Two Indians slaving it out on Saudi camel farm

April 26, 2012

Camel

Chennai, April 26: Two Indian workers promised construction work in Saudi Arabia but sold as slaves to a camel farm owner are languishing without food in the desert there, say their family members in Tamil Nadu.

A. Muniasamy, 45, hailing from Ramanathapuram district and 44-year-old Jagabir Ali from Nagapattinam district have been stuck on a camel farm for the past three months with an expired visa.

“They are also being tortured, with no medication for their wounds. The farm is located in a remote place with the sea on one side and the desert on the other. The nearest market is around 50 km away from the farm,” G. Subramanian, executive director of Manitham, a human rights organisation told IANS.

Manitham has taken up the issue of the two Indians with the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to IANS over phone, Prabhavathi, Muniasamy’s wife said: “I spoke to my husband a couple of days back. He said that food was a problem. We came to know that he had been sold to a camel farm owner soon after he went to Saudi Arabia.”

“I have bought you. And I cannot send you back to India. This is what the camel farm owner had told my husband,” Prabhavathi, mother of two said in a choking voice.

She said Muniasamy had worked abroad prior to their marriage and this is the first time he was cheated.

Subramanian said he got the information about the two Indian workers slaving it out in Saudi Arabia around 15 days back.

“We did cross check their case with people whom we know in Saudi Arabia and found it to be true,” he said.

Subramanian had sent a brief about the case of Muniasamy and Ali to T.C. Barupal, first secretary, Community Welfare at the Indian External Affairs Ministry in Riyadh.



“He has forwarded my email to another official, marking a copy to me,” Subramanian said.

Both the unfortunate victims had gone to Saudi Arabia, paying Rs.150,000 to Sofia Travels based in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu .

The agent guaranteed construction jobs in Riyadh and issued a validated 90 days visa from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the duo.



The two had boarded a flight to Saudi Arabia January 23.

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Agencies
May 17,2020

Jerusalem, May 17: The Chinese ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home north of Tel Aviv on Sunday, Israel's Foreign Ministry said.

No cause of death was given and Israeli police said it was investigating.

Du Wei, 58, was appointed envoy in February in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He previously served as China's envoy to Ukraine.

He is survived by a wife and son, both of whom were not in Israel.

Israel enjoys good relations with China.

The ambassador's death comes just two days after he condemned comments by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who denounced Chinese investments in Israel and accused China of hiding information about the coronavirus outbreak.

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News Network
April 23,2020

Riyadh, Apr 22: In an extraordinary initiative, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to facilitate the travel of expatriates who have an exit and reentry visa or final exit visa to return to their countries.

This is in line with the order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

According to the initiative, called “Auda” (return), expatriates can apply seeking permission for travel to their countries through the Absher portal of the ministry.

Announcing this, Saudi's Ministry of Interior said that the initiative will be implemented in cooperation with a number of relevant government agencies.

Requests for travel from expatriates will be received and approved in coordination with the relevant authorities to complete their travel procedures on board international flights.

As per the initiative, a text message will be sent to the beneficiary stating the travel date, ticket number and reservation details, and by which the beneficiary can obtain his travel ticket and complete the travel procedures.

Clarifying the procedures for the travel, the ministry said that the applicant shall select the icon (Auda) after visiting the Absher portal and fill the following fields: iqama (residency permit) number, date of birth, mobile number, departure city and airport of arrival.

It is not mandatory for the expatriate to have his own Absher account for availing of the service, the ministry said, adding that this facility is to enable expatriates to benefit from this initiative.

The departure will be through the following airports: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Those expatriates who are outside these cities can benefit from the service through entering airport of departure after completion of their travel procedures in sufficient period of time.

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Agencies
July 26,2020

Jeddah, Jul 26: The city of Makkah is opening its arms again to welcome pilgrims for the annual Hajj — although only a handful compared with previous years.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is limited to about 1,000 pilgrims, all from inside Saudi Arabia, about 700 of whom are expatriates.

Abdullah Al-Kathiri, an Emirati and a recovered COVID-19 patient, postponed his pilgrimage last year because it coincided with his wedding plans. “I’ve heard from many who’ve performed the pilgrimage in past years that it was always a smooth process, even with the massive numbers,” he said. “So you could imagine how it would be with the limited number of pilgrims this year. Surely it will be a great experience.”

Khadija, a Bulgarian expatriate, was overcome with tears when she heard she would be performing Hajj this year. “I didn’t expect they’d accept,” she said. “I’m sure this year’s Hajj will be an exceptional one in all respects.”

Dr. Haifa Yousef Hamdoon, a Tunisian physician in Qassim, is another who did not expect to be accepted because of the low numbers this year. “When I received confirmation of my request, I was overjoyed and couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Mu’taz Mohamed, a Sudanese pilgrim who also lives in Qassim region, praised the preventive and precautionary health measures taken in order to ensure his safety and that of other pilgrims, to enable them to perform the rituals safely.

After completing their arrival procedures, the pilgrims were taken to their accommodation in Makkah, supervised by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. They will stay there for four days before beginning their pilgrimage on July 30.

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