Dubai loses the plot - no sexy sexy times for expats. And the airport project strikes water

Photo: Thinking of a holiday in Dubai? You had better behave! [getty images]

The way Dubai is repeatedly imprisoning people for insignificant 'offenses' is certain to start to impact the tourist trade, as word spreads that you could be thrown in jail for such terrible crimes as kissing in public or sending sexy text messages.

Someone is losing the plot in the Emirate.

In the latest story, 2 Emirates cabin crew have been given 3 months in prison for sending each other sexy text messages, reduced on appeal from the original sentence of six months and deportation. The woman's husband had obtained the texts from the national telecom provider in a divorce dispute, and seems to be somewhat filled with a desire for revenge and to win custody of his child. It seems sending sexy texts in the UAE amounts to the crime of "coercion to the commitment of sin".

You've been warned.

The National has the story, but it's all over the net today.

Airline pair jailed over sex texting
Awad Mustafa
March 17. 2010
DUBAI // Two Emirates Airline cabin crew have been jailed for three months for exchanging lewd text messages.

RS, 42, a flight attendant, and EB, 47, a cabin services supervisor, were convicted of “coercion to commit sin” after sending each other sexually themed SMS messages, according to court documents released yesterday.

The pair, both Indian, were sentenced to six months in prison and deportation by the Dubai Court of Misdemeanors in December.

The court said the texts “fulfilled all the necessary angles of coercion to the commitment of sin”.

The Appeals Court upheld that decision last week. But it halved their jail sentences and scrapped the deportation orders. There was not enough evidence to prove that the pair had extramarital relations, it added.

The flight attendant’s sister, BM, 25, was also convicted of perjury and sentenced to three months and deportation by the lower court. Her deportation order was withdrawn on appeal.

The case first went to court after the flight attendant’s husband, SG, filed a lawsuit against his wife in March 2009 claiming that she was involved in an illicit relationship with the supervisor.

The couple had been embroiled in a divorce battle since 2007.

SG has now gained sole custody of their four-year-old son, although it was not clear when the couple divorced.

During the divorce proceedings, SG requested that the courts order Etisalat to produce copies of his wife’s text messages, which, he said, proved the illicit relationship.


The telecoms provider turned them over to the court in October 2008.

Five months later, the flight attendant’s husband filed a criminal complaint against her, charging her with having an affair and saying her text messages were an insult to Islam.

She told police that her sister sent the messages to the supervisor, who also denied any relationship with RS. He told officers that he had been seeing her sister for the past four years. Prosecutors decided that was untrue, however, leading to the perjury charge against the sister.

Meanwhile, Muscat Airport runway costs go up at least Half a Billion dollars.

Muscat's new airport is in trouble. A Ministry official was quoted in the papers as saying the new runway would be delayed for 2 years and cost an extra $500 million due to hitting seawater.

What the official didn't mention that the project screwed up big time. Not only did they skimp by not doing basic geotechnical investigation - drilling exploratory boreholes to sample the rock and soil where the runway was planned - but my sources tell me similar problems had already hit the sewage waste water project last year, and so should have been obvious.

The problem is the contractors needed to dig quite deep to make a proper runway that can be engineered to last and withstand being pounded by planes landing all day. And the excavation, on land right by the ocean, needed to be a lot deeper than the level of the aquifer. Doh!

My sources, who know a thing or two about engineering, also said $500 million was a low estimate, and it could end up adding an extra billion dollars, almost doubling the cost of the runway. This is because they will have to build it up even higher, and thus needing a LOT more rock and sand.

Reuters reported that the extension of Oman's main airport in Muscat will be delayed by 2 years and may cost the state up to an extra USD 500 million after runway excavations hit seawater.

The official said that the Muscat airport extension will now be completed in 2014, not in 2012 as expected due to soft ground which contractors come across in some places. He said that it would cost the government up to USD 500 million to pay for reinforcements to fill affected ground in places where civil work excavations hit seawater.
...

Speaking of cock-ups, in other news, The Asian Beach Games project, despite rumours to the contrary, will apparently be ready on time. Even my sources confirm this, not just OMRAN.

