British PM David Cameron has said that Qatar should follow the example of London's construction of 2012 London Olympic venues, "in which no lives were lost," when building sites for the 2022 football World Cup, according to the AFP. Following reports migrant workers were dying on building sites for the 2022 tournament, Cameron said, "My message is that they ought to insist on better. We in the Olympics, I think I'm right in saying, managed to build that entire Olympic Park with the best ever record on safety -- no one dying during construction, keeping injuries to an absolute minimum." However, Qatar National Human Rights Committee Chair Ali Al-Marri on Monday "denied claims by Britain's Guardian newspaper that 2022 World Cup organizers were treating Nepalese construction workers like 'slaves.'" Marri said, "There is no slavery or forced labor in Qatar. The information that The Guardian reported is false and the numbers cited by them are exaggerated." Marri admitted that there had been difficulties but added the government was doing its utmost "to put these right." Marri: "There have been some problems, owing to the fact that there are 44,000 businesses in the country. But I can assure you that the authorities are constantly making efforts to resolve the problems" (AFP, 10/1).
