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JEDDAH - In an attempt to stop recruiting Bangladeshis to work in the country, a group of Saudis launched a website titled, "No to Corruption" at áÇááÚãÇáÉ ÇáãÝÓÏÉ - ÇáÑÆíÓíÉ. The Arabic website attracted more than 80,000 hits in two weeks.
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi said during a closed-door Shoura Council session on Sunday that his ministry was working hard to decrease the number of Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia. He said it is very important to identify the places where these foreign workers reside in the country. His ministry, he added, are employing an additional 50 members annually to inspect on workers who are staying illegally.
The three owners of the website preferred to stay anonymous in fear of any negative reaction from the Bangladeshis. The reason behind launching this website, one of them told Arab News, is the increase of crimes committed by Bangladeshis, as seen in newspaper reports.
"Out of concern and love for our nation we adopted this idea and launched it on Jan. 25, 2008, with wishes that the government would listen to us," said their spokesman. "We do not expect Saudi authorities to stop issuing them visas soon, but we hope a serious decision would be implemented in the near future to limit their illegal activities here."
Meanwhile, the spokesman said they have already received threats through written letters for launching this website.
He says Saudi immigration authorities should ban Bangladeshis from entering the Kingdom, or put serious restrictions on those who lose their passports, and that they should be fingerprinted in case they try to re-enter on fake passports.
When asked if it was fair to ban them all, he said, "The majority is involved in corruption due to their low level of education and barbaric ways."
He said there are "other nationalities we could benefit from."
The website has a poll on it asking participants the best way to stop crimes committed by Bangladeshis. The majority (87.9 percent) answered that Bangladeshis should be barred entry to the Kingdom, and that all communication should be stopped with them. About 10 percent said the government should impose strict measures to regulate Bangladeshis in the Kingdom.
The website includes articles published in different local newspapers citing crimes committed by Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia.
According to an article in Al-Jazirah newspaper, a source had informed the reporter that Bangladeshi nationals in the country committed the highest number of crimes reaching 7,971 cases. The newspaper didn't provide the source for this statistics, any context by which to compare this number to others, nor is it clear about the timeframe or location from where this number is drawn.
Another example was a recent article taken from Al-Riyadh newspaper where the police seized 300 counterfeit passports, visas and work permits that were ready to be sold.
In addition to counterfeiting, stories of rape and sexually abusing children were also included.
One such report was about an incident in November last year when a Bangladeshi worker in Jubail tricked an eight-year-old girl and took her to a building where he sexually abused her.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said in May 2007 that a decision to suspend the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Kuwait was taken because crimes committed by this section of the community have been steadily increasing, according to Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper.
Ikramul Haque, Bangladeshi Ambassador in Riyadh, told Arab News the relationship between the two Muslim countries continues to be strong. "We offer orientation to Bangladeshis before they come to Saudi Arabia to ensure that they follow its rules and regulations," he said.
"We support the Saudi government and will continue to do so" in its efforts to ensure security and peace in the country.
S.M. Haroon, the Bangladeshi labor counselor in Riyadh, explained to Arab News that many Bangladeshis seek employment in the Kingdom regardless of the low salaries only to get a lifetime chance to pray in the holy mosques.
"It is a win-win situation where Saudi employers find cost effective human capital for their development projects while Bangladeshis find employment opportunities," he said.
He added they have full respect for the Saudi laws, rules and regulations, customs, traditions and judicial system. "We feel that it would be unjust and unfair to blame the entire community for the offenses committed by a few."
Calls Mount for Ban on Bangladeshis
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi said during a closed-door Shoura Council session on Sunday that his ministry was working hard to decrease the number of Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia. He said it is very important to identify the places where these foreign workers reside in the country. His ministry, he added, are employing an additional 50 members annually to inspect on workers who are staying illegally.
The three owners of the website preferred to stay anonymous in fear of any negative reaction from the Bangladeshis. The reason behind launching this website, one of them told Arab News, is the increase of crimes committed by Bangladeshis, as seen in newspaper reports.
"Out of concern and love for our nation we adopted this idea and launched it on Jan. 25, 2008, with wishes that the government would listen to us," said their spokesman. "We do not expect Saudi authorities to stop issuing them visas soon, but we hope a serious decision would be implemented in the near future to limit their illegal activities here."
Meanwhile, the spokesman said they have already received threats through written letters for launching this website.
He says Saudi immigration authorities should ban Bangladeshis from entering the Kingdom, or put serious restrictions on those who lose their passports, and that they should be fingerprinted in case they try to re-enter on fake passports.
When asked if it was fair to ban them all, he said, "The majority is involved in corruption due to their low level of education and barbaric ways."
He said there are "other nationalities we could benefit from."
The website has a poll on it asking participants the best way to stop crimes committed by Bangladeshis. The majority (87.9 percent) answered that Bangladeshis should be barred entry to the Kingdom, and that all communication should be stopped with them. About 10 percent said the government should impose strict measures to regulate Bangladeshis in the Kingdom.
The website includes articles published in different local newspapers citing crimes committed by Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia.
According to an article in Al-Jazirah newspaper, a source had informed the reporter that Bangladeshi nationals in the country committed the highest number of crimes reaching 7,971 cases. The newspaper didn't provide the source for this statistics, any context by which to compare this number to others, nor is it clear about the timeframe or location from where this number is drawn.
Another example was a recent article taken from Al-Riyadh newspaper where the police seized 300 counterfeit passports, visas and work permits that were ready to be sold.
In addition to counterfeiting, stories of rape and sexually abusing children were also included.
One such report was about an incident in November last year when a Bangladeshi worker in Jubail tricked an eight-year-old girl and took her to a building where he sexually abused her.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said in May 2007 that a decision to suspend the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Kuwait was taken because crimes committed by this section of the community have been steadily increasing, according to Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper.
Ikramul Haque, Bangladeshi Ambassador in Riyadh, told Arab News the relationship between the two Muslim countries continues to be strong. "We offer orientation to Bangladeshis before they come to Saudi Arabia to ensure that they follow its rules and regulations," he said.
"We support the Saudi government and will continue to do so" in its efforts to ensure security and peace in the country.
S.M. Haroon, the Bangladeshi labor counselor in Riyadh, explained to Arab News that many Bangladeshis seek employment in the Kingdom regardless of the low salaries only to get a lifetime chance to pray in the holy mosques.
"It is a win-win situation where Saudi employers find cost effective human capital for their development projects while Bangladeshis find employment opportunities," he said.
He added they have full respect for the Saudi laws, rules and regulations, customs, traditions and judicial system. "We feel that it would be unjust and unfair to blame the entire community for the offenses committed by a few."
Calls Mount for Ban on Bangladeshis
