Abdulaziz Al-Suwaigh Al-Madinah A Saudi citizen was arrested by the US authorities when the passport police at Detroit Airport discovered that he had torn off a page from his passport and was carrying a pressure cooker in his luggage. The man is facing criminal charges, including giving false data, failure to explain why a page was missing from his passport and why he was carrying a pressure pot with him. The presence of the pressure cooker in his luggage would have gone unnoticed because it was not illegal to carry cooking utensils. However, he gave contradictory explanations for the presence of the pressure cooker in his luggage. The American authorities have become more sensitive toward cooking pots because the two Chechen brothers used cooking utensils in the Boston marathon blasts in April. The Saudi traveler is unfortunate to come to the US soon after the Boston explosion carrying with him a cooking pot. The Americans are not to be blamed because the adage, "once bitten twice shy," applies in the case. This story reminded me of a similar one told to me by a friend while I was the Saudi ambassador to Canada. A Saudi citizen who was accompanying his wife to the US to be treated for cancer tried to cover up his wife's photo in her passport by inserting a sticker on it. The passport authorities at the Washington airport considered it an illegal act. He was to be charged but the authorities forgave him because of his wife's deteriorating health condition. They simply removed the sticker from the photo and allowed him to enter the country. This makes it imperative on everyone traveling abroad to be fully aware of the laws and regulations of the country to which he or she is traveling. He should also make sure that his passport is valid and is stamped with the required entry visa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued guidelines to be followed by the Saudi travelers. These guidelines are found in a special website: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/ServicesAndInformation/TravelInfo. Every traveler should be aware of these guidelines. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has directed all Saudi diplomatic and consular missions abroad to serve Saudi citizens and resolve their problems without any slackness or delay. Cooperation between the Saudi travelers and their embassies is aimed to serve the citizens and make their stay in the country whether for tourism or medical treatment a pleasant experience. Most of the problems the Saudis face while traveling abroad stem from their ignorance of the laws and rules of the countries they travel to.
