Hello Little Weed,

we bought  Marina Apartment in May 2005 Block E.

You know when they deliver apartment block E ?

Salvo (Milan-Italy).

I emailed Omar asking to ask about health/fitness facilities within the RB buildings, and also about recent events at Al Hamra and how they might affect construction progress.

I have had a very swift reply saying that with regard to the gymnasium facility, the matter has not yet been decided.  I personally would be disappointed if there was no in-house health and fitness facility (sauna, fitness equipment, etc).

On the second question the response has simply been “we have no answers for the moment”.  I appreciate that it may be too early for AHE to make any comments, but I hope that they will at some point issue a statement to allay investor fears and dispel any misinformation on the matter.

Omar also confirmed that all buyers of Al Hamra village properties will have full right to be sponsored by AHE, unless refused by governmental authorities.  The cost will be around AED 4,000.00 per person.

Let’s hope labour dispute is resolved soon, and that a well treated and well looked after workforce is back on site constructing the resort with renewed energy and commitment.

Hi, sorry Jonah for not introducing myself... yes, we bought there in May this year and have been visiting the site on a regular basis. As for the 3 bed apts.. we were shown around the apt we were buying (1st floor) and then went back to the office to sign only to find that we were being sold one on the second floor, but were assured it was exactly the same layout. We then visited the site again and it was clear that every apartment above the 1st floor was missing the terrace area. All floor plans show this terrace on every floor. (even the floor plan we got with our contract)

Angel face, we visited the site on Saturday..on our way there we were held up at a roundabout by police so that the convoy of buses could pass, we wondered what the hell was going on especially when there was also dozens of police cars and what looked like military vehicles... it looked as if war was breaking out. Al Hamra village was dead, in building E there were 2 workers and they were just standing around, we saw no others, and it was 11am. There was some work going on at the mall but not much.

We also visited the Al Hamra office yesterday, it was confirmed that 3000 labourers had been taken to Abu Dhabi prison. I had a call from someone from the office this morning and was told that they were withdrawing their complaint against the labourers and were negotiating their release and they expect work to resume shortly.

I am not being negative, I am stating facts, I do not regret buying there, we were going to buy in Dubai but there is nowhere in Dubai where you can get a lagoon, marina, golf course and the beach all on your doorstep. I am still hoping to spent this Christmas there....

Hi Little Weed.

You must have gone on the site when the labourers were on their break which is now from 12/12.30pm to 3/4pm they have this long break because of the heat and will be on these breaks now until the end of August.

I can assure you all the workers I saw last Saturday working on the mall were not a figment of my imagination.

Nuff said!!

Thanks Jonah.  I agree, keep things positive and balanced.  I would be sorry to see you go and communicate with a selective few in private only sharing your pictures only with those worthy of them.

What a great bunch of neighbours we are going ot be if we get to know each other on this and other forums.

I too have nothing further to state and leave with a positive view in mind hoping that Angelface will continue to share positive thoughts and info with us and not disappear communicating with only one person.

Action speaks louder than words and I am off to do my bit now.

Love.

Hi Positive people!!!!

Spoke to the sales manager today and he was,as usual,very helpfull and POSITIVE with regards to the latest situation that has arisen with the workers.Perhaps.Little Weed,you went to the office when everyone was at lunch!!!! Have you recently bought at Al Hamra as i don't think i've ever seen you message on here before.Just asking cos its a stange way to introduce yourself making such a definite statement in the negative! Im sure you have made the people who have bought the 3 bed ground floor apartments feel great!! What makes you think that these investors,who obviosly have some savvy that they can afford a 3 bed apt,are so thick that they havn't investigated this themselves.

Anyway,Just to let you know that i will no longer be writing on this forum or uploading any progress photos as i don't think i've ever heard so much crap in my life.This forum has turned into a political protest.Upandhi,I understand that you live in the UAE? You of all people know the culture difference so if its so bad why the hell are you living or investing here? I fear however that if you had invested your money in the UK you and Turbo would be setting up a workers union for all the Eastern Europeans that are paid less than the minimum wage !! Yes the UAE is behind in the Human rights area but they are learning a new way of life.Its about balancing that way of life and its something that the UK government has got completely wrong! There is alot they do that is completely right! They have laws that are respected by the majority.You dont here of teenagers stabbing each other to death daily or people being given ASBOs or drunk children abusing people in the street.I for one hope that the government of the UAE don't become too lenient over the next generation because i am looking forward to my retirement in a country that is safe to walk in and where all the things that i have worked for in my lifetime are protected by the LAW.

