‘Deport Jet-Ski Show-Offs’
Personnel from the Kuwait Coast Guard, during a surprise campaign off Kubbar Island, are said to have seized a number of jet skis and speed boats for what the authorities called reckless behavior of the youths, reports Al-Rai daily. The campaign was headed by Assistant Undersecretary for Borders Security, Major- General Mohammad Al-Yusuf. Al-Yusuf has reportedly requested for the deportation of expatriates after impounding their jet skis and boats and referring the citizens to the concerned authorities for endangering the lives of others and causing disturbance to families and visitors to the island. [Source]
This is overkill. Kinda like back when they imposed a KD1,000 fine for barbecuing in public locations. I’m not saying annoying jet-skiers shouldn’t be punished, what I’m saying is that the punishment should fit the crime. Are people who are running red lights being deported?
Thanks Naveen
50 replies on “Annoying jet-skiers getting deported”
Expat sneezes. Danger to society. Better deport.
I think it all goes back to Thekra Rashidi promises of removing a million expat. So any thing, no matter how minor, is an excuse to deport.
I still think deporting for traffic lights is an overreaction. Just saying.
Endangering the lives of others is not a minor offense. In one week I evaded three cars driving towards ongoing traffic either a highway or a round about. During the same week some *explicits here* sped through a red light and was about to clip my car. Thank God for sports break.
I’m actually in favor of imposing jail time for second time offenders of wreckless driving / endangering lives of others.
Aziz
you can cancel the license and impound the car of those committing traffic offence.. but to deport is an Overreaction
Let me understand one thing!! ‘reckless behavior of the youths’ is coming out of expats??!! There is a few number of expats with such behavior but 99% of this behavior in the sea is coming out from Locals!! Specially around Kubbar Island!
That’s not relevant to this case at all, these people were expats. If there were locals with them they were probably arrested too, but a deportation makes for better headlines.
where would the locals be deported to?
Back to the island.
not a bad idea
This is another example of why more dialogue is needed around the increasing tensions between locals and expats. As a local myself, I am surprised at how easily expats are vilified/deported when they break laws that we Kuwaitis do not adhere to. In my opinion, the government is enforcing the plan to cut the number of foreigners in Kuwait with a heavy hand. Things are getting real Kuwait – but sadly the people who are being affected don’t have much of a voice. We need more dialogue
expats dont have a voice in most walks of life here bro…thats why there aint no dialogue…
Where do they anywhere though? It’s not like someone on a work visa in the US can vote, and it’s a long long road to go Work Visa > Green Card > Citizenship, one that isn’t even guaranteed.
People try to elect representatives that will represent their interests, but expats can’t elect anyone so their interests aren’t represented. Since Kuwait doesn’t naturalize often it’s really rare to see someone who is affected by laws affecting that segment of the population.
Maybe they arent asking for voting rights or citizenship, just the right to not be oppressed. But I guess that is asking for too much given the deafening silence of those who do have a voice.
atleast its better than Work Visa > Deport :p
atleast there’s hope 😉
i dont think expats here are thriving for citizenship.. it’s just tht as Mo said.. expats dont have a voice.. and they deperately need to have it.
nothings gonna change untill and unless the oppressor stops oppressing and the oppressed stops being oppressed.
they arnt looking for equality but to be treated with respect.. an assuarance that the govt won’t be unjust.
as of now, the roumours or reality, people getting deported for any XYZ reason is just ridiculous..
this has managed to insert more fear in to those who are already living in fear..
not all expats here are unhappy…
but the ones who are, grind their teeth.. doesnt say a word.. continue to work.. because majority of the expats here, specially from the asian subcontinent are the only hope for their families.. the only earning member.. the only one earning the bread n butter.
given an option, they will take out their frustration.. but they wont.. coz they are scared.. of loosing their job.. they wont even have a time to find another as u cant stay here if u have no visa.
thats the expats are always living within their comfort zone.. hanging out with people with his community.
things have been real for ages. they’re just getting more openly and unashamedly racist that its in the papers and policies
Here we go again !! People, please read Mark’s previous post. Mark, if you are going to post topics that are bound to elicit such reactions, by God, you are going to get them. Keep to blogging about food, gadgets and places and you’ll be just fine. But the downside is,your blog will get kind of boring after a while. A catch 22 situation !
Right now as you can see the discussion is a discussion and not a slug fest which is absolutely fine. There aren’t many channels for different parties to express and share their opinions and as long as the discussions stay healthy like this we’re good.
Kubbar + “Reckless behavior of the youths” probably translates to drinking/alcohol.
thats what I was thinking..
I asked about the red light thing with some friends in MOI, and apparently it’s been blown way out of context. They arrested people who crossed red lights who had a lot of severe violations prior to that, it’s not like 1 red light was enough to deport them.
Honestly the expat community is spreading a lot of rumors among itself that are just making things worse for expats here. A co-worker’s brother was deported for drugs, but they didn’t want to shame the family so they told everyone it was for a red light and people believed it.
