King: Raids must reach labor target

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has instructed labor and security agencies to continue their campaign to clear out all illegals workers from the country, Prince Muhammad bin Naif, the interior minister, said on Tuesday.
“King Abdullah appreciates the efforts of security officials and other government agencies to apply the law against residency and labor violators,” said Prince Muhammad while chairing a meeting of the country's security agencies.
“The king has also praised the positive results of the campaign.” The minister said more than 60,000 undocumented expats have left the Kingdom. “The papers of many others in shelter centers are being processed to deport them.”
King Abdullah wants the campaign to continue until the correction process is completed, to safeguard the country’s safety and security, he said.
Prince Muhammad urged government agencies to protect the rights of workers during their raids.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has emphasized that the ongoing campaign was not targeting any particular community or nation.
The Kingdom has “the right” to organize its labor market, said Osama Al-Nugali, spokesman of the ministry.
He said the correction process was aimed at protecting the rights and interests of foreign workers. He also pointed out that prior to the raids, the Kingdom had advised expats through the media to legalize their status during the seven-month amnesty that ended on Nov. 3.
Al-Nugali denied accusations that officers had abused foreign workers. “The government has instructed security and labor officials to treat undocumented workers nicely as per the regulations,” he said.
All embassies have been advised to urge their citizens to respond to the requirements to ensure a smooth correction process. “There were no issues except the riots in the Manfouha neighborhood of Riyadh.”