Thats my political rant over.If any of the positive people would like to private message me i would love to continue to swap info and pass on any info or pics that i have.

Thanx again Angelface for your comments I would be interested to hear from you as you seem to have a good understanding of the progress of the development.

finally got my contract  and was wondering did anyone have any queries about contract's,being new i am trying to read through it carefully and see any problem's.is there any room to negotiate or is it just the standard paper work! thanks to all giving update's,any news from here is better then no news for alhamra people.did anyone sign and send contract back?

cheer's hopeful owner apartment RB3   

thank's again to all

Turbo,

Thanks.  I have read and listened to complaints regarding the cheap labour and the suffering dished out to the workers.  As mentioned in one of my earlier responses, this has been going on for centuries. 

Now that the labourers' plight is becoming more and more into the limelight, the heat is rising and soon there will have to be changes made as there will be due world  / international pressure.  Little boys are no longer allowed to be used as in the past on horse ranches - this practice had to stop - do your research.  No one is above the LAW.

We are all aware what goes down in Dubai and it is looking like, from what is being reported here, accurately or otherwise, the same things could start happening in Ras al Khaimah if not already. 

I do hope that things will change for the better and that the government will do their best for all.  A proportion of workers are aware of the below human working and living conditions before they leave their homes, but they are desperate not realising how miserable their lives will become when they arrive to work on the building sites in the Middle East.

Nothing lasts forever and times are changing.  I hope that the respect for life will filter through very soon.

We will have to let Al Hamra know and assist where we can that we want things to get better so that the building programme does not suffer any further delays.

I sincerely hope that things will get better and that those who are deported do not allow their brethren to go to the Middle East equipped with the view to start another and more fierce unrest as payback.  These are very harsh words, but when men are hungry and angry there's no telling what they'll do.

Maybe, Al Hamra are confident that they are handling things rightly and justly, to the best of their ability as they see fit.  We cannot expect to muscle in, telling them what they should or should not do. We will just have to keep our eyes opened, ears peeled, our wits about us and not let our minds run away with us to extreme proportions. Help Al Hamra to arrive at a peaceful solution as I want to be happy staying in my apartment when its ready rather than have unpleasant thoughts and feelings about Al Hamra Village whilst I am there.

Love

I have heard nothing new in the various comments and have come to the conclusion that it is fruitless to involve myself in the current ‘fracas’.  Suffice to say that I will continue to post my comments, relying on facts and personal experience, and not just the desire to be positive, or to please others.  If people wish to misunderstand or misconstrue what I am saying, then that is a matter for them.

Upandhi, in my opinion, has done a sterling job in promoting and keeping others updated on the Al Hamra Village project over the years.  All I can suggest is that people read his comments carefully.  I personally find very little to disagree with what he has written.

Finally, a synopsis of a recent article in the ‘asiasentinal’ may just spark your interest:

Dubai’s Labor Ghetto

… much of it [Dubai] is built on an invisible worker army whose endless toil is crucial to UAE’s massive boom and who are housed in a slum of astonishing proportions, hidden in the dunes between Dubai and Sarjah.

Sonapur is one of the biggest communities in the United Arab Emirates but it doesn't seem to officially exist. Its wretched sprawl of filthy dormitories is concealed in the dunes, an anonymous slum hidden from the Dubaians whose apartments its residents built. Dubai gleams with world-class infrastructure but Sonapur’s roads are gravel and sand with few footpaths. Open sewers are common.

Dubai's rags-to-riches miracle relies on an age-old business plan: slave labour in the form of millions of poor Sri Lankans, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Africans working up to 80 hour-plus weeks. They have built this gleaming oasis. With their passports seized as insurance, these bonded workers toil in near year-round 45-50 degree heat for about $US8 a day.

It's almost as if Dubai's employers have scanned the latest global wealth survey and zeroed in on the poorest 20 nations to staff their projects. Promised riches but paid salaries well below the OECD poverty line, they have been deployed here by unscrupulous middlemen charitably described as "employment agencies" who wouldn't have been out of place in 1780s Atlanta.

Those who argue that the US was also built on immigrant labour, are ignoring the fact that those immigrants to the US could at least become citizens, which is impossible in the UAE.

There is no fear of strikes for higher wages or other unrest. Should that happen, the workers would just be shipped home and replaced by another batch.

