Nightmare of the 1990 Invasion

Photo: Remains of a Iraqi convoy on the Jahra Highway, Kuwait, during the Gulf War 1990

Nightmare of the 1990 Invasion

-By Esparansa Crasto, Kuwait

August 2nd, 1990 was not like any other day.

It was a day Iraq invaded Kuwait. Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait with the apparent aim of acquiring Kuwait’s large oil reserves.

The most horrible part was to experience the invasion.

I was a happy little girl living in Kuwait with my parents and brother. Not in our wildest dreams did we think that we would have to face a traumatic Invasion.

2nd August 1990

We were woken up by a bomb explosion at around 5 o’clock in the morning. Our flat was on the 4th floor, the building just opposite His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah's palace (Sharq). The explosion shook our building. We dashed to the windows to look if we could see anything outside. There were jet planes flying all around at low heights. We wondered for a moment what it was all about and discarded it to be a rehearsal by the Kuwaiti soldiers.

The next moment, our telephone rang. It was my aunt who lived in another area. I answered it and came to know what had happened. I informed my family that Iraqis had entered Kuwait.

“What’s so great about that!” My brother exclaimed, “They always come and go out of Kuwait.”

We laughed not realizing the intensity of the situation or what was to happen next.

None of us took the news seriously and hence dad left for work as usual. Later, we realized what my aunt said was true. The Iraqis were not just visiting Kuwait, they had captured Kuwait. There were shootings everywhere.

We looked further down the road towards the Sheikh’s palace. There were explosions there and part of the palace was in smoke. We came to know later that Sheikh Jaber’s life was saved as he had escaped the attack earlier that morning.

My mother, brother and I watched scenes of frightful shooting going on just outside our building. Our windows were quite large, so we could watch everything clearly. Hundreds of Kuwaiti soldiers were captured and made to sit with hands over their heads on the open ground in front of our building. A number of helicopters flew overhead like shoals of fish in the sea.

Iraqi army tanks were everywhere while a helicopter hovered just a few feet above our building. One of the soldiers in the helicopter saw us watching from the window and screamed from the skies. My mother immediately pulled us away from the window as another soldier pointed his rifle at us. Next moment, the window pane was a sound of splintered glass. It was a gunshot. We were shocked, and stunned by such a narrow escape. If my mother hadn't pulled us away, any one of us could have been shot. Later, we found the bullet had ripped through a booklet of Mother Mary.

The telephone rang again.

We were relieved to hear dad’s voice. He confirmed that Iraq had indeed invaded Kuwait but failed in their main mission of killing the Sheikh. Dad also said that he was trying to return home inspite of the Iraqi soldiers blocking the roads, and unnecessarily killing and beating up innocent people.

At about 10.00 am an armed battalion of Iraqi soldiers entered our building. Their guns had shining, sharp knives at the top of the barrels. Some of the soldiers were badly wounded. They ordered all the people in the building to be assembled together. Everyone obeyed as the shooting continued across the street.

One Egyptian man in our building communicated with the Iraqis and served them snacks and cold drinks. We were told that everyone could leave the building if we wanted to. Just then, we saw a Kuwaiti being shot dead right next to the building. His body lied there covered with white cloth. It was a terrible sight...

Watching these horror incidents, almost everybody in the building decided to stay back inside instead of risking their lives in the open. When the Iraqis were told this, they loaded the building elevator with bombs which would be detonated if the ‘Lift’ was used.

It was noon and our building was still detained. My mother requested the officers to allow her to telephone dad so she could inform him to avoid coming to the building or using the 'Lift'. Two soldiers pointed their guns at her head while she spoke over the phone.

Finally, the soldiers left the building at around 4 pm.

The whole night we neither ate nor slept. We were frightened, thinking we would be either captured or killed. We just kept praying, too scared even to talk loudly or look out through the windows.

Dad was stuck up at his work place for 3 continuous days. We spoke to him over the phone and kept assuring him that all was well at our end. He was back with us safely on the 4th day. We hugged him, happy to see him with us again.

