WEDNESDAY
August 31, 2016 27 Dhul Qa’ada 1437 AH
FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN MORNING MINUTE
On the occasion of the 14th National Day, 1984
‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We must not allow the peace, stability and progress which we enjoy in our country to blind us to the facts of life outside.
Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 161 | 44 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group
CAR BURNING INCIDENT
CABLES
Car fire boy moved, sister still critical
MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to King Almu’tasimu Billahi Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Malaysia on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to King Mu’adzam Shah and the Malaysian people further progress.
FAHAD AL GHADANI
fahadnews@timesofoman.com
, 13 000
MUSCAT: Sulaiman Mohammed, the three-year-old boy, who suffered burn injuries recently, was transferred to Khoula Hospital yesterday by the hospital ambulance, while his sister Gazal is still lying unconscious in the Sur hospital. Gazal Mohammed sustained 75 per cent burns after she and her brother Sulaiman were pulled from a burning car at a petrol station in Sur last Wednesday. Rescuer Mohammed Al Hashmi had raced to the smoke-filled vehicle and single-handedly rescued both children after their father, who had left them to buy groceries, raised the alarm. “The boy has reached the (Khoula) hospital. The father and mother accompanied him. The doctors in Khoula Hospital told the parents their son is getting better,” said Mahmood Abu Atiya, the uncle of the children.
Sulaiman Mohammed.
Atiya has stayed beside Gazal, whose medical condition is not clear yet. “Gazal is still in a critical state. We are praying for her to get better.” A reliable source at Khoula hospital confirmed the news and said the specialists are monitoring Gazal on a daily basis. “We are just waiting for her condition to improve and will immediately transfer her to Khoula hospital,” said the hospital source. >A6
Delay in visa clearance forces big firms to take the illegal route of hiring workers
REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: More than 13,000 expatriate workers have been arrested for labour law violations during the first eight months of this year, Ministry of Manpower data shows. 10,452 expatriate workers were arrested in Oman for violating labour laws during the first six months of this year. And data uploaded by the ministry on its official twitter handle every week during July and August reveals that around 2,700 were arrested over the last two months.
The statistics make grim reading for those arriving in the Sultanate and attempting to work without proper paperwork. An Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) member, however, feels that the issue lies in obtaining proper visas in the first place. Mohammed Hassan Al Ansi, senior official at the OCCI, said that if the labour offices issue visas required by employers this can be avoided. “If labour offices issue sufficient visas required by companies, then they won’t be forced to hire workers on different visa status,” the OCCI member said,
1 0 S T R E S S F U L D AY S
TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
OMAN
Boy swallows 50 Omanis always help baisa coin; costs people in distress father OMR150 1 Said Al Gamboosi, the Omani fisherman in Jalan who rescued 11 Indian sailors from a sinking vessel in Omani waters, showed that Omanis are always kind with anybody who needs help. >A4
REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Could a 50 baisa coin cost OMR150 and give you 10 stressful days? For Sachin Sunder More, an Indian expatriate living in Oman, the answer is yes. More had to shell out OMR150 to take out a 50 baisa coin his sixyear-old son had swallowed on August 18 and spent 10 stressful days worrying as the coin remained stuck in his stomach. “While watching television, Adharv (More’s son) accidentally swallowed the coin. He informed his mother and she telephoned me as I was in office. I went home and we rushed him to a hospital. He was not feeling uncomfortable. However, we were worried. So, medics told us to wait. However, after a few days, as the coin was not moving or being expelled normally from stomach, we were advised to approach another hospital,” More told the Times of Oman. “I took him to the Badr Al Samaa hospital in Ruwi. The medics advised me that it has to be
REGION
Fire sweeps through Abu Dhabi building
2
Fire swept through a 28-storey skyscraper under construction in central Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the latest in a series of at least five blazes to hit tall buildings in the United Arab Emirates. >A7
Six-year-old Adharv. –Jun Estrada
removed as it was not moving. So, they preferred to remove it endoscopically. They did it successfully. It was only a 15 minute-long procedure,” More added. K O Devassy, a senior official at the Badr Al Samaa hospital group, said, “Usually in such cases, surgery is required. However, our medics tried endoscopy and it worked.” >A6
MARKET
Sohar Port container volume grows
3
Oman’s Sohar port has achieved an 18.6 per cent growth in container volume in the first half of 2016. The port has handled more than 313,000 TEUs)in the first half of 2016. >B1
Kyrgyz Republic His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of congratulations to President Almazbek Atambayev of the Kyrgyz Republic on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of good health and happiness to President Atambayev and the people of his country progress and prosperity.>A6
Eight pages special supplement with today’s edition
LABOUR LAW VIOLATIONS IN 8 MONTHS
adding that big companies are doing big projects and they are not getting enough clearances. According to Oman Labour Law Article 114, a non-Omani employee who works in Oman, without a licence from the concerned directorate, or works with any employer, other than the employer who obtained a licence to bring him to the Sultanate, shall be punished. According to the ministry’s own data, around 19,000 violators were arrested in 2015. Out of the 19,056 labour law violators, 13,172 were Bangladeshis, 1,728 were Indians and 2,913 were Pakistanis. The remainder were designated as other nationals. Out of the 19,056 arrested, 9,389 were deported. Shahswar G Al Balushi, CEO, Oman Society of Contractors, said that restrictions in place on visas are leading companies to hire workers on different visas to get the work done. >A6
HM sends greetings
Legoland Water Park to open in October
A14