BEIRUT, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese drivers of public buses protested on Monday against competition by Syrian drivers, causing heavy traffic in Jounieh, a coastal city in Keserwan, the National News Agency reported.
Lebanese drivers gathered in Jounieh after one of their colleagues was beaten by Syrian drivers a day earlier, causing him severe injuries in his face.
Moreover, Syrian drivers opened fire against a Lebanese driver and shot him in his leg on Sunday.
Lebanese workers in all fields have been facing heavy competition by Syrians ever since the start of the civil war in Syria and the flow of a great number of refugees to Lebanon.
Ola Boutros, advisor to the foreign affairs minister in charge of the Syrian refugees' dossier, announced last year that around 270,000 Lebanese have lost their jobs after 384,000 Syrian refugees poured into the country's employment market.
More than 1 million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million.
The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's economy and infrastructure, prompting Lebanese officials to urge the international community for support in guaranteeing the return of refugees to Syria.
