Free internet telephony... but you have to go to jail first

In today's Kuwait Times...

Central Prison talk
KUWAIT: As from the beginning of May, the central jail will start providing inmates with the facilities to communicate with their relatives (voice and picture) through special computer programmes and the Internet. The move has the blessing of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak.

And I thought it was illegal to use VOIP in Kuwait! (...to ensure that the Ministry of Communications keeps raking it in on international phone calls). Certainly the same newspaper gives us stories now and again of asian ex-pats being arrested for selling telephone calls over the internet to their buddies. Maybe the Central Jail has bribed the Ministry of Communications & Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak. Just a conspiracy theory (as another journalist would say).

But, this is excellent news for the inmates, many of whom are incarcerated for the "crime" of having run-away from their employer because they've been abused, raped or not paid their wages, and are waiting deportation to their home country.

And soon there will be no teachers

Also in the Arab Times, 25th April...

Sack decided in home tuition

KUWAIT CITY: Dr Humoud Al- Sadoun, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has come to a decision to terminate all the teachers who are known to privately tutor citizens and expatriates, reliable sources told Al Qabas. These sources further state the Ministry is also planning action against the students who take private tutoring. After an initial warning to stop indulging in private tutor sessions the Ministry will take further action if needed. The punishment consists of terminating these students from their educational institutions. A strict eye will be kept on the teachers and students who take part in private tutoring through observers and supervisors at schools.“The punishment for the teachers is as severe as that for students. Expatriate teachers will be deported and Kuwaiti teachers will be removed from their current jobs and will also be prevented from teaching in any of the Government schools. The Ministry of Education is believed to be currently setting up a team that will follow up on teachers who publish advertisements on private tutoring lessons in the newspaper.

This is just downright bad policy! What planet do MoE people live on.

Any teachers out there willing to comment on this brainfart!

Traffic congestion & the intellectual debate

Arab Times 25th April...

Traffic congestion tied to no limit on car ownership; ‘3 million violations in 2005’

KUWAIT CITY: Assistant Under-secretary for Security Support Services Major General Thabit Al-Muhanna says among the major causes of traffic congestion is the lack of restrictions on the number of cars an individual should own because there is no law that sets the number of cars one can own. He also indicated that the traffic congestion has started shifting from the commercial areas and government departments to residential areas. Muhanna made this statement during a meeting organized by MP Adel Al-Sarawi with residents of Khaifan, adding that Kuwait finished its major street projects in 1985 when the number of cars were as low as 650,000 and the plans were made according to those figures. Now that cars in Kuwait have reached nearly 1.2 million, the roads can no longer handle the existing cars which cause congestions because the roads remain unchanged. He explained that it used to take him 10 minutes to reach his work but now takes thirty minutes or more. Even if a thousand policemen were to control the traffic congestion it would be to no avail unless the road users were to cooperate with them. He remarked that according to statistics given by the Ministry of Planning, by 2030 the population of Kuwait will reach 50 million, indicating that traffic issues are not only road related but also behavior related as reports in 2005 claim there were 3 million traffic violators — traffic violation being considered a crime in a state like Kuwait.

This is a funny article on many levels (and shows the deplorable level of journalism from the better of the 2 English language papers):
a) how is restricting the number of cars an owner can have going to solve the traffic problem. It isn't physically possible to drive more than one car at a time!
b) do you really want to try and implement a law to restrict the numbers of cars a person can own! I'm sure the Prime Minister will really be backing that one!
c) haven't you guys heard of long-term planning, or even medium term planning, when it comes to traffic? When it comes to socialist style 10 year economic plans, yep, we have a whole government ministry (the Ministry of (mis)Planning) to do that, but when it comes to something practical...
d) why don't the public cooperate with traffic police? Hmmm, I wonder why... would it be because if you have wasta it aint a problem being stopped, and if you don't have wasta then any excuse will do to give you a fine, arrest you for violating residency laws, etc, etc.
e) If by 2030 Kuwait has a population of 50 million I'll eat my hat! Another example of the 'pie in the sky' thinking of said Ministry of (mis)Planning. It's just a matter of time until the oil starts running out and then population growth will go in the opposite direction.
f) 3 million traffic violators... I think you mean violations - otherwise we have more violaters than the number of residents in Kuwait!
g) "traffic violation is considered a crime in a state like Kuwait" - classic! Human trafficking and denying of basic human rights for housemaids isn't a considered a crime though. Priorities, priorities.

Keep your mobile switched off if youre wanted by the police!

Another story in today's Kuwait Times...

