(The question: “There have recently been violent confrontations between members of certain expatriate communities with Saudi citizens and police in #Riyadh and #Jeddah. Why do you think that this is happening and what should be done about it?” was posted on Facebook on Nov. 14) The issue is complicated. You cannot just pick someone up and throw him out of your home if he has worked for you for decades just because he is illegal or has no sponsor. If you want to seriously solve the problem, then lend these expats an ear and listen to them peacefully. Not all of them are criminals and not all of them need to be dealt with by force. They have children to feed and families to raise. Listening to them and helping them will be good for this country as well. Of course those who create problems must be dealt with forcefully, but those who wish to stay and work should be helped. A more important question is why all the blame is put on the expats and not on those vampires who sucked their blood all these years and are still walking around free. Mohamad Irfan It is the right of the Saudi government to kick out all illegal expatriates to reduce crime and organize the people working here. It is also their right to give jobs to their own people rather than to foreigners many of whom do not deserve these jobs in the first place. Those illegal expatriates who created problems with the police are the ones involved with crime which is why they don't want to leave the Kingdom. We cannot blame the Saudi government for wanting to get rid of such people. Those who want to stay should make themselves legal. Mo Mi If we stay in another country, we have to respect the laws of that country and should not violate those laws. The violators should be deported immediately. Samad Karadan I've been working in one of the deportation centers as a volunteer. I think the government as well as the embassies of the countries of illegal workers are not organized enough to solve the problem. The situation might create a disaster. The government of this country should handle lt. People who want to go to their country should be allowed to go as quickly as possible. Please don't let things get worse. Abu Merdi This is happening because the Saudi government has suddenly awakened from a deep slumber. If in the past they had they been cautious and strict regarding these rules, there would not be so many illegal expatriates here. Now, instantly, they want the country to be free of illegal expatriates which is next to impossible in the time limit provided. For the past 35 to 40 years, the government did not mind people coming to the Kingdom on free visas. There even used to be huge ads for the sale of such visas and the government did nothing about this. Now the only possible solution is to give more time. The problems that have accumulated in all these years cannot be solved in two or three months; it will require at least two years for things to stabilize. Rahmatullah Siddiqui This is a complex situation. Expats have contributed a lot to the betterment of Saudi Arabia. They have been here for a long time and now they are being treated like this. The other aspect is that these people are illegal and no country can accept illegal residents. In my opinion, expats must stop engaging in violent conduct because this will only make more trouble for them, and the police must act strongly against anyone engaging in such activity. Usman Shahid Bhatti Visas for foreign workers are sold and these workers are exploited by their Saudi sponsors. What recourse do these workers have when the legal system is stacked against them? Dam Yim It is quite obvious what we want! We want to go home. Why are they making it difficult for us to go back to our home country? Santelices Jose Norlito The police must catch each illegal worker and his Saudi sponsor. Then when the worker and the sponsor are face to face, ask the worker why he is illegal? Munir Shohel
