ملف ١/١٤ "قضايا القرصنة والمخالفات البحرية" [و‎‎٣‎٢] (٦١٠/٦٣)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.
FOREIGN DEPARTMENT.
SECRET.
External.
To
The Right Hon’ble JOHN MORLEY, O.M.,
Ris Majesty's Secretary of State for India.
m
Stmt,a, the 12th September 1907.
9
Sir, (
We have the honour to forward herewith a copy of correspondence with
the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf on the subject of two acts of serious
and brutal piracy committed by Arabs residing at Dayir, a place on the coast of
Persia about 100 miles south of Pushire.
2. In November 1906,* the pirates attacked a native boat belonging to
the Persian port of Shivoh between Keis
* ride enclosure No. 6. island and Taona. They killed all the
crew except one boy who escaped after being left for dead, and seized the cargo
which was valued at Rs. b,UUU. In
January 1907,t the pirates captured a
Koweit boom, sailing from Basrah to Koweit. After murdering the crew and
passengers who numbered 29, they carried oif the cargo and abandoned the
boom which was subsequently found stranded on the island of Amair.
3 The Political Resident made representations on ttie subject of the first
piracy to the Derya Begi, but as they produced no result he telegraphed to the
Minister at Tehran and informed him of what had happened. At the same
time he requested the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf to proceed to
T) a yir, and make enquiries. The local authorities at Dayir, when _ questioned
bv "Captain Bowman, denied all knowledge of the piracy, but from information
subsequently received it appears that, on the very day when the Sphinx
called at Dayir, the Chief of the pirates was in Dayir and was staying with the
Khan of that place. On the 16th of June 1907, His Majesty’s Minister
a v informedJ the Resident that he could hold
t ride enclosure No. 4. 0ut nQ k 0 p es that useful action would he
taken by the Persian Government in the matter at present.
4 It is true that in the first case the victims were Persian subjects and
that it might he supposed that the Persian Government would themselves take
steps to secure redress for their own subjects from the pirates residing within
“L correspondence ending with y onr Secret their jurisdiction. The British Govern,
despatch No. 2 , duted the 1st February lyo?. ment have, however, acknowledged§ a
general obligation for the preservation of the maritime peace of the Gulf, and
it is their object to secure the suppression of piracy in Gulf waters It would,
therefore, in our opinion, be our duty, even if British interests or the interests
of British-protected persons were not primarily concerned, to take all possible
action with a view to scattering the Dayir gang. And in the case of the second
offence we consider that we are under a special obligation in this instance,
because some subjects of the Sheikh of Koweit to whom we are bound, under
,1 Secret de.pa.ch No. 35 (E.te.oai), the Agreement^ of 23rd January 1899, to
dated the 23rd February 1899. extend OUF good offices^ have been robbed
and murdered bv the pirates.