Kathmandu, 01 June 2013: Illegal migrant workers from Nepal will have until July 3rd
to leave Saudi Arabia. It is expected that about 120 thousand Nepalese will be forced
to return home as a result of the ultimatum issued on May 10 by the authorities in
Riyadh. The Nepalese government is attempting to negotiate terms for their expulsion.
From
Kathmandu, the Foreign Minister, Arjun Karki, calls the situation 'worrying' and has
stated that "the Nepalese authorities are trying to persuade the Saudi government
to reconsider the position of migrants." The sudden return home of 120 thousand workers
to the kingdom, would risk plunging the Himalayan country into an abyss of hunger
and poverty. Binod KC, director general of the Department of Foreign Employment in
Nepal, explained that "it is a serious problem and that it is unrealistic to think
that this huge labor force can be absorbed by the local industry."
According
to some experts a surplus workforce would drag Nepal into a severe economic and social
crisis, when you consider the total dependence of many families from the monthly financial
contributions from migrant workers. At the moment, there are more than 400 thousand
migrant workers spread out among Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi
Arabia, two of the nine million immigrants are believed to be illegal. In June 2011,
the Minister of Labor in Riyadh launched a campaign of 'Saudization' of the country
to facilitate the recruitment of young Arabs, replacing a small percentage of the
foreign workforce. Even Qatar, next to Malaysia for the large presence of Nepalese
immigrants, has implemented a strict policy against illegal workers, arresting them
and sending them to forced labor camps. Source: AsiaNews