'The Arms Traffic in the Persian Gulf' [‎36v] (15/62)

"Thvirka" on her return journey, to the British Consul at Muskat, the
oririnal port of lading. At the Sultan's request, the articles were transferred
to one of his representatives, and afterwards appear to have lieen icstoud t()
L nrioinal owners, certain local arms dealers, who subsequently engaged a
ilumber of dhows (including the " Fath-el-Rahman ") to transport these and
other arms to Koweit. The Italian Government were informed accoulinglj
on the 29th October 1908.
94 At Bahrein the effect of the prohibition of April 1898 (see paiagiaph 10
and Appendix V1L) was at once per-
Situation at Bahrein. ceptible in the Customs returns, the
total value of the imports of arms and ammunition, which had amounted to
30,8491. in 1897, falling to 313L in the following year. In October 1905
the Sheikh of Bahrein addressed a memorial to the Government ol
India, in which, among other alleged
1054/06. grievances, he complained of the fact
that he was obliged to interdict the sale of arms, and was thereby
deprived of an advantage enjoyed by all the Arab Chiefs along the
Arabian coast. He was informed in repl}*, in May 1906, that the restric
tion on the importation of arms at Bahrein had first been imposed in 1895
bv himself on his own initiative, and his attention was drawn to the
measures he had himself spontaneously taken from time to time to stop the
traffic. It was also pointed out to him that the Sheikh of Koweit and
the Sheikhs of the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. had similarly prohibited the traffic of arms
in their territory, and he was given to understand that the Government of
consider
moment the possibility of cancelling or
modifying the Agreement he had concluded with the British Government on
this point.
Nevertheless, there is every reason to believe that a considerable
amount of illicit arms traffic has gone on at Bahrein. In December 1906
the Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. furnished evidence that the port was rapidly
rising to importance as a centre of the trade, and that the arms business,
hitherto confined to one dealer, had been taken over by a Company, two of
the shareholders being friends of the Sheikh himself and opponents of
Customs reform.In the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Administration Report for the year
1906-07, the Resident noted that Bahrein was " quickly establishing its
" reputation as a convenient entrepot for the distribution of arms through
the small ports of the Persian littoral." Later reports indicated that
signs of ^ the illicit traffic were less apparent at Bahrein during the
years 1907 and 1908. But there was no reason to suppose that it had ceased
to exist.
25. As regards the situation on the North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. the Government
Situation on North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. India in 1901, in the course of the
1533/06 Mahsild blocka( ^ received " over-
1 • „ whelming evidence " of the arrival nf
large consignments of Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. arms and ammunition in Waziristan
eports receued from time to tim e from our frontier officers made it clear
hibited ^
Muharraq, m which the Chief s son is finmoiallr i ,V f I lsie ^ irded b y a Syndicate in
that Sheikh Isa himself is not quite ignorant of whir I;!' ere 18 reason to suppose
Pndeaux, in Administration Report for 1906-07. ^ m connectl on."—Captain
complaint formulated by SWkMsa iifth ^M incllCa ^ e tliat : in s P ite of the disingenuous
October 1905, an organLd ^ by him t0 ^vornLnt in
conjecture that the existence of this lucrative co^Jf ? 1 , e n . OW exists ' and even warrant the
highly taxed or contraband articles is one of rl, P1 l T n f ot c onl >' 111 arms but in other
unwillingness to allow any supervision or revision Sh, r ikh ^ * extraordinary
terms which primd facie would be extremelv ! CUSt0mS Admin ^tratit,n, even on
Administration Report for 1906-07. ^ advantageous to him."—Major Cox, in