Ajman: An Emirati man has been interrogated by police for attempting to organise an illegal march in the country, and subsequently fired from his job, Gulf Newswas told on Monday.
A top Ministry of Interior official said the man, who apparently circulated messages though a Blackberry Messenger (BBM) in an attempt to organise the march, in response to the recent fuel price increases, worked for Dubai Police.
“If anyone wants to organise such a peaceful protest they can but they should do it through the legal channels,” Brigadier Ali Abdullah Alwan, Chief of Ajman Police, told Gulf News on Monday.
He said a number of people were also questioned in other emirates about the issue. He said a group of men from various emirates were detained briefly after they circulated messages via the BBM, “calling for 400 participants” to take part in a march from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi. The message asked participants to confirm attendance and cited a BB Pin Code, which matched the account of a 23-year-old man from Ajman.
“They were questioned not over sending the messages or their decision to protest. It is about attempting an illegal protest.”… MORE
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There have been a number of rumors about this event. The most convincing one I heard was that the 
CID was actually involved in a heavy operation against and Afghani drug gang who offered resistance. If true, why not report it? Answer: they were armed and shot back. If true, this is a very uncommon thing in the UAE. However, if the CID are rooting out the heavy drugs… all I can say is go get them!
In the meantime, here is the purported story of what happened in Ajman:
02/27/2009 06:54 PM | By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
Ajman: Security forces conducted a search for illegal workers on Thursday, closing off the industrial district of Ajman from the Sharjah border.
The roads were closed from 8am in and out of the Ajman Industrial Area. People who wanted to enter or leave the area were turned away, giving rise to various rumours.
Military forces and riot police with dogs were seen patrolling the area, and army helicopters circled overhead.
Brigadier Ali Abdullah Alwan, chief of Ajman Police, told Gulf News that they were scouring the area for illegal workers.
“It is a hunt for illegal workers. There are many of them here. Many companies from other emirates are accommodating their workers here,” he said. Residents were in the dark about what was unfolding…
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New laws to grant six-month residency visas to individuals who buy freehold properties will be ready next month, a top Ministry of Interior official said on Tuesday.
The ministry is also studying the possibility of granting residency visas to the families of property owners.
The move comes amid a 20 per cent decline in property prices and a predicted fall of up to 50 per cent in some areas by the end of the year.
“We are working on this draft to unify and streamline the procedures of issuance of residency visas for expatriates who purchase properties such as flats, offices, and shops,” said Brigadier Nassir Al Awadi Al Menhali, Acting Director-General of the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department.
“They will get a six-month visa which can be renewed.”
Al Menhali said that details of the law, such as how much the renewal would cost, have not yet been worked out.
“It couldn’t come at a better time for the market,” said Vincent Easton, head of sales at Sherwoods, a property consultant firm. “I’m just confused about why it is only six months. It seems more like a visit visa.”
Previously, developers in Dubai had tried to entice prospective buyers from Pakistan and Iran by saying they could sponsor them for a three-year visa. However, problems arose when the application for residency was rejected by the Naturalisation and Residency Department (NRD).
In Abu Dhabi, a few developers had offered sponsorship to homebuyers.
Al Menhali said that there is no codified law which automatically grants expatriates residency if they purchase properties. He added that it is better to standardise the procedure across the entire country rather than some emirates applying different rules…SOURCE
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This is so dangerous here in the UAE!
02/17/2009 06:33 PM | Staff Report
Dubai: Around 490 jaywalkers were fined since the launch of the pedestrian safety awareness 
campaign last week after detecting a 13 per cent rise in accidents involving pedestrians.
According to Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zaffin, Director of the Dubai Police Traffic Department, statistics revealed that most pedestrian violations were found (302) on Oman-Hatta Road.
Al Murqabbat Road followed with around 164 fines issued to jaywalkers and Emirates Road with 24 fines.
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Last year may have seen a rise in crime rate in Sharjah but with many drug and international car theft gangs busted, Sharjah Police is talking tough.
Brigadier Humaid Al Hudaidi, Director-General of Sharjah Police, says they will not allow the emirate to become a transit point for smuggling of drugs or a safe haven for their distribution locally.
Speaking to Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview, he said that in 2008, the police managed to bust several gangs trying to smuggle various types of drugs out of the country and also for attempting to distribute it locally.
The arrests included members of a major gang, which tried to smuggle heroin worth Dh 40.2 million into the country. The 202-kg haul is considered the biggest drug bust ever in the region.
“Going by international standards, the local market for any kind of drugs has been low. But, through busting of several drug gangs in 2008, the police have seen that they target youth in UAE,” he said.
“As a part of UAE’s efforts to combat drug trade, Sharjah Police is working closely with the United Nations, Interpol and other federal agencies. The aim is to thwart international traffickers as well as individual smugglers.”…SOURCE
Sphere: Related Content Posted 1 year, 6 months ago at 11:16 am. View Comments
It looks like another misguided attempt to provide government jobs and worsening service. Is it any coincidence that most of the typing centers are owned by expats?
