“The situation along the Saudi-Yemeni border is the machination of a foreign country which is known for its hostility to the Kingdom.
This country is being helped in its devilish plan by the Houthis of Yemen to create mistrust between the citizens and the security men in the Kingdom,” he said, citing the recent confiscation of an Iranian ship loaded with weapons on its way to the Houthis.
Prince Faisal revealed that about 13,000 infiltrators were sent back to their respective homes during the past four months and said an average of between 1,000-2,000 infiltrators were caught and deported every week. He admitted that the Ethiopians constituted the majority of the infiltrators but said there were not alone. “There are also infiltrators from Chad, Niger and Somalia,” he said.
The Emir said the problem of the infiltrators was aggravated by people inside the country who are not only hiding them but also providing them with accommodation and work opportunities. He threatened those providing shelter and protection to the infiltrators with punishments including imprisonment, fines and confiscation of vehicles.
He denied that the infiltrators had committed any major crime such as murder or rape and said they were no more than thieves and distributors of alcohol. “Not a single murder or a crime of honor was registered against the infiltrators,” he said.
Prince Faisal said work on the construction of a security fence along the Saudi-Yemeni border has already started. “The fence will cover the entire length of the border which is 1450km. Additional security forces will be mobilized to guard the construction work,” he said. He said there were no disagreements with the Yemeni side over the security fence. “Formerly there was opposition by Yemen but now there is no objection to the construction of the fence,” he said.
Asked about development projects that are facing delays, the Emir said this is not a problem facing Asir region alone. “Like other regions in the Kingdom, Asir does have a number of delayed projects but they are not more than those in other regions,” he said.The Emir criticized the mechanism of offering projects to contractors for implementation. “This mechanism is faulty. The projects should be offered not on the basis of cheap prices but on the criterion of quality and competence,” he said. “Cheap is always bad,” he added. He called for the direct offering of projects as the case with the mega projects such as Princess Noura University and the Expansion of the Two Holy Mosques. “We are in contact with the Ministry of Finance to solve this problem,” he said.
Asked about the delay in the project to make the Abha-Soudah road a double-lane road, the Emir said the delay was caused by the process of property confiscation. “However, the summer after the next the project will be entirely completed,” he said.
Prince Faisal revealed that the third phase of the desalination water project in Asir was put on hold after the Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Al-Husseyn had convinced him that the existing dams would save the region from any shortages of water in the future.
Commenting on a note sent to him by a Saudi woman to “harness the government officials in the region”, Prince Faisal vowed to dismiss from the Governorate any official who is not doing his job properly.
On the problem of scam investments, the Emir said the issue is complicated and needs time to resolve. “Many of the scam investors are behind bars while their funds are in banks outside,” he said revealing that the government was in contact with these banks.
The Emir explained that the cases of scam investments were submitted to the Prosecution and Investigations Bureau. “I feel for you,” he told the victims of scam investments in his region.
27,845 infiltrators nabbed in Jazan in one month
Meanwhile, Border Guards in the southern Jazan region have arrested 27,845 infiltrators and 494 smugglers during the Hijri month of Rabi Al-Thani (Feb. 11-March 12). Col. Abdullah Bin Muhammad, spokesman of the Border Guards, said that huge cache of weapons and drugs were also seized during the period.
They included 45,485 live ammunition, 575 weapons, 3603 fireworks, 1283 kg of hashish, 3027 heads of livestock, in addition to currency worth SR277,868.
Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Al-Subhi, commander of the Border Guards in the region, thanked all the border guards who are keeping utmost vigil and alert to foil all attempts of smuggling and infiltration.
