Word of Caution for the Expats - Govt Crackdown

Thank you for the post, Legacy. Does this mean that it is now considered "destructive" to gather with friends, even if no sex, drugs, booze or music is happening? So birthday parties are now illegal? Which brings about another question...do workers who are arrested and exiled lose their rights according to the labour laws with respect to indemnity?

no Phoenix, i think if its a social gathering that is just raucous (i.e. loud music), you will get off with a warning. its the presence of alcohol that makes cops fingers get trigger happy in terms of slapping exiles etc.

that last part i am not really sure of. dont know anyone that has been exiled before. it is an interesting issue.

I don't understand why people even go to Kuwait if they know they are going to need to drink alcohol to have a nice time.  It is clear that Kuwait is a dry country and if someone chooses to break the law, they have to deal with the consequences.

I dusted off my copy of the Kuwait labor laws. According to Article 41, an employer can fire an employee and withhold end of service benefits if the employee "is accused of a crime that relates to honor, trust or morality." I'm thinking that being deported as a drunkard should qualify.

I don't think that Kuwait can be considered a strictly "dry country". The Local Page of the Arab Times may surprise you and it would not be fair to only place blame on the expats. Application of the laws also tends to be fairly flexible around here.

I'm with lme.  I think that if you choose to enter a country, you should respect the laws and customs, whether or not you agree with them.

theres a saying in Arabic that roughly translates in meaning to if u make something forbidden you make it desirable. hence as Phoenix said, u do have cases of locals tossing a few hard ones and getting caught drunk driving on the streets. the due process they are given is definitely different than that given to expats, and even amongst expats it depends on where you are from.

the thing is, despite being a dry country, expats from western countries have the luxury of getting their drinks on at their embassy. however, the temptation to do something "naughty" is very endearing to some, and has lead others to make their own local moonshine.

im in agreement with not biting the hand that feeds in terms of respecting local laws and customs, especially since there are ways to legally get that which is forbidden.

and the plot thickens:

May 19: About 130 male and female youths and 40 drunken people were arrested and 14 others referred for deportation during a security campaign officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) organized, under the supervision of Assistant Undersecretary for Security Affairs Major General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalifa.

Security sources confirmed the weekend raid across the country was based on the instructions of Sheikh Al-Khalifa.

Among the 130 people arrested in suspicious apartments were 65 females, 78 males, 4 gays and 2 transvestites.