Dubai the biggest and deepest S.H. on planet Earth

[Von Richtofen]

part 1

The ideal place to raise your kids

Dubai's choking traffic jams are contributing to some of the world's worst air pollution, according to an study by Dubai Municipality.

The city rank among the worst in the developed world using an On-road Vehicle Emission Measurement device, which assigns a percentage score for the levels of harmful pollutants including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide.

Over a 10-month period from May 2007 to February 2008, Dubai scored 13%, compared to 2.5% in Virginia, 2% in Michigan, and 4.7% as an average across Canada.

The scoring system assigns a higher percentage based on two variables: the volume of cars on a road during the testing period, and the level of emissions from each vehicle.

On both counts, Dubai scores badly in comparison to developed cities: there are more cars on the road at any one time, and each car is spewing out more pollution.

Dubai Municipality conducted the survey at 43 locations across the city in cooperation with Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police.

The study was conducted in order to amass data that will help define future pollution-reduction measures in the city.

Engineer Redha Hassan Salman, head of the environmental protection and safety section in the Environment Department of Dubai Municipality, who oversaw the study, said the problem was bad and getting worse.

"Two factors point to a worsening air pollution situation in Dubai - the rapid pace of urbanisation and motorisation. Dubai's statistical data showed that motor vehicles increased by an annual average of about 12 percent. Dubai has about 541 vehicles per thousand population, which is higher than New York (444), London (345) and Singapore (111)," Salman said.

Salman said there has been an increase of 30% in the number of vehicles in Dubai from that of the 2005 figures (465,000 vehicles including 5,000 taxis).

"Vehicles in Dubai take 3.1 million trips a day, which is expected to increase to 13.1 million trips a day by the year 2020. This is precisely the reason behind embarking on such a project to know the percentage of vehicles exceeding the emission limit compared to other countries of the world," he added.

Two solutions need to be found at the same time: reducing the number of journeys made by car, and reducing harmful emissions from each vehicle.

Salman welcomed the creation of mass transit systems such as Dubai Metro, but said that these initiatives need to be accompanied by a move to get the worst polluting cars off the road. He suggested that cars more than ten years old should be banned.

Currently, 17% of the petrol vehicles and 24% of diesel vehicles on Dubai roads are more than seven years old.

[Von Richtofen]

part 2

The ideal place for a a swim

For several weeks some of the emirate's fabled beaches have been covered with the stinking contents of septic tanks as Dubai suffers the consequences of its frantic and poorly controlled development.
The foul effluent, which threatens to damage Dubai's image, highlights one of the paradoxes of the emirates -- it can build the world's tallest tower and six-star hotels but has not constructed the sewage works it needs.
Dubai officially had 1.3 million inhabitants at the end of 2006 but its population is ballooning.
New apartment blocks and neighbourhoods are rising everywhere at a record pace, but infrastructure is dragging behind.
For example, the city still has no main drainage system, hence the need for tankers to collect the contents of septic tanks and transport the waste to the emirate's only sewage treatment works at Al-Awir, out in open desert.
A second plant is under construction but will not be in use until next year.
For the moment, the existing site is operating at full capacity and the queue of tankers awaiting their turn to unload snakes out of site amid a miasma of nauseating fumes.
"The wait can be more than 10 hours. It is hard to bear, especially when it is hot," Ijaz Mohammed, a tanker driver from Pakistan, said.
Drivers are paid by the journey and in September some of them got fed up with the long queues and started offloading into the ditches intended as run-offs for the rare showers of rain.
-- The dumped effluent drifts onto fashionable beaches--
The dumped effluent first runs into the sea, then drifts onto beaches, in particular those of the fashionable Jumeirah district, home to some of Dubai's swankiest hotels.
"This pollution is accidental and results from the practices of certain drivers," Mohammed Abdelrahmane Hasan, held of the city council's environmental services department, said.
Punishment is heavy for illegal offloading of waste, with the employer of any driver caught in the act being liable for a fine of up to 100,000 dirhams (A$40,907). The vehicle can also be impounded.

