By AFP
Middle East Times
Published August 30, 2007

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa returned home Wednesday after a stay of one-and-a-half months in Britain during which he underwent medical tests, and declared he was fit, official media said.

"Thanks to God, they [tests] went as well as we would like them to," the monarch said in a message to the nation, quoted by the BNA news agency.

A senior Bahraini official told AFP that King Hamad, 57, was "in very good health" after undergoing the tests in London.

This was the first official word in Bahrain that the king had undergone medical tests, but there was no information on what prompted them.

Balkrishna Shetty
Thursday, August 30, 2007 (12:40:21)

Dubai: As part of efforts to check abuse of rights of Indian workers in Bahrain, the Indian Embassy has blacklisted over 45 companies for violating local laws, including non-payment of salaries, mistreatment of employees and providing sub-standard accommodation. Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty said these companies will not be granted permits to recruit workers from India until they rectify the problems. "We studied the cases of such companies following several complaints from workers over the past one year," he was quoted as saying in the Gulf Daily News on Thursday. "The Indian Embassy will not allow such companies to recruit workers from India," said Shetty, adding "we shall also refuse visas for the owners or their representatives to visit India." He has already notified Bahrain's Foreign Ministry that such employers are hampering the government's amnesty process, the envoy said.

By GEOFFREY BEW

AN international child rescue centre has confirmed it is willing to take care of a 10-year-old Indian boy whose parents abandoned him in Bahrain.

The Goa-based El Shaddai is a charitable trust that works with neglected street children, orphans and those from poor or broken families.

It has residential shelters for abandoned youngsters and provides them with education and vocational training until they are old enough and capable of living independently.

A GDN reader earlier came forward with the suggestion that the centre would be ideal for Raja Thanee Prasad and officials agreed to look into the matter after being contacted about his case.

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI

A CALL for a probe into complaints by water desalination workers that they are being exposed long-term to dangerous chemicals went out from the General Federation for Bahrain Trade Unions yesterday.

The Electricity and Water Ministry employees are demanding a danger allowance for their exposure to chemicals, which they claim are badly stored, making them even more dangerous.

The federation now wants an independent investigation committee, including federation and workers' representatives.

It wants the committee to issue safety recommendations and to propose a suitable danger allowance.

By SOMAN BABY
Published: 30th August 2007

THE Indian Embassy has blacklisted more than 45 companies for violating local laws by denying the rights of Indian workers, it was revealed yesterday.The charges against these companies include non-payment of salaries, mistreatment of workers and providing sub-standard accommodation for them.

These companies will not be granted permits to recruit workers from India until they correct the situation, said Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty.

"We studied the cases of such companies following several complaints from workers over the past one year," he told the GDN.

By RASHA AL QAHTANI

THE interests of Bahraini fishermen will not be compromised and their livelihood will not be endangered, the Prime Minister pledged yesterday.

This comes after 233 fishermen submitted a petition to the Premier and held several demonstrations in front of the Premier's Court this week.

They are calling for full implementation of a law prohibiting non-Bahrainis from captaining boats and protecting fish resources from illegal fishing methods.

"Any violations that affect fish resources or marine environment will be dealt with strictly," said the Premier at the meeting with the Fishermen's Union.

By REBECCA TORR
Published: 29th August 2007

MORE than 110 hotel employees have signed a petition calling for a minimum wage of BD200 plus allowances.

Officials from the General Trade Union for the Hotel and Catering sector say they are hoping to collect more than 1,000 signatures by the close of the petition at the end of Ramadan.

In addition to a minimum wage, the petition demands hospitality industry employees receive a 20 per cent to 50pc salary rise, a yearly increment, a yearly bonus for all staff, transport and social allowances and for wages to be paid monthly.

"You may think a 50pc increase is a lot, but there are some people who work at one or two star hotels and just get BD80, so 50pc is nothing," union vice-president Suad Mubarak told the GDN.

