Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The "Nation Without Violators" campaign has netted as many as 82,852 violators of work and residency laws during the past 11 days, according to the latest statistical reports.

The campaign was launched by the Ministry of Interior on March 29 to give residency, labor law violators and infiltrators the chance to leave the Kingdom without having to pay penalties.

The number of those who violated the residency laws totaled 46,824; there were 15,569 border security infiltrators; and 20,459 labor law violators, according to latest statistics.

The report said 1,074 people were caught while trying to infiltrate into the Kingdom through the southern borders of whom about 80 percent were Yemenis, 18 percent Ethiopians and two percent belonged to other various nationalities.

According to the campaign, 564 violating expatriates were deported to their respective homes while 18 persons were caught while attempting to exit the Kingdom through the land exits.

It said some 341 people were involved in providing transport to illegal expatriates including 44 Saudis of whom 21 were punished and released while 23 others were still under investigation.

According to the campaign, 11,218 violating expatriates, consisting of 10,954 men and 1,128 women were being held at the detention centers.

It said 12,192 violators were deported, 8,130 were immediately penalized and 10,090 referred to their diplomatic and consular missions to obtain travel documents and 10,116 were completing their travel reservations.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, which is part of the campaign along with 19 other government departments, said it registered about 1,021 violations of the residence, labor and job nationalization process during 1,243 inspection visits to a number of private establishments in five regions during a week.

The ministry said during the inspection visits, 265 violators of the system of residence and labor law were apprehend.

The ministry said it conducted 816 field visits by 47 male and female inspectors to 288 private establishments in Makkah which resulted in the arrest of 296 violating expatriates.

It said in Asir, 438 work violations were registered through 350 inspection tours while in Riyadh 104 violators were apprehended.

The ministry said it registered 239 violations to the law of feminizing the lingerie shops and added that 17 Saudis were held for employing illegal expatriates.

It said 161 violators were nabbed in Al-Khobar and 31 in Madinah where 45 violating shops were closed down.