Dhow survivor rejects payout
Manama, July 1, 2010
The Indian, who lives in Dubai, had travelled to Manama to specifically attend the latest hearing in his civil compensation case.
He had been summoned to the Lower Civil Court along with two witnesses, a Bahraini and a Briton.
The Bahraini testified in court, but as no Arabic speaking translator was available, the British man was unable to give evidence.
Judges then offered the survivor BD1,000 in compensation to close the case, but adjourned the case until September when he rejected it.
'Obviously I rejected it because it doesn't even cover my costs as I have travelled to Bahrain twice,' he said on condition of anonymity.
'My lawyer told me they would also take off the court fees and I would probably be left with about BD200.
'I'm not sure what to say, it seems like nobody is interested in resolving the issue - it has already been four years.
'Nobody seems to be taking things seriously, they are just mucking about.'
The 32-year-old said the worst part about delays in resolving the case was being made to re-live the horrifying events of the tragedy in the build-up to the hearings.
'What happened on that day (of the disaster) was tragic, but what is happening now is even more tragic,' he told our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN).
'We (the survivors) are trying to make sure something like this doesn't happen again and one of the ways is by making sure that the people culpable have a price to pay.'
A group of more than 20 people involved in a separate compensation case are also awaiting a verdict, which is expected this month after numerous adjournments.
Fifty-eight people died in the Al Dana disaster when the dhow capsized during a Nass, Murray and Roberts party to celebrate completion of concreting work at the Bahrain World Trade Centre on March 30, 2006.
The South African company had hired the vessel from Island Tours, which in turn leased it from the Abdulla Al Kobaisi Company for Travel and Tourism.
Al Kobaisi and the dhow's Indian captain, Rajendra Kumar Ramjibhai, were both convicted of manslaughter.
The latter was sentenced to three years in jail, but was released early due to good behaviour in August 2008 and deported.
Al Kobaisi was sentenced to five years in jail, but was spared prison after offering to compensate survivors of the tragedy and the relatives of victims.
At least 30 survivors are involved in civil claims for compensation, including Bahrainis, Britons, South Africans, Indians, Pakistanis, a Filipino, Thai and Taiwanese among others. This includes 25 people involved in a group action and five others, including the Indian, who have launched a separate claim against the dhow owner.-TradeArabia News Service
