In a huge relief to the Yemeni expatriate community in the Kingdom, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has directed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, to take necessary measures to correct their residence status and legalize their stay.
Yemeni expats living illegally in Saudi Arabia prior to April 9 will be given the chance to correct their residence status under the royal order.
According to a statement issued by the Royal Court, the king’s move follows a request by the legitimate government of Yemen, led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, to support and alleviate the problems of Yemenis.
“They (Yemenis) shall be granted a six-month visit visa that may be extended upon receiving travel documents from their country’s legitimate government. They shall be allowed to work in accordance with regulations set by the competent authorities,” the court said.
Mehdi Hatem Al-Nahari, head of the Supreme Council of the Yemeni community, thanked the king for his kind gesture toward Yemenis in this hour of crisis.
“The Kingdom and its citizens are always there for their Yemeni brothers. We have always felt at home in Saudi Arabia.”
Yemen has been facing problems since 2011, and Ali Abdullah Saleh made it worse and created tensions at the Saudi-Yemen borders.
“But the Kingdom was always there to help us,” he said. “We, the Yemeni community, are very much thankful to the king and the people.”
Another Yemeni national, Yones Nidam bin Abdat, on behalf of his family members, thanked the king for the kind decision.
“This order shows how much King Salman and the people of Saudi Arabia care and love Yemenis. We know that the Houthi rebels will not succeed in their evil designs. Peace and stability will return to Yemen and the country will be reconstructed.”
Ali Al-Qubaisi, another Yemeni national, also expressed joy and hailed the royal order to legalize Yemeni expats in the Kingdom.
He said that Yemenis were among the earliest expatriates to came and participate in the development of the Kingdom.
“The Kingdom adopted Yemenis and provided them with a comfortable and dignified life. This royal order shows that the Kingdom cares about their Yemeni brothers. Thanks to everyone... the King, royal family and the people of the Kingdom,” he said.
Visa relief: Yemeni expats in Kingdom praise royal order
Visa relief: Yemeni expats in Kingdom praise royal order
Separation of Somali conjoined twins Rahma and Ramla begins in Riyadh
- Surgery to take 14 hours in 8 stages with 37-member team
- Initiative is led by leading surgeon Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah
RIYADH: Surgery to separate Somali conjoined twins Rahma and Ramla is underway at the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital of the Ministry of the National Guard in Riyadh.
The children came with their parents to Saudi Arabia upon King Salman’s directives in May last year and were transferred to the hospital for tests to determine whether the operation would be safe.
An official of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program told Arab News that in addition to the complexity of the intervention, there was also a waiting list of other children.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who heads the SCTP’s teams and is also supervisor-general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, said the 13-month-old girls who arrived on May 6 were joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis.
“Each twin has two complete lower limbs, and they share a pelvic bone, colon and rectum, with overlaps in the urinary and reproductive systems,” said Al-Rabeeah.
He explained that Ramla suffers from complete atrophy of both kidneys and would need immediate dialysis after separation.
Rahma suffers from complete atrophy of her left kidney, and there are cysts in her right kidney, which is currently functioning adequately but would require close monitoring following surgery to ensure its continued function, he added.
Al-Rabeeah said the risk was 40 percent due to the case’s medical challenges. The situation was explained in detail to the twins’ parents, who accepted the plan to separate the girls, he added.
He said the procedure is expected to take about 14 hours in eight stages, and would involve 37 consultants, specialists, nurses and staff in the fields of anesthesia, pediatrics, orthopedics and plastic surgery.
He said Rahma and Ramla will be the 68th pair of conjoined twins to be separated under the program, which began 35 years ago.
Al-Rabeeah thanked the Saudi leadership for supporting the initiative over the years. He prayed for the success of the separation, which he said would give the girls the best chance to live happy and healthy lives.
