Non-Payers Face Blacklist, Travel Ban KUWAIT CITY, June 13: Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs at the Interior Ministry Major General Abdul Fattah Al-Ali has warned against using private cars as taxis, affirming that those who will be arrested for engaging in such act will be deported immediately, reports Al-Nahar daily. In a recent press statement, Al-Fattah explained the second phase of the security crackdowns has started and this time the main target is those who use private cars to earn money. He said severe sanctions will be imposed on both the driver and owner of the vehicle. Al-Ali revealed they have been receiving reports that a large number of expatriates are using private cars as taxis, so a team of security officers was formed to verify the information. He said the team confirmed the information and they also found out that those engaged in the act paid a huge amount to their sponsors in exchange for allowing them to use private cars as taxis. Al-Ali added a well-studied plan has been laid down to eliminate this phenomenon, reiterating that expatriates who will not respect the law will be deported and their sponsors will be subjected to harsh penalties. Meanwhile, Major General Al-Ali announced that the traffic sector collected approximately KD 9 million last month from the accumulated traffic citations issued against citizens and expatriates. He explained that the traffic violators had paid their fines either directly at the concerned traffic departments or online through the website launched by the Ministry of Interior for payment of traffic fines. He affirmed that he had issued instructions to unblock a huge number of violations in order to allow the violators to pay their pending fines, bidding citizens and expatriates to settle their fines immediately in the coming phase. He revealed that the officers of traffic departments in all six governorates work morning and evening shifts to receive the large number of people who visit the departments to pay their fines. He stressed that strict legal procedures will be taken against those who fail to settle their fines, explaining that some of these procedures include blacklisting the violators, placing travel ban on them and suspending their transactions in all state systems until they settle their dues. Major General Al-Ali made the above statements during a traffic campaign that was launched on Thursday in Al-Thaher area in coordination with Director of Ahmadi Traffic Department Colonel Salman Al-Mez’al and other officials. During the campaign, traffic officers seized 23 sports vehicles which the motorists had used for performing stunts. Major General Al-Ali clarified that clear instructions were received from the Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud and Undersecretary Lt General Ghazi Al-Omar to control illegal traffic violations and stunts on roads that usually result in the death of youths and innocent people, adding that the ministry had allotted a plan to confront such violations. He explained part of the plan for controlling reckless driving on the roads was instructing traffic officers and military men to attire in uniform or civilian clothes, photograph any stunt activity or reckless driving and enter the details of the violation and vehicle into the database of the ministry and Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI). They will later seize the vehicles and refer the motorists to the court. These vehicles will be examined and the number plates of those that are not appropriate for use on the roads will be withdrawn. Major General Al-Ali affirmed that campaigns against road recklessness and stunts will be carried out in all areas of Kuwait, pointing out that the ministry has been receiving several complaints from the public about the menace caused by reckless drivers on the roads. Regarding the vehicles that were seized during traffic campaigns, he indicated that the ministry has evidences to prove the vehicles were used for reckless driving and stunts. He assured that the Traffic Investigation Department will receive those who have doubts about the citations issued against them. He stressed that the people of Kuwait appreciated the traffic campaigns that were launched against road recklessness and stunts because of the dangers that result from such a phenomenon including the loss of lives. He bid parents to discourage their children from engaging in such dangerous activities with their vehicles, as vehicles are means for transportation not death. Regarding the withdrawal of drivers’ licenses from expatriates who acquired them while they were students or under family visa, Major General Al-Ali revealed that the traffic department has started canceling such licenses using records obtained from an application in the traffic system. These records list the people who acquired licenses due to some special condition, which later was not applicable to them. He disclosed that thousands of licenses are expected to be cancelled due to the new regulations, indicating that such measures will stop those who use illegal methods for acquiring drivers’ licenses. He refused to divulge the new regulations for students and housewives to acquire drivers’ licenses, indicating that a proposal in this regard has been referred to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud. When asked whether taking photographs using traffic camera is illegal due to infringement of privacy, Major General Al-Ali affirmed that the traffic department is not doing anything illegal and the monitoring cameras are specifically for the department, not any other government authority. He clarified that the pictures taken are only for temporary purpose of recording the traffic violations and are not stored in the traffic files. He said, “The issue of privacy cannot be applied when the vehicle is in a public place. Such right for privacy is only applicable in closed places. If a person commits a violation inside his or her vehicle in a manner that disrupts public order, it has to be captured and documented and the violator must bear legal consequences”. Regarding the deportation of expatriates over traffic violations, Major General Al-Ali clarified that expatriates are deported only if they commit a serious traffic violation three times, indicating that serious violations such as intentionally crossing the red signal and driving the vehicle without a valid drivers’ license cannot be tolerated. He explained that officers, while carrying out the campaigns, discovered several violations such as illegal taxiing and expatriates working under different sponsors, which are not allowed. He revealed that a list with names of Kuwaiti citizens, who sponsor expatriates and allow them to work under other sponsors, has been prepared and submitted to the Immigration Investigation Department for necessary legal procedures against them. He indicated that the traffic department has been receiving support from the higher authorities, adding that they have coordinated with the General Immigration Department to cancel the drivers’ licenses of expatriates who have been listed for deportation. He insisted that the purpose of carrying out such traffic campaigns is not to expand the state treasury but in consideration of the terrible consequences that result from traffic accidents caused by the recklessness of drivers who refuse to respect the traffic rules. In conclusion, Major General Al-Ali said expatriates are welcome in Kuwait as long as they respect the law and traffic rules that have been established for public safety. He stressed that these campaigns are not intended for expatriates but violators of law and traffic rules irrespective of whether they are expatriates or citizens, revealing that the number of citations registered against expatriates and citizens during the campaigns are almost equal, which means the campaigns are not targeting only the expatriates.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 06:18:32 +0000
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