http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Police_and_The_Courts/10282898.html
Dubai: Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, has strongly denied a rumour that many people are abandoning their cars at Dubai International Airport amid the global economic crisis.
The report was published in the Arabic electronic newspaper Elaph.com.
During an urgent press conference in Dubai, Lieutant-General Dhahi denied the report published on Thursday, which based its information on The Times of London which claimed there were 3,000 abandoned cars at Dubai International Airport.
"I swear by the Lord that Benyamin [writer of the article] lied even as he based his report on The Times article," Lieutant-General Dhahi said at the beginning of the press conference.
The reporter contributed to spreading a rumour that many people are greedy, envious and resentful about the economic growth of Dubai, he said.
"A reporter should always verify the facts of a report. Did the reporter come back to us or request a comment and we said 'No' to him?! Credibility, objectivity and accountability are essential in journalism and this report lacked credibility.
"Be assured that if we had at least 50 or 25 or 15 cars abandoned at the airport, I would have told you about it. There have only been 11 cars left at the airport since January 1, 2008, which is before the global economic crisis," he said.
"False statements on the market collapsing, as stated in the article, are nothing but incorrect rumours. If there is any disruption we will inform the media about it," said Lieutant-General Dhahi.
"It is not even worth a story to write about the abandoning of 11 cars in a 6,000 car parking lot," he stated.
"We are not denying the presence of the global financial crisis, but what's been attributed to Dubai is completely false whether it is locally or internationally published. There is a fierce campaign against the reputation of the blooming city of Dubai.
I have clear and direct instructions from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to be completely honest with the media."
"The country is still witnessing a smooth flow in its economy. The title of the article creates an atmosphere of fear, mistrust, and contributes to spreading a rumour of a rumour. We have to put a limit to this, we are aware of the reports published on this but now it has gotten out of proportion," he said.
