Saudi Arabia

Saudization, a blow to the travel industry

Expatriates working in travel agencies are counting their days as their Saudi replacements are being trained. Authorities have begun visiting travel agencies and inquiring into their staffing. The Ministry of Labor wants to increase the present 18 percent Saudization in over 2,800 travel agencies to 81 percent within the next three years. All front desk jobs in travel agencies must be 100 percent Saudized within two years.

Travel agencies had until 5 April to provide details of their workers to the Supreme Commission for Tourism; errant agencies face grave consequences.

Saudi detains unauthorized entrants

The official Saudi Press Agency quoted the border police as saying that 51,811 people were detained for unauthorized border crossing during Muharram. The majority, 47,599 people, were arrested in Southern Jizan province, which borders Yemen, while 702 were held at the northern border with Iraq. Another 2, 405 infiltrators were arrested in Asir and 793 in Najran, both of which also lie along the frontier with Yemen in the south of Saudi Arabia. Another 255 arrests were made along the eastern border and four in Al Jawf, and 53 people were arrested in Mecca.

Brothel operators nabbed

Police have arrested more than 40 men and women of different nationalities for allegedly running a brothel, Al-Watan reported. The arrests were made in cooperation with officials of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice after a number of suspicious activities had been observed. Initial investigations showed that an Indonesian woman was employing runaway maids in the business. Majority of those arrested were women.

Korean firm settles dues

With the intervention of the Saudi Labor Office in Jeddah, the Tae Chang Electric Construction Company settled the unpaid wages of 15 Filipino employees on 15 April. Earlier, the workers were living on the support provided by the Philippine Labor Office and kind-hearted Filipinos in Jamoom and Jeddah. The workers will pursue their complaint against Prestige Prestige Search International, the agency that deployed them to Saudi Arabia. The group agreed to pursue the case to teach the erring placement agency a lesson. They were the second group to be victimized by the agency.

Support groups for Indonesian workers

Indonesia has announced plans to set up support groups in Saudi Arabia to protect the rights of its migrant workers, especially domestic workers. Some 3,508 workers were repatriated to Indonesia in 2003, mostly cases of abuse and maltreatment. The support groups, to be affiliated to the embassy and the Jeddah-based consulate, will be composed of prominent Indonesian community leaders, students and civil servants. Jakarta is also attempting to improve the recruitment system which would help minimize the exploitation of its female workforce. An initiative to train female workers before they are sent abroad has already been launched.

Voting rights for NRIs under consideration

India’s Attorney General Soli Sorabjee said voting rights for non-resident Indians (NRIs) are “under consideration."  In a lecture delivered at the Indian Embassy auditorium on 3 April, he focused on the Indian judiciary, which he portrayed as a bulwark against the erosion of fundamental rights in India. In reply to a question on voting rights for NRIs in the upcoming general elections, Sorabjee said he was aware of the Indian community’s aspirations and the move was under consideration.

New tourist visa

Saudi Arabia will soon launch a new tourist visa to ease travel restrictions to the kingdom. This is expected to accelerate the pace of the Gulf’s economic integration, according to officials of the Saudi-based Project Management Institute, which will hold its 10^th International Conference and Exhibition on 25-27 May.

Smart card IDs, Iqamas soon

The Interior Ministry said that the long-awaited smart Saudi IDs and family cards, expatriates’ resident permits and driving licenses will be introduced soon. Dr. Khaled Muhammad Al-Taweel, director of the National Data Center at the ministry, said the new electronic cards with high security features would prevent forgery. The new electronic residence permit for expatriates, replacing the old iqama, would contain all information about the holder, as well as the holder’s photo.

Sources: Saifur Rahman, “Saudi Arabia to introduce new tourist visa," gulfnews.com, 4 April 2004; Javid Hassan, “Voting rights for NRIs under consideration: Sorabjee," Arab News, 5 April 2004; Raffy Osumo, “Korean firm told to settle dues with Filipino employees by April 11," Arab News, 6 April 2004; M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, “SCT maps out fresh strategy to train Saudis in travel jobs," Arab News, 6 April 2004; K.S. Ramkumar, “Expats in travel trade feel the heat of Saudization," Arab News, 8 April 2004; M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, “Support groups to safeguard Indonesian workers’ rights," Arab News, 9 April 2004; “Saudi detains 51,811," Gulf Daily News, 11 April 2004; “40 arrested for running brothel in Jeddah district," 11 April 2004; P.K. Abdul Ghafour, “Smart card ids, iqamas soon," Arab News, 12 April 2004; Raffy Osumo, “Cheated OFWs set sights on placement agency," Arab News, 15 April 2004