The local authority has decided to encourage informers after 55 drivers in one week were spotted while dumping their loads.
It has set up a public freephone number with the incentive of a 2000 dirham (about A$818) reward if the offence is confirmed.
However, the illegal unloading goes on, and not just into watercourses leading to the sea.
A British man driving a 4X4 vehicle in sand near the port of Jebel Ali, west of Dubai, was surprised to come across a lake of excrement, local newspapers reported.
Doctors have warned of a heightened risk of catching diseases such as typhoid or hepatitis but adults and children continue to bathe in the sea.
The situation is starting to worry some tourists, such as "Anna", a young Russian encountered outside a grand hotel.
"Yes, I've heard about that and it worries me. I am going to spend more time shopping, at the pool and sunbathing," she said.
Tourism is the motor of the local economy and the problem could have serious consequences if it starts to affect Dubai's image as a clean city, something it prides itself on.
This is why the city council tries to be reassuring.
"Pollution is only affecting an area of beach and all tests prove that bathing is risk free," insists Hasan, the environment chief.
AFP

[Von Richtofen]

Part 3

The ideal place for romance


British couple have received three month jail sentences for having sex on a beach in Dubai.
Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, were found guilty of having sexual intercourse outside marriage and offending public decency. They were also fined £200 for drunkenness and ordered to be deported from Dubai on their release.
It had been feared that the two Britons might face several years in jail in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Friends of Ms Palmer – who maintains her innocence – told The Times yesterday that she was “not surprised” by the court’s decision.

She denies having sex with Mr Acors and intends to appeal against the verdict as a “matter of principle”. She is desperate to return home to Oakham, Rutland, one friend said. She and Mr Acors, from Bromley, southeast London, remain free on bail but are barred from speaking directly to the press or leaving the country.


The couple’s case has become a symbol of a culture clash in the UAE that pits Dubai’s Western expatriate minority against the conservative Arab laws.
Analysts here say that their relatively light punishment was meant to strike a balance between sending a clear message that visitors must respect local laws and culture, and maintaining the UAE’s image of welcoming outsiders and their business.
In the past five years, Dubai has transformed itself into a global economic hub, luring foreigners with double-digit growth and a tax-free lifestyle.
Ms Palmer, who was sacked from her job as a publishing executive after her arrest in July, is a prime example of the young, single, ambitious professionals Dubai seeks to attract.
Her encounter with Mr Acors, who was visiting on business, began with a champagne brunch at a five-star hotel near the airport. They were arrested on a public beach later that night.
Ali Mohammed Yacoub, the policeman who arrested the pair, did not testify in court.
In a written statement, the officer reportedly said: “I was passing near Jumeirah Beach by the [hotel] Burj al-Arab when a couple of guys stopped the patrol car and said, ‘There is a guy having sex with a girl on the beach’. I took a torch and went down to the beach and saw them.”
The accused have denied having sex on a lounge chair on Jumeirah beach, with Ms Palmer saying that they were only “hugging and kissing”. She has also rejected rumours that she insulted Islam and abused the officer as he arrested her.
Ms Palmer said DNA evidence proved that they did not have sexual intercourse.
Pauline Crowe, chief executive of the British charity Prisoners Abroad, said that the case should serve as a warning to other travellers: “As this case illustrates, what may seem like an innocent act or misdemeanour in the UK can often land people in serious trouble when abroad.”
Neither defendant was in court yesterday to hear the verdict.
Ms Palmer is said to have been suffering from severe anxiety and depression since her arrest. She was excused from appearing in court for “medical” reasons, according to court documents.
She has blamed the press for spreading “lies” surrounding the circumstances of her arrest, and feared that intense media scrutiny would undermine her chance of a fair trial.
Asked earlier whether she believed she would ultimately win her freedom, Ms Palmer replied: “I honestly want this all to be over so I can just go home.”

[Von Richtofen]

Part 4

A place better you clean your shoes before you come



A father-of-three who was found with a microscopic speck of cannabis stuck to the bottom of one of his shoes has been sentenced to four years in a Dubai prison.

