Philippines stops sending workers to Qatar

International Desk: The Philippines said Tuesday it would not send any more workers to Qatar until the fallout from a regional political crisis became clear.

Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have severed diplomatic relations with Qatar. Saudi Arabia has blocked all land, sea and air routes to Qatar, and the UAE has closed its airports and harbors to Qatari flights and shipping.

The Arab states have accused their neighbor of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region. Qatar says the claims are "unjustified" and "baseless."

Qatar has a population of just over 2.2 million but most of the people living there are foreign nationals.

The gas-rich state relies heavily on migrant workers to keep its economy ticking over. They include engineers, doctors and bankers, as well as construction workers hired to build stadiums for the Qatar 2022 soccer World Cup.

In a statement, the Philippine government said it was concerned about the fate of 140,000 Filipinos workers already in Qatar, particularly given suggestions that the blockade could lead to food shortages.

Source: Agencies



Risingbd/June 7, 2017/Mukul