Page 224 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

210 Records of Bahrain

jSEORKT
Bahrain telegram No: 172 to Foreign Off Icq
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state and It'Is rumoured that ho is now being "court-martialled"
by the Committee. Supporters of the Committee have produced some
circumstantial' evidence supporting theory (o). The allegation
is that the demonstration was organized by this group with the
ebjeot of proving to us that the Bahrain people, as represented by
the High E^eoutive Committee, are entirely unreliable and that it
is necessary ^o bring in a foreign police force to maintain order.
It is hardly Conceivable that the Ruler could himself haye connived
at any such manoeuvre (even though the demonstration fits admirably
with his plea for our support in his conversation with the Secretary,
of State reported in my telegram No: 6 to New Delhi) but it is
possible that some irresponsible member of the family might have
done something on these lines to discredit the Committee, I hope
to obtain further information ip the next day or two,
3. Sir. Charles Belgravo, Advisor to the Bahrain Government,
has told me today that the Ruler has told him that ha (Bolgrare) is
responsible for law and order in Bahrain and that he is at liberty
to arrest thft: eight members of tho High Executive Committee and/or
any others. . Belgrave said he realizod the Bahrain Government could
not do this on their own becausq they did not have sufficient forces,
but he said that all members of the ruling family were pressing ttye
Ruler most strongly to take immediate and drastio ao^lon, The
Ruler and his family believe that if a small number of the leaders
of the Committee were arrested.the movement would collapse. Belgraye
thought this was possible, but realized it wa3 equally possible that
such action would result in major threat to public security and general
strike. The idea would be to arrest them on grounds of tho wording
of a circular they issued on February 21, in which they sot out their
demands that if the Government persisted in ignoring the people's
we therefore
interests "the people will take opposing raoasure3 . • * ♦
warn those responsible of the consequences which must bring
untoward remits when the people take the steps it considers necessary
one week from the date of this statement". Arrests would be made on
the grounds that this ciroular was an incitement to disorder, but there
would be no trial since this would bo .in Itself an occasion for
disturbances and Belgrave realized there was probably not enough
evidence to seoure a conviction. He could produoe no evldenoe that '
the Committee were implicated in last night's disturbances. After
arrest the members of the Committee would be sent to one of the smaller
islands and kept there under guard for an indefinite period.

4. I said.. • •