DUBAI - Car windows were smashed and some people were injured in a clash involving a group of illegal Indonesian workers in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Monday, the Arab News daily reported on Tuesday.
The incident puts new focus on Indonesian workers in the kingdom following the furore over the reports of torture of Indonesian housemaids.
Police broke up the fight between the illegal workers, living under a bridge, and local youths in the Sharafiyah area, Arab News reported, without saying what caused the violence or how many workers were involved.
"The presence of these illegal aliens under the bridge causes fear among residents of nearby districts as well as owners of businesses," the newspaper quoted a shop owner as saying.
Those injured in the clash were taken to hospital, Arab News reported.
The illegal workers have been living under the bridge despite an amnesty for overstayers to leave the country, according to the report.
An unnamed human rights official cited in the report said that there were "some unknown reasons that force them to live there".
Around 70% of the 1.2 million Indonesians workers in Saudi Arabia are employed as domestic helpers.
There has been diplomatic friction between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia over shocking maid abuse cases, with Jakarta demanding better protection for its nationals.
One widely reported case of abuse has been that of 23-year-old Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, who remains in hospital in Medina.
Her employer, a Saudi woman who was arrested, allegedly beat her, causing internal bleeding and broken bones, scalded her head with an iron and slashed her with scissors.
