MANAMA: Community leaders in Bahrain are advising foreign workers not to leave labor camps at night following several cases of rioters targeting expatriates.
The calls come after an Asian man suffered severe burns on Saturday night when a group of unidentified men hurled Molotov cocktails at his pickup. “The man has suffered severe burns on his face, chest and back. He had to be removed by security forces from his vehicle and rushed to hospital,” said a senior police official.
He said the victim, who works for a private company, was heading home in Al-Ma’ameer village when rioters attacked his vehicle, which was completely burned. He added that an investigation had been launched to arrest those behind the attack.
Jon Iype, president of the Coordination Committee of Indian Associations, said: “We advise workers not to carry cash or valuable items and move in groups during the night. There are some troublemakers who are targeting workers; they do not even spare locals.”
Meanwhile, local human rights groups have expressed concerns at the increasing case of attacks against foreign workers.
“This is a dangerous situation ... foreign workers are being attacked in villages. The government should take strict and immediate measures to stop these attacks,” said Faisal Fulad, secretary-general of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society.
He added that most labor camps are situated in some of the tense villages, something that necessitate extra vigil.
“If the situation continues, we want all labor camps to have security protection. We want political groups, nongovernmental organizations and scholars tackle this issue collectively,” Fulad said.
Arab News previously reported that an Asian worker was blinded in an attack by rioters. A patrol vehicle was also vandalized by a group of 40 masked men two weeks ago.
