by dailyStar.com.lb

BEIRUT: East Lebanon residents protested for the third day in a row
Sunday against Syrian labor in the country, claiming it is undercutting
their business. State media reported that residents of the Zahle district town of
Ali al-Nahri called for “decisive decisions” to resolve what they called
“the overexpansion of Syrian labor” that jeopardizes the Lebanese. Protesters
called on officials to resolve the “crisis of [hosting] Syrian refugees
who admit they do not want to return to their country even after the
Syrian crisis ends.” Thousands of Syrians have fled the war since 2011, with 1.01 million
Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon with U.N. humanitarian agency
UNHCR, though Lebanese officials estimate the number to be upward of 1.5
million. There is little documented evidence that large numbers of
Syrians do not wish to go home if a political agreement is made to end
fighting and allow their return. Several Lebanese officials have called
for the return of refugees to safe zones in Syria. “[In
Lebanon] their food is guaranteed, they get free health care and there
is a boom in donations,” one protester said, adding that “this is the
reason they are undercutting [Lebanese] businesses.”

In addition
to the refugees, there are many Syrians who are legal residents and
allowed to work according to a predefined list of professions issued by
the Labor Ministry. Protesters claimed that most businesses in
the towns of the central Bekaa Valley “belong to Syrians, and it seems
that there is no longer room for us in our own country.” A number
of Lebanese towns, including the Mount Lebanon town of Hadath, have
closed businesses owned by Syrian refugees, pursuant to Labor Ministry
decrees. Others have enforced curfews, forcing Syrians to remain indoors
after nightfall.

Lebanese authorities have been pushing for
tighter regulations on Syrian laborers, warning that the influx of
workers could lead to higher rates of unemployment among Lebanese.
International organizations have attempted to measure the effect and
extent of local-worker displacement by foreign labor since the start of
the Syria crisis, concluding that there has been minimal impact where
measurement was possible.

But overall, the Lebanese economy and
infrastructure has borne a heavy burden due to the refugee influx and
the fallout from the 6-year-old war.

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