'File E5. Murder of Sheikh Selman bin Diaij and 25 others on the 3rd December 1900 at Deraya by the Behaih' [‎114r] (227/252)

No. 2 of 1906.
GOVERNMENT OP INDIA.
FOREIGN DEPARTMENT.
EXTERNAL.
To
T he R ight H on'ble JOHN MORLEY, O.M.,
His Majesty's Secretary of State for India.
F ort W illiam, the 4th January 1906.
S ir,
We have the honour to transmit to you copies of a despatch* from the
• No. 43i, dated the 9th September iocs. Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
together with previous correspondence as
19 ?^ r ,. , ^ n , marked in the margin relating to the
Pereion OuTf, No" 107! I 116811011 of obtaining reparation for the
1905 with enclosures. murder of certain Bahreinis by members
(3) Letter from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the nf tliP H o I iqi 'V i fr-i'Vi/i «« ^ ' i i
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , No. 432, dated the 10th September . litliaill triDC On the mainland
1905, with enclosures. opposite the island of Bahrein.
The Political^gent at Bahrein has examined the question afresh in view
of its more recent developments, and it will be seen from his report to
Major Cox that he has arrived at the following conclusions:—
(a) That if Sheikh Esa is now given the free hand, hitherto withheld, to
exact reparation from the Behaih himself, he must necessarily
violate territory under Turkish influence in the process, or raise
the question of the status of El Katr in an acute lorm.
{h) That reprisals on Sheikh Esa's part, if effective, will further aggravate
the existing feud.
{c) That judging by recent experience, it is doubtful whether the latter's
men would face any serious fighting. They would more probably
do no more than murder a few innocent people.
For these reasons he deprecates the grant of permission to Sheikh Esa to
settle accounts with the Behaih accordicg 10 his own ideas.
As an alternative he suggests that we should press the Porte energetically
on the Sheikh's behalf for pecuniary compensation and demand prompt payment
of the Rs. 38,600 due. This amount includes Rs. 2,400 dollars blood-money for
the lives of Sheikh Esa's three relations; a form of relief which the Sheikh has
hitherto declined to accept, but which the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. apparently suggests
should be pressed on him. Captain Prideaux also recommends that the TuHdsh
authorities be called upon to intern for a time several of the Behaih, as a
guarantee for the future good behaviour of the tribe, and suggests that, if the
yw I^orte expresses its iuability to take this course and at the same time delays pay
ment of the compensation demanded, we should retaliate by declining to recog
nise any claim on their part to exercise jurisdiction in the maritime tract
between Sal wa Bay and Katif and also presumably in the Katar peninsula
x except at A1 Bidaa ; and that we should notify our intention to take measures
to deal with the tribes direct, preferably by the institution of a blockade of the
Dthaharan and. Katar coasts.
Major Cox substantially concurs in Captain Prideaux's recommendations
except as regards the proposed blockade of the Dthaharan and Katar coasts;