Saudi Arabia, Kuwait for ban on hiring Bangladeshis

Dubai, Feb 12: A group of Saudi nationals have called for a ban on recruiting Bangladeshis even as Kuwait has suspended hiring them citing increasing incidences of crime committed by those from Bangladesh. Three Saudi nationals who keep their identities secret for safety reasons have launched a website 'antirat.com' which drew more than 80,000 hits in only two weeks, a Saudi daily reported.

Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Labour Minister said during a close-door Shoura Council session on Sunday that his ministry was working hard to decrease the number of Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia. ''We do not expect Saudi authorities to stop issuing them visas soon, but we hope a serious decision would be implemented in the near future to limit their (Bangladeshis') illegal activities here,'' a spokesman for the group said.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said they have already received threats through written letters for launching this website. He said the Saudi immigration authorities should ban Bangladeshis from entering the Kingdom, or put serious restrictions on those who lose their passports, and that they should be fingerprinted in case they try to re-enter on fake passports.

When asked if it was fair to ban them all, he said, ''The majority is involved in corruption due to their low level of education and barbaric ways.'' He said there are other nationalities we could benefit from.

The website has a poll asking participants the best way to stop crime committed by Bangladeshis. The majority (87.9 per cent) answered that Bangladeshis should be barred entry to the Kingdom.

The website includes articles published in different local newspapers citing crime committed by Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior in May 2007 said that a decision to suspend the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Kuwait was taken because of the crime committed by them, according to Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper.

UNI