However, the project is beset with problems, with chaotic redesigns on the fly coupled with the immovable date for completion in November this year, as Oman hosts the Asian Beach Games. The bits that will appear on TV are already finished, and the hotel will be OK. But the athletes village will be a Heath Robinson affair that will not be built to last, and plans to create yet another OMRAN mini-city at the site have been shelved, replaced by a now 4 star hotel (was 3 star) and the usual Integrated Tourist Development we know and love.

There are also persistent rumours of sweet contracts being awarded** to people who just happen to be closely related to senior people at Omran and the Ministries of both Sport and Tourism. To enable things to be done super quickly, CEO of OMRAN, Mr. Wael bin Ahmed Al Lawati, appears to have been given the ability to by-pass normal tender board procedures. I'm sure that there is no way such a removal of standard oversight would lead to contracts being given to relatives or buddies.


Coincidentally and totally unrelated, as the deadline approaches the budget is going through the roof. So while the project will scrape home and will look great on TV, the costs will be huge and the final product nothing like as grand as what was originally approved.

Small wonder the leadership of the project, under the responsibility of the Muscat Asian Beach Games Organising Committee (MABGOC) and Director General Eng. Habib Macki, have been replaced resigned. On Tuesday, Muscat Daily reported that executive Director Sheikh Soud bin Hamed Al Rawahi had decided to spend more time with his family due to the pressure of work.... In January, Talal al Kishry the deputy Director of Operations resigned also.

But it's only Government money after all.

** Dear Mr State Auditor, maybe have a look at the contracts surrounding the Convention Centre...

Times of Oman revisits a really great story: The Sleazy Massage Parlours of Muscat

How did I miss this great story from... OMG ... The Times of Oman, just published last week on the issue of the Sleazy Massage Parlors of Muscat masquerading as 'health clubs'? [thx SH for the link!]

I mean, it's not often one gets to read a story in the mainstream Oman media that contains things like: Muscat, scantily-clad women, seduction, sexually transmitted diseases, physical needs, sleazy joints and youngsters. OK, they didn't use the words 'happy ending', sex, prostitute, or John, but all in all, a pretty straight story.

I just wish I'd seen some photos.

Photo: Apparently this is not the only pussy that's available in Muscat's 'health clubs'



While TOO's sage advice for people to "verify the credentials of the health club, or you just might encounter something entirely different [than a normal massage]" was, I'm sure, well meaning, I'm now getting even more search requests than normal from hopeful customers in the Sultanate looking especially for those small-time sleazy health clubs / brothels massage parlors The Times alerted them to. Presumably they are looking for the very same "something entirely different" from a scantily clad female 'therapist' that the unmarried man in the article confessed to enjoying often. Such things are, according to the hard-hitting Times, already a "fact of life in Oman".

As such, instead of a mock 'shock horror' story about what is 'a fact of life', a decent independent review of the various establishments might have proved more worthwhile. Prices, services, quality, decor, how warm the hands were, interviews with customers and perhaps the businesses' owners and Omani sponsors, that sort of thing. Just a suggestion. Perhaps Y or the week can do a decent follow-up?

Good to see too that Muscat Municipality, in a rare expression of LGBT friendliness, intends to keep open sleazy massage parlors in the long term, but only for homosexuals and lesbians, as "...workers in a club should be of the same sex as the customer..."

And they say Muscat's a quiet town...

Sleazy massage parlours face closure
FAHAD AL MUKRASHI
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

MUSCAT | A relaxing massage at the end of a hard day can work wonders for that sore back or ease the stiffness in your neck. But what if you walk into an innocuous looking health club and find scantily-clad women offering you something entirely different?

That is exactly what is happening around the city, with sleazy massage parlours in the guise of health clubs mushrooming in and around Muscat. But come May, and the Muscat Municipality is all set to introduce regulations governing health clubs in the Sultanate.

“These health clubs are suddenly as common as grocery stores. There is a sudden fad for getting a ‘massage’,” observes Huzeim Almanei.

Nasir Al Zidi, a teacher, was in for a rude shock when he went to a health club seeking relief from a sore back.

Scantily-clad therapist
“I saw scantily-clad foreigners passing off as therapists. One of them even tried to seduce me. The entire atmosphere was sleazy and what was on offer was anything other than a therapeutic massage,” he says.

