ABU DHABI // More than a year after Bangladeshi and Nepalese citizens were instructed to convert their old, handwritten passports to the new machine-readable documents, many have yet to make the switch.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) gave November 24 last year as the deadline to convert the old style passports. However, some people claim they were either not told of the change or their companies were withholding their passports.
“I work at the Saudi border and I was not aware of this conversion,” said Mohammed Sumon Miah, a Bangladeshi cleaner who came to his embassy to submit his old passport.
“When my countrymen informed me about this I started asking my company but it didn’t give me days off to come to Abu Dhabi and deposit it,” Mr Miah said whose handwritten passport expired in July.
“It’s been five years since I travelled home and I didn’t know that this passport wouldn’t not be accepted at the airport,” the 28-year old said.
Stone mason Milon Khan was also unaware of the changes.
“Today I deposit my passport and hope that I would get in within two months,” said the Bangladeshi who was handing in his old passport that expired in July, 2013.
More than 600,000 passports have so far been converted, said Bangladesh ambassador to the UAE, Muhammad Imran. He urged Bangladeshis in the UAE to replace their old documents.
By end of last month, the Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi had delivered 79,490 new passports to its citizens in the UAE.
“Very few people come with their old passport, we have replaced almost all old versions of documents in the UAE and many Nepalese who travelled back home converted it there,” said Krishna Aryal, information officer at the Nepal embassy in Abu Dhabi,
“Nowadays we deliver in 15 days the new passports. People can’t travel with old documents after November 24 last year.”
More than 200,000 Nepalese live and work in the UAE and between 600,000 and 700,000 Bangladeshis.
“My boss didn’t give me my passport for last two years that’s why I could come to convert it,” said Munna Sheikh Gazi, who works as a waiter in Abu Dhabi. “He just gave me now so I came for the conversion.”
Mr Gazi’s old passport expired in August 2014.
“I have requested him many times but he refused to handover my passport. Now when I told him I am going to be in big trouble if it’s not replaced and I wouldn’t able to travel, then he gave it back,” Mr Gazi said.
anwar@thenational.ae
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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Second Test
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.