Bahrain: The government targets NGOs
August 28th, 2007

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is highly concerned by the practices of Bahraini government against local NGOs. The government, represented by the Ministry of Development, launched a campaign against local NGOs registered according to Law 21/1989. Most of human rights organizations refer to this law as one of the obstacles hindering the work of local NGOs in Bahrain. In addition, the Ministry of Development launched another campaign against unregistered committees and NGOs that refused to be registered according to such a deficit law that hinders its social work.

http://www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.asp

A Bahraini rights activist has joined an international fact-finding mission in the Philippines.
Nabeel Rajab, who was associated with the defunct Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, has joined two international activists – French-Algerial Dr. Mouloud Boumghar, and Belgian academic lawyer Fred Ceuppens – in a visit to the Philippines to determine the Asian country’s rights records. The Philippines is under fire from international human rights groups for the continuing violence because of the armed struggle by rebel groups and the alarming killings of journalists.

PIA Press Release
2007/08/22

Zambo a victim of human rights violation, mayor says
Zamboanga City (22 August) -- Many times over, Zamboanga City has been featured in national and international media because of terror-related stories happening in the neighboring provinces and cities.

For people who have not been to this city, these pieces of information give the impression that Zamboanga is an area in conflict and is not conducive to business and tourism.

"Zamboanga City is a victim of human rights violation", Mayor Celso Lobregat declared in an audience with representatives from the International Federation of Human Rights (FIHR) yesterday morning.

Publish Date: Wednesday,22 August, 2007, at 02:06 AM Doha Time

Workers remove fishing traps set up in Al Malkiya on the outskirts of Manama yesterday
MANAMA: Fishermen in a Shia village in Bahrain who were in danger of losing their livelihood in a row with a royal family member celebrated yesterday after the king intervened on their behalf.
The long-running feud centred around traps belonging to a cousin of the monarch that had been laid in coastal waters and prevented access to fishing grounds for local fishermen.
“Had it not been for pressure from residents, these illegal fish traps would not have been removed,” said one of scores of residents of Al Malkiya vilage as he watched workers remove the traps set up by the royal relative.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2007/08/22/news/
zambo.a.victim.of.human.rights.violation.mayor.html

MANY times over, Zamboanga City has been featured in national and international media because of terror-related stories happening in the neighboring provinces and cities, Mayor Celso Lobregat said.

For people who have not been to this city, the information gives the impression that Zamboanga is an area in conflict and is not conducive to business and tourism, he said.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

"Zamboanga City is a victim of human rights violation," Lobregat declared in an audience with representatives from the International Federation of Human Rights (FIHR) Tuesday morning.

Bahraini 'efforts should be emulated'
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/08/22/10148188.html

08/23/2007 01:06 AM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: The US lawyer who defended the six Bahrainis formerly detained at Guantanamo has called upon governments that have citizens at the prison to emulate the efforts of Bahrain to secure their release.

"We wish to recognise the efforts of the Bahraini government in negotiating with the US for the return of our clients and note that these efforts could be emulated by other governments that have citizens at Guantanamo," Joshua Colangelo-Bryan yesterday said in a statement sent to the press by rights activist Nabeel Rajab.

King Hamad of Bahrain has settled a row over fishing rights between one of his cousins and village residents, a day after the argument sparked clashes with police, an official said on Monday.

King Hamad ordered the removal of a series of nets set up by his cousin in coastal waters which prevented access for village fisherman, senior local government offical Yousef al-Boori told AFP.

"The problem has now ended with the intervention of the king," Boori added.

Residents of Al-Malakiya village, south of the capital Manama, had attempted to remove the nets themselves, prompting clashes with police.

By Geoffrey bew
Published: 23rd August 2007

FIVE Bahrainis released from Guantanamo Bay may each soon receive a BD50,000 grant from the government. MP Mohammed Khalid, who has been at the forefront of efforts to free the captives, plans to raise the issue in the next session of parliament, which begins in October.

It is crucial the men receive compensation for the suffering and torture they were forced to endure in the US prison camp and so they are able to financially support their families, he told the GDN.

"The government must give them something," said Mr Khalid.

Bahrain's last Guantanamo Bay detainee, Isa Al Murbati, 41, returned home on August 8 for an emotional reunion with his wife and five children, who he had not seen for more than five years.

The Associated Press
Sunday, August 19, 2007

MANAMA, Bahrain: Villagers clashed with police near Bahrain's capital Sunday over access to fishing grounds seized by a member of the royal family, witnesses said.

