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Kuwait – Personnel from the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Communication raided 39 Internet cafes in Salmiya and Hawalli and arrested 22 persons due to their violation of residency laws and involvement in call trading (Arab Times May 5, 2010). The call trading gang installed around 216 landlines telephone instruments, PCs for their customers! What is “remarkable” in this recent crime update is not the arrest of such culprits, but the continuation of illegal call trading.

Though the authorities tend once in a while to launch effective campaigns against such illegal activities, yet, the phenomenon continues to happen in Kuwait. I suggested in earlier articles that the Ministry of Communications should reduce their fixed prices for international calls so expats can phone their families often without having to pay exaggerated rates. Unless, the authorities provide other more practical and affordable calling options, call trading will continue to flourish like poisonous fungus!

Why not for example adopt more creative solutions regarding international calls. Currently, neither mobile phone companies nor the MoC offers any useful or affordable channels for international calls. We have more than two million hard working expats who have all the right to call their loved ones back home. However, these hard working expatriate partners and friends do not have to pay overblown call charges. Allowing this strange and impractical situation to go on is simply an open invitation to all kinds of culprits to violate our local laws and exploit our dear expats.

In addition, as we intend to transform Kuwait into a regional financial and commercial hub in the region, we need to have a more advanced communication infrastructure. Business people, international investors, their employees, families…etc deserve easier ways of calling home. Call traders will continue to practice their illegal activities unless we find other practical solutions to our current communication and international calling strategies.

Your View:

“A new traffic safety strategy is set to establish a challenging record of reducing fatalities to zero for every 100,000 of the population in Dubai by 2020, said the chief of Dubai police.” The ultimate goal for us is to establish civilized driving habits as motorists’ driving behavior accounts for over 90 per cent of accidents in Dubai while less than 3 per cent is due to road-architectural faults,” said Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, chief of Dubai police” (quoted by MM).

“Dear sir…you are always publishing very effective news. Thank you so much for that. We are employees working in Ministry of Health … for the last 5 years we don’t have sick leave, annual leave and even they are not producing salary certificate also. We all expected the respected Kuwait government to take a good decision but nothing happened”. First five years finished and they again made another new contract and signed then they said no increment, no allowance, no settlement etc” (W)

“With reference to your article in the “ Arab Times” Newspaper dated 2nd May, 2010 titled “We will not tolerate expats fighting on Kuwait soil”, I fully agree and support your cause….stringent action must be taken when these sort of incidents occur irrespective of whatever nationality or religion” (TK).

By Khaled al jenfawi – Arab Times