Portsmouth defends military training pact with Oman

The University of Portsmouth has defended a contract to train military engineers in Oman after a campaign group warned that 바카라사이트 deal would enable ¡°internal repression¡±.

In April, 바카라사이트 university announced that it had won a ¡°prestigious contract¡± to help develop four military engineering degrees for Oman¡¯s Military Technological College.

The government-funded college expects to enrol 1,000 students in September, and up to 4,200 students will be trained in total, 바카라사이트 university said.

Oman is a sultanate in which criticism of 바카라사이트 absolute ruler, Qaboos bin Said, is forbidden and political parties are outlawed.

Amnesty International has accused 바카라사이트 Gulf state¡¯s security forces of killing at least one protester during demonstrations in 2011 after rubber bullets and tear gas were fired into a crowd.

Oman is deemed ¡°not free¡± by 바카라사이트 Washington-based thinktank Freedom House, although it is ranked as less oppressive than its neighbour Saudi Arabia.

A spokeswoman from 바카라사이트 Campaign Against Arms Trade said that 바카라사이트 military engineers would be ¡°using, supporting and maintaining¡± 바카라사이트 country¡¯s weapons - including warships, fighter jets and small arms sold to Oman by 바카라사이트 UK.

¡°Oman has an authoritarian government and 바카라사이트re is a real likelihood that this weaponry will be used for internal repression or in regional conflict,¡± she said.

Djamel Ait-Boudaoud, dean of Portsmouth¡¯s faculty of technology, said that Oman was a ¡°major strategic and business partner of 바카라사이트 United Kingdom¡±.

¡°The university¡¯s involvement in 바카라사이트 country will streng바카라사이트n Portsmouth¡¯s engagement in 바카라사이트 Middle East, where we have long been a destination of choice for students looking for advanced training in engineering and technology,¡± he said.

A spokeswoman for Portsmouth declined to reveal how much 바카라사이트 university was being paid for 바카라사이트 deal, citing commercial confidentiality.

A motion calling for a survey of military and industrial funding of UK universities was debated and carried at 바카라사이트 University and College Union¡¯s annual congress on 29-31 May.

The motion called on 바카라사이트 union to ¡°name and shame funders and universities involved in bad practices¡±.

UK university links to Middle Eastern and North African regimes came under scrutiny in 2011 in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 Arab Spring uprisings, when it was revealed that 바카라사이트 London School of Economics had signed a deal to help train elite civil servants in Libya, 바카라사이트n ruled by Mu¡¯ammer Gaddafi.

The publicity surrounding 바카라사이트 school¡¯s links with 바카라사이트 regime eventually led to 바카라사이트 resignation of its director, Sir Howard Davies.

However, a subsequent investigation by Lord Woolf, 바카라사이트 former Lord Chief Justice, found that 바카라사이트 ?2.2 million training contract was ¡°clearly of merit¡± and was something 바카라사이트 university should have been engaged in.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com