Yusuf Al Hatami a government employee avers: “These massage centres have an adverse effect on the youth, and destroy the very fabric of our society.

It is also a fertile ground for spreading sexually transmitted diseases.”

What is more disturbing is the trend of these centres often coming up near residential areas.

Khalil Al Saadi, an engineer, was dismayed to see a teenager trying to sneak into one of these seedy joints. “It’s tough for youngsters to resist the pull of these health clubs. There need to be some sort of monitoring to prevent young people from such activities.”

These special services don’t come cheap either. “Youngsters come and spend a lot of money to avail these services. It’s a vicious circle that they find difficult to break free from,” feels Abdul Rahim Al Balushi, a college student.

There are many health centres with certified professionals that offer genuine services. But many of these centres are getting a bad name thanks to the activities of other centres that are not quite the real thing.

There is another side to the story, however. A fact of life in Oman, in fact!

One person who frequents such sleazy joints confessed to me: “I sometimes sneak into these massage parlours because I am a man and have some physical needs. With the dowry amount skyrocketing, I can’t even imagine ever getting married. The cost of living has also soared. So where is the question of saving to make dowry money? I can’t afford feeding a family and paying the flat rent with my low income.” So what do people like me do?

Health benefits
Sahar, a trained therapist at a health centre points out the health benefits of a proper massage.

“It soothes the body and helps blood circulation. It could even help ease one’s blood pressure. But it is unfortunate that some small-time players are giving us all a bad name.”

Naif Al Shandodi and Saif Al Washahi echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s not fair to label all health clubs shady. There are many certified centres with fully qualified health professionals. However, those that are not should be dealt with severely by the authorities,” he adds.

The authorities are aware of the situation, hence the stricter regime from the month of May. The municipality is all set to introduce stringent regulations to monitor these health clubs.

According to estimates there are more than 230 health clubs in Muscat governorate alone.

A source in the Muscat Municipality says, “We have set a time limit of up to 6 months for these health clubs to modify their conditions consistent with the new regulations, which include separate health clubs for men and women.

He adds: “The new regulation stipulates that workers in a club should be of the same sex as the customer in order to avoid abuse. Also, the workers of these centres need to be certified professionals with genuine diplomas from recognised government-approved centres.”

The municipality has received several complaints from residents living near these health centres about youngsters sneaking into these parlours.

“We are taking these complaints very seriously, and those found violating the existing norms will have punitive measures coming down on them.”

So the next time you step out for a relaxing back rub, do verify the credentials of the health club, or you just might encounter something entirely different.

Guidelines for health clubs:
The masseurs should be qualified, possess diplomas from recognised bodies; the therapists should be of the same sex; there should be separate health clubs for men and women; any complaints from residents in the vicinity will be dealt with severely. — fahadalmakrashi@timesofoman.com

Flying Blind: Oman's Air Traffic Control system error

I fly a lot. So do many of you, I know.

Perhaps you might be interested in a recent report I received over a beer from a good contact in the US Military, who is sometimes passing through here. His news was confirmed with a nod and a wink by my contact in the relevant Ministry, so I thought I'd share. It's also doing the rounds of the regular aircrews by now too.

In early October, Oman's entire Air Traffic Control system, covering the whole damn country, went down for several hours, due to human error and sloppy procedures when operating the underlying IT system. The back-up system failed too. All the poor controllers had left were radio communications with the planes and basic radar, which just gives blips on the screen and no data like call sign, aircraft type or even airspeed - vital data for the way aircraft are controlled in our airspace.

In fact, it seems that for a while it's likely that Oman's air traffic controllers were basically 'flying blind', without even the basic radar.

Oops.



Photo: Oman Air Traffic controllers have apparently had several near-misses this year, aka 'airprox events'


The event is being followed up by the appropriate authorities, of course, but because no aircraft actually crashed, and this being Oman, it's being hushed up somewhat. Afterall, it was all OK in the end. Yani!! Mafi mushkala!! (or perhaps Hakuna Mattata?)

International airlines have responded to the incident by unofficially suspending the ban on in-flight smoking while in Oman airspace. An unofficial spokeman for one airline, who declined to be named, said:

"We figured, what the hell. After all, it could be our last chance for a bloody cigarette, so everyone can now just go for it. The crew won't say anything until we're safely outside Omani airspace."

