My deepest condolences go to the victims and their families and friends who perished or got injured in a labour camp file last night in Gudaybiyah. It is reported that up to 300 workers lived in a single multistory building and up to 15 people were crammed into a single room.
The workers are employed with Royal Tower Construction Company. I hope that the authorities will look very seriously at the condition of their domicile and correct the situation using any legal means necessary.
It is unfortunate that these migrant workers, the very ones who build the country through the past decades and continue to do so today, are not treated fairly. That situation should be corrected and should never be just swept under the carpet.
It is a sad day all around.
Comments
It is very sad.
May God grant them Heaven and may HE look over all loved ones left behind.
A few days back I read that Labor camps were going to be strictly
regulated, few were meant to be shut down and others improved.
We need to improve the conditions of all workers.
Lack of proper facilities, its a curse in Bahrain…humans are humans, and they all need to be treated fairly. When will people realize this.
To F; how do u know if God will grant them heaven? Last time I was in the khaleej I had heard these indians/paki/bangali workers spend their wages on alcohol and prostitutes.
My thoughts and prayers to all at this tragic time.
Does anyone know if there has been a relief fund set up to accept donations?
Anon,
It’s sad to know that people like you respond to such a tragic situation with such ignorance and hostility. Regardless of the personal lives they led, these poor souls were victims of inhumane and tormenting living conditions which shows the complete lack of care provided by the concerned ruthless authorities in the Kingdom, which should be brought to justice immediately (although we ALL know that will never happen, since pointing fingers is what WE do best..)
Anon,
LOOK AROUND YOU in Bahrain, and realize that the buildings you see resulted from the hard work of these very HUMAN beings whom ended up being treated like ANIMALS and murdered by the Bahraini authorities for doing the work that MOST Bahrainis are ASHAMED of doing.
IT’S SICKENING AND DISTURBING!
May God show them the lights of Heaven, and grant their families patience to deal with this horrible incident!
Just as sickening is the fact that no action is taken until such a tragedy strikes. We saw it a few months back with the dhow debacle, we see it now with this one.
The construction company and building owner will be made examples of, only to see such despicable living conditions continue to exist in the future.
Here’s to hoping that short-term solutions are not implemented at the expense of longer-term ones. As long as people like “anon” exist and have some say in how things are run, such tragedies are sure to happen again.
Inna lillah, wa innah ilayhi raji3oon.
Nomadic Arab, I totally agree with you
Wherever we are in bahrain – in your villa or in your office or in the mall – we rely on the construction workers. In a sense, they pay the price for our prosperity. May they rest in peace.
Anon,
Remember, its because of their work that YOU are able to wine and enjoy women in your home. They cannot go out to the fancy restaurants that you go, their women are back in their countries. Why am I wasting my words, you really are not a human being.
It is a sad day all around.
That’s so true. I’m just gald the day is over.
May God grant them heaven and grant their loved ones patience.
Yes I agree with Sonia, come on have a heart… I think people here dont show any compassion to people who are laboures god forbid you guys had to do a decent days work…. and live in squalor…. Do something for these people we collected money if everyone did a little something it would make a difference.
Chelle
This is so sad.
Whats even sadder is that those labourers who died – poor as they are – were probably sending money over to their home countries to support their already poor families. And now the news that daddy has died. Thats just really, really heartbreaking. Can you imagine? Its a very grim outlook on life.
On the subject of prevention – why were 300 people crammed into such a small space in the first place? I am sure it was against the fire-department’s protocol. The question becomes, why wasnt this rule enforced?
I hope that I am wrong, but I suspect that the general reason is that those migrant workers from third world countries are looked down upon by local Bahrainis. Not everyone of course, but it is no secret that the Gulf Arab states do not exactly hold them in the best esteem.
That being the case, I could easily imagine a lack of enforcement of fire-codes because at multiple stages down the line, the locals in authority will state: “Oh, they are just unimportant indians, a dime a dozen, who cares about them.”
This attitude needs to change, because in a roundabout way, this type of neglect is exactly what has caused those people to perish today. I commend the Bahraini posters who have spoken out against this today – I hope that other Bahrainis and Gulf Arabs also begin to take note and change the culture in this way. 🙂
-Ibn
fire-department’s protocol
hahahahhehehahehahehah ahehaheheha hehahahehhhahha
Thanks for the laugh first thing in the morning Ibn! Brilliant!
ahshshehahhehehehhheheh ehehehheha
hehe…yeah…I had that in mind too Mahmood.. 🙂
-Ibn
Mona Al Moayed is speaking out on this in the GDN! Good for her.
I was reading that the labor ministry has said that most labor camps are satisfactory here in Bahrain. What a crock!!! And then today, I read that they put these 200 or so laborers from this fire in a make-shift building – or under construction – with only four rooms w/ 12 ppl per room.. the others are out in the corridors laying on the floor and such. No electricity here, no running water and the only food they got was a bag of rice and a small bowl of curry.
This is absolutely deplorable! I agree w/ what Mona Almoayyed is saying… somebody has to be accountable or this will NEVER change.
Heads need to roll!!!!
Who is the owner of Royal Tower Construction Company? It is not mentioned in any of the GDN reports. Only the name of the sponsor is mentioned. Does anyone know?
Not sure if everyone still remembers it, but their families can’t forget it during their entire lifetime. There is no compensation or whatsoever offered to these poor workers. Have a look at this story
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE820080628012854&Title=Zeitgeist&rLink=0
Maybe I am being foolish (or just plain stupid), but whatever happened to employers liability insurance?!