forums : Jungle Scene

HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

The truthaboutdubai.com is going to feature Groove's story and make a
link to his petition which is already going around. I've spoken with a
spokesperson for their cause who has given the following advise on how
to best help Groove and also how to send him letter, books, gifts, etc
while he is locked up:

*****************************************

"My suggestions to those who want to help Mr. Bingham:

Note: Due to the fact that he did break the law (albeit unintended on
his part) it's important to accept the guilty verdict. It's useless to
argue that a country's laws are unfair, and the people who could
potentially help Br. Bingham will not be receptive to criticisms of
Dubai or its laws. The best way forward is to approach this from the
angle that he has learned his lesson (he's been held for almost four
months, that's a long time!) and appeal for mercy at the discretion of
their officials. Abrasive or critical sentiment will not go down well,
nor will it do Mr. Bingham any favours.

-Write to your local MP that you are concerned about the heavy
sentence that Mr Bingham faces and urge them to make an appeal for his
pardon. I do not know who his particular representative is in the
House of Commons or Lords, but it would be most useful to write them
if you can find out. You can also write to the Foreign Secretary's
office with your concerns.

-petitions *are* useful, and pass them around to as many people as you
can. Again, refrain from critical or inflammatory language in the
comments as the governing bodies of Dubai will not be receptive to
this. I think this is the official petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/gr00v3/petition.html


-Spread the word! It's important to let people in your network know
the penalties they face if found to have even microscopic amounts of
controlled substances either on their person, in their luggage or in
their urine (yes, last month's toke counts as 'possession' if it shows
up in your urine sample, and you will face the four year sentence)
when they either enter Dubai or even transfer through the airport.
Many Europeans go to Dubai on business or for a holiday, and more
still transfer through Dubai International Airport, and the more
people this information can get to, the more prepared travelers can be
in making their choices. There is a complete list of controlled
substances (including seemingly innocuous ones like that which is
found in paracetamol) which you can find here:
http://www.fairtrials.net/index.php...stances_in_uae/


-This website has helpful tips on what you can do on behalf of someone
in prison in Dubai, including gifts, letters and personal visitations:
http://www.prisonersabroad.org.uk/

I highly, highly recommend this site.

-Donate to http://www.fairtrials.net/index.php...cle/support_us/ they
do amazing work in supporting prisoners and campaigning for justice.
They have also been instrumental in getting coverage of the Dubai
prison issue in the last few weeks.


Also, take comfort in the fact that very rarely are foreigners held
for more than six months of the mandatory four year sentence. The
Sheik is very kind, by most accounts, and generous with pardons, and
Mr. Bingham stands a very good chance of being shown mercy. Whatever
your feelings are on prohibition, or the fairness of the situation,
Grooverider's freedom depends on the charity of those who are holding
him: the more diplomatic your approach the greater the chances are
that he'll be able to return swiftly home to his family and fans, and
that is the bigger picture we all need to keep in mind."
******************************************

[ misswendy - 26 Feb 2008 09:12 ]
[ misswendy - 26 Feb 2008 09:10 ]

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

dope



signed number 3010

[ subflo - 21 Feb 2008 13:36 ]

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

New info about sending Gifts:

Just received some info from the British Embassy in Dubai, you can send letters and books but not music.

Before you send the books to the prison they should have the stamp of the Ministry of Information and Culture (009714 261 5500)

"If you are in the UK, you can send the books and the letters to the embassy, we will take the books to the Ministry of Culture to stamp them then we will deliver the books to the prison in our following visit.

Our address is:

British Embassy

Consular Section

PO Box 65 Dubai

United Arab Emirates"

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

*signed*

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

signed as well

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Definitely signed

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

http://www.petitiononline.com/gr00v3/

done! poor guy

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

*edited

[ rastevefari - 21 Feb 2008 12:30 ]

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

signed

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

damn that petition reads like a miami guest list....

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

sizzigned~

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

peter tosh, bob marley, and bradley nowell have apparently all signed. funny, i didn't know any of them were in to dnb. (first three sigs)

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

3241 Signatures Total

I was 3241!

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

signed yesterday! :-)

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

4 years is way over the top i agree. but thats there rules. you do the crime be prepared to do the time. why try to sneak weed thru an airport that is as f**ked and notoriously harsh as dubai? what you thinkin man!!!

i read and signed the petition. and i wished every case like this would result in that person being exported back to there own country(unless there own country has even worse penalties...cuz that might suck a little more)

best wishes. i hope his situation only gets better.

[ rastevefari - 21 Feb 2008 18:09 ]

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Signed.