Man forces wife to drink his 'urine', beats her up
KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti woman reported to police that while she was leaving her home, her husband forced her into his car. The man then drove her to a distant place, assaulted her, took her handbag and gave her a bottle containing a yellow liquid. The man told her "this is my urine and you have to drink it." The woman resisted, but he hit her, forcing her to drink it. The man then dumped her home and escaped. Police could not contact the man as his mobile was switched off. Investigations are on.

So to frustrate a police manhunt just keep your mobile switched off, ok.

Road rage - Kuwait style

Reading the local English papers is always good for a laugh. Today's Kuwait Times...

...a source revealed that a fight between a Kuwaiti man and Egyptian expatriate took place after a road accident in Salmiya. After they got down from their cars to assess the damage, they started shouting. The Egyptian then got a wooden stick to assault the Kuwaiti, who brought a sword from his car. The Egyptian man then ran away, with the citizen running after him. A man informed police that a Kuwaiti was chasing an Egyptian with a sword. Police rushed to the scene and arrested both of them. The men reconciled at police station, and did not file a case.

What a privilege it is to drive in Kuwait

Kuwait Times yesterday:

Driving license
KUWAIT: A few months had passed since the new conditions for issuing driving licenses for expatriates were announced without any single exception, official sources stressed to Al-Watan pointing out that only 26 categories of expatriates were entitled to the license. Further, the sources explained that expatriates needed to be university graduates, getting KD 400+ salary and should be in Kuwait for at least two years before applying for the driver's license, all in attempt to solve many traffic problems and reducing the numbers of cars on roads. (sic)

The English in the article is a little difficult to understand, but the gist of this is that to reduce the number of cars on the road, an official brain-fart is to make it more difficult to have foreigners driving on the roads… Given that a large number of Kuwaiti families employ an Asian ex-pat driver, no doubt a lot of wasta will be called upon to get around this latest inconvenience.

Good news - my wife is finally a legal driver in Kuwait after several painful months of paper chasing from one bureaucratic office to another. Can't wait for her to write up her experience.

Royal Prince busted

It's good to see that the long arm of the law occasionally reaches to those normally outside the law. Yesterday's Arab Times reported on a member of the royal family who has obviously been given a long leash in the past (and is probably from the 'other' side of the family). I wonder if we will read in the future about the Royal's name, a conviction, prison sentence, etc...

Interior orders arrest of royal in drug bust; Cocaine, hashish

KUWAIT CITY (Agencies): Kuwaiti police have arrested a member of the ruling
Al-Sabah family with a large drugs haul, including at least 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) of cocaine, newspapers reported Friday. Al-Qabas newspaper quoted unnamed security sources as saying the prince, whose name was not revealed, also had 120 kilogrammes (264 pounds) of hashish. His arrest came at the orders of Interior and Defence Minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak al-Sabah, who is a leading figure in the ruling family. The Al-Rai Al-Aam daily gave a different breakdown of the drugs seized, saying they consisted of 18 kilogrammes (40 pounds) of cocaine, five kilogrammes (11 pounds) of heroin and 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of hashish.

The drugs were found at the royal’s house, the paper added. The sources said “the arrest took place in tune with the orders of the First Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior and Minister of Defence Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah who indicated the same laws should be applicable for all with no exceptions.” “All people are protected under the umbrella of the law,” the minister is reported to have stated.

Rights group demands release of Saudi reporter

If the fundies don't get you, the security forces will instead...

Rights group demands release of Saudi reporter
DUBAI:
Security forces have arrested a Saudi journalist who received death threats for his criticism of strict interpretations of Islam, and now he faces charges of doubting the Islamic creed and "harbouring destructive thoughts," a human rights group and Saudi officials said yesterday. Rabbah Al-Quwaii, 24, a reporter for Riyadh-based newspaper Al-Shams, was arrested April 3 after questioning Islamic doctrine in frequent writings on Internet discussion forums, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement demanding his release. Saudi government officials confirmed the arrest and said Al-Quwaii faced prosecution in court on unspecified anti-Islamic charges. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on security matters.

Human Rights Watch said Al-Quwaii reported death threats last year after he
wrote articles alleging that the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islam was
contributing to the growth of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. "Saudi
security forces apparently believe they are there to abuse citizens like Rabbah Al-Quwaii rather than to protect them," said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. Other liberal Saudi journalists also reported death threats to police without results, the rights group reported.

