Illegal foreign workers awaiting deportation are being housed at Sea Pilgrims City in Jeddah under an official program to keep them from living under bridges, in public squares and in other public areas. The matter is being addressed by a committee assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Jeddah branch, which acted on the directives of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah. Saleh Abdul Lateef, the Jeddah branch's director, said illegal residents had been living in miserable, inhumane conditions. Abdul Lateef said a study conducted by the Foreign Ministry showed that most of the illegal workers in the Jeddah Governorate are from Philippines, India, Sudan, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. He said the study also revealed that these communities include children and old people who need special care, which they are now receiving. Workers being housed at the site include Indian, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Egyptian, Sudanese and Indonesian laborers, he said. As a result of the program, officials at the embassies of India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Egypt have started processing travel documents to speed up the deportations, Abdul Lateef said. Officials from these countries have also agreed to bear the costs involved in housing the workers and arrange their travel procedures and reservations, he added. The committee assigned to solve the problem has been critical of officials at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah over their reluctance to cooperate and fulfill financial obligations toward their people. “At the beginning they delayed the signing of the agreement between King Abdul Aziz Endowment and the consulate,” a committee member said. “The committee agreed to delay the agreement on condition that authorities at the consulate complete procedures with the officials concerned back home at their Foreign Ministry and promptly answer the committee.” Didi Whoudi, Indonesian Deputy Consul General, affirmed that he would contact his Foreign Ministry and secure the necessary funds. “There are several things hampering the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Saudi authorities including the labor cases and our not having the necessary funds for transporting the violators,” he said. During his tour with the members of the committee, Whoudi said officials at his consulate will make the best use of fast litigation procedures to speed up the deportation process. Maj. Gen. Jaza Al-Amri, Director of Makkah Police, said security authorities will fully cooperate with the plan and ensure the workers' safety. He said security authorities will be directed to facilitate transporting the illegal workers to the site and provide them with services they need.