Keith Brown, a council youth development officer, was travelling through the United Arab Emirates on his way back to England when he was stopped as he walked through Dubai's main airport.
A search by customs officials uncovered a speck of cannabis weighing just 0.003g - so small it would be invisible to the naked eye and weighing less than a grain of sugar - on the tread of one of his shoes.
Dubai International Airport is a major hub for the Middle East and thousands of Britons pass through it every year to holiday in the glamorous beach and shopping haven.
But many of those tourists and business travellers are likely to be unaware of the strict zero-tolerance drugs policy in the UAE.
One man has even been jailed for possession of three poppy seeds left over from a bread roll he ate at Heathrow Airport. Painkiller codeine is also banned.
If suspicious of a traveller, customs officials can use high-tech equipment to uncover even the slightest trace of drugs.
Mr Brown was detained and arrested in September last year and has been held in a cell with three other men in the city prison ever since.
This week the youth worker, who has two young children and a partner at home in Smethwick, West Midlands, was sentenced to four years in prison.
A 25-year-old Briton who was found with a similar speck in one pocket as he arrived on holiday has been awaiting sentence since November.
Meanwhile a Big Brother TV executive has so far been held without charge for five days after being arrested for possessing the health supplement melatonin.
The authorities claim to have discovered 0.01g of hashish in his luggage.
Last night Mr Brown's brother Lee said his case "defied belief".
"For that sort of amount common sense should prevail, from where it was found it was obviously something that had been crushed on the floor - it could have come from anywhere."
Rastafarian Mr Brown had been returning from a short trip to Ethiopia, where one of his children lives and where he owns property.
He was travelling with his partner Imani, who was also stopped and detained for more than a week.
Normally he flew direct to and from the UK, but decided to stop off in Dubai.
"He was incensed when he called me," said driving instructor Lee, 57. "It would be funny if the circumstances weren't so unpleasant.
"Bugs are crawling out of his mattress when he's sleeping. His family are frantic with worry and can't call him."
Last night campaign group Fair Trials International advised visitors to Dubai and Abu Dhabi to "take extreme caution".
Chief Executive Catherine Wolthuizen said: "We have seen a steep increase in such cases over the last 18 months.
"Customs authorities are using highly sensitive new equipment to conduct extremely thorough searches on travellers and if they find any amount - no matter how minute - it will be enough to attract a mandatory four-year prison sentence."
Mrs Wolthuizen added: "We even have reports of the imprisonment of a Swiss man for 'possession' of three poppy seeds on his clothing after he ate a bread roll at Heathrow.

Held: A campaign is underway to secure the release of Cat Le-Huy from a Dubai jail


"What many travellers may not realise is that they can be deemed to be in possession of such banned substances if they can be detected in their urine or bloodstream, or even in tiny, trace amounts on their person."
Only two months after Mr Brown was stopped economics graduate Robert Dalton was detained in almost identical circumstances.
Mr Dalton, from Gravesend, on Kent was with two friends when he was stopped and asked to empty his pockets.
Officials found 0.03g of cannabis in a small amount of fluff. He is currently on trial and if convicted, is likely receive a four-year prison sentence.
Last night his brother Peter, 26, told how it took 24 hours to find out why he had been stopped.
"As we understand, the amount of cannabis was barely visible to the human eye and was at the bottom of the pocket of an old pair of jeans.
"He's not a drug user, but he goes clubbing and the speck was so small."
Last week Cat Le-Huy, a London-based German national, was arrested on arrival at the airport.
Mr Le-Huy, 31, head of technology with Big Brother production company Endemol, was arrested on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs after customs officers found melatonin, a health supplement used for jet lag available over the counter both in Dubai and in the US.
Authorities also claim they discovered fragments in one of his bags which they believe to be hashish. Fair Trials International said the amount was 0.01g.

[birrddog]

With regards to part 3, I have it upon good information, the young lady was given an opportunity to apologize and leave Dubai, but did not take it up.

[Von Richtofen]

Part 5

A place where they care for the environment


The UAE has one of the world's highest levels of domestic waste. Per capita household waste has reached an average annual 730 kilos in Abu Dhabi and 725 kilos in Dubai. In the US the average is 710 kilos, in Australia 690 kilos and in the UK 300 kilos. Additional refuse comes from street litter, gardens and from the waste dumped in the sea and on beaches.

