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KUWAIT CITY: MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji has forwarded questions to Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on the Iranians residing in Kuwait, including those who obtained Kuwaiti citizenship.
The lawmaker asked about the number of Iranians in the country, their gender, age and type of visa; number of those who hold Article 20 visas (domestic workers) and the names of their sponsors; names of companies and their owners who sponsor three or more Iranian workers; number of Iranians who entered the country illegally, arrested and deported from Jan 1, 2011 till date; number of those imprisoned in the Central Prison, their cases and prison terms, including those facing State security charges and those sentenced to death; and number of those working in the Interior Ministry and other government agencies and their gender.
He pointed out that in the 1980s, several bombings occurred and some Kuwaitis involved in such crimes sought refuge in the Iranian Embassy for many months. He said these Kuwaitis were later hidden in coffins and they settled in Iran until the liberation of Kuwait and then they were pardoned. In view of these circumstances, he requested for the names of Kuwaitis involved in the 1980s bombings including those who remain at large; names of Iranians who obtained the Kuwaiti nationality under the 'valuable services' clause and the services they rendered; names of other Iranians who became naturalized Kuwaitis; names of those referred to the Public Prosecution; and report on how they obtained Kuwaiti citizenship.
He also asked: Is there an Exchange of Prisoners Agreement between Kuwait and Iran? If yes, when was the agreement signed? Have the two countries exchanged prisoners since the signing of the agreement? If yes, he wants to know the number of prisoners that Kuwait exchanged with Iran, their cases, and the mechanism through which the ministry monitors implementation of the verdicts in Iran.
Meanwhile, MP Mohammad Tana has submitted queries to Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and State Minister for Planning and Development Affairs Hind Al-Subaih on those arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution for trading in visas. He requested for pertinent information such as the names of visa traders who were arrested, dates of their arrest, records of investigations, date of referral to the Public Prosecution, number of expatriate workers who obtained visas from these traders, nationalities of these workers, and name of the employee who has been given power to arrest those proven to be involved in visa trading. He asked if some of those arrested were given preferential treatment or others were not arrested nor referred to the Public Prosecution although they were found to be involved in visa trading. If yes, he wants to know the justifications.
In another development, MP Yusuf Al- Zalzalah criticized the government for its silence over the stock market slump. He claimed the 'absence' of the government in Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) signifies that there is no hope for Kuwait to realize its vision of becoming a financial and trading center.
The lawmaker pointed out that in April 2007, the trading value reached KD 1.8 billion but it only stands at KD 12 million now. He wondered why the government has not taken any action considering the poor performance of the bourse and if it is rational for companies to contemplate on withdrawing from the market. He added the government must be held responsible in case it fails to address the problem.
He also inquired about the role of the Capital Markets Authority in creating new tools to develop the market, invest in derivatives and change the market's mechanism.
© Arab Times 2015
