Justice did not prevail
It is a very healthy sign that thinking people in Indian society have strongly reacted and condemned the judiciary for letting off former Haryana director general of police S.P. S. Rathore with meagre punishment (“Family of lone witness in molestation case declines award”, Gulf News, December 29). I fully support the views expressed in a Gulf News report that the culprit should be tried again, under the abetment to suicide charge by a competent court. I would go to the extent of making an appeal to the country’s top lawyers to come forward on their own and take up this case on behalf of the aggrieved family of the deceased. I hope the culprit and his supporters are given punishment of the severest order to discourage recurrence of such crimes. This is the least they can do for the unfortunate parents.
From Mr D. B. Singh
Dubai
Don’t be vulgar
‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ — I think the cultural essence of every place should be respected (“RAK malls refuse to tolerate indecent attire”, Gulf News, December 30). Indecent clothing in a country like the UAE should be controlled. This means that people should be fashionable, but not to the extent of being provocative or vulgar. Vulgar dressing itself is termed as bad fashion. Harassing people is something I have never heard of until now. This is alarming! I think the authorities should take care of such intruders who disturb the peace in our country.
From Mr Ashish Upadhyay, Dubai
Not in style
I was in a mall about a month ago when the ‘purge’ began. All I can say is that the people being questioned were between the ages of 10 and 14 years old, even though their clothing was far from outlandish. It may have been trendy, but not to everyone’s taste. It was certainly far from indecent or overly revealing.
From A Reader, Ras Al Khaimah
What’s in a colour?
It is understandable when people talk about indecency and dressing provocatively. However, I do not understand what is meant by having ‘garishly-coloured clothes and hair colours’. How does the colour of one’s hair and clothes affect the cultural sentiments of another individual?
From Mr Ray Joey, Dubai
Mature children
I was surprised to read comments made by Gulf News readers on young people dressing indecently. If someone’s dressing sense is really bad, then one could just file a complaint. I wonder how long this issue is going to be debated. These days, young people are mature and bold enough to take care of themselves and I feel that they should be free to wear whatever is comfortable. Children are also getting used to modern trends and I am sure there are many out there who are passionate about dressing in style. I do not think there is any harm in that.
From Mr Mathew Litty, Dubai
Boys don’t cry
I always wonder if crying is a sign of passion or one of weakness, and does it matter why men cry? The idea of men crying might be looked down upon by many women. No woman would really appreciate her partner crying for every reason she cries. It is a stereotype that women, like myself, have made, as we cannot stand the thought of men who cry at the drop of a hat. Society has deeply influenced gender roles played by men and women. Girls are allowed to cry but boys are restricted from revealing their emotions. In most Western cultures, it is more socially acceptable for women to cry in public than men, but this is certainly not true for all cultures. I remember seeing children playing in a park on my way to the office and I would cry because it made me feel sad that I had to work, instead of being outside. I would never believe a man who said he had never cried before. What is wrong with showing your emotions?
From Ms Clydepoppen, UAE
The forgotten virus
On my recent visit to India, I was disappointed to note that the practice of disclosing details regarding the H1N1 virus has been discontinued at the airport in Mumbai. Previously, the process was that all passengers entering Mumbai were required to fill H1N1 forms, which then needed to be stamped and signed by the medical staff on duty at the airport. I hope that the authorities are not short on these forms. Whatever the reasons are, the move is very disappointing, as deaths from the virus have not decreased. The government and the concerned health departments need to look into the matter as it concerns the health and safety of both the citizens and the travelling community.
From Mr Ghanshyam Vasudeo Vyas, Dubai
Justice did not prevail
It is a very healthy sign that thinking people in Indian society have strongly reacted and condemned the judiciary for letting off former Haryana director general of police S.P. S. Rathore with meagre punishment (“Family of lone witness in molestation case declines award”, Gulf News, December 29). I fully support the views expressed in a Gulf News report that the culprit should be tried again, under the abetment to suicide charge by a competent court. I would go to the extent of making an appeal to the country’s top lawyers to come forward on their own and take up this case on behalf of the aggrieved family of the deceased. I hope the culprit and his supporters are given punishment of the severest order to discourage recurrence of such crimes. This is the least they can do for the unfortunate parents.
From Mr D. B. Singh, Dubai
Don’t be vulgar
‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ — I think the cultural essence of every place should be respected (“RAK malls refuse to tolerate indecent attire”, Gulf News, December 30). Indecent clothing in a country like the UAE should be controlled. This means that people should be fashionable, but not to the extent of being provocative or vulgar. Vulgar dressing itself is termed as bad fashion. Harassing people is something I have never heard of until now. This is alarming! I think the authorities should take care of such intruders who disturb the peace in our country.
From Mr Ashish Upadhyay, Dubai
Not in style
I was in a mall about a month ago when the ‘purge’ began. All I can say is that the people being questioned were between the ages of 10 and 14 years old, even though their clothing was far from outlandish. It may have been trendy, but not to everyone’s taste. It was certainly far from indecent or overly revealing.
From A Reader, Ras Al Khaimah
What’s in a colour?
It is understandable when people talk about indecency and dressing provocatively. However, I do not understand what is meant by having ‘garishly-coloured clothes and hair colours’. How does the colour of one’s hair and clothes affect the cultural sentiments of another individual?
