Report: 32 runaway Filipinos detained in KSA

At least 32 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are detained in Alkhobar province in Saudi Arabia following a raid by local authorities there Wednesday. Philippine Embassy Charge d'Affaires Ezzedin Tago said Saudi police conducted early morning raids on villas and flats in the Thuqba area in Alkhobar. “We are closely coordinating with authorities in the Eastern Province and finding out what charges will be filed against them. We’ll do our best to help them," Tago said in an article posted Thursday on news site Arab News. He said the embassy will work on the repatriation of the 32 so they can go home to rejoin their families in the Philippines. Citing initial reports reaching him, Tago said 26 of the 32 OFWs were women. On the other hand, the Arab News report quoted a source as saying that the crackdown stemmed not from a government campaign to crack down on runaway OFWs but from infighting. "There's really no concerted campaign to crack down on OFWs who have run away from their employers. The police conducted the raid after a tipoff from other OFWs who allegedly had differences with those detained," the unnamed source was quoted as saying. The Arab News report also said Migrante Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona has appealed to the Saudi government to respect the detained OFWs' rights. "We appeal to the Saudi government to respect the rights of undocumented migrants in its campaign to root out illegal residents like runaway OFWs," Monterona said. He also called on the Philippine Embassy to make the same appeal to the Saudi government and properly represent the detained OFWs. Monterona urged Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay and the Department of Foreign Affairs to lobby the Kingdom’s government for the legalization of all undocumented OFWs. — RSJ, GMANews.TV