=]

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

SIGNED. WORLD WIDE MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION INITIATIVE IS ESSENTIAL!! FREE THA RIDER.

WWW.NORML.ORG

pz.

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

3436, sounds like ladies measurements almost

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

signed a while ago
i think i was 1400 or so.

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Massive thanks for the show of support LA =0)

I am urging the UK dnb masses to write to their local MP urging the government to do more in this matter.

I've also posted a link to the email for our Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr. David Miliband.

While most of you do not live in the UK, it would not hurt for you to also send Mr. Miliband a letter urging him to help push this through to government.


Contacts for Mr. Miliband, as well as a template for a letter you can use to send are located in the blog on my page entitled "ADDITIONAL HELP FOR GROOVERIDER" located here:

myspace.com/misswendymusic



Thanks again and massive respect to each and every one of you who have done your part to help - please continue to spread the word as far and wide as you can. If we continue to press this issue a pardon is possible.

I will continue to update my blogs with any and all info I receive.

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Signed.


Unfortunately I don't think any of this is going to do anything, sorry to sound pessamistic but It would take a serious miracle to have them reverse the charges...the Dubai Govt can care less who Grooverider is.

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

it might not Step,

but i'm sure he appreciates the outpour of love and support.

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/news01.txt


"Dubai Royal Family Is New Grand Avenue Plan Investor

CalPERS, MacFarlane Partners Replaced in $3 Billion Project"


"Other recent Istithmar investments include the acquisition of the upscale Barneys New York retail chain last year and an interest in two New York hotels developed by Related."

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

4683 !

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Some News from Jonty Scrufff's e-zine - 'Skrufff-E'

Dubai’s Dance Scene Sympathises With Grooverider
>
> British drum & bass icon Grooverider was sentenced to 4 years in
> jail in Dubai this week for possessing 2.16g of cannabis as he flew
> into the United Arab Emirates last December for a DJing gig.
>
> Leading figures from the Gulf States thriving dance community said
> the case has been ‘big news in Dubai’ and predicted wider fallout in
> the future.
>
> “Everybody knows Dubai is a drug free country but it’s pure
> intimidation and nervousness when you fly somewhere knowing that
> someone might ask you to strip just because your eyes are red after
> a long flight,” one promoter told Skrufff. “It definitely now
> discourages international DJs from coming here.”
>
> “I definitely think that clampdown on drugs is a good thing but
> there’s no need for such drastic measures,” he continued. “This is a
> quote from a well known DJ when I tried to book him: ‘I’ve heard
> they arrest people for having medicine with them: it’s a bit risky
> don’t you think? They may arrest me for no reason if they don’t like
> my face or whatever: so what happens then?”
>
> The promoter asked to remain anonymous as did another DJ who
> revealed that the case has already caused one sponsor to pull out of
> Dubai’s upcoming Muzik Week conference.
>
> “As an isolated case, it's unlikely to have an impact but what’s
> more likely to cause problems is if the UAE keep detaining people
> who have 0.0003 grams of cannabis on their shoe (you can't even see
> it, let alone smoke it,” he pointed out. “Or if they keep stopping
> people for having 3 - count them, 3 - poppy seeds on their person.
>
> These cases are utterly ludicrous and are being reported worldwide,
> which can have a seriously negative impact on tourism here, which is
> important because much of the country's wealth comes from tourism,”
> he said.
>
> “I feel for Grooverider personally, he's a big name DJ and by all
> accounts a cool guy - I can’t imagine what he must be going through
> being in prison,” he added.
>
> “In general everybody is sympathetic with him here, although there
> are some people mumbling that he should have known better, as his
> peers has been here many times and they fully aware of the laws,
> which is true. He should've been warned more in advance.”
>
> In more Dubai news, Grooverider’s cellmate Big Brother TV executive
> Cat Le-Huy also appears likely to receive a four year sentence after
> UAE officials tested microscopic particles of dirt in his bag and
> claimed that one speck was cannabis.
>
> The longhaired Endemol employee was first seized several weeks ago
> for carrying suspicious over-the-counter jetlag pills though is now
> being charged with possessing 0.001 grams of cannabis (a speck
> literally smaller than a grain of sugar and invisible to the naked
> eye). He’s also now being held in Dubai’s notorious Al Wathba
> Central Prison though his partner Mil said he’s ‘holding up’ despite
> being incarcerated in terrifying conditions.
>
> The detainees here all look out for each other. They're a good bunch
> of guys, it's not like they're criminals or anything." Indeed. He
> says he's befriended a sixty-year-old man from Arkansas who's in
> there for similarly trumped up charges, and Grooverider, amongst
> others,” she said.
>
> http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/prison-abudhabi.html
> (‘Al-wathba prison in Abu Dhabi is notorious for its human rights
> abuse, stoning to death, lashings, overcrowding. Inmates sleep in
> cells designed for 8 which held 22 with 3 lice infested blankets on
> a cement floor . . .’)
>
>
> Dubai Prisoner Links:
>
> http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://freediz.com (free Cat Le-Huy
> campaign)
>
> http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://users.livejournal.com/_yungfuktoi_/
> (Cat Le-Huy updates)
>
> http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://www.petitiononline.com/gr00v3/petition.html
> (Grooverider petition)
>
>

