Indian ambassador Sanjiv Arora, flanked by deputy chief of mission P S Sasikumar and ICBF president Kareem Abdulla, at the embassy’s community house.


By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter


The Indian embassy is hoping to end soon the detention of 30-odd Indian fishermen in southern Iran.
Indian ambassador to Qatar, Sanjiv Arora, said yesterday at the monthly community house that his mission and India’s mission in Teheran are working to ensure the release of the fishermen from Al Wakrah, who have been in detention in Iran for more than 120 days now.
The fishermen, who were in six boats were arrested by Iranian coastguard on October 8 for straying into Iranian waters.
The envoy said he is hopeful that the issue would be resolved amicably sooner than later and the fishermen would be able to return to Doha. The ambassador added that he had discussed the issue with the Iran ambassador to Qatar, besides officials of the Qatar ministry of foreign affairs.
Arora said the Indian embassy in Iran is also in touch with senior Iranian officials in Bandar Abbas and he has been monitoring the progress.  
Earlier the ambassador said the embassy has also initiated moves to secure the release of 25 Indian fishermen from Saudi Arabia, who were arrested by the Qatar coastguard on January 21 for straying into this country’s territorial waters.
The fishermen were in seven boats, which were also seized by the local coastguard. The fishermen have been housed in a jail in Al Khor, where an embassy official met the group and made arrangements so they could contact their families in India, the ambassador said.
Arora said an embassy official met the fishermen at Doha port immediately after the group’s arrival and the mission’s representatives were present at the Prosecutors Office when the fishermen were produced there earlier this week.
The fishermen group’s cases are now posted for hearing at a local court on February 5 and 7, he said.
In the latest group, 21 are from Tamil Nadu and the other four are from Kerala.
On complaints received from community members earlier, the ambassador said two were minor cases, involving drivers. Of the other two cases, one was about the refusal of a sponsor to stamp the visa even several months after the arrival of the complainant.
There was also a complaint brought to the attention of the embassy by a friend of an expatriate, who he said was sent by his sponsor to Saudi Arabia to work in his farms. The issue will be pursued with local authorities, said Arora. The expatriate reached Qatar only four months ago, he added.
Deputy chief of mission P S Sasikumar and ICBF president Kareem Abdullah were also present.
A total of 709 Indian expatriates died in Qatar over the last three years, embassy officials said at the monthly community house.
The highest number of deaths in the country’s Indian community was in 2011, when 239 deaths were reported at the Indian embassy.
In 2010 and 2012,  the figures were 233 and 237 respectively.
In the month of January 2013, 26 deaths were reported in the community.
The house was also informed that 238 Indian nationals are housed at the Search and Follow up Department’s Deportation Centre, waiting to leave the country.
The country’s Central Prison houses 38 Indians, serving jail sentences of different kinds.



Medical  camps
‘reassure’ needy

Indian ambassador to Qatar, Sanjiv Arora, has said that he hopes medical camps organised by the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) would build confidence among low income workers.
Many of those coming to such camps have minor health ailments. “Still, the support extended by the forum and the presence of medical professionals, providing service voluntarily boosts the morale of individuals coming to such camps,” said the ambassador.
He also had a word of praise for medical centres offering facilities free of cost at camps run by the ICBF.
ICBF president Kareem Abdulla said the forum disbursed medical, financial, and food assistance to about 35 people in January.
The forum also gave away 12 tickets for those waiting to leave the country at the Search and Follow Up Department’s Deportation Centre. Among the deportees were seven people, including a female, who ran away from their sponsors, he said.
The forum also incurred the costs of issuing emergency certificates to six deportees.