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Filipino workers 'treated like animals' and kicked out of Saudi Arabia in crackdown

Estimated 6,700 Filipino workers stranded after amnesty for undocumented foreigners ended

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Some of the 30 repatriated Filipino workers arrive at Manila airport. Photo: AFP

Thirty Filipino workers expelled from Saudi Arabia returned home on Monday and alleged they were abused amid a crackdown on illegal migrants there.

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They were among an estimated 6,700 Filipino workers stranded in parts of the oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdom where an amnesty for undocumented foreigners ended over the weekend.

“They treated us like animals,” said domestic helper Amor Roxas, 46, who burst in tears while narrating her ordeal.

She claimed Saudi police rounded them up and placed them in a crowded cell for four days before they were paraded from the immigration centre to the airport.

They treated us like animals
Domestic helper Amor Roxas

“Our feet were chained,” added Yvonne Montefeo, 32, in between sobs.

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Saudi Arabian embassy officials in Manila did not want to comment on the allegation of abuse.

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