BEIRUT, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian refugees in Lebanon on Thursday went on strike to protest against the law adopted by Lebanese government requiring the refugees to obtain work permits.
Palestinian refugees shut down their shops in the refugee camps in Ain El Helwe, Al-Baddawi and Tyre, south of Lebanon, as the Lebanese government held meetings in Beiteddine to discuss the work of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, among other issues.
Protesters chanted slogans calling upon the government to provide them with facilities allowing them to live with dignity in Lebanon, local media reported.
Lebanese Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman gave employers and workers a one-month grace period, which expired on July 10, to apply for work permits.
The Labor Ministry has closed down dozens of shops and fined many others as they were found to employ foreign workers without work permits.
This has sparked anger among Palestinian refugees who decried this move as "unfair," prompting them to hold protests all over Lebanon.
Some 450,000 Palestinian refugees are registered with the UN refugee agency, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). They represent about 10 percent of Lebanon's population.