The Burj, the world's tallest building is a project riven with industrial strife, where workers ‑ many billeted at Sonapur ‑ have revolted after being denied breaks and even the relief of water from the searing sun, lest they be sacked and sent home, at their own expense. Some workers have died, but you don't much read about that in what passes for the local press.  Emaar, the Burj's royal family-owned developer, refuses to comment.

Hi Everyone

Doea anyone have any news on Building H and the date of completion?  Any photos anyone?

First hand reports are of course the best. If you, Angelface, can confirm that work is still going on, then that would be appreciated. My information comes to me third hand--from a friend who spoke with his relative who works in the ceramics plant. They indicated that it was in fact the construction workers who rioted and the arrests (and presumably the riot) would have taken place at the site of these workers' accomodation. My friend's relative lives at the ceramics factory itself, which was not affected, whereas the construction workers accomodation is about 3 kilometers inland from the Al Hamra construction site.

If anyone is actually on the ground at the Marina area or any of the other ongoing construction sites, a first hand report of how much activity is going on will be appreciated. I plan to visit the site myself on Saturday.

Personally, I was not advocating any action being taken up with the government or against the developer on behalf of the workers. I was only suggesting an expression of concern be communicated to them. My concern is first for the well-being of the workers, most of whom (based on the accounts relayed to me) have been innocently implicated. My second concern is with the progress of our development. I totally agree with the sentiment that we ought to be with rather than against the developer. I think my points of discussion have been misinterpreted if understood otherwise.  It is in the spirit of cooperation and not confrontation that I suggest communicating with them over the labor issues.  The point of any communication from my side would not be to point fingers and blame the developer for what took place or suggest that they are responsible for the angst of the workers. My objective would be to express concern for the well-being of those workers who have been arrested, many of whom I would presume to be innocent.

Hi Upandhi.

I have just read the article in The India Times, please note it says "employess of RAK Ceramics" not labourers of Al Hamra construction!! Therefore I don't think that this will affect the continual development of Al Hamra Village, and as I mentioned in my last thread when I was there last Saturday there was the usual amount of labourers working on the Mall, and I spend a lot of time up there not only weekends and from my apartment I can also see the Mall so have a fair idea of the amount of labourers there are working there!!

It isn't a question of "keep your chin up" it's about seeing the glass half full and not always half empty!! There are a lot of investors who don't have the luxury of popping up there to see how things are progressing as they live abroad so rely on us here to keep them updated, if all they ever read is negative reports some of which are totally unwarrented, then they must be feeling totally despondant right now and wondering if they made the right choice, which of course they did and will see this for themselves when they next come over.

If you and Turbo are genuinely concerned about the welfare of the labourers then you can always do what a group of NGO's are doing in Dubai (one of which is "helping Hands") who have pick up points to collect unwanted clothing for the men, also they arrange food parcels for them which also include toilettries, phonecards and other personal items. They organise book sales and get donated thousands of books, DVD's and CD's and the money is used to buy rice (which has now gone up in price) sugar, flour etc I'm sure you would find enough of us who would donate.

Talks of going up against the establishment are all well and good to say when you don't live here Turbo but did you live here you would know it a very foolish idea, this is not a democratic country!!

If you want to change things then start by being more proactive and less sitting on the fence complaining which doesn't benefit anybody!!

I'm sorry for my harsh words it's just that every time I come on here and read such negativity I keep wondering if we are talking about the same place as I obviously see things differently from you guys and don't bother myself over nit picking matters or things which are out of my control, I don't call that burying my head in the sand or a keep your chin up attitude, it's more a positive thinking attitude.

We have all invested a lot of money in this development so instead of trying to tear it down we should be building it up, nothing is as bad as what it's being made out to be.

Yes there have been delays but nothing as bad as some other developments are experiencing, I have a friend who invested in Mina Al Arab 2 years ago, she was told on the contract that her villa would be ready in June 2008, Nine months after receiving her first contract she received another which said "ignore the first contract as it is no longer valid" and in the new one they have given themselves up to 2012 to build her house, that is an additional 4 years!! Is she angry, NO because what would be the point, it won't change anything and she still thinks it will end up being a great investment and a good family home.

Come on guys we are going to be living on one of the most beautiful developments in the UAE lets start looking forward to that and planning all the great barbies and fun we are going to have, every day will seem like we are on holiday with all the great things we have around us, I can't wait!!

HI Uphandi,

I understand where you are coming from.  What is the best solution here?  Are you 100% percent concerned about workers' welfare and, if so, knowing what you already know, why did you invest.  Properies are being erected by workers who are suffering and working in inhumane conditions all over the world.  Workers and labourers have been and are being exploited for centuries.

