glimpse of how life is for the millions of South Asian and Southeast Asian workers stoking the construction and oil booms in the Persian Gulf
Anyone who has ever seen the film Syriana has gotten a good glimpse of how life is for the millions of South Asian and Southeast Asian workers stoking the construction and oil booms in the Persian Gulf states these days.
They are simply being stacked into crowded quarters three persons high to sleep in.
As financial analysts glower at how well cities, like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, & manama are doing developmentally, third world workers are still given 5th, 6th or 7th class residences as they build the regions new economic powers (and power relationships) in the Gulf region this 21st Century--under the aegis of the American superpower protecting these cities with a defense budget for 2008 that nears 860 billion dollars.
My work colleagues here in Mahboula, Kuwait were awakened at midnight a few days ago. A resident in the neighboring apartment block went falling to his death—apparently pushed out a window.
Inside another man was dead. There had apparently been a fight in that 3-bedroom flat amongst some of the 27 male occupants residing there in their companies' budget accommodations.
My colleague pointed out that with so many people from so many different Asian countries stuffed into flats with only two bathrooms, it is a wonder that fights and murders don't break out more often!
Similarly, two weeks ago, there was a towering inferno in Dubai. Nearly half a dozen foreign construction workers died—with some diving to their deaths. Dozens of others were injured by smoke inhalation and fire. Observers stated that it reminded them of the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Towers in New York City.
It could have been worse. The Dubai fire department seemed unprepared to fight or handle a blaze at 37 stories in that desert city.
That particular tower was a Dubai government owned project—and Dubai is the most westernized of all the Gulf State economies.
Imagine how little the less advanced other Gulf states—rich with the world's oil dollars—protect their labor!
Observe also how the police responded to the double murder in Mahboula, Kuwait this past weekend. Only two police cars showed up. One of those left after a half hour. There was no forensics team to check on the body laying on the ground outside until the next morning after all the workers had left for their 6- or 7-day a week duties.
In Mahboula, Kuwait there are dozen similar 5 to 15 story flats where fire or fights could break out. Throughout the city or hundreds and hundreds more such facilities filled by day and night laborers—most of whom work an average of 52 hours a week doing cleaning, undertaking construction, working security, cooking and maintaining restaurants. This includes many U.S. franchises—like Chiles and Burger King. Many who protest are sent home with only two weeks notice—just as was observed in the film Syriana.
One of the great casualties of the recent U.S. buildup in Iraq and the region is that the U.S. embassies have basically stopped using moral suasion to get the governments of Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to clean up their acts and protect the safety and human rights of the 20-25 million foreign workers in the region.
Why?
Apparently, the U.S. embassies are feeling a pinch from Washington to make their Gulf hosts happy and get those Gulf governments to support the 2007arms and troop increases in the neighboring country of Iraq taking place.
They are simply being stacked into crowded quarters three persons high to sleep in.
As financial analysts glower at how well cities, like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, & manama are doing developmentally, third world workers are still given 5th, 6th or 7th class residences as they build the regions new economic powers (and power relationships) in the Gulf region this 21st Century--under the aegis of the American superpower protecting these cities with a defense budget for 2008 that nears 860 billion dollars.
My work colleagues here in Mahboula, Kuwait were awakened at midnight a few days ago. A resident in the neighboring apartment block went falling to his death—apparently pushed out a window.
Inside another man was dead. There had apparently been a fight in that 3-bedroom flat amongst some of the 27 male occupants residing there in their companies' budget accommodations.
My colleague pointed out that with so many people from so many different Asian countries stuffed into flats with only two bathrooms, it is a wonder that fights and murders don't break out more often!
Similarly, two weeks ago, there was a towering inferno in Dubai. Nearly half a dozen foreign construction workers died—with some diving to their deaths. Dozens of others were injured by smoke inhalation and fire. Observers stated that it reminded them of the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Towers in New York City.
It could have been worse. The Dubai fire department seemed unprepared to fight or handle a blaze at 37 stories in that desert city.
That particular tower was a Dubai government owned project—and Dubai is the most westernized of all the Gulf State economies.
Imagine how little the less advanced other Gulf states—rich with the world's oil dollars—protect their labor!
Observe also how the police responded to the double murder in Mahboula, Kuwait this past weekend. Only two police cars showed up. One of those left after a half hour. There was no forensics team to check on the body laying on the ground outside until the next morning after all the workers had left for their 6- or 7-day a week duties.
In Mahboula, Kuwait there are dozen similar 5 to 15 story flats where fire or fights could break out. Throughout the city or hundreds and hundreds more such facilities filled by day and night laborers—most of whom work an average of 52 hours a week doing cleaning, undertaking construction, working security, cooking and maintaining restaurants. This includes many U.S. franchises—like Chiles and Burger King. Many who protest are sent home with only two weeks notice—just as was observed in the film Syriana.
One of the great casualties of the recent U.S. buildup in Iraq and the region is that the U.S. embassies have basically stopped using moral suasion to get the governments of Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to clean up their acts and protect the safety and human rights of the 20-25 million foreign workers in the region.
Why?
Apparently, the U.S. embassies are feeling a pinch from Washington to make their Gulf hosts happy and get those Gulf governments to support the 2007arms and troop increases in the neighboring country of Iraq taking place.
posted by Kevin Anthony Stoda at 10:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home