EYE WITNESS TO INVASION OF KUWAIT ON 2ND AUGUST 1990. .

Seen in the above photos are different scenes of the Public Rally and Public Meeting Goans organised at Panjim, in Goa, India, on 12th November 1990, to protest over Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Photo 1, seen Goans coming from distant places in special buses to participate in the Rally.Photo 2, seen Goans gathered at Azad Maidan Panjim, in Sit-In Protest.
Photo 3, seen Goans in the Public Rally on the streets of capital city of Goa, Panjim. Photo 4, Public Address about to begin.
Photo 5, seen High Ranking Kuwaiti Officer from the Interior Ministry of Kuwait, Col Jumma Al-Kholifi, kissing the Kuwaiti Flag before addressing the huge Goan gathering at Azad Maidan, Panjim. He also along with other Kuwaitis participated in the Public Rally.
Photo 6, seen A. Veronica Fernandes - initiator and Convenor of Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center addressing the Public Meeting.

EYEWITNESS TO INVASION OF KUWAIT
PART - I.

(This is one of the chapters of my forthcoming book ‘GOA-KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER”. Since 02.08.09 is the 19th anniversary of the invasion of Kuwait, I am publishing this chapter in goa-kranti for its readers to read. AVF.)

2nd of August 1990 will be remembered in the history of this planet as one of the worst days, as the day of betrayal because on this day the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein betrayed Kuwait with a Judas Kiss. On this date Iraq a brotherly Islamic country betrayed another Islamic country Kuwait by invading it thru force against the sanctified principle of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) which forbids the use of force to settle bilateral disputes between the member countries. Since Kuwait and Iraq are also the members of OIC, Iraq should not have breached the sanctified principle of OIC. On this date, 2nd of August 1990, Iraq a brotherly Arab country betrayed another Arab country Kuwait by invading it thru force thereby trampling under its feet the principle of Arab League which forbids the use of force by the member countries against the other member countries to settle the bilateral disputes. On this date, 2nd of August 1990, Iraq with its mighty military power against the principles of Non Aligned Movement and also of United Nations, annexed Kuwait and converted Kuwait into its 19th Province naming it as "Khadeema". The naming of Khadeema was done when Xavier Perez De Cuellar the then Secretary General of UN was on his way, on behalf of World Body of which Iraq too was a member, to Iraq to meet Saddam Hussein to request him to withdraw his troops from Iraq and leave Kuwait into the hands of its original leadership. But Saddam Hussein even after accepting De Cuellar’s visit to Baghdad and its purpose made mockery of De Cuellar and also of UN by converting Kuwait into its 19th province on 8th August 1990.

During his stop-over in one of the Gulf countries before landing in Baghdad, when De Cuellar heard Saddam’s decision of converting Kuwait into Iraq’s 19th province, a disillusioned De Cuellar remarked “two minuses make one plus in Algebra but not in the case of Saddam Hussein when he made two minuses, one by invading Kuwait and the other by converting it into 19th province”. Both these two negatives do not make one positive for Iraq. Hence, it was wrong on the part of Saddam Hussein to magnetise Kuwait to Iraq. This was the view point of De Cuellar. As a member of NAM and UNO too, Iraq should have avoided use of force to settle its dispute with Kuwait. But, no, Iraq under Saddam Hussein by using its mighty military power trampled under its feet the principles of all the organizations namely of OIC, AL, NAM & UNO and invaded Kuwait.

A week prior to 2nd August 1990, on observing minutely atmosphere all around Kuwait, some gloomy situation was noticed. Stories started pouring in that Iraq has massed its troops near its border with Kuwait. But the threat was not magnified, even on the eve of invasion the magnitude of the Iraqi threat of invasion was played down as if nothing was happening. Though inner circle of Kuwaitis was tense as per trickling of the news thru the domestic servants who had very good access to all the secret informations from their top Kuwaiti bosses yet expatriates in general were unperturbed because they were not well informed of the real gravity of the events going on. Everything looked normal for an ordinary expatriate, at least expatriates were made to feel the same. My Goan friend Alfred D’Cruz ex Times of India, Bombay, working as Desk Editor for one of the local English Dailies, The Kuwait Times, said as usual he was working on his pages to complete the 2nd August issue. He was alerted only at about 11.00 p.m., when Kuwait Times office received a call from outside Kuwait from a media agency asking everything is o.k., in Kuwait? This made D’Cruz a little tense but as usual, after finishing his page he returned home late at night. While returning home, he noticed less flow of traffic on the roads.