Now, joking aside, air traffic controllers - even ours - do train for such situations. And the planes themselves also have a basic Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System or TCAS (thank's to the International Civil Aviation Organization, after a few mid-air collisions in the 70s and 80s).

And I have every confidence things will improve after lessons have been learnt...

sigh...

I also see that there wasn't a report (yet) made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (a voluntary international confidential near miss reporting website run by NASA) either. Tsk tsk.

One for the Muscat Daily to follow-up on? I'd love to read an official version of what happened...

More detail on attempted child snatching from Muscat Airport from the child's mother

Readers,
I was forwarded the following email, originally from the mother of the child who was reportedly the subject of a suspicious attempted to abduct him recently at Muscat International Airport.

Perhaps just another sign of the times, perhaps. Fortunately, it sounds like the guy was an amateur, and he was totally unsuccessful. One would think there would be plenty of CCTV footage at the airport to ID him...

The email:
"Teresa V (Aussie Mum with triplet 3 year old boys) asked to circulate this account below. It is not an urban myth or a scare story. There were witnesses who agreed that she was not over-reacting and the airport police are taking the matter seriously. The startling thing is it happened at all and more so that according to the Australian Embassy it is the second incident involving children in Oman in the past few weeks. ..."

The mother's story:

On Thursday the 30th of October we were at Muscat International Airport waiting for a flight to arrive. Shortly after 1pm, two men dressed in Dishdashas, characteristic of the Emirates rather than Oman, approached my three small boys and played with them (pinched their cheeks etc). They then left into the crowd. We were seated in Costa Coffee arrivals and my sons were playing just in front of the seating area in full view.
A short time later one of the men returned and swiftly pushed one of my sons down a corridor adjacent to Costa. The corridor led to a door to the outside of the terminal. I immediately followed the man. When I caught up with the man, he let go of my son and walked quickly off without a word, towards the departures terminal. My son was quite shaken and clung to me and repeatedly said 'why did that man push me'. Two other men at Costa witnessed this and spoke to me and then went to look for the man who had pushed my son. Unfortunately they could not find him. The incident was reported to the police.

Please let me know if you would like any further details.
Many thanks for circulating this
Teresa

Attempted Child Abduction reported at Muscat Airport

Haven't seen this one in the papers yet, but the British Embassy have confirmed earlier rumours of someone trying to abduct a child at Muscat Airport. New blogger JetDriver posted on it a couple of days ago, and it was news around the Brit Expat circuit all week.

On 4 November 2008, we received a report of an incident involving a young child at Muscat International Airport on 30 October 2008. The child was the subject of an apparent attempted abduction. We are working with the authorities to determine the facts of the case, and the ROP are investigating the incident. This is the first report we have had of this type of incident in Oman. We advise all British nationals to exercise vigilance when they are in crowded public places with their children.

Hope we get some follow up news. Will chase.

This sort of crime doesn't generally get officially reported. Even so, this is rare in Oman. Muscat is pretty crime free in the expat areas especially. A few break ins and thefts, and petty muggings in Ruwi, are about all you see.

Ministerial change out – the real story part II?

Rumors over the weekend swirled in the Arabic blogosphere and in the sitting rooms of the great and the good, all about what could be the reason for the apparent dismissal of Minister HE Dr Juma Al Juma. And I feel they are substantive enough to now report here for your edification.

Bottom line of the story being circulated: it seems that HE Juma owned a building adjacent to the usual landing approach path to Muscat International airport, next to the Shell station by the motorway. He had a 4th floor added, but it seems, allegedly, the permit for the extra floor was not actually legitimate but was, er, lets say 'illicit'. The height of the addition was in reality too high for FIA regulations concerning the height of things near approach paths, which was why a real permit couldn't be issued, and the additional floor is now apparently being physically removed.

I must admit, it is hard to believe that a Minister would be so silly to deliberately bend such rules for a relatively small amount of money to be gained. But that is the rumor, heard from several sources, several very, very highly placed. (I’d link you to the Arabic comments made over the weekend, but they have been removed).