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

We all need to raise awareness about this both within and outside the scene. I have signed the petition and put a link to it on myspace. We need to get the word OUT!

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Signed, Randy J - 6687 Signatures Total after mine

Just another reminder on being careful where you travel with the ganja - and how lame this world is when it comes to the reefer - at least they dropped the porn charge.

links to Resident Advisor's 2 articles

http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=9128


http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=9094

[ randyj420 - 25 Feb 2008 23:09 ]

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

Additional info on books / letters:

You can send fiction or non fiction books, preferably with no photos and anything that cause no offence to the UAE government.

The prison does not have a separate address. If you want to send the letter to Groove himself, you need to send it to Dubai Police Headquarters, Central Prison, Groove's name, Raymond Bingham, PO Box 1493 Dubai, UAE. The police will send the letter to the prison and the prison should pass it to him.

Otherwise, you can send the letters to the embassy (address in my blog) and they will deliver them in their next visit. You need to address the letter to the British Embassy, consular Section and C/O (.....Raymond Bingham...). They usually go to the prison once a week or once every two weeks. They go to the prison when we have detainees due for a visit

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

I've been digging through a mass of Dubai tourism sites and have seen a common trend....

Posted from my blog:

I've just googled 'visit Dubai' and been to at least a dozen of the top Dubai tourism sites - not a single one have anything mentioned about the strict enforcement of laws in their country and none of them link the banned substances list.

Join me in lodging a complaint with the Dubai tourism board demanding that they make it mandatory for all tourism outlets to publish this vital information.

Don't have the time to write your own letter? Use mine!

You can lodge a complaint here:

http://dubaitourism.ae/E-services/webcomp.asp



Template Letter:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I'm hoping you can help, I'm wondering if you could please point out to me where on your website, or any other Dubai tourism websites, does it outline the risks of traveling to Dubai? Surely with the recent string of arrests of tourists in possession of microscopic particles of banned substances on their person hitting the press worldwide this would be a worthy source of information for all Dubai tourism websites?

Some quotes/info that might be helpful for tourists planning to visit Dubai:


Link to banned substances in the UAE:

http://www.moh.gov.ae/moh_site/phar_med/price_list/controlled%20list.pdf


"Among the banned substances are foods containing poppy seeds; melatonin, which is taken to ease the effects of jetlag; codeine, a common ingredient in pain relief medication, and any trace of drugs such as cannabis, however small."

"Among the cases named by the chairty is that of Tracy Wilkinson, 45, from West Sussex, who was arrested at Dubai airport in 2005 for possession of codeine, which she had been taking for chronic back pain. She was held in custody for 8 weeks before officials accepted proof from her doctor of its use for prescribed medical purposes only."

"Unlike many countries, the UAE will also arrest travellers found with traces of banned substances in their bodily fluids."

"In another case, a 43-year-old man from Middlesex was imprisoned earlier this week for four years after Dubai customs officials used highly sensitive screening equipment to detect 0.003g cannabis in the tread of his shoe. Keith Andrew Brown was stopped in transit from Ethiopia to London last September. The amount of the drug found on his shoe would not be visible to the naked eye and weighs less than a single grain of sugar."

"The charity's chief executive Catherine Wolthuizen said: “We even have reports of the imprisonment of a Swiss man for 'possession’ of three poppy seeds on his clothing after he ate a bread roll at Heathrow.”'


- source: http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/news/article3333905.ece



At the very least it would be courteous to include the list of banned substances on your website so that tourists may know that their trip of a lifetime may end up in 4 years of prison hell for simple cold medicine or a microscopic particle of drugs stuck to the bottom of their shoe. People trust the information they find on tourism websites when they book their holidays, they like to think you are giving them the full story on a desired location. Surely it is the moral duty of every person in the travel or travel promotions industry to do their part to give this vital information to the public.

Kind Regards,

Re: HOW TO HELP GROOVERIDER

signed... number 8383.

and Wendy, try to fix your links in your main post. there are page breaks at the end.

-WT