kittycat1

Hi all,

I was just reading 7days this morning. They have an article on the terror threats to the UAE how we are in a high risk area. I am pretty used to living in slightly dodgy areas, coming from an army town there were several bomb attacks during the IRA terror campaign, regular bomb alerts at school etc and then having lived in London during the tube bombs etc. I am of the thinking that when your time is up your time is up so theres little point trying to avoid these things when you could well get hit by a bus tomorrow. However putting yourself in harms way isnt a great idea either.

So I was wondering how everyone else feels, would you be concerned enough to leave and return somewhere safer? Or would you stay here no matter what?

I imagine London is also on the high risk areas so you can't win no matter where you go. Do you think the Uk have better policing for this type of thing and are you just not bothered at all by it?

Kittycat
xxx

admon

The UAE has been classed as a high risk area for many years.

This place has so many plain clothes police and security you would likely be quite surprised.

typical

As high profile as Dubai is, there are very very few groups who would benefit from an attack on it, shall we say...

lionheart

The terror threat here is nothing compared to Riyadh and Jeddah in the late-90's. As a precaution, however, I always keep away from British/USA Embassy functions, including those of the British Business Group as it's just putting yourself in harm's way.

csdf

As a salutary point regarding risk and our (human-kind's) inability to measure it properly:
After the London tube bombings, a lot of people started to drive to work rather than take the tube. As a result, significantly more additional people died from car accidents in the year after the bombing than died in the actual bombing. In other words, the chances of dying from a terrorist assault on the tube are waaay smaller than the chances of dying in a car accident. People just have difficulty processing risks properly.

One of the biggest causes of injury in oil companies (with which I have a certain familiarity) is not exploding oil rigs, but car accidents (and having things dropped on you, sadly).

typical

Indeed, I have heard that for one oil services company, failure to wear a seatbelt means instant dismissal.

Ronnie Biggs

What do you make of the threat in Saudi these days? I'm working in Al Khobar (doing the border crossing from Bahrain) and made the mistake of watching "The Kingdom" last week.......

Dilmun

We don't go on any camping trips f.x. Our neighbors think, that's silly, but why risking anything. It's only three yrs. back, that a group of french guys was shot on such a trip.

Cham128

I know which company you're talking about and I can confirm that this is true!

They also get written up for walking up/down stairs whilst on a mobile

Meow

They are not allowed to walk & talk at the same time?
-

Dilmun

Men and multitasking.... just doesn't work

But on the other hand side, it is now scientifically proven, that men are more intelligent than women!
Where men have their brain, women have a hole.

glynster

Lug hole perhaps?

Dilmun

Hahaha, and the monthly is now nosebleeding?

littlejimmy

It's about the fear more than the risk, I think. I have a completely irrational fear of flying, even though my logical brain keeps telling me it is the safest way to travel.

hnd

Interesting question ...

When we moved out here to Dubai 5 yrs ago my DH (ok I know you all hate the abbreviation - what would you rather? Beloved Husband? No please don't answer that.) had worked in the City of London for around 35yrs so all through the "troubles" and we both lived in London during the late 70's, too. (We just missed out on being caught up in the bombing of the Ideal Home Show in, what was it, 1977?) The majority of his client base was in the USA so he travelled there on a very regular basis and when he told them that he was moving here most of them were horrified. They thought he was moving to a suburb of Baghdad!

Many of our family and friends had the same reservations but has that stopped them from coming to visit us (ie get a cheap holiday) ... no, I don't think so.