Makkah governorate produces documentary on Burmese expats

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.