From that day onwards, not a day passed without the shooting. Every night was full of fears and the days full of unexpected happenings. There was a curfew imposed by the Iraqis in the locality; anyone seen on the streets after 7.30 pm would be shot dead.

We stayed this way for 2 months, thinking the Iraqis would leave and life would be peaceful again. We kept one traveller's bag with just our passports and a set of clothes ready to flee at first opportunity.

Local newspapers and media had come to an absolute end. Iraqi channels were telecast on Kuwait TV. There was no communication with our granny and all our dear ones back home in Goa. We came to understand through the Indian Embassy announcement that Indians were asked to leave as there were signs of further escalation to the situation and an approaching war.

We finally set out to leave Kuwait. We reached our homeland after 9 long days of staying in camps in our journey from Kuwait through Iraq to Jordan from where we boarded a flight to India.

There were heavy showers as our plane landed Bombay. My brother was ecstatic as he yelled with joy for everyone on board to hear, “Look! Our motherland is crying happy tears today for we are back to our country safe and alive.”

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(The above article was first published in a college magazine)

About the writer: Esparansa Crasto
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SECOND AUGUST.

SECOND AUGUST.

Second of August will go down in the history of mankind not only as the date of brutal invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq but also the date of betrayal. On this date in 1990 one Arab country Iraq betrayed another Arab country Kuwait, one Muslim country Iraq betrayed another Muslim country Kuwait, with a Judas kiss. Incidentally both countries are members of OIC which forbids settlement of bilateral disputes thru the military force. Inspite of helping Iraq in diverse ways, how the Bathist regime of Saddam Hussein dared to invade Kuwait was beyond my comprehension. Though Iraq invaded Kuwait and made its citizens miserable yet I admired them for facing this invasion so boldly and keeping full trust in their leadership in regaining their motherland. In this invasion there was not only the betrayal of one country by another country but in this invasion the human tendency of Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ was surfaced openly. In this invasion, to put it figuratively, I also saw my own brother, my own sister, my own parents and other family members deserting me with a shock of betrayal which I was never expecting. In this invasion the real human character was exposed when almost everyone deserted us. The invasion of Kuwait will remain in the history as Synonym with Betrayal.

I am from Goa and during the period prior to the invasion of Kuwait, many of us used all our energies and resources to help financially the needy in Goa. The major beneficiaries of our aid were priests and nuns. But when we were caught in the invasion and many of us were turned pauper our evaluation was done very cheaply by all those who received so much of financial aid from us. The very priests and nuns and the very people who received so much of donations from us started taunting us the moment Kuwait went into the hands of Iraq. We from Kuwait financed Konkani movement, built Hospitals, Schools, Church Projects, Community Halls and aided many other projects for the cause of community. The enormous donation for the establishment of monthly magazine “Gulab” and its Printing Press was raised by us from Kuwait. But unfortunately, none of the recipients of our donations openly sided with us in Goa. During the invasion of Kuwait for so many months in Goa we were involved actively in organizing our movement to raise Goan voice in support of the liberation of Kuwait by putting pressure on the Government of India to openly condemn Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and to support loudly the process of liberation of Kuwait.

While we were actively campaigning so hard by organizing our public meetings and rallies none of the recipients of our donations associated with us. The then editor of “Gulab” who not only not associated with us inspite of coming so many times to Kuwait to collect huge funds for his Press but he also taunted us for our plight and used Gulab to belittle the donors. My biggest regret goes on Goa Church and its priests who were keeping a distance from us when we were organizing our movement though in other movements, public rallies and public meetings they were the first to come on to the streets of Goa in huge number. There is a campaign now, in our midst, going on to collect funds for “Gulab” who’s the then editor never supported us openly. Some of the people involved in this fund collection campaign were equally guilty of not supporting openly and publicly our cause for the sake of Kuwait from where they earned and still earning their sustenance. By acting thus they showed their true unGoan colours towards Kuwait. Goans in Kuwait who got love and gratitude for Kuwait must reject them. In one way at least I have already rejected them by saying NO to their request for an interview for Gulab because I cannot be cheap with cheap people having traitors mentality. It is a shame for a true lover and supporter of Kuwait to accede to the wishes of the traitors.

