Asian embassies face pressure from workers

A rapid increase in the number of foreign workers recruited from Asian countries, especially in the construction sector, ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup, has put the embassies of their countries in a not-so-comfortable situation.

A random survey conducted by The Peninsula among members of different Asian communities shows that very few are satisfied with the performance of their embassies.

Most respondents were critical of what they said were poor consular services provided by the missions.

Many said they didn’t want their names in print, apparently because of fear they might be singled out by the embassies of their countries.

A Nepalese worker complained about delays in consular services at the embassy.

“When we have a problem, we want the embassy staff to help us solve it. We know that they can’t solve all problems. Some days when we go to the embassy we have to wait a long time. It is especially difficult on a working day,” said the worker from Al Khor.

An Indian expatriate said the Indian embassy had a lot to do to address the problems of the rapidly growing Indian expatriate population in Qatar.

More than a year after the Philippines embassy moved to bigger premises in the Jelaiah area, Filipinos here say there is evident improvement in its services.

This newspaper spoke to a cross section of the community’s members and the majority said services at the mission had never been better.

Reposted from The Peninsula. Photo from The Peninsula.