House Writes to Saudi Govt on Overstayers

Jakarta, Jan 15 (Antara) - The House of Representatives (DPR) has written a letter to the Saudi government over Indonesians overstaying their residence visas in that country and were now being accommodated at shelters, stated House Speaker Marzuki Alie. "As a result, the Saudi government has responded to it and promised to provide four planes to repatriate the Indonesian overstayers. Indonesia will provide two planes," the House Speaker remarked on the DPR's official website on Wednesday. Alie explained that the government and the House shared the responsibility in the repatriation of Indonesian overstayers from Saudi Arabia. "Khodijah, one of the overstayers at the dormitory, died in the Tahril immigration detention center. Therefore, we are seeking assistance from the House so that her body can be returned home along with the other overstayers," he noted. There are about 11 thousand Indonesian laborers who have occasionally violated Saudi Arabia's rules and laws pertaining to residence and work visas and are dubbed as overstayers. In the last one year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has provided an amnesty period to foreigners overstaying their working period in the country. During the amnesty period, thousands of Indonesian citizens, who violated their residence and work visas in Saudi Arabia, thronged the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General of Indonesia in Jeddah in order to rectify their status. However, the number of Indonesian overstayers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is too large, leaving about 11 thousand Indonesians without an opportunity to take advantage of the amnesty period. The amnesty period offered by the government of Saudi Arabia ended on November 3, and those who failed to avail the opportunity by correcting their status, have been housed at the Tarhil immigration detention centers in Shumaysi. Tarhil Shumaysi is located between Jeddah and Mecca, and it consists of 27 blocks with 75 "Amber" (dorms) in each block. Each Amber measures approximately 10x18 meters and is equipped with 36 bunk beds for 72 inmates, eight small bathrooms, two rooms for bathing, and one dining room. (*)