By Md Rasooldeen
RIYADH, Nov 13 – Fresh violence erupted in Riyadh’s Manfouha district on Wednesday. Police had to rush a special task force to bring the situation under control.
The protesters, mainly Africans, started harassing motorists and members of the public at Frayan Street, south of Manfouha.
The provocation for their protest is yet to be ascertained.
This is the second time the district the district has faced troubles. On Saturday, security forces battled illegal Ethiopians who had gone on a rampage.
Nearly 23,000 Ethiopians residing in the Manfouha district have since surrendered to the authorities seeking repatriation.
They are being kept in a camp in Shifa district on the Makkah Highway where the authorities are providing them with food and accommodation.
A medical practitioner living in the city center said he witnessed the rampage on Wednesday. “The protesters were attacking vehicles and harassing the public,” he said.
He said the police cordoned off the area and restored peace.
At the deportation center, authorities have been issuing exit visas to the undocumented workers after approval from their foreign missions.
According to sources at the center, the foreign missions have been allotted specific days to submit the passports of their nationals for processing.
On a visit to the center on Wednesday, Arab News witnessed busloads of apprehended illegals being offloaded at the detention camp. They included nationals from Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Egypt and Sri Lanka.
An Asian diplomat told Arab News that those caught at workplaces and on the streets will be deported at the government’s expense with the prior approval of their missions.
He said the mission has to give the exit with an emergency passport to enable the passenger to clear himself at both embarkation and disembarkation points. Even the air ticket is provided by the state.
An official from the Sri Lankan Embassy here said the authorities at the deportation center have been very supportive in the repatriation of foreign workers. “More than 40 women were given final exit visas on Tuesday,” he said.
The Indian mission has processed some 1.4 million cases, while the Pakistan missions in Jeddah and Riyadh have documented 800,000 so far.
Arab News
