IMMIGRATION DEPORTS TWO INDIAN MIGRANT WORKERS!

IMMIGRATION DEPORTS TWO INDIAN MIGRANT WORKERS!

The Immigration Division headed by Mrs. Marie Ange Hoareau, Principal Secretary, has deported two Indian migrant workers from Seychelles. The two workers were arrested last Friday and left Seychelles on Saturday. They were apparently assaulted and beaten up by other inmates at the Central Police Station and their lawyer who was contacted by the police sometime around midnight had to call Mr. Fock-Tave to have them transferred to another police cell.

It is not clear how these workers managed to live and work in Seychelles without the necessary permit for so long. It appears that either the system put in place to detect these incidents are not working or there was collusion between the employer and personnel’s of the Immigration Department.

Either way, the workers refused to press charges and were happy to leave Seychelles without further penalty being applied. Lately there has been an influx ob migrant workers entering Seychelles mainly to work in the Construction Industry which is going through a boom at the moment. However many have been seen performing menial jobs which Seychellois workers could also be doing. These workers have been prominently seen at places such as hotels and Supermarkets doing jobs like Security Guards, gardener, attending to trolleys and customers at Supermarkets; all jobs that Seychellois workers can perform. At a time when unemployment figures have hit an all time high it is incredulous that foreigners are being given work permit to do these simple jobs. Something must be wrong somewhere!

The beach at Petit Anse is also swarming with Indian construction workers on Sundays when they are not working and tourists have said that they are uncomfortable with the overbearing presence of these workers on the beach staring at them incessantly in their bikinis. It is believed that the Immigration Department have not been able to cope with the large numbers and many are now slipping through the cracks. An IT company has stated that the problem can be easily solved with software being put on the computers at the immigration division which would give an audible warning every time the GOP of a migrant worker expires. However, in situations where workers have entered the Country illegally without paying the GOP the situation is different as they are more difficult to trace. Unless the Immigration receives a tip off it is impossible to identify these workers at all.

The living condition of these workers is also atrocious by any standard with many living in sub standard corrugated tin shacks resembling chicken coop. They have common kitchen and toilet facilities which are used by several hundreds people at the same time. Sanitation is therefore poor and public health issues are rife. Some time ago some Indian Workers at Silhouette were diagnose with the highly contagious typhoid fever presenting a real threat and danger to public health and the population at large. Some nurses are known to have died as a result of contracting the disease as well. The Immigration and the Ministry of health need to address these issues before another epidemic sweeps our beautiful islands.