Over 2,500 illegal immigrants arrested in the first eight months of 2018

Energy Wednesday 12/September/2018 16:46 PM
By: Times News Service
Over 2,500 illegal immigrants arrested in the first eight months of 2018

Muscat: As many as 2,550 illegal immigrants were arrested in the first eight months of 2018, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) announced on Wednesday.

Other 3,141 infiltrators were deported over the same period.

Lt. Col., Ahmed Al Sarki, Director of Anti-infiltration Department at the ROP, said “Oman gives great importance to preserving the identity of the Sultanate's territory and protecting it from anything that compromises its security and stability.”

He added that the Omani Residence Law regulates the conditions of granting visas and residence permits, as well as the specific penalties for violations of this law.

Regarding infiltration and smuggling, Lt. Col. Ahmed Al-Sarkhi said that such phenomena have a negative effect on security, as well as economics.

“These illegal immigrants are competing illegally for employment, while some may intimidate people and abuse their property,” he explained.

Al-Sarkhi stressed that the Royal Oman Police, in cooperation with other authorities, control Oman's maritime territories, monitoring the movement of smugglers and infiltrators as they attempt to enter the country.

“The campaigns carried out by the ROP in cooperation with the Ministry of Manpower have contributed to a clamp down of large numbers of violators of the labour and residence laws, and the community's awareness of the risks of harbouring infiltrators has led to the arrest of many of them,” he went on to say.

In order to ensure the safety, dignity and rights of infiltrators, Lt. Col. Ahmad Al Sarki said they are held in centers and provided with food, drink and medical treatment until they leave the country, adding that they are tried and deported in accordance with international conventions and standards.