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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Unpaid Asian laborers set for rampage in Kuwait

ABU DHABI — Officials said the Kuwaiti government and security authorities are bracing for another round of violence by Asian expatriates. They said a walkout was expected by those from Bangladesh employed as security guards and taxi drivers.

"These people haven't gotten paid in several months and are planning demonstrations," an official said. Many Kuwaiti businesses have been caught short by recent global economic trends.

Officials said the strikes could result in violence similar to that in July 2008. At the time, thousands of Asian expatriates attacked offices of Kuwaiti companies and torched cars, Middle East Newsline reported. The riots were quelled by the Kuwaiti National Guard.

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Labor and Social Affairs Minister Bader Al Duwaila acknowledged the prospect of renewed unrest in Kuwait. Al Duwaila said authorities have been placed on alert for demonstrations throughout the sheikdom to protest the failure to pay salaries to thousands of Bengalis.

"We will not allow companies to violate laws, even if they are owned by senior officials," Al Duwaila said.

Officials said the Cabinet has examined the prospect of paying the Bengalis directly through a $100 million government fund. But they said the money might be withheld by unscrupulous employers.

Kuwait has joined several other Gulf Cooperation Council states rocked by labor unrest in 2008. Asian laborers have also rioted in the United Arab Emirates while strikes have raised tension in Bahrain and Qatar. The GCC has been considering a six-year limit on expatriate residency.

Several GCC states have also examined the prospect of replacing some Asian workers with Gulf Arab nationals. Qatar, inundated with complaints of abuse of Indonesian and other foreign nationals, was expected to approve an increase in the number of laborers from Oman.


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