On a day they would have been sweating from the fear of being arrested any time, undocumented foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, including thousands from India, were relieved on Wednesday.

The relief and joy were because of King Abdulla’s decree on Tuesday extending the grace period for the drive against illegal stay in the country. Wednesday was the last day of the three-month grace period decreed by the king on April 29. Had the previous plan stayed, the crackdown on lakhs of illegal expat workers would have been launched on Thursday morning.

Reports from Jeddah, Riyadh, Dhammam, Al Khobar and other Saudi cities show that expat communities of Indians informally observed Tuesday and Wednesday as days of relief. Many expat organizations expressed gratitude to the king at formal and informal meetings.

Scores of Malayalee expats who had bought air tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday cancelled the tickets and resumed their work such as hawking and salespersons at small Indian shops.

The authorities have put off the crackdown until November 4, following the king’s decree granting the four-month extension. By the time, the majority of illegal Keralites would have been got their residence and work permits regularized, reports indicate.

Related Topics