2000 Indonesian people's became bumps in Saudi Arabia

A large number of Indonesian nationals, including men, women and children, gathered outside their country’s consulate Saturday, demanding immediate repatriation from the Kingdom. 

Security vehicles and officers were called to maintain order.Several women, including some elderly ones, were seen sitting on the curb near the building and by the mosque opposite the consulate.Jeddah police spokesman Brig. Misfer Al-Juaid confirmed the demonstration had taken place.“The people gathering in the area are overstayers, but we haven’t received any security concerns on the nature of their presence,” he said.

Al-Juaid added they included Indonesians who had overstayed on Umrah visas as well as those who carried expired work visa permits.Less than a year ago, a similar situation occurred in front of the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah.In April, the Indonesian government sent a ship to Jeddah to take home more than 2,000 workers, mostly housemaids who were stranded in the Kingdom. 

The group included runaways and Haj and Umrah overstayers, according to Indonesian officials.Maj. Muhammad Al-Hussein, spokesman of the Passport Department in Makkah province, urged effective collaborations between foreign missions and local authorities to ease deportation procedures and ensure their citizens did not overstay. A source at the Jeddah Passport Department told Arab News on Saturday: “Part of the reason why the deportation of some overstayers found on the streets is delayed is that some of them hold no legal documents, like an iqama or a passport. This requires authorities to take additional steps to ensure their identity.”