Kuwait deports 40,000 expatriates in one year, including July supporters

Special Correspondent

The Kuwaiti government has deported a total of 39,487 expatriates in the past year, local media outlet Arab Times reported, citing security sources in the country.

Sources said that most of the deportees were accused of violating the country’s laws, drug-related crimes, disrupting public order and engaging in activities against the public interest. The decision to expel them from Kuwait was taken after completing the legal process.

Among them, a source said, there are a large number of expatriate Bangladeshis associated with BNP-Jamaat who supported the July protests. However, the exact number is not yet known. It is estimated that the number could be several hundred, who took to the streets of Kuwait to show their support for the protests and demonstrated violence. Most of them have served various terms in prison after being arrested.

Kuwaiti security authorities have said that it is mandatory for expatriates living in the country to abide by the law, and a strict stance has been taken against those who are considered a threat to the country’s security and social order.

It is learned that according to the law, if the main sponsor is deported, the family members of expatriates who were living in Kuwait with their families are also forced to leave the country, because the family members’ residence permit was dependent on the main sponsor.

The Kuwaiti government has said that there is no problem for expatriates if they follow the country’s laws and regulations. However, it has been stated that security operations and legal measures will continue in the future in case of violation of the law.

It is reported that the deportees include citizens of many Muslim-majority countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.