RIYADH, 24 September 2006 — Saudi Arabia recently deported 120 Indian nationals, who were either working illegally or overstaying in the Kingdom. The Indians were given amnesty by the Saudi government and were repatriated to India on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight last Thursday, according to airport and immigration officials.
Ausaf Sayeed, Indian consul general, said yesterday: “I was not aware of this particular group of Indian nationals sent back to India.” The repatriation, however, has been widely reported in the Indian media and Sayeed said that more than 20,000 Umrah overstayers, including Indians and others, had been detained during the last six months in the Western Province alone.
Sayeed pointed out that Indian authorities were unable to impose restriction on suspect Umrah visitors because the Saudi diplomatic missions in New Delhi and Bombay alone had the power to do so. “They have designated certain travel agents to sell Umrah packages or to facilitate the endorsement of Umrah visas,” said Sayeed, who called for tightened measures to be adopted in both countries.
Referring to the repatriation of the Indian nationals, sources said: “While some of the Indian nationals were sent back for not having proper work documents, others had come for Umrah and never left. Most of the workers had been detained by Saudi police on charges of violation of Saudi work and residential laws.
Asked about the plan of the Indian missions to seek royal pardons for Indian workers during Ramadan this year, an official said: “We will ask for royal clemency for more workers this time.”
A number of workers, mostly from Kerala, are in Saudi prisons and deportation centers. Many of them are unable to play blood money for accidents resulting in deaths for which compensation has to be paid. These workers are hopeful that the Indian government will plead for their release during Ramadan this year. Three hundred and thirty-three Indian workers were granted royal clemency last year and 585 the year before. The Saudi government has pardoned a total of 2376 Indians in the last five years.
A group of 389 Nigerians was recently deported by the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia has been deporting hundreds of thousands of illegal Asian and African workers every year. Thousands of Indonesian housemaids were deported in the last three years for working illegally.
