Re: Who'd visit Dubai?


"Bod" <bodron57@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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On 06/05/2011 22:43, Jake wrote:
"Bod"<bodron57@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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On 06/05/2011 21:20, aaa wrote:
Dex wrote:

On 06/05/2011 11:21, Ret. wrote:
Dex wrote:
On 06/05/2011 08:22, Ret. wrote:
Mike P wrote:
On Thu, 05 May 2011 18:41:48 +0100, Ret. wrote:

Seems that you can arrested, have your passport
confiscated, and locked up for 'gesturing' in Dubai.
Another in a long list of tourists being arrested for silly
things in that country:

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/london-surgeon-detained-in-du
bai-over- driving-row-398063.html

"A top London surgeon has been detained in Dubai on a
charge of public indecency following an altercation with a
motorist, it was reported Thursday.

Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, a consultant surgeon at King's College
Hospital, London, faces trial after he was accused of
making a rude gesture at another driver, The Independent
reported.

Dr Nunoo-Mensah was in the UAE with his family at the
invitation of US healthcare group Cleveland Clinic, which
is building a medical centre in the Gulf state's capital.

The British national said he was returning to Dubai when he
was tailgated by a car flashing its lights. The stretch of
road had a 60kph speed limit as roadworks were ongoing, he
told the paper.

"I was trying to abide by the speed limit and couldn't move
out of his way. I pulled over when I could, but instead of
overtaking us, he pulled up alongside. and drove in
parallel with us for up to a minute. He was looking at me
in an intimidating way - I was quite terrified," he said.

"I raised both my hands to say, 'What do you want?' but he
pulled out and then took off and turned right. He alleges I
stuck a finger at him but I raised both hands. I am sure he
must have seen them at an angle, and that was offensive to
him."

Making offensive hand gestures is illegal in the UAE and
can lead to a jail term.

Dr Nunoo-Mensah had his passport confiscated by police the
next day and is now waiting to be notified of his court
date.

At King's, his patients awaiting surgery have had their
operations reallocated to other doctors.

The case is the latest documenting the arrest of British
nationals in the UAE, following a spate of arrests relating
to crimes such as the illegal consumption of alcohol and
inappropriate behaviour.

Holidaymaker Lee Bradley Brown died in custody in Dubai
last month after being arrested for the alleged assault of
a Nepalese housekeeper at the emirate's iconic Burj al-Arab
hotel.

The British Embassy said in 2009 that Brits were more
likely to be arrested in the UAE than anywhere else in the
world.

A poll of British tourists in March ranked Dubai, which
hosts around one million Brits a year, alongside Mexico,
South Africa and Jamica as the countries they feel the
least safe in."

Aren't you the one that always wants people who come here to
abide by our laws and customs, and whinges when they don't?

Isn't it rather hypocritical of you , therefore, to whinge
about Brits being arrested abroad for breaking local laws?

The problem with Dubai (and bear in mind that the gov't has
pointed out that Brits are more likely to be arrested in UAE
than anywhere else in the world), is that even the simplest
actions, which are commonplace in the UK, (kissing your
wife/girlfriend in public for example) are arrestable offences
out there.

It means that if you are visiting that country you are walking
on eggshells, scared stiff of being arrested for making the
most minor slip. Doesn't seem to me to be the best way of
attracting tourists to your country.


Yet over 90% of the population are expats and migrant workers, so
it cant be that bad.

Yes - but if you actually live out there then you will just have to
learn about all these criminal acts (which are not criminal in your
own country) and abide by them. Tourists going somewhere for a two
week holiday are unlikely to want to spend time learning that it is
a jailable offence to send a sexually explicit text message, or to
kiss your wife in public, or to make a hand gesture in a car, etc.




What the authorities should be doing is making allowances for
tourists who unwittingly fall foul of minor over-strict (to
westerners) laws.


You should know better than that Kev, you being an ex-copper, give
them an inch...

I'm pretty sure if you were a still a Copper and caught someone
from a foreign nation breaking our laws you wouldn't budge an
inch.

Depends very much upon what the broken law was. If it was a serious
offence that the offender should have been aware of - then that is
different to a minor offence that may not be an offence where the
visiting foreigner has come from.



According to this surgeon, he merely raised both his hands in a
'what is the problem?' sort of gesture.

Tough. As already mentioned "When in Rome...".

Which is fair enough if you know that making hand gestures is a
criminal offence. The simple fact is that a lot of Brits (and other
Westerners) have been arrested and jailed in UAE for the most minor
and stupid actions that are not an offence in their own countries.
If the UAE is not prepared to make allowances for that fact - then
that is a damn good reason to give their country a wide berth.



Do you think that it was remotely
reasonable to remove his passport and lock him up for that?
Even if he was lying,

Nothing to do with what you, me or anyone else see as reasonable
in another sovereign countries laws. Unless you want to see the
entire globe follow (pre-Labour) English law.

No - I simply expect countries who want tourists to come and visit,
to make some allowances when those tourists, unwittingly, commit
'offences' which are not offences in the country they have come
from. If those countries are not prepared to make such allowances,
then I consider that a very good reason not to visit them.

So if an African family came here and decided to walk about naked as
they do at home you'd not object in any way shape or form?

Fine by me, and perfectly legal in England& Wales. Scotland would be
an issue. We even had a naked rambler a while back.



Yeh! he got nicked for disturbing the peace (or similar), about 6 times.

As you can be here for making "gestures". That or "causing harrasment,
alarm
or distress".


Yes, but we all know that was just a guise, the real reason behind it, was
because he was naked.

Nevertheless, if you do anything in the UK that can be construed as "breach
of the peace" or "causing harrasment, alarm or distress" which cannot be
denied will cover a broad spectrum of potentially benign behaviour, such as
making a gesture that was misinterpreted, or maliciously interpreted, you
can be arrested.


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