Tanzanian president orders seizure of expatriate workers’ passports
Dar es Salaam — On Friday, Tanzanian President John Magufuli ordered the confiscation of passports belonging to foreign employees of an Indian infrastructure company managing a water project, which is running late. Magufuli, nicknamed "the Bulldozer" for pushing through his policies, has been praised by Western donors for an anti-corruption drive and cutting wasteful government spending since he came to power in November 2015. Opponents, however, accuse him of becoming increasingly authoritarian, undermining democracy by curbing political activity and cracking down on dissent. "The president ... has ordered that the passport of ... Rajendra Kumar, should be seized along with the travel documents of his assistants until they complete the water project," Magufuli’s office said in a statement, in which Kumar was described as the representative of Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (India) Private Limited. The Delhi-based company was not immediately available for comment. "Magufuli has wa...
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