[Von Richtofen]

Part 6

A paradise for workers

The United Arab Emirates’ proposed labor law falls far short of international standards for workers’ rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The law should be revised to protect workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively and strike, and to cover excluded groups such as domestic workers.
On February 5, the UAE Labor Ministry published a draft of a revised labor law on the internet and invited public comment. Human Rights Watch welcomed the move, but has provided critiques and recommendations on a number of issues.
In a 15-page report, Human Rights Watch details how the UAE’s draft labor law violates international standards – and how it needs to be revised. The law fails to address a series of abuses against workers that Human Rights Watch has documented in two reports published within the past year. Migrant workers, who comprise 95 percent of the country’s workforce, are particularly at risk of abuse.
“The Labor Ministry’s request for comments on the draft law represents an important step toward reform and transparency in the UAE,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “We hope that the Labor Ministry takes advantage of this process to revise the serious flaws in its draft law.”
In blatant contravention of international standards, the proposed law contains no provisions on workers’ rights to organize and to bargain collectively and explicitly punishes striking workers. The UAE is currently undergoing a dramatic construction boom, and most of the 700,000 construction workers in the country are from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
In a report released in November, “Building Towers, Cheating Workers,” Human Rights Watch documented the government’s refusal to allow construction workers to organize trade unions and to bargain collectively, and the recent passage of a resolution banning striking workers from employment for at least one year.
“The UAE must amend its draft law to respect workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively and strike,” said Whitson. “In the past year, the authorities have put down attempted strikes with violence rather than addressing the poor working conditions that fuel labor unrest.”
The draft labor law also violates international standards by arbitrarily excluding from its purview all domestic workers employed in private households, public sector workers, security workers and most farming and grazing workers, leaving them at risk of exploitation.
In a report released in July 2006, “Swept Under the Rug,” Human Rights Watch documented how domestic workers in the UAE have few remedies in cases of abuse. Domestic workers often report exploitative working conditions, including forced confinement, nonpayment of wages, denial of food, and excessive working hours with no rest days. The UAE employs more than 600,000 domestic workers, primarily from Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia.
“The government should extend equal labor protections to domestic workers instead of reinforcing the discrimination that they already face,” said Whitson.
In addition, the draft law includes a number of provisions that discriminate against women workers. In violation of international human rights norms banning discrimination on the basis of sex, the proposed law limits women’s access to nighttime employment and “heavy” work. By sanctioning punishment for male guardians who violate the laws applicable to women, the law treats women workers as dependents rather than as competent adults with full and independent legal capacity.
The draft labor law also fails to incorporate the 2001 Dubai Court of Cassation ruling that prohibited employers from confiscating the passports of employees. In its report on construction workers in the UAE, Human Rights Watch found that the court’s ruling, in practice, has had virtually no impact.
“It’s an open secret that employers in the UAE often confiscate the passports of their employees,” Whitson said. “Yet the government chooses to ignore this widespread and illegal practice and refuses to punish the offending employers.”
Human Rights Watch urged that the proposed labor law require that employment contracts and instructions be made available to workers in a language they speak fluently to combat the misinformation and deception that further fuel the exploitation of migrant workers in the UAE.
The government should show real commitment to enforcing its labor laws by providing effective penalties for violations of the law and punishing employers who violate the law. The current law continues to provide weak financial penalties of between 6,000 and 12,000 dirhams (US$1,600-3,200) for employers found in breach of the law.
“The new labor law will not be able to curb employer abuses if it’s not coupled with serious enforcement and real penalties,” said Whitson. “The current fine of a few thousand dollars isn’t even a slap on the wrist for employers with multi-million-dollar contracts.”

[Von Richtofen]

Part 7

A place where to take you kids in vacation
Dubai Rape Case Reveals Horribly Stunted UAE Legal Code


A stunning report on how UAE officials are bungling a gang-rape case and in the process revealing a massively out-dated legal system:

Alexandre Robert, a French 15-year-old, was having a fine summer in this tourist paradise on the Persian Gulf.... He bumped into an acquaintance, a 17-year-old native-born student at the American school, who said he and his cousin could drop Alex off at home.
There were, in fact, three Emirati men in the car, including a pair of former convicts ages 35 and 18, according to Alex. He says they drove him past his house and into a dark patch of desert, between a row of new villas and a power plant, took away his cellphone, threatened him with a knife and a club, and told him they would kill his family if he ever reported them.
Then they stripped off his pants and one by one sodomized him in the back seat of the car. They dumped Alex across from one of Dubai’s luxury hotel towers.
Alex and his family were about to learn that despite Dubai’s status as the Arab world’s paragon of modernity and wealth, and its well-earned reputation for protecting foreign investors, its criminal legal system remains a perilous gantlet when it comes to homosexuality and protection of foreigners.
The authorities not only discouraged Alex from pressing charges, he, his family and French diplomats say; they raised the possibility of charging him with criminal homosexual activity, and neglected for weeks to inform him or his parents that one of his attackers had tested H.I.V. positive while in prison four years earlier...

