Page 258 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

246 Records of Bahrain

-2-
neoossary in the.past whon relations between Bah­

rain and Qatar woro of a more friendly nature than
they are today and the Hawar Islands were regarded
as being free from the danger of interference by
Qatar*
3. Tho statement that "some fishermen,

however, visit this island when t hey go w the
for fishing as they do in other islands whioh is
considered a usual practice", is a ridioulous and
inaoourate description of a plaoo containing a long
established settled community of Arabs living in per­
manent stone houses with their wives and families

and their oattle, sheep and donkeys* It uppears
to imply that the Hawar Islands are only oooa6sionally
visited by casual fishermen whereus the fishermen
who are roforrod to uro some of the inhabitants of
Hawar who live in the islands and who go fishing

from their home bringing back their fi3h to Hawar
or sometimes sending it to Manama for sale*
4. Shaikh Abdulla refers to "interference"
by His Highness’s Government in Hawar* This is
not a word whioh can be suitably used to desoribe

tho development by a Ruler of a part of his country*
/^dmittodly tho Government of Bahrain has built roads,
fortifications, piers, landmarks and beaoons and has
experimented in artesian well drilling in the Hawar
Islands in a similar manner as has been done in
other parts of Bahrain*
5. Shaikh Abdulla states that as Ruler of

Qatar he has right of ownership over the Hawar Islands;
if this is tho case why has Shaikh Abdulla never exer-
oisod his alleged right of ownership over the
\ islands and their inhabitants? It would uppoar
—3—