This is true… I have a couple of expat colleagues who went in to pay there fines for going through a red-light (it was changing as they went through in both cases) expecting to be deported and were given warnings as they were first offences.
Having said that, I have no issue with draconian measures for all traffic offenders – the roads feel much safer now than 6 months ago.
I guess they hired a developer to develop a random law generator to deport expats.
Haha.
This is the problem when u have NO LAW
A crime is a crime regardless of nationality of the person who did it… And punishment should be there ….
Deportation under lame excuses like this is just stupid…
If there is tendency to cut down number of expats let it be but with a systemic wise plan .. Choosing who is benefit to the country and keep and who should leave coz burden on country
Offensive behaviour is serious thing and needs in my opinion going to court with driving suspension on both locals and expats
Off Topic: I am with you on moderating comments. I do not envy your position, you have my word that I will always debate, argue, agree, disagree in a civilized logical manner.
This is a blog I really enjoy and check on a daily basis. Wouldn’t want the blog to be shut down and wouldn’t want the writer to get in trouble for something out of his hand.
+1
The comment of FNS above shows how there’s a segment of expats that just automatically turn to “IT’S THE KUWAITIS NOT US” as a blanket answer. Unfollowed “Kuwait Up To Date” on FB for that very reason, as the level of comments there put any on this blog to shame. (BTW, they steal quite a few of 248am’s news posts.)
Who says Kuwaiti’s don’t drive or Jet-Ski dangerously? The point here is that there obviously were some expats doing something, and more importantly, the core of the post was about deportation being a bit overkill for jet-skiing.
I got in trouble with the police in kubbar before Ramadan, we got in trouble (Kuwaitis) and our friends (Expats) got out of it because they were expats, so the “Expats” that made headlines to ‘Deport Jet-Ski Show-Offs’
probably did something really stupid
Some expats feel they are Kuwaiti and they act like it, recklessness and all. Many of them are second or even third generation expats and they know no place other than Kuwait. In their heads their identity is Kuwaiti and they have a “mandoub” do their residency so they are not even aware they need it to stay here and they could lose it if they break the law. This is the case for expats anywhere around the world including the US & Britain. You break the law, you get punished then deported.
Absolutely, but the US and the UK would not deport an expat for dangerous jet-skiing.
I think the punishment is excessive (if true). It should be a fine and a reprimand for first timers. However, the point I want to emphasize is if a Kuwaiti commits a crime he is punished then released. If an expat commits the same crime he will be punished then deported.
Any jail sentence even one week is almost always followed by deportation. Some minor offenses including some traffic violations can lead to short jail time. For a Kuwaiti it’s no big deal to be in the slammer for a week. For an expat a week in jail followed by deportation and blacklisting is a HUGE deal. His life could be destroyed completely. My concern is many second & third generation expats, especially young ones, are not aware of this.
Mark you are right, in the US they barely deport anyone. When the Kuwaitis bribed to get a real driver’s license. Nothing happened to them and the punishment was ” Just return your driver’s license ”
https://lamesa.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/local-dmv-staffers-were-bribed-100-000-for-driver-s-lfb664c16c0
The US deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented foreign workers every year, the same way Kuwait deports thousands of undocumented foreign workers.
Most of the people getting deported are undocumented residents and have criminal charges against them.
Didn’t they start something not too long ago about having to have a license or registration if you are riding a jet ski and if you don’t you get in trouble? I remember riding with a friend (holding on for dear life) when he thought it would be funny to soak some Indian guys sitting on the rocks. I felt really bad, he totally soaked them to the bone. Can they also deport or jail men caught wearing speedos? 😛
This is another example of Kuwait trying to solve its problems the worst possible way. Yes, the number of expats must be reduced, the ratio of locals:expats is not normal, but deporting jet skiers? These are probably expats who can afford to use jet ski, and are very likely working in good paying and productive jobs.
“Major-General Mohammad Al-Yusuf. Al-Yusuf has reportedly requested for the deportation of expatriates after impounding their jet skis and boats and referring the citizens to the concerned authorities for endangering the lives of others and causing disturbance to families and visitors to the island.”
He ‘requested’ for the deportation of expats, but that doesn’t mean his request was approved, right?
The CIA report that Kuwaitis now outnumber expats, Kuwaitis are now 53% of Kuwait’s total population
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html#ku
Kuwait’s total population is 2.69 million of which 1.2 million are expats (see source) so there are 1.4 million Kuwaitis and only 1.2 million expatriates in Kuwait. I have no idea why people are still assuming that Kuwaitis are only 30% of Kuwait’s population. The CIA’s World Factbook is far more reliable than baseless assumptions. The Kuwaiti government itself hasn’t done any sort of population census since 2009. Back in 2008 and 2009, expatriates most definitely outnumbered Kuwaitis but the situation is much different now.
