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10,000 Indians caught in West Asian war zone

In their hunt for Hizbollah militants, Israelis jets have dispensed with the tenets of the Geneva Convention and bombed large parts of Lebanon beyond recognition.

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NEW DELHI: In their hunt for Hizbollah militants, Israelis jets have dispensed with the tenets of the Geneva Convention and bombed large parts of Lebanon beyond recognition.

The fate of foreigners caught in Israel’s war of  attrition  is perhaps even worse than that of the people in Lebanon, because this is not their war. Those who are better off have already left, but over 10,000 Indians are caught in the middle of the war of attrition launched against Lebanon by Israel.

Around 2,000 Indians, have been picked up from Lebanon by naval ships and taken to Cyprus, from where they have  been flown back home by special flights by the national carrier Air-India. The operation involving three naval carriers was organised by the government to take citizens out of harms way. One Indian, working in a glass factory has already died. Three other  civilians have been wounded and flown back home.

Yet nearly 10,000 have opted to stay behind, not out of choice, but necessity.  Most Indians working in that country are semi-skilled or unskilled, illiterate and land up in Lebanon to escape from the grinding poverty of their villages at home. The majority of those still in the war torn country are unable to furnish documents to take them back. The blame for this must go to the recruiting agents operating from the by lanes of Mumbai and other Indian metros, who take the poor peasants for a ride.

Many of these workers have sold land, or pawned their family’s jewellery to pay the recruiting agents, who promise them the moon. They are then sent to a central point like Jordan, Dubai or Kuwait where the lucky few get jobs.

Many do not and have to wait until they are sent out to countries where the  contractors supply workers. It could be anywhere in the Middle East including dangerous countries like Iraq. Lebanon had become a recent destination. Lebanon’s economy had been doing well, but now things could  be very different. The majority of the Indians are from Punjab and Tamil Nadu, just over a hundred are from Haryana and Kerala, according to official figures.

Most of them work as laboureres in construction sites, many  are employed in factories while some are engaged as farm hands. Lebanon, with its Mediterranean climate has huge citrus plantations, where many Indian gladly work. Very recently some educated professionals have also  gone to Lebanon as employees in multi national companies. There are also a few Indians teaching in the American university in Beirut, government officials said.

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