More than 200 residents of al-Malkiyah village, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of the capital Manama, sealed off the town's main road and set fire to a tower guarding coastal lands claimed by Sheik Hamad bin Mohammed Salman al-Khalifa, a cousin of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifaa.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters to subdue them, according to witnesses at the scene.

By begena george

A father injured in a freak road accident died early yesterday, as volunteers lost the race for compensation to send him home for treatment.

Social workers told the GDN they were still trying to secure a compensation for the family of Indian Tripparthi Shridhar.

Mr Shridhar worked for six years as a labourer at the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry's parks and gardens section.

The 36-year-old was loading items from a pick-up truck on the Shaikh Khalifa Highway at around 5.45am on August 2 when a car smashed into it.

He sustained neck and spine injuries, which left him paralysed from the neck down.

By MOHAMMED AL A' ALI
Published: 20th August 2007

A group of angry Malkiya youths yesterday set fire to a watchtower and forcefully removed three out of 10 fish traps that allegedly blocked their beach.

They were angered by alleged delays by the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife in removing 10 fish traps and relocating five to another area, after they were laid by a neighbouring landowner.

The youths swam into the sea and started removing traps, while others set ablaze the landowner's watchtower, forcing a man they claimed was taking pictures from the tower to flee, under a hail of stones.

By GEOFFREY BEW

SOME sponsors are attempting to extort hundreds of dinars from expatriates trying to benefit from the government's general amnesty, say Philippine Embassy officials.

Labour AttachŽ Alejandro Santos said the embassy received more than 80 cases of Filipinos who claimed that their employers were demanding refunds of the costs of their recruitment to Bahrain in return for their passports.

Mr Santo said tough action must be taken against those responsible .

He said some sponsors wanted fees of up to BD500 and warned some people may be put off from taking part in the scheme if they do not realise their employers' claims were illegal.

By ANIQA HAIDER
Published: 19th August 2007

A TECHNICIAN, who is recovering in the Salmaniya Medical Complex hospital after losing his three fingers in a workplace accident, is to receive compensation, it was revealed yesterday.

Bangladeshi Karim Fazar Ali suffered the injury while operating cutting machinery on July 26 at the Awal Gulf Manufacturing Company, Sitra.

The 31-year-old, who comes from the village of Gopinath-pur in central Bang-ladesh, has been married for only a year and his wife Sapla is eight-months pregnant.

He is the main breadwinner for his family, which also includes his 70-year-old father Fazar Ali and mother Asia Khatoon, 60.

By BEGENA GEORGE

SOCIAL workers are trying to secure compensation for an Indian who was critically injured in an accident early this month.

Tripparthi Shridhar has been working for six years as a labourer at the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry's parks and gardens section.

The 36-year-old was loading items from a pick-up truck on the Shaikh Khalifa Highway at around 5.45am on August 2 when a car smashed into the truck.

He sustained neck and spine injuries which left him paralysed from the neck down. Saudi Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Hamad Al Gublani, 25, who was driving the car was killed instantly.

By REBECCA TORR
Published: 19th August 2007

A HUMAN rights society is stepping up its campaign to combat sex trafficking in Bahrain through the Internet.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights is already investigating the perpetrators behind websites that are offering sex to customers here and in other Gulf countries, and now with the same technology it hopes to help solve the problem.

It believes raising awareness about sex trafficking and offering victims a way out are the keys to making a difference.

The society plans to approach companies, bloggers, recruiters, organisations and others to post on their website a banner in various languages that will contain information about sex trafficking and useful contacts for victims.

Published: 18th August 2007

An Indian worker, seriously injured in a road accident near Salmabad on Thursday, is in the Intensive Care Unit of the Salmaniya Medical Complex with serious head injuries, it was revealed yesterday.

The worker, identified as Haridas, also had complicated brain surgery to remove blood clots, sources told the GDN.

They said he is expected to regain consciousness in a few days and should recover well.

Three other Indian workers were injured in the accident involving two trucks, one of them overturning from the impact, at Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway.