Another betrayal that I noticed was from our own family members in the aftermath of invasion of Kuwait. It was during this period that I noticed how parents deserted sons who earlier helped them so much financially; wives deserting husbands and husbands to wives, girlfriends leaving boyfriends and vice versa, sisters rejected brothers and brothers rejected sisters, friends disowning friends and recipients of donations repelling the donors. All for the sake of money because with the invasion of Kuwait many of us have lost our financial power and hence we were rejected. Good that Kuwait was liberated in 7 months only otherwise the fate of many of us would have been terrible. As it is with our own eyes I have seen how so many people suffered because they were not recalled back to Kuwait.

Kuwait is like an Oasis for many of us who are thirsty for money. This is the country that made Heroes of many of our Zeroes. This is the country that elevated social and financial status of many of us. To work here and come up in life one does not need the same requirements as they are required back at home. The biggest beneficiary of employment in Kuwait was the person coming from financially backward segment. The financially weak person receives strength when he comes to Kuwait. I was also weak and like me innumerable people working in Kuwait though however much they may show their false pride in their high status back at home. I am grateful to Kuwait for giving me what I could not get back at home though like others I am working hard to gain my sustenance under very difficult conditions. For this reason as a sign of gratitude, with the help of our colleagues and friends we showed our open solidarity with Kuwait by organizing a movement under “GOA–KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER” which was never supported by any of the recipients of our donations including the then editor of Gulab nor those who are on forefront now to collect this fund.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

NRI Santano Afonso airs his views on UIEL - Panjim.

From: santana afonso
Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 12:18 AM
To: goa.kranti@gmail.com


English institute not fake: faculty. What a tajurba? Without knowing the existence of the Universal Institute of English Language (UIEL) in Panjim Goa, which has been religiously offering good services to its students since its inception 2004, our Goa NRI Cell Chairman, Mr. John de Silva clarified that the institute is a faked and do not exist in Panjim Goa at all, said Ms. Sampada Pai. Even it had appeared in the Goan newspaper ‘O Herald’ on 26^th July 2008 “Bid to con Arab student foiled; Goa Institute turns fake”.

When I read the news on 26^th July 2008 on Herald, that a Qatari student enrolled at the institute was denied a visa by the Indian Embassy in Qatar due to the suspicious of the credentials of the institute.The Indian Embassy referred the case to the President of Qatar’s Goan Welfare Association, Mr. Simon D’silva to enquire about the institute’s existence in Goa. After checking with NRI Cell Goa as said, Mr. John de Silva, who informed him by email that the building given in the institute’s address do not exist and no contact could be made by telephone. On that day, I said to myself; in Goa, it cannot be…..and how come our goans would do the fake things to the Gulf Arabs? 90% of Goans are always grateful to all the Gulf Arabs because we earn our livings from these gulf oil countries.

As Ms. Sampada Pai who runs the institute clarified that their institute is not faked as claimed by the chairman of NRI Cell Goa, Mr. John de Silva who was quoted in the news item. Whereas Ms. Sampada said; our institute is registered with the authorities concerned and is operating from Flat No. 5 D, 5^th Floor, Neelkamal Arcade, near Rajdhani Hotel, Panjim – Goa. All our instructors are available in the institute office from 8 am to 8 pm on all working days. Ms. Sampada said that she suspected that some elements may be involved in tarnishing the image of the institute. The phones all are working and even the building exists in Panjim-Goa and we never received any phone call from Mr. John de Silva.

Jealousy is always in the blood of every goans either in Goa and worldwide. We never like to have the unity that’s why we have many organizations and associations between ourselves. Sometimes back in Kuwait a GOA NRI Cell’s delegation had visited and promised many things that they will adopt after listens the pleas of the overseas goans, such as Voting rights, Voting Cards, Less Airfares and many others, etc. NRI Cell fails to their promises and moreover they promised to their loyal friends who treat them while they were in the Gulf, Middle East, Europe and America with RRI Awards who do not deserve at all without consulting the NRI goans and nominations. Atlas, many NRI goans would be happy if the current chairman resigns from the post for the better.

Santana Piedade Afonso,
Kuwait/Goa.