In November 2005, the group said, the governor of northern Hail Province ordered police to investigate the threats against Al-Quwaii after a newspaper reported that assailants had smashed the reporter's car and left a note saying "next time, its you." But instead, intelligence police arrested Al-Quwaii in the city of Hail, after luring him there by asking him to fill out paperwork related to the investigation of the death threats. Saudi officials provided similar details of the arrest to The Associated Press, and said Al-Quwaii had also received written warnings and threatening letters to halt his anti-Islamic writing. Human Rights Watch urged Saudi Arabia's minister for human rights, Turki al-Sudairy, to open a public inquiry into the role of the kingdom's security and intelligence services in al-Quwaii's arrest. State investigators have refused to allow Al-Quwaii to speak to his lawyer or fully
disclose charges against him, Human Rights Watch reported.---AP

Inter-sex friendships

And even more from today's Kuwait Times:

Inter-sex friendships
KUWAIT: The head of the Academic Guidance Unit at the College of Arts in Kuwait University Sahau Al-Sahau confirmed his rejection of friendships between males and females as it contradicts the Muslim traditions practiced in Kuwait. He said if friendship exists between the males and females, it should not go beyond being colleagues at work. Al-Shahu expressed his comments during an interview with Al-Rai Al-Aam last Saturday. He expressed regret as his comments were misunderstood as encouraging friendships between men and women.

Well, I'm sorry, I have to disagree with Mr Sahau Al-Sahou, and please don't misunderstand me when I say I encourage all you guys and gals out there to build friendships. Maybe, just maybe, if there were platonic relationships between males and females in this place we wouldn't see the same level of social problems that are clearly evident from the imposition of a "traditional" muslim culture.

Who'd want to be a Teacher!

In today's Kuwait Times:

Teachers interview

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education have started interviewing a number of teachers in Syria, Egypt and Jordan to teach in Kuwait. The ministry specified that the salary of the new teachers would be KD 350 for male teachers including (sic) a housing allowance and KD 290 for female teachers. The Civil Service Commission rejected a call from the ministry to increase the salaries of expatriate teachers, reported Al Qabas.

I hope that it's a spelling mistake and a housing allowance is in addition to the pitiful salary. Even if the housing allowance is excluded, a fresh Kuwaiti graduates recieve more! And why the discrepancy by sex? A further indication, if it ain't obvious, of the lack of quality in education here. If you're going to pay for monkeys, you're going to get monkeys... I'm sure there's a good arabic proverb for this.

Mind you, it probably is good money for those that sign-up and come, and the job won't be very demanding.

Thank you (Dis)Information Ministry for wasting Court time

In today's Arab Times:

Appeals also acquits Seyassah: The Court of Appeals recently upheld the verdict
of the lower court which had earlier acquitted Al-Seyassah daily in a case filed
by the Information Ministry accusing the daily of publishing an article which
damages the country’s relation with Syria and Lebanon, reports Al-Seyassah
daily. The said article states the presidents of these two countries are not
likely to remain in office by the end of October 2006.

Let's hope the folks in the (Dis)Information Ministry responsible for this waste of time in the courts don't remain in their office by the end of October 2006. On a positive note, it's good to see justice being done!

Doesn't the (Dis)Information Ministry realise that by pursuing a strict censorship regime, they're doing more to damage Kuwait's relations with other countries than an innocuous remark made by an individual who manages to get it published in a newspaper?

Fire, fire,...

Yesterday's Arab Times had this snippet...

Fireman late, room destroyed: A room of a house in east Sulaibikhat was totally
gutted due to delay in the arrival of firefighters who lost their way, reports
Al-Watan daily. It is reported that names and numbers of this area have not
given yet and the fire service department has no information about the addresses
of the area.

This reminds me of the article Mark posted on his blog, when even after the firemen arrived at the site of the fire, it took them half an hour before they were in a position to do battle against the flames. Then he wrote about another fire 10 days later.

Just as well we didn’t have a house fire when we were living in Hutteen, South Surra. In fact, tough luck if you happen to live in South Surra full stop. Still no street numbers, and houses have been there for up to 7 years! Pizza or other fast food delivery places refused to call on us even though our house was easy to find. We were on a main road – the 206, you can’t miss the place… uh uh.

It was a nightmare getting furniture delivered. The problem is that the guys that do this kind of stuff, and it doesn’t seem to differ whether or not they have a working knowledge of English or Arabic, just have no clue when it comes to directions. Draw them a map – forget it, they can’t read maps. Mention main road numbers, 40, 50, 206… nope, they don’t use them. The best you can aim for is them finding a landmark in the suburb, in our case it was often the KFH, and then going to find them to bring them to our place. You could say take first left, first right then continue on this road ‘til you see red villa on the corner with palm trees outside, but they either still managed to get lost, or weren’t confident of not getting lost and wouldn’t budge until you found them. Only in Kuwait! So you can imagine what it would be like if there was a fire.