Linda Martins, a young and pretty looking daughter of Alex Martins one of the senior Kuwait Goans, a well known Fine Artist, a renowned actor, director, producer and playwright who had unique distinction of producing from Kuwait the first Konkani Video Film “Guirestkai”, was traveling to Bombay by late night Kuwait Airways Flight on 1st August 1990 at about 11.00 p.m. When she went to the Airport, she found everything tense, the crowd thinned, the staff at the counter were making hurry for the passengers to finish their procedure fast and get inside, so too the Police Officers at the Emigration Counters. Linda did not sense the happenings outside but at the Airport the security officers and other police personnel gauged the situation. For this reason they were making hurry to allow the flight to take off without delay before anything untoward can happen to prevent the flight to take off.

On the eve of the invasion during the meeting between Iraq and Kuwait organized by Saudi King in Saudi Arabia to cement their differences on the prevailing situation between Iraq and Kuwait, nothing serious was disclosed to the residents in Kuwait though the said meeting ended in sour tone when Iraq delegation furiously walked out of the talks there. The Iraqi delegation for this meet was headed by Iraqi Deputy Premier Tareq Aziz who was the only Christian in Saddam Hussein’s Cabinet and was very close to his boss. I on my part thought nothing would happen for Kuwait. I myself thought that Iraq would never enter into Kuwait and for that matter why should Iraq invade Kuwait when Iraq is a brotherly country in race and religion? And moreover, Iraq has already recognized Kuwait as an independent State by establishing diplomatic ties with Kuwait even having opened its Embassy in Kuwait at a place called Shara Istiklal. Even though Iraq had created a very bad history in late fifties under its the then leader Abdul Kareem Qasim to invade Kuwait but all its sinister attempts were firmly thwarted by Kuwait with the help of British troops from Bahrain which came to the rescue of Kuwait then.

To be concluded.

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.

IN REPLY TO VERONICA'S WRITING ON MAID.

Thanks for your input Veronica.

Appreciate all the warnings you have given to the maids who intend to work in Kuwait. This issue has been going on for so many years now and still these Kuwaitis along with their wives seems to be so brutal to their timid maids. They do not have shame as once upon a time they were the ones who were crying on the street of Dubai for having lost their country into the hands of the Iraqis. Would they like others torturing them in the same way they torture their maids? My blood keeps boiling when I read these issues about them. THey are not humans when they create such brutality. They pray in the mosque like saints but behind the back act like devils in disguise. May God bring them back to their senses.

These days in Goa, they are showing a 10 year old girl, working as a maid, from Karnataka whose body is burnt by a Hindu engineer and his wife and her sister. If you see the picture you will weep. SHe has lost her father and was with her grandmother and to her bad luck she was taken to work for these cruel people. The news of this girl and the photos were seen by the ministers and discussions were going in the cabinet meeting to punish these culprits. Wife and sister are absconding and husband was caught but now released on bail. Digambar has rewarded the girl 25000 as compensation and utmost care is being taken of her in the GMC with the best services as possible. Hope God takes care of these down trodden.

Thanks once again for courageously taking up these issues on our behalf. It takes a lot of courage to write like this on the open forum as threats to life is always there. Keep up the good work.

Veronica, being an ex Kuwaitkar myself, I can rightly say that you are a lone person and an expatriate in Kuwait who is gifted by God to fight against the injustice committed on humanity in Kuwait. I know you and all your activities in Kuwait since I was in Kuwait much before you came. You are the only Goykar who worked for Goan causes sincerely. You are the unique individual who has got the capacity to unite Goans. None before you in Kuwait united Goans for Goan causes the way you did. First you united Goans for Konkani movement, then for Direct Flight from Kuwait to Goa, then for Goan soccer thru your writings, then for Tiatros and other Goan traditional Folk Songs festivals like Mando Festival, then under Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Movement, then for the issue of the release of Kuwait's POW's etc. These are the living examples of your contributions for the cause of Goans and their gathering together in a decent and disciplined manner. No Goan can do what you did. I support you in your campaign for the good of downtrodden.

Annie,
Goa.

MANILA MAID'S WOES IN KUWAIT.

First of all let me applaud Arab Times, Kuwait for publishing in its daily dated 19th inst. full report of the maltreatment meted out to the Manila “maid” by her Kuwaiti female employer. This is a very good exposure penned down by the writer Michelle Fe Santiago who deserves highest kudos for being courageous in writing this piece. By disclosing this sad story of the Manila maid, Arab Times once again proved how it is hell-bent in exposing the barbaric behaviour of barbaric maid employers in Kuwait.

