Manama: Bahrain plans to deport around 20,000 illegal foreigners, the labour minister said on Wednesday.
The figure is about half of the total number of illegal expatriates, estimated at 41,000, Majeed Al Alawi said at a meeting of an ad-hoc ministerial committee tasked with addressing the phenomenon of "free visa" foreigners.
"Tackling illegal workers in Bahrain is a national duty to protect the country's national economy and security. There are many negative repercussions from the presence of massive numbers of illegal foreigners on all aspects and we therefore need to eradicate this dangerous phenomenon through joint action with all ministries," Al Alawi said.
Bahrain last month launched several campaigns to chase vendors off streets and detain those without proper residence or work permits prior to the deportation.
The 16-member committee said that businessmen will, under the auspices of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, sign a code of honour in April not to deal with companies that employ illegal expatriates and to hire foreigners who do not have valid documents.
A campaign to promote awareness among people to avoid dealing with illegal residents will also be launched, the committee said.
Bahrain this month said that foreigners make up around 51 per cent of the total population.