Put it to Al Hamra village your best win-win solution, rather than moaning and groaning.  I have sympathy for both sides the workers and the company.  I want the company to really take a serious look at the workers' conditions, go down to their area and give them the opportunity to voice their concerns in a civilised manner; then the company to sincerely look at how to reach an agreement with the workers.  I know that cultures are different i.e. the way an English man thinks is not in the same way another man from a different culture would think. From the information floating around, accurate or not, it appears that Al Hamra have got a lot of learning to do and maybe Al Hamra wants to demonstrate who is boss here, but that angle doesn't always work and can completely destroy a Al Hamra.

The ultimate aim here is to see a goal fully accomplished and as soon as Al Hamra learn to think of alternative ways to achieve their goals in a seamless and professional manner, they better.

I am hoping for a quick solution to the workers' problems because now they've had a quote, riot, unquote, this is a warning sign that workers' are no longer prepared to suffer anymore than they already have been unnecessarily. 

Respect, honour and decent business ethics are required from both sides and I hope that Al Hamra will work towards success as one man must never underestimate another man reagardless of whether your are rich or poor.  Information is very powerful and this latest information about the workers' problems is going out into the business and investment world!  Al Hamra need to address all issues the workers are facing in a decent manner.

What is the best solution here, make matters worse or better?

What can we do to help?

Love  

Hi Angelface and Royal Breeze

Good to see some positive posts on the board again.

Those of us stuck a long way away, only able to visit site a couple of times a year, and desperately waiting to go and turn our new properties into homes are reliant on those on the ground or visiting site regularly.

This is mostly to provide the up-to-date info which Al Hamra aren't that good at providing, presumably because they are as frustrated with all the delays as the rest of us.

It is good to see all the latest photos and watch the development take shape, and I am keeping everything I have crossed in the hopes of being in by the end of the year, as it's now coming up to 3 years since we made our first payment.

Upandhi/Turbo

Are you seriously suggesting that all us investors gang together and tell the developers or the government of Ras Al Khaimah how to deal with anti-social behaviour or working conditions in their own country!!! Perhaps if the UK was as strict we wouldn't be in the mess we are now!!

Thank god for Angelface and Royal Breeze.I thought i was the only positive person on this forum!

Hi again,

I meant to state that I agree with every word stated by Angelface.

Thank you.

Love.

Hi,

Here, here. I totally agree and go along with every word.  I too am of the vision to share the dream with people who have thought of putting this wonderful complex in place.  I am also very thankful that the Government have given the likes of us the opportunity to invest as well as become residents as an option.

Some of the comments made on this forum are quite startling, disrespectful and unfair.  No-one is perfect and I believe that if some of the investors had sought legal advice prior to conducting the sales and purchasing proceeds they would not have bought, because their lawyers would have pointed out a few anomalies.  This would have left you to go purchase in some other country.  One cannot expect to enter into something like this without seeking legal advice or have a lawyer take care of all the legalities and those who take the risk of 'going it alone', like I have, cannot afford to start saying disgruntling things about the organisation when things seem to appear to be going not quite as planned. I believe in putting fatih into this complex.  The hotel is absolutely well built, attractive and well run. I love staying there.  Can you imagine what it would be like when the apartments are all finished? Additioinally, I am very much looking forward to staying in the Palace Hotel when that is completed. I am certain that the Government's name and reputation are on the line here.  They have invested millions of their own money to achieve this dream for a good cause, to advance, to grow, to do good for their country.  Do you really think they are doing this to mess people around and to cause misery for  themselves?

I have visited the Al Hamra village on five occasions last year and once this year.  The work is coming along very nicely.  I must admit, my apartment will not be ready in the time specfied when I entered into the the sales and purchase agreement but, hey, what I pray and am thankful for each day, is that I am alive and I pray for that special day when I enter the apartment on full completion.  We cannot guarantee our tomorrows, so why fuss over the property deadline dates when you do not know whether you will be here tomorrow?  I think that some of  you have some very influential contacts who can help Al Hamra on their marvelous and generous quest.  Impart positive and expert information to them. Offer to help them when you see them struggling.  Help them to see their dream come true which is also our dream.  The more we pull together and get over the tough times together, the better things will be.

Love

Angelface:  It is always nice to read your comments! Thanks.

Hi Hasan.

