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Shora delegation to participate in
Arab Parliaments
conference
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JEDDAH:
Makkah governorate’s Department of Public Relations and Media produced a
documentary on the correction of the status of 250,000 members of its Burmese
community, in both English and Arabic, that will be broadcast on social media.
The governorate’s spokesman,
Sultan Al-Dosari, said the documentary was produced under the direct guidance
and supervision of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the adviser
to King Salman.
It shows in detail the
process of correcting the status of these community members, which began as
part of an initiative to develop popular neighborhoods in the emirate and
expanded to an internationally and UN-acclaimed human rights initiative in the
Kingdom.
Al-Dosari said the
documentary includes accounts and narratives from the governor and from
officials that had a role in the correction committee during the entire course
of the initiative, as well as views of representatives of the UN and of members
of the Burmese community who have had their status corrected.
The film shows how 250,000
Burmese citizens from different parts of the Kingdom were received by the
passport department and other relevant entities and had their residence status
finalized.
The Office of the UN’s High
Commissioner for Refugees described the Kingdom as a leader in this regard, as
a country whose experience can benefit other countries.
The correction initiative,
the documentary shows, achieved several successes and benefits for the Kingdom.
Also portrayed are the
different sectors and partners involved in the correction efforts and
processes, including the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, which put
the number of citizens from Myanmar at one quarter of the number of foreigners
benefiting from the Nitaqat programme.
Female citizens of Myanmar
are entitled remain under the sponsorship of their families and are exempted
from having their sponsorship transferred to companies they wish to work for.
At the same time, the
members of the community can benefit from some. More than 83,000 Burmese
citizens were immunized against infectious diseases (tuberculosis, meningitis,
tetanus, and the seasonal flu) during the correction process, while 2,257 were
treated for Hepatitis B and C.
The Ministry of Health
estimates the total cost of health and preventative services provided to
members of the Burmese community to have reached SR782 million.
The document shows how the
121 charity schools for members of the Burmese community in Makkah underwent
some changes as well, allowing 62,650 students from third grade to high school
to be accepted in public schools and 1,307 top students to receive university
scholarships.