Over 1,200 illegals held in Oman 

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) An intensified drive against illegal residents led to the detention of 1,243 people, most of them Asians, in December, according to a senior Ministry of Manpower official.

Director-General of Workers' Welfare Salim bin Said Al Badi said 1,104 of them, including 142 women, were arrested from the Muscat governorate.

More than 270 people were apprehended in raids carried out by the ministry in co-ordination with the police on flats in the wilayats of Baushar and Seeb. Hundreds more were arrested from the Ma'awaleh Central Market, Badi said.

He underlined that the campaign against illegal workers "stems from the ministry's keenness to ensure that all expatriate workforce meet legal stipulations set forth in the Oman Labour Law." He urged employers and workers to abide by the provisions of the law and the relevant ministerial decisions. Expatriates must only be employed in accordance with the terms and conditions laid down in the labour contracts, he further said.

Meanwhile, a Royal Oman Police (ROP) source reiterated that illegal residents were a "real threat to the safety and security of the country," stressing that the police would continue with the campaign "until the (Muscat) governorate is cleared of all the violators."

The source said those arrested had been kept under detention and would be referred to Public Prosecution for further action.