The labourers camp is in fact quite a distance from the development, the people you see on a Friday will have walked a very long distance to congregate with friends and why shouldn't they, a lot of those people are also employees who work in the industrial freezone and live in work accomodation.

I read this board sometimes and see such an ugly picture being painted of what in my opinion is an amazing development and I have to wonder why some of you invested there if you are so unhappy with everything!!!

The majority of us who post on here are all in the same boat but a lot of us haven't lost our enthusiasm for the place and our excitement for when it will be finished and we can move into our homes. I for one consider myself very lucky to have been told about this development from a friend and having invested there and not just in one property but a few.

I go to visit my Marina apartment on a regular basis and gaze out at the view and still can't believe that I could own such a property but I do and that would never have been possible for me were I still in Europe.  Even the views from my other apartments are fantastic and there is such peaceful and calming feel to the place that I look forward every week to going up there for the weekend.

Even in Europe there are hiccups on new developments and I don't know of one that has ever completed on time and they've been building for donkeys years, here it's different and everything is a learning curve and the only way to learn is by one's mistakes.

I don't think going up against the establishment is the way to go as all it does is create brick walls which just get higher and higher, lets face it none of us would appreciate anyone waltzing into our place of work and pulling everything we do to pieces, I assume the same goes for them. The best way forward is to show some support, patience and understanding, at the end of the day some of the hold-ups have been out of their control.

In response to the 7 days are article, I was up there last weekend and didn't even know there had been a riot, Saturday was as normal with what looked like the same amount of people working on getting the Mall finished, which by the way is looking very impressive and should be open before Christmas, so I don't think anyone needs to be concerned about shortage of manpower to finish everything off.

Let's have a few more posts talking about all the positive things going on in Al Hamra, how fabulous it is all looking and how it will be totally amazing once all the landscaping is finished on the Marina, and how great that we have a choice of Golf and Marina clubhouses with great restaurants, huge swimming pools for us to splash about in, a healthclub, a 18 hole golf course, a private beach and a shopping mall, now how many developments do you know that can boast of having all of that? ;)

The story reeks of exploitation of foreign workers - working / living conditions must have been pretty bad for them to vented them in such a way.  I was under the impression that UAE governments were taking steps to ensure construction companies took steps to improve conditions for their foreign workers….

This incident unfortunately highlights the autocratic aspect of UAE governments.  Never mind the real offenders, just bus the lot to Abu Dhabi. Let’s hope that this knee-jerk reaction will be reviewed swiftly and the innocent workers be allowed to return to Al Hamra.

If this is the real face of RAK, where human rights seem so fragile, then it raises questions in my mind whether I really want to invest here.  But perhaps this is just my initial reaction without access to the full facts.  But I certainly feel like writing to Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi to express my concerns.

I was under the impression that RAK was different from Dubai, and aspired to a fairer and more just society….

Bad News folks.... The riot was at the Al Hamra workers facility. Here's the scoop, told to me by a friend who called and talked to a relative who works on the site. I'm going to do this in abbreviated form:

• Some workers begin fighting with camp boss and others over complaints about the food.
• Police called in, fighting stops, police depart.
• Police gone, new larger fight (riot) breaks out. Busses burned, property destroyed, etc.
• No police turn up, agitators flee, the remaining workers turn in (sleep) for the night.
• Morning, the military arrives (3000 soldiers?). Arrest everybody on orders of the Sheikh.
• All shipped off to jails in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, to be deported.

Final tally--thousands of workers on the Al Hamra Development arrested, awaiting deportation. Many of these innocent workers, caught up in the mahem--loose jobs, wages owed them, etc. The principal agitators on the run, presumably, somewhere in the country.

A sad story for the innocent workers who have to put up with so much hardship as it is. Too bad the agitators "lost their minds" and created this havoc. More delays for Al Hamra.

This is not a joke, folks. Hard to believe. Perhaps we should start a literary circle and someone make a book of this. In the meantime, let's take a deep breath and figure out how we can make the best of a bad situation.

Today's 7Days reports some 3000 laborers in RAK involved in violent protest with large numbers being bussed to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. No mention of who these 300 work for. Hopefully not Al Hamra Development. I'll let you know what I find out.

Hi all' I bought some apartments in RB8, does anybody know approx. date of completion???? Al Hamra doesn't want to communicate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And what about Oceana??? Do you really think that they could finish it in August???

If you have ANY information, please, please, please.....................................