The Kuwaiti government has done a population census this year which indicated that Kuwaitis are only 31% of the population.
https://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/199467/reftab/36/Default.aspx
This percentage must be reversed.
I no longer consider the Arabtimes Newspaper a credible source.
Neither do I but that was the internal government census.
That’s up to you, I only linked to Arab Times because it is in English. There are plenty of other newspapers who have quoted the official Kuwait government 2013 census results, which indicate that Kuwaitis are 30% of the total population.
Overkill rule !
next rule would be if ur run inside a mall u get deported !xD
and the next rule is for gamers
walking while playing gaming = getting deported
im not making fun or anything im not with expats or Kuwaiti people on what ever sides think, but it’s even very bad to ” Request ” deportation of expats
just give them a punishment like pay 2000 KD or even 3000KD then only ” no offence ” the idiots or rich or someone who got extra money would do it and he/she would run out of money soon 😛
“next rule would be if ur run inside a mall u get deported”
I wouldn’t mind if they deported people who smoke in no smoking areas. Hell, most of them are right at the airport so it won’t even be that much of an effort.
LOL… Where they can deport Kuwaitis? Because only persons who smokes in non smoking areas are Kuwaitis.
One day… one of us will say “Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Is KUWAIT turning out to U-WAIT?
As a kuwaiti, in all honesty it saddens me to see how far behind we are when it comes to applying the law in the right manner, be that road, the sea or the air, we are a nation always waiting for something bad to happen then decide oh because this and this and this we will now enforce the law.
Deportation?? simple trace it back to when the ministry of labour enforced the idea of balancing the locals with the expats demographics status.
Its a deep hole they are digging into, clean up if you would say, political unrest etc etc, but when people think about deportation all they think about is it being affecting the asians. It’s not only asians its expats as whole regardless.
This will never be an ending discussion since the problem is from how things are run in the ministries.
Kubbar and expats really ? A minority I would say, Kubbar is already known as a safe haven for the lets chill out island crusaders.
The coast guard started enforcing rules previously in the Khairan resort, and the new lagoons, as that place really became crazy, they managed to control things to a certain extent but it’s much better than before.
Now they want to control the islands in the same manner, what people fail to understand is one simple thing, there are rules to everything you do, but Kuwait fails to enforce it, and when it is being enforced it’s over the top punishment, let the expats be the examples of this punishment so the locals will fear the consequences more.
Do not look too far people, they recently proposed licensing all jetskis and leisure crafts as well as any vessel operating units in the sea, so they put the idea forth.
Where do you test? who tests you ? etc etc, I had a friend sit a trial exam, and was failed by the examiners, when asked why he failed they told him he did not know the rules of the sea. Funnily enough he already owns a US boating license so are we to understand that our examiners are over qualified in their knowledge or what exactly.
I run several companies of my own, and let me tell you how easy it is to get a license for an employee by paying under the table, as opposed doing the normal routine.
It starts from within fix the problem within those who enforce it, then talk about enforcing it.
The rules of the sea exists long back before even Kuwait existed, no need to reinvent the wheel, apply it with the right infrastructure just like anything else that requires a law to it, from trial to licensing etc etc and you will have things in order, if you do not then be prepared face te choas and deal with extreme over the top punishment.
Singapore is a perfect example you get fined for throwing your chewing gum on the ground let alone other matters.
First we see then we learn, then we apply, generally how things are done with most parts of the world.
So sad…
‘Demand your government perform’. Bottom-line is this, Kuwait fails to implement ‘systems’, with the correct ‘systems’ Kuwait will function properly, but this entails investing in the proper infrastructure and hiring the foreign expertise to train you (Kuwaitis) to use the ‘systems’. Why don’t you have EGATE? All GCC countries are implementing or have implemented EGATE systems? Why did you put TV’s on top of the old carriosols in the airport arrivals area? Did you not have the intelligence to understand that you needed to purchase new carrisols and/or a new luggage system at this airport? The question is, who makes these decisions, because these people should be evaluated for their poor decision-making that is influencing how Kuwait is viewed overseas. Currently Baghdad and Yemen, struggling countries, have put their airports up for bid, which leaves Kuwait the only country in the region not building a new airport. This country can ill-afford due to the conjestion at this airport to not build a new terminal. When you build a new terminal you create jobs. I feel like lobbying in your Parliament for a new airport and I am not Kuwaiti, because I am so sick of the mismanagement, but you should be addressing these issues to your government for their poor decision-making, because this is affecting how your country is being viewed at the moment and I am not sure if foreign businessmen are willing to enter the market here now, but the situation has gone on too long and you appear withered.
You lost me with the last line, Kuwait is actually hostile towards foreign investment and would like very much to keep them out.
يا غريب كن أديب … Thats a Old sayin’
finally some justice !!
i wish if they could enforce public enforce like in saudi arabia , so that people and expats will learn their leasson
oh and btw , i think deporting is unfair !
public torcher *