Why bungle the case? It seems so straightforward. Here's the kicker:

United Arab Emirates law does not recognize rape of males, only a crime called “forced homosexuality.” The two adult men charged with sexually assaulting Alex have pleaded not guilty, although sperm from all three were found in Alex. The two adults appeared in court on Wednesday and were appointed a lawyer. They face trial before a three-judge panel on Nov. 7. The third, a minor, will be tried in juvenile court. Legal experts here say that men convicted of sexually assaulting other men usually serve sentences ranging from a few months to two years. Dubai is a bustling financial and tourist center, one of seven states that form the United Arab Emirates. At least 90 percent of the residents of Dubai are not Emirati citizens and many say that Alex’s Kafkaesque legal journey brings into sharp relief questions about unequal treatment of foreigners here that have long been quietly raised among the expatriate majority. The case is getting coverage in the local press.
It also highlights the taboos surrounding H.I.V. and homosexuality that Dubai residents say have allowed rampant harassment of gays and have encouraged the health system to treat H.I.V. virtually in secret. (Under Emirates law, foreigners with H.I.V., or those convicted of homosexual activity, are deported.)

It gets worse. They tried to blame the victim:

Alex stayed in Dubai in order to testify against his attackers, and went back to school in September, despite suffering unsettling flashbacks. In early October, however, the family said, their lawyer warned Alex that he was in danger of facing charges of homosexuality and a prison term of one year... In business and finance, the nation has worked hard to earn a reputation for impartial and speedy justice. But the criminal justice system has struggled, balancing a penal code rooted in conservative Arab and Islamic local culture, applied to an overwhelming non-Arab population of foreign residents.
A 42-year-old gay businessman who would speak only if identified by his nickname, Ko, described routine sexual harassment by officials during his 13 years living in Dubai. He cut his shoulder-length hair to avoid attention, he said, but after years of living in fear of jail or deportation, he is leaving the country.
Although rape victims here generally keep quiet, some who have been raped in Dubai have shared testimonials in recent days on boycottdubai.com, a Web site started by Alex’s mother.ustice for future rape victims here.

[Radar Contact]

Ace post, love it!

[Wizofoz]

Some accurate information here, but some biased cherry-picking of information too.

In the case of the young man who was raped, the perpetrators got sentences of 15 years followed by deportation-probably harsher than they would of recieved in the "Developed" world.

Sex in public isn't on anywhere.

[Craic Ore]

Wizofoz,

Please post the reference for the "15 years in prison and deportation." Deportation to where? They're emiratis, not foreigners, so I think they'll be roaming the streets here sooner rather than later. Just plain creepy and sad, imo.

As for the rest of the posts, they highlight the dark side of Dubai. These things are rarely pointed out and people have to realize that this place is sinking into and beyond the same $hit that is faced in other nations around the world. Yeah, there WAS a vision for this city, but it seems it was clouded by greed and a lack of forethought.

There's an analogy I came up with when I moved here years ago and it has never changed - It has a first world crust with a third world filling.

Hey, it's not all bad, but it sure as hell ain't all good here either.........

[Avi8tor]

Having travelled far and wide on this sphere, I have yet to find perfection when it comes to places to live. I can find horror stories about pretty much any country on this planet.

The nice part is nothing forces anybody to live or work here. If it's not your cup of tea, go back to where you came from.

On balance, I find Dubai a pretty cool place to live, excuse the pun.

[Wizofoz]

CO,

Stand corrected on the deportation, I thought only one was Emirati, but they did get 15 years.

A pair of Brothers who were resposible for the pack rape of several teenage girls just got their sentences REDUCED to a little over 5 years by a Sydney court.