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) is taking the final steps to launch a semi-government typing company under the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department and close private typing centres across the country, said a top official in the ministry.
In Abu Dhabi emirate alone, 126 private typing centres will be affected.
Brigadier Nassir Al Awadi Al Menhali, Acting Director-General of the department, told Khaleej Times recently that the private typing centres would not be allowed to type the departments applications once the new company is formed.
This company would unify the procedures and charges of the applications among the naturalisation and residency departments (NRDs) nationwide.
“We work on unifying the formalities in all departments in the seven emirates. Right now, some NRDs demand more documents or additional fees than others to type the applications,” said Brig Al Menhali.
“We discovered that many of the private typing offices charge up to Dh80 for printing applications when the actual fee is Dh40. They also collect more money for online applications.”
The ministry would inaugurate the Naturalisation Institute soon to prepare the staff joining the new typing company, the NRDs and also the new information centre.
“The current steps have been taken in line with the MoI’s strategy to provide the best services to the applicants countrywide,” added Brig Al Menhali.
He added that the staff of the proposed company would be trained by the MoI…SOURCE
Here is another telling quote?:
…Ayman Al Zaytoni, owner of Stroika Contracting Company based in the capital, said the typing centres cause many problems. “The staff members at these centres are unprofessional. They make mistakes while typing and sometimes, I had to pay the printing charges twice or thrice.”
He believes the semi-government company would be better as the staff would be well-trained and they would use Arabic language. “We find it difficult to communicate with the Indians now.”…
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Trading in visit visas has prompted the Ministry of Interior to consider not issuing them for small businesses and restricting the number for large companies in a bid to curb illegal workers.
“The departments of Naturalisation and Residency referred a number of these companies to the Public Prosecutor after they exploited the issuance visit visas through trading in them and profiting from them,” Brigadier Nasser Al Awadi Al Minhali, a senior official with the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement to Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
“Due to such reasons the Ministry of Interior is taking measures to limit the issuance of these visas and confine them for large companies and that will be according to strict procedures to curb their exploitation for illegal purposes,” said Brigadier Al Minhali, who is acting director-general of the Department of Naturalisation and Residency at the Ministry.
Meanwhile Retired General Ali Majid Al Matroushi, member of the Federal National Council, Chairman of the Internal Affairs and National Defence Committee of the FNC said, “The committee conducted a survey about the visit visas and discovered that a large proportion of the smaller shops have taken advantage from the issuance of visit visas facility for trading in them.”…SOURCE
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Tourism doesn’t seem to be a priority any more. What happened UAE?
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) is considering a Federal National Council (FNC) proposal that visitors to the UAE will have to furnish a clean police record and a bank statement from their country of origin, senior immigration officials told Khaleej Times on Monday.
Ministry figures show that 80 per cent of pickpockets and thieves, nabbed in recent crimes, entered the country on tourist and business visas.
Brigadier Nasser Al Awadhi Al Minhali, Acting Director General of Naturalisation and Residency Department at the ministry, said the restrictions under consideration would be applicable for visit, business and tourist visas.
“General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, has issued these directives calling for studying the proposal of the FNC, and take action on it as soon as possible, if the new restrictions prove practical and realistic,” he said.
“The Naturalisation and Residency departments in the country have arrested many criminals, the majority of whom had entered the country on visit, tourist and business visas. This has prompted the department to chalk out new steps, including the ones proposed by the FNC,” the minister said.
Major General (retired) Ali Majid Al Matroushi, a member of the FNC and the Chairman of the Internal and Defence Affairs ad-hoc committee in the House, told Khaleej Times the high statistics had been taken seriously and prompted the recommendations…SOURCE
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People will now be able to apply for new visas or renew them in any emirate irrespective of where they stay or work as the naturalisation and residency departments (NRDs) in the country have been electronically linked.
Brigadier Nasir Al Awadi Al Menhaly, Acting Director-General of the Naturalisation and Residency Department at the Ministry of Interior, told Khaleej Times on Sunday that all NRDs in the UAE are capable of issuing and renewing visas, regardless of the emirate where the existing residence visa was issued from.
The ministry has completed linking of all NRDs electronically to provide this new service.
“We are in one country, and there is an electronic link between all NRDs,” he said. Under the earlier system, for instance, a person working in Abu Dhabi but has a residence visa from Dubai or other emirates had to visit the NRD in that emirate to renew his/her visa.
This was a sheer waste of time and effort. “Consequently, Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, gave instructions to ease the hardship of expatriates by allowing them to get visas or renew visas from the NRD in any emirate regardless of the emirate where the residence visa was issued originally. This is what we are implementing right now.” Brigadier Al Menhaly clarified that many expatriates are not aware of this new service, and still take the trouble of travelling to other emirates to complete their visa-related procedures. “We now tell them to save the effort and submit your applications to any department in the country to be processed immediately,” he said.
Meanwhile, denizens of emirates have lauded the ministry’s step, calling it a real timesaver…SOURCE
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