Indian workers in Saudi Arabia assured all help

Dubai, April 24 (IANS) Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao has assured expatriate Indian workers in the country's Eastern Province of all possible help in mitigating their problems following new immigration law.

In a meeting held at the Indian School in the provincial capital of Dammam Tuesday, the ambassador took first-hand information about the problems faced by members of the Indian community, the Arab News newspaper reported.

Deputy chief of mission Sibi George accompanied him.

Members of the community submitted memorandums listing their various grievances.

In one such memorandum, the Federation of Overseas Indian Organisations urged the ambassador to look into the issue of poor living conditions at the deportation centre for illegal expatriates.

Rao told the gathering the matter has already been taken up with the authorities, and that several hospitals and dispensaries were willing to provide treatment to the inmates of the centre.

The envoy also said he was ready to open a legal aid cell in the Eastern Province.

There are around 1.8 million expatriate Indians in that Gulf nation.