Closing the Loophole of ‘Backdoor’ Exits - Workers/Asia
Rasheed Abou-Alsamh; 28/3/07
The uproar in the Philippines by the militant workers’ group Migrante over the 117 overseas Filipino workers who recently ran away from their employers and ended up living under a bridge in the Kandara district of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is a case of misplaced anger. This anger comes from the frustration of the runaway workers at the slowness of the deportation process from Saudi Arabia, and from the misplaced notion in the Philippines that runaway workers can just board a plane in Saudi and end up in Manila. It’s not that easy. All foreigners in the kingdom need a work visa to enter the country and they also need exit visas every time they leave the country. The Philippine Consulate in Jeddah does not have a magic wand which it can use to get the Saudi authorities to allow the en-masse departure of 117 runaway workers just like that.
See: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=108320&d=28&m=3&y=2008