2 Yemenis killed on border [Archives:2003/667/Local News]

Sanaa, August 9 – Two Yemeni citizens were shot dead by Saudi Border guards last Friday when attempting to penetrate into the Saudi land, a local source said Tuesday. Hadi Salem Mastabani, 30 years old, was killed by the Saudi border guards at al-Mustabah area as he was trying to escape to the Saudi territories in the look out for a job. His dead body was taken to Jaizan hospital. Abdullah Mohammed Zuait was also shot dead by the Saudi border guards to the north of Haradh city. He was using a donkey to carry some wheat to sell it in Saudi territories, making use of the price difference between the currencies of the two countries and getting a good price for his goods.
This is not the first case of its kind as several Yemeni citizens have been killed while trying to pass by the border check points seeking for better job opportunities in Saudi Arabia as they could not get jobs in their homeland. Some Yemenis face several problems at the border line as they fall into the trap of smugglers who sometimes deceive them and rob them of their money. Even those who succeed in surpassing these check points are arrested in Saudi Arabia and deported back home.
Yemen last week said that two Saudi suspects were arrested by Yemeni authorities and would be turned over to the Saudi government.
Yemen and Saudi Arabia have exchanged the extradition of over 40 suspects, 17 out of them are Yemeni militants affiliated to some extremist Islamist groups including suspected attackers suicide bombing against the USS Cole in Aden on October 12, 2000 and the French Tanker Limburg last October.
Several Yemeni have been caught smuggling weapons to Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials said last month that weapons are smuggled into Saudi territories 'every hour'.
The Yemeni and Saudi governments signed an agreement some months ago to tighten security throughout the borderline and stop smuggling of weapons and other commodities as well as the movement of terrorist militants from the two countries.
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