From Mr Ray Joey, Dubai
Mature children
I was surprised to read comments made by Gulf News readers on young people dressing indecently. If someone’s dressing sense is really bad, then one could just file a complaint. I wonder how long this issue is going to be debated. These days, young people are mature and bold enough to take care of themselves and I feel that they should be free to wear whatever is comfortable. Children are also getting used to modern trends and I am sure there are many out there who are passionate about dressing in style. I do not think there is any harm in that.
From Mr Mathew Litty, Dubai
The forgotten virus
On my recent visit to India, I was disappointed to note that the practice of disclosing details regarding the H1N1 virus has been discontinued at the airport in Mumbai. Previously, the process was that all passengers entering Mumbai were required to fill H1N1 forms, which then needed to be stamped and signed by the medical staff on duty at the airport. I hope that the authorities are not short on these forms. Whatever the reasons are, the move is very disappointing, as deaths from the virus have not decreased. The government and the health departments concerned need to look into the matter as it concerns the health and safety of both the citizens and the travelling community.
From Mr Ghanshyam Vasudeo Vyas, Dubai
Boys don’t cry
I always wonder if crying is a sign of passion or one of weakness, and does it matter why men cry? The idea of men crying might be looked down upon by many women. No woman would really appreciate her partner crying for every reason she cries. It is a stereotype that women, like myself, have made, as we cannot stand the thought of men who cry at the drop of a hat. Society has deeply influenced gender roles played by men and women. Girls are allowed to cry but boys are restricted from revealing their emotions. In most Western cultures, it is more socially acceptable for women to cry in public than men, but this is certainly not true for all cultures. I remember seeing children playing in a park on my way to the office and I would cry because it made me feel sad that I had to work, instead of being outside. I would never believe a man who said he had never cried before. What is wrong with showing your emotions?
From Ms Clydepoppen, UAE
Reservation woes
I would like to express my disappointment at the low-standard of customer service by Emirates. Perhaps my sad story resonates in the minds of other frustrated passengers, who have had a similar miserable experience.
Emirates’ online reservation system is not ergonomic and easy for the layman. It is not directly connected to the back-end sales system, and therefore reservations and seat assignments on the online system would not be consistent with their other systems. This leads to overbooking and terrible confusion at the gate.
On transatlantic flights, in particular, Emirates uses the same planes for short flights with tight seats that do not allow room for comfort that is essential for a 16-hour flight. Most flights run at full capacity, which I think is not advisable. Most passengers cannot afford business class seats as they are more expensive.
My son, Dr Sami Termanini, requested an aisle seat onboard the Dubai-San Francisco flight on July 23, 2009. He had knee surgery and he reserved an aisle seat online, the day before.
We went together to collect the e-ticket from the Abu Dhabi office on the Corniche on July 22. We were told that they may give him a better seat up front, in the cabin. But when he got to the airport, he was told his aisle seat was gone and he was given all kinds of false promises. He waited till the end, but because the flight was overbooked, there was no option left for him.
He ended up taking a middle seat in the back. The same mistake is being repeated every day. To add insult to injury, Emirates sent me three automated replies, promising to get back to me. They never did.
From Dr Rocky Termanini
Abu Dhabi
An Emirates spokesperson responds:
We regret the inconvenience Dr Sami Termanini experienced when we were unable to allocate him with his preferred choice of seats for his flight to San Francisco on July 23.
When Dr Termanini presented himself at the check-in counter at Dubai airport, a full complement of passengers had already checked in. Our computerised records show that his pre-assigned seat was released, causing him to be automatically placed on standby and subsequently reassigned to seat 28J.
Our staff will try to meet advance-seating requests, but we cannot guarantee a particular seat. As stated in our Conditions of Carriage, staff may change a passenger’s seat for a similar seat at any time for operational reasons, even after boarding the aircraft.
The full set of our Conditions of Carriage is available for perusal on our website www.emirates.com, or at any Emirates office or appointed agency. Our customer affairs team have already been in touch with the Termaninis directly with an explanation. We thank the Termaninis for their understanding, and for allowing us to respond.
Maintenance fee
I have a savings account without a cheque book facility with Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) for the past 15 years. From May 2009, the bank has started charging Dh25 as monthly account maintenance, for those who do not keep a minimum balance of Dh3,000 throughout the month. Now, with whom should low-income people do their banking?
From Mr S. F. Ayaz
Dubai
The management of Dubai Islamic Bank responds:
The account maintenance fee is a standard feature of transaction accounts in all banks. This fee is meant to cover the costs of maintaining the accounts and providing the facilities all customers expect from their banks. Our Savings Accounts offer customers extremely attractive returns on savings, in addition to complete banking services through our ever-growing network of 57 branches, with free transactions at over 300 ATMs, and online banking and telebanking services.
At DIB, the account maintenance fee for Savings Accounts was introduced with effect from June 2009. In addition to prior intimation to the Central Bank, it was communicated through letters to all customers one month in advance, and displayed on tariff boards in all our branches as per regulations.
We urge all customers who may not have received the letter to update their addresses with the Bank to ensure that important correspondence can reach them in a timely manner.
The fee at DIB is only Dh25, which is one of the lowest in the country. This fee is waived by the Bank for all customers who maintain a balance of at least Dh3,000 in their savings accounts. The Bank also waives this fee for customers who avail other products from the Bank, for example, Personal, Auto or Home Finance, or Investment Deposits.
