Page 92 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911_Neat

8ft ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PER8IAN GULP POLITICAL

were held up on the Ojair-Haan rohd, without much damage being dohe, but
this fact gave the Amir the opportunity of declaring that he had oome hi
the interests Of lnw and order, and allowed liini to prove his words by thd
execution and maiming of a few Bedouins. 9
The Amir made several haltb in this neighbourhood, including the Well*
of Da'ailij, Hufr Zarmuga and Araij, a few miles oast of Drthat jfalwa.
< At the last named place lie had an interview with Shoikh Jashn-biti-
Thani. It is said that the Turks felt Considerable eillbaftas&merit at the
Amir s presence, but the Tabur Aghasi paid a visit to his camp at fca'ailij
and was hospitably received.
In January 1906 a serious fracas occurred at Ragaija, the great Bedouin
camping-ground near Hofuf, between the Ajman and Al Morra tribes.
The Turks made an attempt to quell the fighting but were not altogether
successful, as Bin Sharaim, the head Sheikh of the Al Morra, was murdered
a day or two later, and his tribe seem to have considered the Turks in some
way responsible for their misfortune.
The result was that on the 3rd March, a large caravan was atnbuscaded
at Baraiman on.the Ojair-Hasa road by the Al Morra, Beni Hnjir and
Manasir tribes, when 45 armed Turks of the escort and a number of oamelmen
and travellers were killed and property to the value of 3 lakhs of rupees was
carried off. The Bedouin have so far suffered no punishment for this outrage.
The customs of theSanjak (Hofuf, Ojair and Katif) Were again leased
out to the Bin Faris-Bin Akhwan syndicate in April 1905. The price paid
for the year was 13,9371 Liras, giving an increase °f 33*7 percent, on the
previous year’s lease.
In October the Turks attempted to introduce a poll-tax into Katif* but
were unable to enforce it.
In March 1906, a good deal of rioting took place in Hofuf and Mubarfaz
in consequence of the Mutesarrif’s endeavour to carry out a census of the
peoule The attempt was eventually abandoned.
One hundred and thirty-four cii'll and 55 criminal complaints baie been
Judicial.
presented and admitted at the Political Agency during the year, some by British
subjects, others by foreigners and the remainder by Bahrain subjects. Cases in
which both complainant and defendant are Bahrain subjects have invariably
been refused consideration, but in the otbers the party complained against is
summoned to the Agency—if a British subject by an Agency peon, and if a
foreigner or Bahraini through the nearest Bazar Master or other local official.
In the majority of cases settlements have been arrived at without the
summoning of witnesses; but if this solution has been found .impossible, the
case, if Civil, and not arranged for under Islamic Lawt is submitted to the
local Majlis, if criminal, and both parties are British subjects or Christians
jt is tried under the Indian Penal Code, and if one party is a foreigner or
Bahrain subject it is tried jointly by the Political Agent and by an offioial
of the Chief of Bahrain, sitting in the Agency.
One hundred and fifteen civil cases and 35 criminal cases have thus been
settled after a preliminary hearing.
ine civil cases have been settled by the Majlis. Fifteen criminal cases
have been investigated by the Joint Court. An abstract showing tue different
classes of cases settled is given below.