The
Council of Ministers on Monday passed an anti-human trafficking law that
calls for tough punishment for people involved in the crime, including a
jail sentence of up to 15 years and a maximum fine of SR1 million, Culture
and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said.
The Cabinet meeting at Taiba Palace in Madinah, which was presided over by
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, decided to establish a
high-level ministerial-level committee to combat human trafficking.
Khoja said the committee would follow up the conditions of victims of human
trafficking in order to ensure that they were not harmed. “The committee
will also coordinate with the authorities concerned for the repatriation of
such victims to their countries. It can also make recommendations to allow
such victims to remain in the Kingdom after regularizing their residency
permits if required,” he said.
Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif said the new law
is an embodiment of Shariah principles that prevent a man from attacking
another and protect human rights. “Saudi Arabia will leave no stone
unturned to stop any activity that is harmful to human beings and punish
those involved in such criminal activities,” he said.
The Cabinet included under the definition of trafficking holding a person
under control for sexual abuse, forced labor, involuntary begging, slavery
or slavery-like practices and enforced organ removal or medical
experimentation.
The law calls for tougher punishment if the crime was committed against
women, people of special needs, infants or if the person involved in the
crime is the victim’s husband or close relative or anyone who uses his
position in law enforcement to keep other people in bondage.
Addressing the ministers, King Abdullah said the government would carry out
more development projects in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah as
well as in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah in order to
further improve facilities for the millions of pilgrims who come to perform
Haj and Umrah.
“Saudi Arabia will spend generously without any limit to implement more
development projects in the two holy cities, inspired by its duty toward
Islam and Muslims,” the king told the Cabinet.
King Abdullah urged all ministries and government departments to mobilize
their resources to establish tourist facilities across the country,
especially in resorts, in order to promote domestic tourism and create a
favorable atmosphere in line with the country’s customs and traditions.
Khoja said the Cabinet meeting authorized Second Deputy Premier and
Minister of Interior Prince Naif or his deputy to hold talks with his
Indian counterpart to sign an extradition treaty between the two countries.
The Cabinet heard a report about a joint GCC-Turkish ministerial meeting,
which emphasized the two sides’ desire to improve cooperation and
coordination while dealing with political, regional and international
issues, the Saudi Press Agency said. The Cabinet condemned the Somali
rebels for trying to unseat the government and called upon the
international community to support the Mogadishu government to reinforce
national reconciliation and establish peace and stability in the east
African country.
The Cabinet allowed the Human Resources Development Fund to invest in
holding companies. However, the Cabinet would determine the fund’s rate of
ownership in such companies as well as the rates of the Pensions Fund and
the General Organization for Social Insurance.
The meeting appointed Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah Al-Abdul Razaq deputy
minister of commerce and industry for consumer affairs; Muhammad bin Zaid
Al-Areej director of information at the National Guard; Ahmed bin Abdul
Rahman Al-Humaidi, director of legal department; Hamad bin Saad Al-Omar
adviser for land affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs;
and Khaled bin Ibrahim Al-Khayyal director of administrative and financial
affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah, who arrived in Madinah on Sunday at the start of
an inspection tour of the province, received the regional plan for Madinah
as well as a comprehensive report of the urban development index for 2009
from Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed.
On Sunday night, King Abdullah received a large number of Islamic scholars,
tribal leaders and senior military officials and bureaucrats who came to
greet him on his arrival in Madinah. Sheikh Saleh Al-Maghmasi, the imam of
Quba Mosque, said the people of Madinah were renewing their allegiance to
the king. He praised King Abdullah for taking the initiative for a global
interfaith dialogue.
During the reception, Muhammad Al-Johani spoke on behalf of the people of
Al-Ais, which has been hit by several minor tremors, and thanked the king
for providing them housing in Madinah and Yanbu. The guests had dinner with
the king.
King Abdullah is scheduled to launch a number of projects worth SR46
billion in the industrial city of Yanbu on Tuesday.
“The residents of the province are overjoyed by this royal visit which
reflects the solidarity and affinity of the king toward his people,” said Prince
Abdul Aziz.
Prince Saud bin Abdullah Al-Thunayan, president of the Royal Commission for
Jubail and Yanbu, said the king would formally open the SR20 billion Yanbu
National Petrochemicals Co. (Yansab), which annually produces four million
tons of petrochemicals.