Page 342 - Bahrain Gov annual reports (V a)_Neat

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On November 2nd there was a mass meeting in Manama, organised by the C.N.U. and
speeches were made. It was attended by people from Manama and Muharraq but not by people
from the villages who, except in one or two instances, took no part in the disturbances which
lasted during the following days. The procession set off with a police escort in front and
behind it. Ignoring all agreements, it left the route which had been arranged and soon
became a riot. The Police were unable to control the crowd. Ofiiccs of one British firm were
set on fire, windows of Government and British commercial houses were smashed, the flats in
Muharraq were looted and burned and attempts were made to set alight a petrol filling station
in the middle of the bazaar. During the morning the Police made some arrests in Muharraq,
among the people who were arrested for obstructing the Police was Ibrahim Fakroo, a member
of the C.N.U.
Next day the situation was worse. Boats and machinery on a slipway owned by a British
firm were destroyed, the premises of A1 Khalij, a new British owned newspaper, were looted and
set on fire—the building belonged to His Highness—the Public Works office was set on fire and
the top floor collapsed in flames. An attempt was made to burn down the Catholic church,
which was prevented by the Police ; a second attempt, made later, was also unsuccessful, and
many empty houses, occupied by Europeans, were looted and burned. Persons in the crowd
used bombs known as “Molotof cocktails” which had never been seen m Bahrain before.
Muharraq was isolated for some days from Manama. Police patrols did what was possible to
restore order inside the town and British army units patrolled the roads around the town, but
the buildings which were attacked were far apart and usually by the time the Police arrived the
damage had been done. However, some arrests were made. The curfew order was effectively
enforced on the second day by the Police who used guns loaded with small shot to disperse
people who disobeyed the order. There were two or three slight casualties of this nature
during the disturbances.
On the night of November 5th and on the following morning five leading members of the
C.N.U. were arrested in their houses. Violent repercussions were expected but nothing
happened though the strike of workers continued and shops remained closed. Later, one of the
difficulties over resuming work at the oilfield was that no drivers could be found to drive the
’buses from Muharraq and Manama. The Government arranged for rice to be sold in the
villages as the country people, who depended on the Manama shops, had difficulty in obtaining
supplies.
Several times shops began to open but closed again owing to rumours of more disturbances.
The merchants were unwilling to take the risk of their property being damaged by opening their
shops, unless strong Police forces were stationed in the bazaar. In Muharraq, however, the
situation in the bazaar rapidly returned to normal though traffic between the two towns was
restricted.
During these days several of the leading supporters of the C.N.U. left Bahrain for Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar; some returned later, others were still abroad at the end of the year.
The C.N.U. was supposed to be supported by a second line of 100 members and they again
were supported by another group, but after the arrest of the leaders the second line supporters
seemed to fade into thin air. Completely normal conditions were not restored until the middle
of November.
On November 25th a rather clumsy attempt was made, in the night, to set fire to the
Adviserate, the man who carried it out was recognised by the Police and his car was identified.
He was arrested next day, on the pier, as he was leaving Bahrain for Kuwait.
The trial of the five members of the C.N.U. was held at Budeya on December 22nd and 23rd.
Budeya is a small town on the coast, about seven miles outside Manama. The trial was held
there because it was considered undesirable to hear the case in the Manama Court in the centre
of the town. The tribunal consisted of H.E. Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa, the Senior Appeal Judge
and Shaikh Daij bin Hamed and Ali bin Ahmed, the two Magistrates of the Bahrain High Court.
As many members of the public as it was possible to accommodate in the small room, were
admitted. The accused refused to admit the authority of the Court and refused to make any
statements or to examine any of the witnesses. Much of the evidence was documentary and
included notices and letters which were found in the possession of the men when they were
arrested. There were letters to a Minister of the Egyptian Government, written reports of
conversations between members of the C.N.U. and persons in Cairo and a document stating the
steps which were going to be taken, which included the killing of the Ruler and certain members
of his family and the Adviser. Three of the men, Shemlan, Baker and Alewat, were sentenced
to 14 years imprisonment and the other two were sentenced to ten years. In the past long-term
prisoners from Bahrain had been sent to the Anderman Islands. His Highness made a request
to the British Government that the three men who had been sentenced to 14 years should be
accommodated at some place outside Bahrain. Arrangements were made for them to be sent
to St. Helena. .
The sentence on the C.N.U. members was not viewed with much astonishment in Bahrain
where most people were fully acquainted with their activities. During the last month of the
year there was an almost visible feeling of relief among the Arabs of Bahrain who now felt that
they could return to their lawful occupations without fear of interference or threats.
C. DALRYMPLE BELGRAVE, Adviser to the Government.