By ANIQA HAIDER
Published: 18th August 2007

OFFICIALS are still seeking talks with the sponsor of a worker whose legs were broken when he was run over by a heady road-roller at a worksite. Bangladeshi Abul Khayer Abdul Khalek, aged 39, is still in Salmaniya Medical Complex and is expected to take months to fully recover, following the accident, which happened while he was helping with roadworks near Bahrain International Airport on June 27.

Officials at the Bangladeshi Embassy say they are still having difficulty establishing exactly who Mr Abdul Khalek's sponsor is.

General Directorate of Nationality Passports and Residency records show he was employed by the Nasrah Building, Maintenance and Construction Company and his sponsor is listed as Ahmed Mahmood.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10146274.html

08/13/2007 10:48 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: Women activists have blasted a statement by Islamist deputies opposing the election of a woman to head the Council of Representatives' finance committee.

"A major premise of democracy is that those who are elected to the parliament represent all the people, and not just a specific gender, sect or category," Women's Union spokeswoman Fatima Rabia said.

"The constitution rejects any form of discrimination, and no parliamentary bloc should discriminate against women. MP Latifa Al Gaood should be given the opportunity to prove her capabilities and her aptitudes. She may be better than her predecessor, and she should be judged on her skills, not on her being a woman."

'Bahrain must work to reintegrate freed inmate'
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10146102.html

08/13/2007 06:42 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: A rights activist on Sunday pledged to continue the campaign to have the Guantanamo Bay prison shut down.

"For the sake of human rights and dignity, the infamous prison has to be shut down and all prisoners must be allowed to go home," Nabeel Rajab, Vice-President of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, told Gulf News.

"The world needs to see, without further delays, a happy ending to a long chapter of human rights violations against these men and their families, and we will continue to assume our role towards the goal, even though there are no more Bahrainis held there."

By BEGENA GEORGE
Published: 12 August 2007

BANGLADESH Embassy officials are seeking a compensation for the family of a worker who was killed in a worksite accident.

An investigation has also been launched into the death of Ramzan Abdur Rashid, who was crushed to death under cement blocks at a construction site in Sehla on Friday.

The 41-year-old, who was employed by a construction company in Sitra, was piling cement blocks when a truck driver apparently unloaded more blocks by mistake.

He died at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) at around 12.30pm.

Embassy Interim Charge d'Affaires Masudur Rahman told the GDN that since Mr Rashid was working in Bahrain legally, their efforts are concentrated on getting him compensation from the company.

Bahrain: Online Trafficking in human documented with photos

Are there gangs for sexually misusing Bahraini citizens?

Report By: Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

11 August 2007

Introduction:

Trafficking in human definition referred to using power, forgery, or coercion. These legal expressions are interpreted in panic, kidnap, beat, rape, cheat, dessert, and purposeful murder. Some victims are used to work as slaves in factories and farms. Some others – women and girls – are used as slaves in brothels all over the globe, while some others are kept for slavery at rich houses. The children are kidnapped for doing military work and sometimes they are forced to work as street beggars. Otherwise, they are tempted and treated badly in a new type of violation named sexual trade of children.

By SOMAN BABY
Published: 11th August 2007

BAHRAIN is seriously studying a proposal to sign a labour pact with India aimed at securing the rights of employees, it has been revealed. The Indian government is finalising labour pacts with several countries and it has already signed the bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour welfare with Kuwait and the UAE. Oman, Qatar and Malaysia have agreed to follow suit.

The proposal is now being studied by the Bahrain government's legal department, said Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi.

"We hope to get a green signal from the department and to sign an MoU with the Indian government soon," he told the GDN.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10145589.html

08/10/2007 11:43 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: Ekanayaka Gnanawathie walked towards the airport gate, trying to hold back tears and clinging to the dignity she had fought for months to keep.

She was painfully torn between the elation of being reunited with her daughter within hours and the bitter disappointment of reaching home without any of the money she had dreamed of making in a Gulf country.

The world of rosy dreams and wonderful expectations that she conjured up in the remote village of Maho in her native Sri Lanka before coming to Bahrain were shattered by the excruciating physical and emotional abuse she had to endure for about 10 months.