Brand,

It's an Islamic country. More liberal than Saudi or Afganistan, less so than Sweden. I'm sure you like people who come to your home country to follow the laws of your country, even if they differ from where they come from.

[nolimitholdem]

It's an Islamic country. More liberal than Saudi or Afganistan, less so than Sweden. I'm sure you like people who come to your home country to follow the laws of your country, even if they differ from where they come from.

Spare us the relativistic bull**** please. That something falls within the bounds of a legal system bears no relationship to actual justice. The point is well made by these few (of many similar) stories.

Oh, and fyi defending Dubai by saying "it's more liberal than Saudi or Afghanistan" is hardly a ringing endorsement. Pretty sad.

The more light that gets shone on the dirty little secrets of this dirty little place, the better. It is the excruciating hypocrisy of the place, and the arrogant way it is misleadingly marketed that grates. Not the fact there is crime and injustice, which as noted is not unique to Dubai.

[ODMEA]

Emirates is a perfect example of Dubai

A bloody brilliant marketing machine BUT the reality often falls abismally short of expectation.

Oddy

[wannabe-aviator]

Funny that Dubai is trying to be today What Lebanon was in the late 50s up until the Early Seventies and what Lebanon is trying to re acheive the difference is, we have a much broader religious and cultural base with 17 different sects including Jews, Muslims and Christians amongst others.

Mix those with the fact we have 15 million people of Lebanese Origins outside of Lebanon each bringing a different culture and Language of the world from as Far out as New Zealand and Chile to as close as Cyprus and Syria.

You dont become the Favourite holiday destination of the Likes of Frank Sinatra and Marolene Monroe in the 50s/60s and become the home of famous writers such as Robert Fisk, if you dont have something special.

The UAE will never be like Lebanon regardless of how many buildings they build, or try to immitate other Cultures they just cannot reach Lebanon's level, had it not been for the many wars that Lebanon has suffered throughout 7000 years of History you will must probably be wanting to fly in Lebanon and work in Lebanon and Live in Lebanon, but soon enough am sure Lebanon will regain its former glory.

As for the UAE, its History started in May 1985 that means the only History this place has is 23 years old I grant you they built a lot of buildings and such like, but buildings do not make a mortal heaven nore do they make a country a country.

WA

[Jet II]

Originally Posted by brandtzag

name a "civilized" country where you get 3 months in the slam for appearing drunk in public (not drinking) which was the charge

depends on what you mean by 'civilized'?

UAE is one of the safest places on earth - mainly due to their harsh penalties for crime. So if by 'civilized' you mean a country where you are more likely to get raped, robbed, attacked or murdered then yes you could say that the UAE is not very 'civilized'.

[Jet II]

Originally Posted by Von Richtofen

Part 3

The ideal place for romance

Two drunks having sex in public is a rather strange idea of 'romance'

[shortfuel]

[WA: In case you did not notice it...it is not a thread about Lebanon, leave that country in peace. It's kinda pathetic when you try to compare it to the UAE. You (and Oddy perhaps) should open a "Lebanon", "MEA", "my bed sheet is red and white" thread and enjoy it together]

For those who don't know, Dubai is not Disneyland...! For those who live here, they already know.
Richtofen, you can report whatever sad stories you read in the newspapers, I could answer with 100 times more from 'civilized' countries.
Fact is criminality remains less endemic than in western countries...why? Because most people are here for work!

[MrMachfivepointfive]

All those poor innocent souls...

Our colleague TG was arrested on 06November when arriving with 0.006g Hashish in the lining of his denim's pocket. Urine test came out positive, which made him a user too. He spent some time in the deportation centre - which he hated every minute of. Mostly due to the lack of bog rolls. We visited him there a number of times and found the place quite 'civilized'. Prosecutor gave him benefit of the doubt for using substance abroad, but not in DXB. This made it a simple case of possession. TG got deported on 24.12 and left Dubai in a Business Class seat. He was home in time for X-mas dinner.
My conclusion: If anybody ends up with 4-10years in Dubai, then there is more to the story than what the 'innocents' want to make you believe. After all, even Dubai doesn't want to give you three free meals a day for 4 years if they don't have to.