Back amnesty call
By SOMAN BABY
Published: 1st August 2007
A TOP government official yesterday appealed to foreign embassies in Bahrain to help the authorities to make the general amnesty for illegal workers smooth and successful. The call came from Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Ali Radhi during a meeting with Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty at the LMRA in Sanabis yesterday.
“The amnesty process will not be successful without the support of the embassies,” he said.
“The amnesty gives the employers as well as the foreign workers the opportunity to correct their status.
Back amnesty call
By SOMAN BABY
Published: 1st August 2007
A TOP government official yesterday appealed to foreign embassies in Bahrain to help the authorities to make the general amnesty for illegal workers smooth and successful. The call came from Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Ali Radhi during a meeting with Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty at the LMRA in Sanabis yesterday.
“The amnesty process will not be successful without the support of the embassies,” he said.
“The amnesty gives the employers as well as the foreign workers the opportunity to correct their status.
“The enforcement directorate at LMRA will swing into action with inspection campaigns immediately after the amnesty period ends on December 31.”
Mr Radhi said fines and penalties would be imposed immediately after the end of the amnesty period.
“Therefore the LMRA requests all those concerned to take up this opportunity to correct their illegal status to avoid the penalties,” he added.
Mr Radhi said his meeting with the ambassador was aimed to get his feedback on the amnesty measures.
“We also want the full co-operation of the Indian Embassy, which represents the single largest group of expatriates in Bahrain,” he added.
“This is only the start of a series of meetings. We shall hold similar meetings with officials of other embassies in the coming weeks.”
Mr Shetty offered the embassy’s and the Indian community’s full co-operation to the amnesty measures.
“I expressed our concern that some sponsors may file false cases against the workers to make sure that they do not leave the country,” he added.
“There have been cases when some sponsors had forced illiterate workers to sign on blank papers or documents in Arabic when they arrived in the country.
“The sponsors may hold such documents against the workers now.”
Mr Shetty said he also urged the authorities to force the employers to hand over the workers’ passports to them.
Many employers are holding the workers’ passports illegally in their custody, he noted.
“We request the immigration authorities to honour the outpasses issued by our embassy for workers whose passports are not released by their sponsors,” said Mr Shetty.
Mr Radhi said all the issues raised by the ambassador would be taken up with the concerned officials.
“LMRA is a new organisation through which we want to build trust with the expatriate community,” he added.
“Our mission is to treat all expatriates, sponsors and employees equally, and take humane decisions.”
Mr Radhi said the LMRA has developed an interactive website to help people seeking amnesty as well as embassies and community workers who want to help them.
The website – www.lmra.bh – gives directives to people on the procedures to be followed to avail of the amnesty benefits, he added. soman@gdn.com.bh
© Gulf Daily News