European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Some of the More than 300,000 exiled kuwaitis now in saudi Arabia such As these two men and a child White away their time in five Star hotels in Dhahran. Steve Raymer National geographic kuwaitis on the run poured into Dhahran. Saudi. Arabia and its neighbouring cities at a rate of 200. To 300 a Day their Mercedes benzes bows. Range Rover suited High with suitcases and other belongings. A /. Today Jlse 100,000-plus kuwaiti s., Eastern province Are among the richest of the world More than 15 million refugees. A .1. \ a a luxury hotels arid Lon Gwalani apartment a a buildings they be created a min Boorn in the depressed. A local Economy y a. -. A a a a a a All told More than 300,000 kuwaitis fled to saudi Arabia after the iraqi invasion aug 2, according to of Licals of the Kuwait government in exile in a. Thousands More Are in neighbouring Bahrain Qatar and the United a in aft nearly half of Kuwait s prewar native population of about 825,000, a a Many appear resigned to a Long stay in exile that May a Strain lire Bonds of desert hospitality and Arab. Quot brotherhood say saudis involved in the Relief Effort. A a a Quot they Are our Arab Brothers so what can we do Quot asks a i a major Oil company who spoke on the a condition of anonymity. A. Y y tiny City state of Kuwait As one of the world s 15 wealthiest countries a largely because of its Oil reserves and investments a with a yearly income averaging about. $13,400 a person. A Quot. A some economists factoring in the Large numbers of Low paid foreign workers who do menial jobs say the figure for kuwaitis alone should be considerably higher a Wilt Oil reserves of at least 90 billion barrels Kuwait has invested its riches in everything from chains of filling. Stations in Europe to resort developments and a Railroad in the United Stales. Quot but their arrogance and wealth still at the Ai Gas Alibi. Hotel in Dhahran Ore of Throe five. A Star hotels that Are packed with recent arrivals from. A a Kuwait a Whito Rolls Royce convertible discharges its affluent Pas Congers a y a Many kuwaiti women entrust their bub is to thai and filippa maids who escaped with them. A the maids walk the hotel corridors and lobbies Wilh the plump under their arms. Quot in our country realty we have every Lomg veiled Mother of two in her Early 20s complains. A a. Quot living in a place that is not your own is not a to ease the discomfort the Kuwait Hea sury through its investment Arm in London stakes Hie new Ai ovals in a saudi Arabia to a week in a posh hotel then gives them a $1,300.furniture allowance about $500 a month for rent a a and a monthly living allowance of about$00 of four. A a. A before the August invasion the world Bank ranked the a most exiled kuwaitis in Dhahran spend their Days. Visiting saudi friends,.shopping or passing the time in the privacy of ail male or All female groups called in search of family and friends they Page through the daily lists of new arrivals that Are posted in hotel lobbies. Some kuwaiti women Busy themselves running kindergartens that have been set up in apartment hallways and Are festooned with drawings of Kuwait s ruler Sheik Jaber Al Sabah. A. A. ?. And some kuwaitis work for their government in exile not All of them have an easy time of it As wad 30, an English speaking official of the Kuwait information office in Dhahran testifies. 5. Quot i have to keep hold of myself through work Quot says a wad a banker who was of Germany with his wife and daughter when the iraqis struck his country. Now a son is left behind in Kuwait City with grandparents and Ewade a wife is on the verge of unemotional breakdown he says. Quot. A a a Quot fearing iraqi reprisals wad insists that his family a a name not to printed. A a a a. A a a a a his apartment built by the government but during saudi arabians Oil fuelled Boom of the a a 1900s,. Is furnished with Tow cushioned sofas favored Inaray countries a television a videocassette recorder and assorted German and Kitchen appliances the Kuwait information office has hired a Washington based Public relations ensure that the hundreds of foreign journalists reporting from saudi Arabia receive a a. Constant Stream of material on everything from iraqi. Atrocities to the kuwaiti air Force in training. A a. To help convince world opinion that Kuwait is a country / and cause Worth dying for the government in exile has hired seven International Public relations firms. The largest of them Hill amp know ton in c of , packages pages of fact sheets videocassettes and. Photographs on such Kuwait s Quot top gun fighter pilots who regularly Are available for interviews alongside their aging a-4 sky Hawks emblazoned with the slogan Quot free a a . Most of. The kuwaiti air Force escaped in the first hours. A of the iraqi invasion and is training today under saudi supervision. ,. Some Young male kuwaiti refugees have volunteered for military training at a base in Eastern saudi Arabia run. A by remnants of the kuwaiti army and by . Special a forces. Y a a a. A a a. A a desert Camp about 600 kuwaiti youths Are being trained for House to House Street fighting by kuwaiti army. Officers. Y a. A the 30-Day course is heavy on military Drill and martial a arts but some recruits say they have yet to fire their g3. Rifles after three weeks of training. A y a _ a col Saadi Fateh Camp commander Calls the trainees a Quot civil guards Quot who May be sent to the saudi kuwaiti . Border a a -. A y. A. Quot a about 1,000 members of Kuwait s former army Are now on the front lines says faleh a Veteran of i her 1973, Arab israeli War a. Fearful that kuwaiti pilots might touch off a War Wilh an a attack on iraqi positions the saudi ministry of defense a a does not allow armed training missions by the Quot free. Kuwait air Force according to american advisers at an air a base in Eastern saudi Arabia. A a ., British French and saudi pilots a a combat air patrols armed with air to air missiles and a a cannons. We Doh t want to ignite a War unless it s firm everybody is ready Quot says it col. Abdulla Sultan,-40, deputy1. Operations officer of the kuwaiti detachment. If we ignite it and everybody is relaxed they might turn against . A. Y a a for now the relatively relaxed atmosphere keeps a Dhahran s shopping mails and supermarkets brimming with kuwaiti refugees a a. Across the 15-mile King Saiid causeway in nearby a Bahrain an american educated business Man surveys the after his kuwaiti cousins arrive at his. Apartment with tales of horror and tons of belongings. A. They re my relatives a he says Quot so i have to put up with them.�?�. A. R Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday december 29,1990
