Immigration authorities have deported 21 foreign workers who staged a protest at a resort construction site on Bolidhu Faru over unpaid wages.
The workers, employed on the project being developed as a resort, demonstrated last month claiming they had not received salaries for six months. Police responded to the site and removed the workers from the island, bringing them to Male'.
One of the workers later left the country on their own. The remaining individuals were handed over to immigration after they refused to depart voluntarily. An immigration official confirmed that the 21 workers were deported on different days and have now left the country.
Transparency Maldives noted that such disputes over unpaid wages for foreign workers continue to arise periodically. The construction work on Bolidhu Faru is being carried out by a Maldivian company.
The incident highlights ongoing challenges with labour practices on development projects in the Maldives.
