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| Identifier: | 05KUWAIT4477 |
|---|---|
| Wikileaks: | View 05KUWAIT4477 at Wikileaks.org |
| Origin: | Embassy Kuwait |
| Created: | 2005-10-18 09:59:00 |
| Classification: | UNCLASSIFIED |
| Tags: | PHUM PGOV KU |
| Redacted: | This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks. |
VZCZCXRO1442 RR RUEHDE DE RUEHKU #4477 2910959 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 180959Z OCT 05 FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1383 INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0459 RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 0156
UNCLAS KUWAIT 004477
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR G/TIP, NEA/ARPI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, KU
SUBJECT: ROBOT CAMEL JOCKEYS DEBUT IN KUWAIT
REF: A. KUWAIT 3640
B. KUWAIT 3532
C. KUWAIT 3412
1. The Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) invited
PolOff to attend the debut of robot camel jockeys in Kuwait
during trial races October 12. Shaykh Fahad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah, PAYS Chairman, and MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie, Chair of
the National Assembly's Human Rights Defense Committee,
inaugurated the races, covered widely by local print and
television media. The GOK has demanded that robots replace
children beginning this racing season, which opened October
14. Approximately 25 camels fitted with mechanical jockeys
circled the six-mile track at the country's sole venue, the
Kuwait Camel Racing Club over which PAYS has direct
jurisdiction, as their owners controlled the robots'
movements from sports utility vehicles flanking the track.
2. Each robot, donning a miniature baseball cap, weighs
approximately 10 kgs (22 lbs). While officials told PolOff
that the robots tested were manufactured in China and in the
United Arab Emirates, a local newspaper reported that they
were Swiss-made. The robot is constructed with a whip in its
right hand and a retractable harness cord in its left. The
owners can control the robot's arm movements, thereby
directing the camel, via a remote control the size of a car
fob. One camel owner witnessing the trial runs told a local
newspaper that "the robots are very good, but nothing
compares to humans."
3. A 2004 Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor decree forbids
the employment of children younger than 18 years of age and
less than 45 kgs (99 lbs) as camel jockeys. Although there is
no evidence of trafficked underage camel jockeys in Kuwait,
the GOK is expected to introduce a ban on the practice, which
would criminalize any violation, in the National Assembly
during the current legislative session, which began October
17.
*********************************************
Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
You can also access this site through the
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website
*********************************************
LEBARON
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