KSA launches crackdown

Saudi Arabian police detained around 10,000 illegal migrant workers including Bangladeshis from different provinces of the kingdom last week.
According to Saudi newspapers, at least 1,300 migrants were detained from capital Riyadh alone in a major countrywide crackdown against illegal expatriates.
Besides Bangladeshi, there were Pakistani, Indian and Yemeni nationals among the detainees, who either had forged documents or criminal charges against them, Saudi police said.
Saudi police have been conducting the raids in cooperation with various security and government agencies including the passport department.
When contacted, Noor Mohammad Masum, first secretary (labour) of Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh, yesterday said they had information of some Bangladeshis having been detained but could not confirm the number.
“We have received information that some Bangladeshis were detained by the Saudi police in the recent raids, but we do not yet know the exact number of them,” he told The Daily Star over the phone.
Saudi police is conducting the crackdown against migrant workers, whose work permits have expired, as the end of a two months' extended deadline for the workers to legalise their stay nears.
Earlier, the Saudi labour ministry extended the deadline for those who failed to complete their legalisation process during the previous seven months' amnesty period that ended on November 4 last year.
The extended deadline ends tomorrow.