New Saudi law to benefit South Asians

This follows approval by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz of amendments to some articles of nationality law at the weekly cabinet meeting held earlier this week, a Saudi government statement said.

In a briefing to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on the cabinet meeting, posted on the SPA Website, Minister of Culture and Information Fou'ad Bin Abdul-Salam Al-Farsy said it had been decided to amend the necessary articles of the royal decree on Saudi nationality permitting "well qualified expatriates" to opt for Saudi nationality.

One of the important requirements is that the expatriate should have been residing in the kingdom for at least 10 consecutive years.

"He should be of a vocation that the country is in need of. This condition is not applicable for those who were born in the kingdom from foreign mothers and unidentified fathers," the statement said.

Around 25 percent or an estimated 8.8 million people residing in Saudi Arabia are expatriates with Indians constituting the single largest chunk. Officially, there are 1.5 million Indian workers in Saudi Arabia, though unofficial sources estimate it to be nearer two million.

But more than half of them will not qualify for nationality if only professionals are considered eligible.

Besides being physically and mentally fit, earning a good livelihood and having good track record, the expatriate should also have good command of the Arabic language, including reading and writing skills, the statement said.

"The interior minister will issue the executive statute for this system within 120 days from the publication of these amendments. He will also issue the required decisions in this respect," said the statement.

"If the expatriate gets Saudi Arabian nationality then his wife will become a Saudi Arabian national when she comes to the kingdom and decides to seek Saudi nationality. His non-adult children will gain Saudi Arabian nationality if they are residing in the kingdom or if they come to it before reaching full legal age.

"They will also have the right to select the original nationality of their father within one year from reaching the legal age," it added.

In the case of major sons, the Saudi government has decided to authorize the interior minister to grant them the Saudi nationality if they are legally residing in the kingdom for a period not less than five years.

The adult sons would have to present an application within a year of their father acquiring Saudi nationality.

The Interior Minister is authorized to grant Saudi Arabian nationality to a foreign woman who is married to a Saudi, or who is a foreign widow of a Saudi if she applies and revokes her original nationality.

In the case of a divorcee, the nationality would be nullified if the woman has regained her original nationality.

Saudi women would also be given the option of retaining their nationality in the event of their marrying a non-Saudi.

Within 10 years of granting nationality, the government would hold the right to revoke it in case the person is convicted of any crime or immoral act, the SPA stated. (IANS)

Mizo 'bamboo man' creating ripples abroad

Crouched inside a dingy factory in Mizoram's capital Aizawl, Ralte Ramhmangaiha is busy - the phone rings intermittently. Half the callers are from abroad ordering various products made out of bamboo, cane and forest grass.

"There is an Australian buyer wanting to place orders for 118,000 bamboo hangers. I told him we need some time to supply the items," Ramhmangaiha said as he supervised a group of artisans.

Ramhmangaiha is today an industry by himself, providing employment to some 3,000 artisans.

The workers make bamboo items like hangers, key rings, trays and decorative pieces, besides brooms made of out locally available forest grass and coasters made from fiber extracted out of banana trees.

Ramhmangaiha took to making handicraft items on a small scale a decade back, but soon graduated to a flourishing entrepreneur, earning him the sobriquet "the bamboo man of Mizoram".

"I realized there was enough potential in the items we make here and soon started exploring. In no time there was a flood of queries within India and abroad," the diminutive craftsman said.

"Today we are unable to meet the demands from overseas buyers who place orders in huge quantities."

The products are exquisitely designed, with maximum care taken on items for export considering the taste of global buyers for ethnic items made out of bamboo or cane.

"Some countries where people really fancy these products include Canada, Australia, Spain and Britain," Ramhmangaiha said.

Earning profits apart, he is a man with a mission.

"The potential in this trade is such that we can get rid of the unemployment problem if local youths are trained and given scope to work in the handicraft sector," Ramhmangaiha said.

"I want to see Mizoram becoming self-sufficient in all aspects. We don't want to be beggars asking financial help from New Delhi when we have abundant forest produce that can be converted into hard currency."

But Ramhmangaiha's effort at turning around the economy is not at the cost of the environment.

"Cutting bamboo or cane is not going to affect the environment as we have them aplenty. In fact we need to control bamboo flowering by cutting bamboos and using it for constructive purposes," he said. (IANS)