US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT888

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000888 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, IIP/G/NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, SOCI, EIND, PGOV, IZ, MU, Public Affairs 
SUBJECT: OMAN ONLINE: FIERY WORDS FOR THE GOVERNMENT 
 
 
1. Summary:  The Omani Internet message boards "al-Sablah" and 
"al-Majarra" are the liveliest and most comprehensive Arabic- 
language fora for political and social discourse in the country, 
touching on issues and personalities rarely addressed in the 
conventional media.  While not totally free, nor wholly 
reflective of Omani public opinion, these popular sites 
nevertheless offer a worthwhile window into the hot topics and 
unvarnished views of the day.  This edition of Oman Online 
contains the following topics: 
 
-- Sohar Factory Fire 
-- Hypothetical Kidnapping in Iraq 
 
End summary. 
 
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The Flames of Criticism 
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2. A large fire at a plastics factory in Sohar (approximately 
240km northwest of Muscat) generated minimal attention in the 
local press but spawned a vigorous discussion among al-Sablah 
members.  Besides the usual armchair reporting from forum members 
- one writer asserted, "A huge fire burned almost 500 square 
meters of a Sohar factory" while another posted digital photos of 
the column of smoke - most respondents took the opportunity to 
criticize the response of local fire departments and the civil 
defense apparatus.  "The fire started at 2:00 a.m. and burned 
until 7:00 a.m. because the firemen used water instead of special 
chemicals to try to put it out," reported one contributor. 
Another wrote, "Not only were the firefighters late in arriving, 
they were poorly equipped."  Others recounted other incidents 
when fire trucks arrived at the scene of conflagrations with 
empty tanks. 
 
3. Recognizing the massive amounts of investment flowing into the 
Sohar area, one contributor asked, "Sohar is an important 
industrial area that will see many new factories in addition to 
the new port.  Why didn't the government think of establishing a 
comprehensive safety system, compliant with international 
guidelines, to prevent such incidents or at least to contain them 
once they occur?" 
 
------- 
Imagine 
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4. After a CNN report alleging that an Omani diplomat had been 
kidnapped in Iraq turned out to be unfounded, one member posed a 
related hypothetical question: "Imagine that an Omani was 
kidnapped and a video of him being slaughtered is released.  What 
would the government do?"  As with the topic on the Sohar fire, 
the Omani government did not fare well in the ensuing discussion. 
"First of all, the Omani officials would deny the report without 
even checking or investigating," complained one contributor. 
Another offered, "How would we ever know about such a kidnapping? 
The government censors the media and controls the news, so we 
would never hear of it."  A third respondent noted, "Compared to 
Europeans and Americans, Arab citizens hold no value to their 
governments.  Their lives are not important, and the government 
would not lift a finger to help out a kidnapping victim." 
 
STEWART