Thank you Jonah for your update and the nice pictures...it seems like our expectations will be fullfilled very soon

Everything just looks fine and we hope to be soon all together in our little paradise

All the best and hope to see you soon

Patricia

Dear TrickyRicky,

This is our office address:

Thaim Enterprises Limited
52 Berkeley Square
Mayfair
London
W1J 5BT

Give me a ring on 07957492084.

Cheers, Irteza.

Hi Colin

The picture is of Spinneys supermarket in the new mall.Its the only shop open at the moment but we spoke to a guy who has a furniture shop at the bottom of the golf apartments and the are moving into the mall as soon as their unit is finished.There is also going to be restaurants and designer clothes shops and more interior stores.Spinneys looks fantastic although a little dearer than the local supermarkets but the food is really fresh and they seem to be catering more for  the british expats than anyone else ( hot cornish pasties and sausage rolls!!!) The site manager seemed very confident that the whole of phase 2 would be completed by the end of the year infact  it seemed that they had a deadline  for then. We ate in the golf academy restaurant and it was the best meal we have had at Al Hamra.Prices were very reasonable and the staff friendly and relaxed.We don't play golf at all but are definiteley thinking of joining the club to learn and use all the facilities which are out of this world.

We went out this time to get a much needed reminder of what we had invested our hard earned money in and we were ,yet again,so impressed with the whole village that we came back on a complete high.

Alhamra is starting to look great :)

thanks for the new photos, tell me I noticed the fruit and veg shop, is this in the new mall? is the mall open yet?  I bought a golf apartment 3 years ago, patience is key, im out in october getting my visa for 4 weeks, if anyone has any tips for recreation I would be greatful, im a keen golfer so if anyone wants a game whilst im out there get in touch

Regards,colin

Interesting, expensive but possible?

Ras Al-Khaimah is planning to create an outdoor slope where people could ski in a swimsuit, The National has reported. According to the RAK Public Works, the plan includes new residential areas, motorways, a wildlife reserve and an outdoor warm weather ski hill. The plan also includes the commercial development of the Hajjar Mountains.

Hi All

Just uploading some new photos from june visit.Sorry if some are repeated but had trouble with the site.The first few of the decking wih the loungers is at the golf clubhouse at the 18th hole.There are steps down to the deck and there is a jetty and ladder into the sea so you can cool off after a round!!There are some photos of inside the club which was due to open at the end of june.The rest are self explanitory,We found out from the site manager that the area between the villas and marina apartment blocks is to be made into a health club and tennis courts and landscape gardens.They are expanding the lagoon beach at the moment and the pool was being filled and tested for leaks.All in all,its absolutely fantastic!! Ill keep uploading as there are some more photos of Spinneys in the shopping mall and of reception areas and the seven star hotel.

this for the Irteza

i tried to email you but the message failed and then i looked at your site and your website seems to be one of these sites that can be put together very easily on line in fact.

I see on your website,you are based in the uk but the whole thing just seems a bit suspicious to me.

I also see on your website that you have a copyright down for 2002-2004 but your domain name wasnt registered till Novemeber 2003,why would you copyright something that doesnt exist.

Maybe all this is genuine and we welcome you to respond but to me,it doesnt.

Hi everyone, I would like to buy a 1BR sea facing apartment in Royal Breeze, please send me a message if you have one for sale.

Thanks!

A new face life for RAK!

Ras Al Khaimah: The new fleet of taxis run by Al Hamra Taxi, under the RAK Transport Authority [RAK TA], increased yesterday its taxis to 160 in a bid to create a world-class public transport system in the emirate. As many as 60 or more taxis will also be added this month.

A total of 1,600 new taxis will be introduced in the emirate by three operators within one year. RAK TA, the government agency responsible for regulating public transport, started the withdrawal of all the 1,300 taxis currently operating in the emirate.

Total withdrawal of the currently operating taxis would be completed before December 31, 2009, in a phased manner.

Dana Island will cater for around 40,000 people...

Dream on. Every developer in the UAE is so ambitious.

The media also reported recently that obtaining residency visas for homeowners would be made even easier, in the sense that it would no longer be required that no alternate means of obtaining residency were available. So,  the provision of the visa only if one were not able to get one through employment, for example, would seem to have been waived. One could under any circumstances opt for the visa based on home ownership. That said, this visa still would not be regarded as being suitable for work.

Whatever the case, logic would suggest that homeowners will always be able to get the 3-year residency visa, otherwise many people would stop investing or sell the investments they have. Each Emirate decides independendently what policy to enact in this regard, and RAK is generally even more liberal than Dubai.