5LOCAL ARAB TIMES, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015

Call for boycott as pricesof fish reach record high

Some kinds of fish hiked by 250 percentBy Bassam Al-Qassas

Al-Seyassah Staff

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 21:Hike in the fish pricesreached a record high onFriday, August 21 with theprices of some kinds of fishincreasing by 250 percentdue to lack of surveillanceby the concerned authori-ties particularly Ministryof Commerce andIndustry, informed sourcessay.

This price hike has led a numberof Twitter users to launch a cam-paign titled ‘Let it be spoiled’ onsocial media to boycott the pur-chase of fish.

A tour of the Fish Market revealedthat the price of Balol fish hasincreased to KD10 per kilogram,Subaiti KD 8 per kilogram andHammour KD 7.5 per kilogram. Lastyear this time, the prices of these kindsof fish were within the range of KD 3and KD5.

The price of Kan’ad fish hasreached KD6.5 per kilogram, Al-Shaam KD 5.5 per kilogram andZubaidi between KD 10 and KD 12per kilogram depending on its size.The price of shrimps has increased KD3.5 per kilogram and KD 70 per bas-ket. Last year this time, the price of abasket of shrimps was maximum KD50.

Consumers complained about theabsence of surveillance by Ministry ofCommerce and Industry and lack ofcommitment to the prices that the min-istry determines on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, fishmongers insistedthat such hike in the prices of fish isdue to a number of reasons includingthe strict procedures implemented bythe Coast Guard Department andother concerned authorities in moni-toring fish boats, which are 80 intotal, as they had committed hugeviolations earlier, which had in turnreduced the availability of fish in themarket to a large extent. The hightemperatures, reduced number offishermen and difficulty in bringingfishermen from overseas and provid-ing them with residency permits are

Saudi court verdict on low costHajj pkg hailed by UK Muslims

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 21: Associationof British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK, anational Hajj specific organisation,working for the welfare and wellbeingof Hajj/Umrah pilgrims, welcomes theverdict of the Saudi Court upholding thedecision of Ministry of Hajj to fix thelow-cost Hajj packages rates for thisyear which are ranging betweenSR3,000 and SR5,000.

A plea was filed by the domestic Hajjservice companies against electronic Hajjpackages which has been rejected by thecourt in Makkah. The ministry had earlieradvised all local companies providing lowcost Hajj packages to abide by the newfares.

Low cost Hajj packages initiated by thegovernment of Saudi Arabia will help tocombat growing culture of financialexploitation and corruption that hasplagued the Hajj/Umrah tour and travelindustry to the extent that it is becoming away of life. Morals and norms havechanged.

The rogue and unscrupulous serviceproviders have no hesitation to prey onvulnerable pilgrims including sick, eld-erly and disabled causing themimmense hardship, mental anguish,trauma and difficulty. They take undue

advantage of these pilgrims by chargingextortionate prices for their services andin some cases pilgrims are left strandedas service providers disappear. Thedenial of basic human rights and digni-ty of the pilgrims is highly deplorableand must not be allowed in this civilisedworld.

ABH strongly condemns the rogueand unscrupulous service providerswho prey on vulnerable pilgrimsthrough unjustified prices for theirservices. The Hajj/Umrah packageprices that they are charging are a totalrip-off compared to similar travel pack-ages to other travel destinations aroundthe world, taking into considerationthat many pilgrims are likely to havespent their life-savings to fulfil theirreligious obligations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,alongwith other relevant countrieshave great responsibility and moralobligations to help and protect vulner-able Hajj/ Umrah pilgrims by eliminat-ing all sorts of corruption and malprac-tice amongst Hajj/ Umrah serviceproviders. This will enable millions ofpilgrims from around the world to per-form their religious duties in peace andharmony.

Photo by Mohammed MorsiView of the Fish Market

some other reasons for the hike in theprices of fish. Another major reasonis the hike in the rent of the stalls usedfor selling fish, which is about KD750 per month.

Owners of the stalls explained thatthe Fish Market has 274 stalls in total,out of which 60 are possessed byKuwait Fishermen Union for a rentranging between KD 200 and KD 450

per month, 40 stalls are allocated forthe cleaning companies and 174 for aprivate company that rents out thestalls to citizens for KD 750 each permonth.

Abdulkareem Al-Shamlan, a qualified trainer of Kuwait National Sabre Fencing Team wonthe best Arab fencing trainer award of 2014-2015. The award was presented by theSecretary of Arab Fencing Union and Head of Jordanian Union for Sabre Fencing DrKhalid Atiyat on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of the Arab Fencing

Championship on Friday, August 14.

