...and then

Thursday 25 March 2010

Thank you, Policemen

So after a week of obsessing over how to get the working girls to get out of my face in a very official and permanent manner, I decided it was best if I came up with creative solutions to the problem. They're back, by the way, and while they aren't at my gate, they're close enough for me to be (a) mistaken for a hooker, (b) for one of the kids to be abducted (c) for my guests to be embarrassed yet again.

The ROP will do nothing, as I have witnessed. So I take matters into my own hands. Day 1 when they were back, I walked around sneakily and when they weren't looking jumped at them with a camera. I then proceeded to take some pictures in quick succession. In five minutes, they disappeared. These are two of them.





The started walking away and I kept clicking. If they were legit tourists they'd slap me no? They didn't do anything, they just ran into their building (below).

Yesterday, they were there again and I'd just come back from work. Not a good time at all, you agree? I walked up to them and told them they had to come with me. They asked why, I said this was a really dangerous place and if they were waiting for friends they better wait inside the lobby of our building so they won't get molested. They refused. I said no, no, come, come. I went as far as pulling on one's arm. They fled. I must admit, I found the silliness of this rather giggleworthy. Effective, all the same.

Today, if they are there, I am going to stand in front of them and pretend to call the police.

More suggestions on how I can handle this in creative ways, please

Labels: , , ,

5 Comments:

Blogger Judy Balan said...

How about 'Wanted dead or alive' posters? I mean, now that you have picture and all? They won't even step out, no?

2:25 pm  
Blogger Abhipraya said...

Girl, you are something :) Please be careful though.

9:09 pm  
Blogger deepa ravi said...

Since you are doing a petition - maybe you could stick those pictures there and - if you can get some Omani families to endorse your petition it will really do the trick. We expats can scream to high heavens - but get one local, sightly influential guy to scream and things will move.

Is there no one at TOO who can help? Since you do work for the media - use the vasta girl!

How about writing a report on the ill effects of prostitution in residential areas?

From my Oman experience - vasta is the only thing that works. The thing to do is focus your energies on finding a decent, influential Omani chap to complain or sign the petition on your behalf and then you give that to the cops.

8:12 am  
Blogger Sandhya Menon said...

Judy: I think I could get thrown in jail for posters without permission. But I think I could passout fliers and pin up notices in public places like supermarkets saying something they've a bad case of lice.
JDeepa: No Omani families in my building. Also what I've seen here is the police tend to take the word of expats over Omanis. So that works in my favour. And what media? You surely remember how papers work here? Ad guys are the kings in newspapers here, not the reporters.
Erm, Deepa, wake-up, you're sleep commenting. Prostitution is illegal as well as haram. So as far as the country goes, prostitution does not exist. You've forgotten what it's like here, have you?
I figured most sponsors of these women are wastafarians. So now my task is to find someone with MORE wasta.
FYI: A friend wrote in on Facebook saying Samantha of 'Sex and the City' faced something similar and the thing that seemed to help her was befriending them. That's what I am going to try next. Anyone know a smattering of Thai, Tagalog, Cantonese?

3:41 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember this happening once when we were young my older sister, who was 22 at the time took a khaizaran, a cane out and BEAT THE LIVING SHIT out of one of the 2.

They never came back. My sister is that kind of girl! lol. Her husband is scared of her!

I mean, seriously, they are doing something illegal anyways, a good beating isnt something they will report. They will just never dare come back.

Good luck!

3:36 pm  

Post a Comment

<< Home