Page 443 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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PASSPORT DEPARTMENT
(From the report by Mr. Kadhim Asfoor, Passport Officer.)

The total revenue in 1366 was Rs. 25,612. The cost of maintaining the Passport Department
was Rs. 21,700. The principal source of revenue was from passports of which 3,100 were issued to
Bahrain subjects ; Rs. 3,396 was collected from miscellaneous forms.
Almost 600 pilgrims went to Iraq and Persia, visiting the Shia shrines in those countries but
only 30 pilgrims from Bahrain went to Mecca. During the previous year over 100 people did the
pilgrimage to Mecca. The number of persons who landed in Bahrain was 26,779; of these 20,668 came
by dhows and launches, 4,787 came in steamers and 1,324 by aircraft. At the beginning of the diving
season 557 Persian divers, who were employed by Bahrain Nakhudas, were allowed to land; after the
diving they returned to their own country. Members of the Ruling Family and the Naim tribe, the
latter move between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, were issued with 1,340 free passports.
During the year 26 applications for Bahrain nationality were received; Bahrain nationality
was granted in all but one case. Most of the people who became Bahrain citizens were Persians who
had lived for many years in the country. Bahrain nationality is only granted to foreigners who have
lived for not less than ten years in the country and who own immovable property.

Numbers of persons continued to enter Bahrain without passports in spite of the vigilance of
the passport staff and the police coastal patrols, in most cases they came from Persia via Dubai and
Qatar. Traffic in illegal immigrants from Persia continued to be a lucrative source of revenue for
Qatar Nakhudas who dumped parties of Persians, men, women and children, not only on unfrequented
stretches of the coast but sometimes on shoals and sandbanks in the sea where they were in danger of
drowning.
There was a great influx of foreigners into Bahrain during the year. An unusually large number
of Indians from Hindustan and from Pakistan entered the country, many were said to be relations
of people living in Bahrain. Some of the Indians set up as tailors, barbers and jewellers. Over 1,200
subjects of the Shaikh of Qatar and 750 subjects of the Shaikh of Dubai entered the country, carrying
travel documents from their States ; probably a great many more came in without documents. Those
from Dubai were mostly Persians. Bahrain is still regarded by many of the Arabs of the Gulf and the
dwellers on the Persian coast as a place where the pavements are paved with gold. Most of this
influx of people came to Bahrain to find work. At present there is plenty of work in the country for
unskilled labourers but any increase in the large Persian colony which is mainly centred in Manama is i
regarded as being politically undesirable by the Bahrain Government. When the census of Bahrain
was taken in 1359 (1941) the population was found to be 90,000; in 1365, according to the rationing
statistics, it was 104,000, it is now probable that the population greatly exceeds this last figure.
Restrictions which had been imposed by the Bahrain Government on people leaving the country
in order to work in Saudi Arabia were lifted during the summer and over 1,300 Bahrain
subjects crossed to Saudi Arabia because they were attracted by the prospect of higher wages than
those which they earned at home. It was thought that unskilled labourers were being paid twice
the amount which they received in Bahrain for work near the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia border. Many
of the young men who went abroad have since returned as although they found the wages higher than
at home they found the cost of living still higher.
3,986 dhows and launches arrived in Bahrain during 1366. All the passengers and crews were
registered in the passport department; this, and the arrival of aircraft at different times by day and
by night, involved a considerable amount of work on both week days and holidays.