Move to combat financial exploitation

11 arrested for gambling: Farwaniyasecuritymen arrested 11 Asian expatriateswho were gambling inside a flat inKhaitan area.

According to security sources, whenFarwaniya securitymen received informa-tion about the use of a flat in Khaitan areafor gambling purposes, a team wasformed based on instructions fromAssistant Undersecretary for PublicSecurity Affairs Major General AbdulFattah Al-Ali.

After confirming the information andtaking necessary legal measures, security-men raided the flat to arrest 11 Asianexpatriates at the location and confiscatethe gambling tools and money.

The suspects were referred to the con-cerned authorities for preparation of theirdeportation.

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Gas leakage contained: Firefightersfrom Shuwaikh Industrial Area Fire

Station and Dangerous Materials Fire Unitsuccessfully contained gas leakage from acontainer at Shuwaikh Port withoutrecording any casualty.

According to a press statement issuedby Kuwait Fire Service Directorate(KFSD), when the Control Room ofKFSD received information about thechemical gas leakage, firefighters andsecuritymen rushed to the location andtook control of the situation upon arrivalin preventing the inflammation of thechemicals.

Meanwhile, firefighters from Umm Al-Haiman Fire Station extinguished the firethat engulfed the basement of a chalet inthe area.

The two-hour operation started fromthe kitchen where the officers believedthat the fire had erupted. They con-trolled the fire and succeeded in pre-venting it from spreading to other partsof the building. No life was lost in theincident.

News in Brief

Kuwaiti pavillion recording highturnout of visitors at Expo MilanoMILAN, Italy, Aug 21, (KUNA): TheKuwaiti pavilion at Expo Milano 2015is recording high daily turnout of visi-tors, making it one of most attractivepavilions at the international fair.

In statements to KUNA, Kuwait’sDelegate to Expo Milano andAssistant Undersecretary for ExternalMedia Sector at the InformationMinistry Faisal Al-Mutallaqem saidthat over 10,500 people visited thepavilion on Wednesday.

The number of visitors is steadilygrowing since the opening of the Expo

on May 1, he said, adding that thepavilion is approaching its full dailyaccommodation capacity of an esti-mated 11,000 persons.

This high turnout shows the world’sinterest in catching a glimpse ofKuwaiti heritage and developmentmarch, he noted.

He lauded the outstanding effortsexerted by the Kuwaiti team running thepavilion to turn Kuwaiti participation inthe international event into a real success.

Early this month, the pavilionreceived visitor number 750,000.

The Kuwaiti pavilion, themed“Challenge of Nature,” shows how theKuwaitis made the desert inhabitable, andcontinue to do so, using education, tech-nology, science and renewable energy toestablish a modern, vibrant and growingcommunity, which can contribute to glob-al development and to feeding the world.

Expo Milan is a major internationalexhibition that has been held everyfive years since the 19th century.Covering 272 Acres, the event expectsan estimated 29 million visitors fromMay 1 to October 31, 2015.

Respect the vet quarantine lawKUWAIT CITY, Aug 21:Board Chairperson of thePublic Authority forAgricultural Affairs andFish Resources(PAAAFR) Nabila Al-Khuleil disclosed thatauthorizations wereissued for local compa-nies specialized in theimport of sheep and goatsto join in the local mar-ket, reports Al-Anbadaily.

In a recent inspectiontour of agricultural andveterinary quarries in thesea ports, Al-Khuleil saidPAAAFR is making ade-quate preparations to ful-fill the growing demandfor livestock, especiallyas Eid Al-Adha is fastapproaching.

She stressed the impor-tance of respectingVeterinary QuarantineLaw to prevent entry ofshipment that may beinfested with contagiousdisease, adding PAAAFRwill implement severalplans for the benefit ofconsumers.

Meanwhile, cabinetdecided on a large num-ber of applications sub-mitted by expatriates topossess apartments afterstudying each case sepa-rately upon a flexiblemechanism, reports Al-Anba daily.

The daily quotingreliable sourcesexplained that Ministryof Justice representedby Real EstateRegistration andDocumentation Sectoris in charge of studyingthe applications present-ed by expatriates to ownapartments in the coun-try, where applicantsattach papers related tofamily members andfinancial status, withdetails about the periodof stay in the country.

Asked if the offer isexclusive to specific Arabnationals, sources said allother nationalities areincluded as per the provi-sions of Decree No.74/1979.