KUWAIT CITY, March 11: Amid heavy security presence and in defiance of the warning issued by the Interior Ministry, the stateless residents (Bedouns) staged demonstrations after Friday prayers in Sulaibiya, Taima and Ahmadi areas demanding their civil rights.

Waving Kuwaiti flags, singing National Anthem and holding placards which read ‘Allah, the Nation, the Amir,’ ‘Kuwaitis, Kuwaitis, not Bedoun, not Bedoun,’ and ‘Stateless since 50 years, we demand citizenship,’ the demonstrators blocked streets leading to the areas.

On Thursday, Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hmoud warned more than 100,000 Bedoun residents that the ministry will deal swiftly with any protest and urged them not to hold demonstrations for the sake of the country’s security. The minister promised that Bedouns will be granted their social and civil rights within the next two weeks, as well as citizenship to deserving individuals.


The demonstrators, however, defied the warning and chanted slogans criticizing the government and the Parliament for not approving their civil and social rights. Nearly 500 demonstrators protested in Taima and 400 others in Sulaibiya and Ahmadi areas.

In Sulaibiya, the demonstration started immediately after Friday prayers and protesters marched from Sulaibiya mosque to the main street. Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Mahmoud Al-Dousari and Assistant Director of Jahra Security Brigadier Mohammed Al-Daeen called on the demonstrators to end the march and disperse. The demonstrators, however, did not heed to the demand and shouted slogans “We will not go until the problem is solved.” The Special Forces then went to the demonstration site between Block 3 and 6 in Sulaibiya and fired teargas, while securitymen arrested 40 demonstrators. The demonstrators then dispersed, but regrouped in separate locations within the area and the Special Forces had to chase them among the houses. A number of youths sustained injuries during the process and some of them were given treatment on the site while others had to be taken to hospital. The chase continued until 6 pm.



Disperse
In Taima, Special Forces tried to disperse the demonstrators using tear-gas when some Bedouns broke billboards and pelted stones.

There was mixed reaction from lawmakers on the issue, with some MPs blaming the government for using force on peaceful demonstrators while other MPs said the demonstrators were exploiting freedom of speech to encroach upon Kuwait and its sovereignty and are harming the stability and security of the country.
MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah said the government’s manner of handling the issue shows that it is not serious about solving the problem. All the promises it made so far have proved useless, he said, adding it has become necessary to grant Bedouns their civil rights without any delay.

Speaking on the issue, MP Mubarak Al-Waalan said I wonder what the people opposing Bedouns’ rights want? Expressing astonishment at the way securitymen dealt with demonstrators, he called on the minister of interior not to listen to voices encouraging him to use excessive force against unarmed people.
Meanwhile, MP Dr Aseel Al-Awadhi posted a message on Twitter, saying the right to demonstrate is a human right that should not be suppressed, and the Interior Ministry should deal with it wisely and according to the law without violence.

MP Hassan Jowhar categorically rejected the use of teargas and force against demonstrators and said the protest sites should not be converted into war zones. “The interior minister, more than anyone else, should know that repression does not work and we hope he will make political efforts to solve the Bedoun problem,” he added.

MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan appealed to the minister of interior not to use force against unarmed people while MP Musallam Al-Barrak criticized the government for using teargas and batons and said it broke its promise of resolving the issue before March 8.

MP Adnan AbdulSamad said the government’s ignoring of human rights of Bedouns had increased complexity of the problem and using of violence will worsen the situation. The only solution is to understand and accept their humanitarian demands, he added.

MP Adel Saraawi, however, opposed the protests, saying freedom of opinion in the country should not be exploited to infringe upon Kuwait and its sovereignty. “What the stateless residents are doing is the result of incitement by some and this shows that the issue is not about civil or social rights, but a demand for random naturalization which we reject of course,” he stated.

MP Dr Salwa Al-Jassar called the Bedoun demonstration ‘unacceptable,’ because it will derail efforts of solving their problems. Stating that she supports Bedouns’ rights, she called on the Interior Ministry to ensure security in the country and foil some people’s attempts to harm security and stability of the country.

Agencies add:
Kuwait’s elite anti-riot police on Friday used tear-gas to disperse hundreds of stateless Arab protesters who were demanding citizenship and other rights.
Stateless Arabs, known locally as Bedouns and estimated at more than 100,000, protested last month for three consecutive days until officials gave them assurances that their grievances would be addressed.
But Parliament on Tuesday refused to debate a draft bill that would give them civil rights.
Stateless Arabs claim entitlement to Kuwaiti citizenship, but the government calls them “illegal residents” and bars them from work.
Kuwait launched a crackdown on the Bedouns in 2000, depriving them of basic rights including the right to health, education and jobs, in a bid to force them to reveal what the authorities say are their true identities.
Many Bedouns have no right to a driving licence, cannot get birth certificates for their babies or death certificates for the dead. They are also banned from getting their marriage contracts attested.
Because of stringent government restrictions, a majority of them are living in dire economic conditions in oil-rich Kuwait, where the average monthly salary of native citizens is more than $3,500 (2,575 euros).