AhlulBayt News Agency

source : al Wefaq
Monday

14 January 2013

5:46:00 AM
381370

Al-Wefaq: Bahrain authority is responsible for death of 13 fire victims

Al-Wefaq expressed its deep sorrow for the death of 13 foreign workers killed in a fire blaze in a building in Manama, and its condolences to the families of the victims.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Al-Wefaq recalls the essential foreign labor contributions in the economy of Bahrain. The significant role foreign labor has played to build the economy, hand-in-hand with the Bahrainis, cannot be overlooked, it said.

Following the fire incident, Al-Wefaq said foreign labor accommodations must meet health and safety standards, and therefore regulations and policies are needed in this regard, as well as regular inspections that verify that basic rights of foreign labor are met.

Al-Wefaq bloc has made a proposal law in this issue, during a previous parliamentary period, but the authority rejected the proposal claiming that the ministerial decisions are enough and comprehensive, running away from obligation to meet necessary and basic rights of foreign workers in Bahrain who live in poor conditions.

Al-Wefaq calls on the regime and the union of foreign communities to ensure the rights of foreign workers, especially those in poor situation, as this incident comes within an ongoing series in which foreign workers suffer from the absence of safety standards, and this has been reported by local and international rights NGOs. Whereas the authority has no serious intentions to solve the issue, apparently, it is too busy pushing foreign workers in the middle of the political conflict for political purposes promoting the fake notion of the opposition's victimizing of them.

Al-Wefaq stated that the vast majority of the foreign labor in Bahrain lives in villages and areas where anti-government protests take place and so suffer from the same repression under the security forces collective punishment on those villages, and they are not waiting for the authority to shove them in the internal political conflict. While they have lived in these villages in harmony with Bahrainis who have always treated them with respect and humanity.

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