Mahatmah Gandhi once said “the greatness of a society lies in the treatment it metes out to its weaker section”. To call Kuwaiti society great, what treatment it metes out to its weaker section? Is it magnanimous? Is it benevolent? Is it kind? Almost every now and then thru press reports and thru mouth to mouth propaganda we hear maids are treated very brutally in Kuwait. What is shocking is this that overwhelming majority of the members of this society is keeping silence over the harsh behaviour of the cruel Kuwaitis towards their treatment to their maids. This type of barbaric treatment to maids in Kuwait is become an accepted norm for many. After reading this news in Arab Times, members of Kuwaiti society must put their head down in shame. I cannot understand what ails this society. Inspite of such a loud noise scripted by Arab Times unfortunately there is no echo of this noise heard in Kuwait’s Parliament. Kuwait’s MP’s must raise this issue forcefully in the Parliament to eradicate such dastardly acts committed on innocent maids by the Kuwaiti employers and thereby create a fair image of Kuwait.

Very few expatriates in Kuwait have worked for the good cause of Kuwait and Kuwaitis as I have done along with my Goan brothers and sisters in Goa and in Kuwait as well during and after the invasion and liberation of Kuwait. I feel disappointed when I hear the cruelties committed by Kuwaitis on the weaker expatriates in Kuwait. I feel ashamed in front of Kuwait's enemies when I am already on record to declare openly and publicly that Kuwaitis are good people. In fact Kuwaitis as a whole are good but only the few among them are cruel who treat the expatriates badly and it is they who damage the good reputation of Kuwait and Kuwaitis.

Because of atrocities on maids, the good image of Kuwait and Kuwaitis is getting tarnished beyond reparation. The way the Kuwaiti lady sadistically ill treated her Manila maid it looked to me that she was having Devine Right over her maid to treat her the way she wanted. I don’t know what these hard hearted Kuwaitis think of themselves once they employ maids in their household!! All these disastrous happenings take place in Kuwait for the poor domestics because there is no strong official backing for the maids from the Labour Department. Generally speaking maids in Kuwait are not living a life of human beings but they just exist as tools to use by their employers. On Sundays I see many Kuwaiti security personnel sprinting aggressively this side and that side to arrest maids having no residence permits but with the same speed and with the same aggressiveness the law enforcers are not going about to catch those Kuwaiti employers who maltreat their maids.

I want this story published in Arab Times to spread all around the globe especially in the countries from where the maids are recruited. In India, Goa is one such a place from where very many maids are recruited and many of them due to their docile nature have meekly suffered untold misseries from the hands of their brute Kuwaiti employers. Taking liberty of Arab Times, I have already reproduced this story in “goa-kranti.blogspot.com” for Goans not only from Goa but also to those who are spread all around the globe and to other Indians as well to read the cruel side of Kuwaitis towards their maids. I hope others will also follow my idea to alert their women thinking to come to Kuwait to work as maids. Let the world know that Kuwait is no more a safe place for maids to work. For many it is like a Hell to work in Kuwait under the develish Kuwaiti employers who profess their religion which clearly forbids maltreatment to the weaker section of the society.

For my Goan females intending to come to Kuwait to work as Ayas, I have a piece of advice:

Avoid coming to Kuwait thru Maid recruting Agencies. These Agencies are irresponsible. Their only motto is to make money and maximise their profits. Example: See how the Manila Maid was rejected by the Agency when she asked for help.

Secondly, do not come to Kuwait to work as maids without knowing the background of your Kuwaiti employers. Find out thru your contact the credibility of your sponsor first and then only take your decision. Otherwise you may be a victim of humiliation and slavery.

Thirdly, when you come to Kuwait, see that you keep in contact thru telephone with your nearest and dearest in Kuwait so that during any difficulty you can atleast communicate outside.

Finally, in case you find your employer a barbaric in his treatment, communicate thru your Kuwait contact to NRI Commissioner in Goa or to Indian Embassy, Kuwait. Do not wait long to face the Hell from your employer in your work place. Manila maid unnecessarily waited for 2 long years to escape from the Lucifer in Hell to her Embassy.

While concluding, let me quote Prophet Mohammed (PBUH): When Prophet was asked when there will be justice in this world, came the reply within a split of a second saying "WHEN EVERYONE OF US WILL GATHER COURAGE TO FIGHT AGAINST THE INJUSTICE COMMITTED ON TO OTHERS AS IF THAT INJUSTICE IS COMMITTED ON TO US ONLY, THEN ONLY THERE WILL BE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD".

Innumerable Maids in Kuwait are suffering injustice. It is not my obligation alone to raise my voice against this inustice. Everyone of us must gather courage to raise our voice as indicated in the quote above.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.