No visa transfers for Bangladeshis

Kuwait Times front page today...

No visa transfers for Bangladeshis

By A Saleh
Staff Reporter KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior yesterday issued a decision
banning all visa transfers of Bangladeshis residing and working in Kuwait to
other sponsors. The new resolution stipulates that unless a sponsor wishes to
renew the expired residency of a Bangladeshi worker, the latter would have to
leave the country immediately. This decision has been taken in light of the
alarming increase in crimes committed by or involving Bangladeshis recently. The
main aim is to drastically reduce the number of Bangladeshis residing in Kuwait
with a view to decrease the crime rate in the country. The ministry also plans
to swoop down and apprehend not just Bangladeshis, but all those found to be in
violation of residency laws, particularly those who work for companies than
their sponsor's.

Talk about another 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' - an overused phrase in this part of the world. Wouldn't surprise me at all if crime continues to rise, even amongst Bangladeshis, as now they've got even less chance of legally getting away from crooked employers, and will have even more of an incentive to take-up a life of crime.

... and let's continue to ignore the real problems.

Hmmm. Wonder if we'll see an announcement from the Bangladeshi Embassy.

So where's the next bunch of 'guest' workers to come from? Africans from Darfur, Congo or Zimbabwe wouldn't be too popular. Chinese probably have better prospects at home now and don't have the right religion. Hard-working Nepalese are extremely popular, but they're a more finite resource - and they still have the wrong religion. Indonesians - no, too many potential problems with all the Indonesian maids in the country already. I guess the next best source of cheap muslim labour will be the Central Asian states... so don't be surprised if we see an influx of Uzbeks next. Mind you, that still won't solve the crime problem - you'll just see an influx of more sophisticated criminals!*

Or, a radical solution I know - you could try and instil a work ethic in nationals and get them to work for a living... no, not very realistic is it.

*Which reminds me, why haven't we seen newspapers writing about the major ATM fraud going on in Kuwait at the moment - or haven't I been reading the papers closely enough!