The Hindu Business Line : Saudi attacks fuel fear among biz community

SATURDAY'S militant attacks on expatriates in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, that killed 22 civilians, including eight Indians, has sent shock waves among professionals and businessmen who travel regularly to the country and could change the way firms carry out business in the Gulf kingdom.

While industry experts debate the attack's impact on oil prices and the subsequent consequences on the world economy, the corporate sector is worried about security and the possible temporary withdrawal of the presence of some companies from the country.

The Dubai-based IT consultant Mr Bhaskar Venkataramani, who works as Project Manager for Hewlett-Packard, had a miraculous escape when the militants failed to nab him as he hid for 25 hours in the toilet of his apartment in a high-rise building in Al Khobar.

Mr Venkataramani, who returned safely to Dubai late on Sunday night after Saudi security forces freed him and other hostages, told Business Line that the experience was "harrowing." He said he had given up hope at one stage and told his family who were constantly in touch with him by mobile that they should prepare for the worst. "It was a terrible experience that I will never forget, and only our prayers have given me a new lease of life," he said.

The IT professional, who travels at least once a month to Al Khobar and stays in the same building, said it is likely that his firm as well as other MNCs would change their methodologies with regard to operations in Saudi Arabia. "We could think of alternate methods for some time. Technology has advanced and there are many qualified Saudi professionals capable of handling projects and therefore, we may not need to have so many visits by professionals, at least for sometime," he said.

Mr Venkataramani, who was born in Bahrain and has lived in the Gulf all his life, feels that the developments in the past couple of years have, to some extent, deepened security concerns about Saudi Arabia in the corporate sector. "Firms such as Hewlett-Packard which have been in this region for many years may take it in their stride and devise safer methods to conduct business, but relatively newer firms and those entering the Gulf market for the first time may reconsider their decisions, which could impact business in the short and mid-term," he said.

The killing of Indian expatriates and statements by some Al-Qaida operatives that the killings were a retribution for the happenings in Kashmir could also lead to insecurity among the large Indian expatriate population in the kingdom, he said. "Though the work environment is good and every thing is going on normally, this incident could increase confusion and fear among the Indians and Asians as a whole," he said.

He, however, indicated that some of the houseboys working in the apartment that was attacked indicated that except for their leader, most of the militants were between 15 and 20 years of age, and appeared to be acting on their own; they probably killed many expatriates while on a rampage.

He said the boys were of the view that the militants did not seem to be under directions of the leader who was mainly targeting Americans and other Western expatriates. "The workers said the militants were mere boys and they did not seem to have any sense of a goal or a prepared plan or know what is good or bad," he said. Mr Venkataramani was firmly of the view that the average educated Saudi was totally against these developments in Saudi Arabia. "In fact, I owe my life to my Saudi colleague Nabil Ali who was in constant touch with the security forces and was present at the end to ensure my smooth release after interrogation," he said.

He was also full of praise for the Filipino Muslim receptionist at the apartment who warned him to hide in the room and also hid all the room keys and the guest list that prevented the militants from nabbing all the hostages, thus saving many livesThe Dubai-based Indian Consul-General, Mr Yashwant Sinha, said the Indian Consulate had helped in ensuring Mr Vekataramani's return to Dubai.