Report By: Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

Manama: 8 August 2007

Introduction:

Bahraini authorities launched a campaign against political and human rights websites, which criticize government policies. The internet is the only space for free conversations on political and human rights issues. There is no fear from arbitrary arrest or security chase online. However, the Bahraini government is not happy with this and subsequently blocked some websites within Bahrain in order to prevent citizens from expressing their own views, particularly critical ones that may not be discussed by Bahraini newspapers because of the many laws hindering freedom of press in Bahrain.

By REBECCA TORR
Published: 10th August 2007

RELEASED Bahraini Guantanamo Bay detainee Isa Al Murbati will be given a comprehensive health and psychological programme to rehabilitate and integrate him back into the community, it was announced yesterday.

MP Mohammed Khalid said he and other MPs were speaking with government authorities to discuss how best to help Mr Al Murbati recover from the ordeal.

"We have organised a special meeting with the higher authorities to discuss his future," Shaikh Mohammed told the GDN yesterday.

"Of course we would like to bring him to the normal Bahraini life, but at the moment he needs to be with his family.

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
Published: 10th August 2007

PROTESTERS demanding answers over the dumping of applications for a national jobs scheme briefly occupied a government office yesterday.They slipped into Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi's office suite, where they regrouped and took over the reception area.

The Unemployed Committee members demanded to see Dr Al Alawi and began shouting insults and slogans when he refused, before being escorted out by police after about half an hour.

Thirty demonstrators originally gathered at the gates of the ministry, near Zayed Town, demanding to see officials.

By MOHAMMED AL A' ALI
Published: 10th August 2007

FREED Guantanamo Bay detainee Isa Al Murbati says that he wants to put the last six years behind him and get to know his family again.Mr Al Murbati, 41, told the GDN last night that he wasn't interested in seeking compensation or dwelling on his experiences in detention.

"I don't want to remember that horrible place any more," he said after greeting well-wishers at the Shaikhan Al Farsi Mosque community hall, in Buhair.

"The torture I went through was so inhumane that I just want to forget."

However, the physical scars remain.

"I am still suffering from nasal problems due to the inhalation of toxic fumes from chemicals," he said.

Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter

“My cell is the size of a small cubbyhole. There is a toilet and a sink and no loose fixtures. Light comes from a circuit controlled unit outside. My bed is a bunk with a blanket. Some books line the side of one wall.
“The door comprises thick iron bars and there is a dead bolt. Inmates on either side change regularly so there is no real friendship established. Silence is the general standard of conduct with prisoners speaking only briefly during the recreation period. The days tumble crazily into a blur, one week is like the last and next week will be no different.

By GEOFFREY BEW

SCREAMS of delight filled the air as freed Bahraini Guantanamo Bay detainee Isa Al Murbati arrived home last night.

Relatives and friends at the family's Isa Town home had been on tenterhooks for hours, until word came that his plane had touched down, at around 10pm. Mr Al Murbati was whisked straight to the Public Prosecution in Manama for a debriefing.

His excited wife with their daughters stayed at home, but his brother and sons were at the Public Prosecution to greet him. The 41-year-old was flown from Cuba via Germany, aboard a US military plane.

Mr Al Murbati, who has been held in the notorious prison camp since 2001 without charge or trial, is married and has five children: Fatima, 18, Ali, 17, Hafsa, 14, Omar, nine and Ebrahim, seven.

Last Bahraini to be released from Gitmo
We waited six years for this day: Family
Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter

Isa Al Murbati, the last of the Bahraini detainees in Guantanamo Bay, will be reaching home in the next 24 hours, his wife Elham Ibrahim, told the Tribune yesterday.
Elham said: “We received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday informing us that my husband was being released. I was in Saudi Arabia and my brother-in-law informed me about the news. I rushed back to Bahrain with my family, cousins and relatives who have all gathered at our house in Isa Town, eagerly awaiting his arrival.”

By REBECCA TORR
Published: 8th August 2007

AUTHORITIES were yesterday urged to look into reports that detainees are being mistreated at the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) in Adliya.

Bahrain Human Rights Society said family members of detainees had complained of an allegedly hungerstrike that had been staged because of the bad conditions.

It had also been told that the detainees had been given a collective punishment because authorities suspected drug smuggling.

