to Iraq: “If you cannot stop them, inform us; we can stop them.”