I am writing with regard to the article "Expats responsible for most crimes in KSA: Experts" (Sep. 19). I think that this is a very serious reflection on all the expatriate workers in the Kingdom. We should realize that to live here peacefully, all of us are duty bound to respect and obey Saudi laws. We should also realize that there is a price to be paid for any mistakes and crimes that we commit. Sometimes that price can be very painful. So, we should take all of this into consideration and live here like law-abiding residents. Faiz Al-Najdi, Online response II. We should not confuse expatriates with illegal residents. Every country has problems with illegal residents and I do not think that Saudi Arabia is an exception. Blaming the crimes committed by those who are in the Kingdom illegally on expatriates who work here legally is totally unfair. If some Saudi citizens are encouraging illegal residents to commit crimes by covering for them, as the article suggests, then those Saudis are also committing a crime. A member of the Shoura Council is quoted as calling for expatriate men and women to be checked by recognized psychiatric hospitals before they come to the Kingdom. As far as I am concerned, there is no harm in such tests for expatriates, but if after arriving here, any expatriate suffers from mental problems because of his employer or his work conditions, then he should be suitably compensated. John, Online response III. I am amazed at how such sweeping blanket statements can be conjured up to suggest that expatriates commit most of the crimes in Saudi Arabia. Are there any statistics that back up this claim? Writing such things incites hatred among both Saudis and expatriates. The claim that expatriates arrive in the Kingdom with physical, mental or psychological diseases is ridiculous. If this is the case, how on earth are they getting entry visas issued to them by Saudi consulates in countries abroad? Humza Mullick, Online response