"We received complaints from a detention centre in Adliya that they were on hunger strike and some were sick," society assistant secretary-general Dr Abdulla Al Durazi told the GDN.

By MAY ASHOUR
Published: 9th August 2007

MORE than 35 unemployed women staged a protest yesterday in front of the Education Ministry's Employee Affairs Directorate, Manama, demanding teaching jobs.

The women held up signs and banners for two hours from 10.30am, demanding to speak to top officials about alleged inequities in the ministry's hiring process.

Most of them hold teaching and information educational methods degrees from Bahrain University.

They claimed they had passed the ministry's employment tests several times, but been regularly waitlisted.

The ministry announced on Tuesday that it had finalised 473 new jobs for the new academic year, including teaching positions and promotions.

By MANDEEP SINGH
Published: 7th August 2007

THE cases of two Asian workers, who are in intensive care at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) due to heat stroke, has sparked a call by health officials for stricter enforcement of the ban on labourers working outdoors between noon and 4pm. Another worker, also an Asian, is recovering after having been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for three days, Accident and Emergency Department chairman Dr Jassim Al Mehza said yesterday.

"The three heat stroke victims had been working in the sun between noon and 4pm, even though working at that time has been banned," said Dr Al Mehza.

Take Action
Since 1 July 2007, human rights defender and Vice-President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Nabeel Ahmed Rajab has faced ongoing harassment and has been followed by civilian vehicles on a daily basis to and from his home. Urge the authorities in Bahrain to conduct an inquiry into the source of the intimidation with a view to identifying those responsible and bringing them to justice.

Letter

Your Excellency,

I would like to express my concern in relation to the ongoing harassment of human rights defender and Vice-President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Nabeel Ahmed Rajab, since 1 July 2007. The BCHR is a non-governmental organisation which works to defend civil, political, economic and social rights in Bahrain.

President/ John Kufuor

President of Ghana and the African Union

The African Union

Addis Ababa – Ethiopia

August 2nd, 2007

Kindly accept our best regards,

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), located in Bahrain, and The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA), located in Egypt, would like to praise your hard work to establish justice, democracy, and human rights principles all over Africa.

Dear President,

We – BYSHR and APHRA – write to you regarding the British security officer, Ian Henderson, who resides now in South Africa, a member country of the African Union. Mr. Henderson was the Head of General Intelligence Bureau in Bahrain during the period from 1966 to 2000.

By BEGENA GEORGE
Published: 6th August 2007

THE majority of people who are not applying for the government's general amnesty fear they will be blacklisted and deported, according to Indian and Pakistan embassy officials. Almost all the people who have approached the two embassies so far claim to have lost their passport and want to leave, it emerged yesterday.

There were very few people who applied to work under a legal visa in Bahrain.

This is in addition to some who claim that their legal documents were being withheld by their sponsor, which makes it impossible for them to go home or change jobs legally even if they wanted to.

By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 6th August 2007

MANY expatriates who travel to Bahrain for specific jobs find themselves abandoned at the airport, it emerged yesterday. Bangladeshi Embassy Interim Charge d'Affaires Masudur Rahman said the victims often pay huge fees for visas to come to the country after being promised work with a local sponsor. However, when they arrive no one is there to collect them and workers later discover the job they were brought in for was fictitious, he said.

Mr Rahman said this meant expatriates were left with nowhere to stay and forced to find alternative work to survive.

Asian diplomat says sponsors should returns documents to amnesty-seekers
Titus Filio
Contributor

The issuance of travel documents instead of returning passports to amnesty-seekers may open a market of “loose passports for illegal activities”, Asian diplomats fear.
Thousands of illegal workers, including those absconding from jobs, are expected to line up for amnesty which allows them to travel without taking their passports back.
“They can fly home on travel documents. But about about their passports? We are worried because many passports may still be valid and can be used in other illicit activities,” an Asian diplomat told the Tribune on the condition of anonymity. “It will be then another serious problem. We are not talking of one case but of hundreds, even thousands. Many sponsors cannot not be contacted or or simply just don’t want to return the passports back,” the diplomat said.

