Kuwait places ban on Bangladeshi workers

Asian workers take a break after work at a park next to Kuwait's Liberation Tower, seen in the background, in Kuwait City. (AFP)

DUBAI: Kuwait’s Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Sabah issued a decree halting the issuance of visas for Bangladeshi workers, according to Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida.
A source told the daily that the decision was taken after a significant rise in the number of Bangladeshi laborers in the country, according to reports from security departments.
Kuwait, along with other gulf countries, are pushing to increase the number of local workers in the labor market.
Oman most recently placed a ban on work visas issued to expats in certain occupations in the “Omanization” drive, while Saudi Arabia issued a decree identifying 12 types of retail store that only citizens will be allowed to work in as part of the ongoing “Saudization” project.