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| Arabia | |
| Kuwait Deports 'Hundreds' for Traffic Offenses | |
| 2013-05-20 | |
...not to be confused with individual rights,mind you... group. The al-Anbaa newspaper cited a senior interior ministry official as saying that as many as 1,258 foreigners have been deported for traffic violations since a crackdown began about a month ago. Foreign residents caught driving without a license, using their cars to carry paying passengers, jumping a red light for a second time, or breaking the speed limit by more than 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour), can be deported without a court order. The Kuwait Society for Human Rights called on the government to halt the deportations describing them as "oppressive". "The oppressive measure against expatriates... violates the basic principles of human rights," it said. The group warned that the measure could tarnish the Gulf state's image abroad at a time when its human rights record is under scrutiny. Kuwait is home to 2.6 million expatriates who form 68 percent of the country's 3.8 million population. Kuwaiti nationals who commit similar offenses have their vehicles seized and can be sent to court. Last month, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra al-Rasheedi said the emirate plans to deport around 100,000 expatriates every year for the next decade to reduce the number of foreigners living in the Gulf state by one million. She did not say what measures she would adopt to carry out the plan. Foreigners need to hold a university degree, earn 400 dinars ($1,400) a month and have lived in Kuwait for at least two years to be eligible to apply for a driver's license, under a decision issued nearly a decade ago. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 An interesting variation of the "broken window" strategy. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-05-20 12:47 |
| #5 Could be worse. They could be harvesting organs after the third speeding ticket. |
| Posted by: Muggsy Mussolini1226 2013-05-20 12:27 |
| #4 Was checking to see if it was human or auto traffic. Foreign residents caught driving without a license Whoa whoa whoa! Some guy with a big house in a swamp sez its everyone's right to drive regardless of a license. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2013-05-20 12:24 |
| #3 You'd think the Gang of 8 could take a hint. Squeaky clean is not mean. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-05-20 09:00 |
| #2 Many of these people are Filipino. Sadly, modern day slavery is alive and well in the oil rich, Gulf States. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-05-20 05:15 |
| #1 I would like to know the national make-up of these expats. Would be interesting to know what nationality are the biggest violators. After GW1, IIRC, Kuwait kicked out the Palestinians, who were doing the service jobs. Of course, the PLO and the Arafish did not help by endorsing Sadam's occupation of Kuwait. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2013-05-20 01:18 |