By BEGENA GEORGE
Published: 3rd August 2007

SRI LANKANS, estimated at over 12,000 working in Bahrain, are being urged to take advantage of the government's general amnesty by contacting the country's counsellor.

The Sri Lankan Embassy looking after the affairs of its citizens in Bahrain is based in Kuwait.

However, Sri Lankan honorary consul-general P B Higgoda said that people could visit the Sri Lankan Club, Manama, on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

The amnesty began on Wednesday and will run until December 31 to allow illegal immigrants to legalise their stay or leave the country without penalty.

By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 3rd August 2007

THE last Bahraini detainee being held at Guantanamo Bay is barely able to sleep or talk to other prisoners, because of cruel US military tactics, say his lawyers.

Guards run large fans in the notorious Camp Six, where Isa Al Murbati is being held, that sound like jet engines and prevent captives from communicating and deprive them of sleep, says legal team head Joshua Colangelo-Bryan said

He says Mr Al Murbati is often scolded for trying to speak to other prisoners and is forced to talk through a small gap between the bottom of his cell door and the floor.

India clamp on women workers
By SOMAN BABY
Published: 3rd August 2007

INDIA has tightened restrictions on Indian women travelling to work in Bahrain and other Gulf countries, it was revealed yesterday.

From now on, not just housemaids but also other women with emigration clearance-required (ECR) passports will not be allowed to work in countries that do not have a labour welfare pact.

These include salesgirls, seamstresses, waitresses and a variety of other service jobs.

The new rules now also demand a $400 (BD150) minimum salary for all household service workers (HSW) and a security deposit of $2,500 (BD943) from potential HSW employers.

Back amnesty call
By SOMAN BABY
Published: 1st August 2007

A TOP government official yesterday appealed to foreign embassies in Bahrain to help the authorities to make the general amnesty for illegal workers smooth and successful. The call came from Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Ali Radhi during a meeting with Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty at the LMRA in Sanabis yesterday.

"The amnesty process will not be successful without the support of the embassies," he said.

"The amnesty gives the employers as well as the foreign workers the opportunity to correct their status.

Greedy employers face imprisonment
By SOMAN BABY
Published: 2nd August 2007

EMPLOYERS, who take money or other benefits from foreign workers for providing them jobs in Bahrain, face imprisonment under a new law, it was revealed yesterday. The Amnesty Guide issued by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) says such employers face imprisonment for three months to a year and/or a fine of BD1,000 to BD2,000, for each worker involved.

Article 23C of the LMRA law says it is a crime "to obtain money, benefit or privilege from any foreign workers in lieu of issue of work permit, employment of such workers or keeping the worker in the job".

Amnesty requests pour in
Missions fully prepared to cope with the rush

Over 120 requests were submitted at three embassies as the five-month amnesty took effect yesterday.
“The Bangladeshi embassy received 20 applications including one from a woman,” First Secretary Shamim Al Mamun told the Tribune. He said they expected a surge of applications in the last couple of months. “But we are prepared to handle the rush even now.”
Counsellor (political affairs) and Charge d’Affairs ad interim Masudur Rahman said over 100 people took the application forms. “Many came to find out what they had to do to avail themselves of the amnesty.”

One dies in mishap, another ends life
Noor Mohamed

Two Indians died in the Kingdom yesterday, one in an accident and the other in yet another suicide case.
A 39-year-old cyclist was killed on the spot when a Bahraini lost control of his car on Umaskar Highway near Awali roundabout last evening following a tyre burst.
The victim was identified as Shaikh Abdullah. Such was the impact that his body was flung at least 100 metres from the car. Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) paramedics rushed to the spot but Shaikh Abdullah was pronounced dead on the spot. His body was shifted to Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) mortuary.

Show me the way to go home
Amnesty gets off to flying start
BT team

A filipina mother with three undocumented children was one of the first to apply for relief under the general amnesty which got off to a flying start yesterday with at least 375 illegal expatriates queueing up at their respective embassies.
The 5-month amnesty offer by the government in a bid to regulate the labour market is expected to attract thousands of illegal expats mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines and to a lesser extent Thailand.
Most of the embassies have set up special counters to deal with the amnesty-seekers, and are also undertaking awareness campaigns among the respective communities.