Desperate expats appeal to King as a last resort

JEDDAH:  FOUZIA KHAN

Sunday 30 June 2013

Last Update 30 June 2013 4:28 am

With four days to go, expatriate workers here have appealed to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to extend the amnesty period.

Calls for an extension have also come from various ministries, a number of foreign governments and businesspeople.

Abdul Khaliq, a taxi driver, said he hoped the king would hear their appeal. “Only 10 percent of workers have completed their paperwork and thousands still have to fix their status.
“The Passport Department and the labor office have already announced that they will start raids as soon as the amnesty ends. We are very worried and under pressure. It’s our humble request to the king of the people to announce an extension of the amnesty period because thousands are waiting for his kindness.”

Rifat-ul-Islam, a Bangladeshi worker, said everyone is hoping for an extension. “We have been standing in line since 4 a.m. There are thousands of people here. How can this be fixed in such a short time? There is only one Thursday left for us before the end of the amnesty, and only a few hundred people could get their fingerprinting done. Everyone is waiting anxiously for the royal decree.”

He believed the king would extend the amnesty because it would benefit poor workers.
“We hope and request King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to give an order for the extension of the amnesty because millions are waiting for his kindness,” he said.
Workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, Sri Lanka and other countries are trying to correct their status before the July 3 deadline.
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) is also trying to help the consulates and government departments to finish the process on time.