Sandhurst recruits are about to get a new sports facility thanks to the King of Bahrain.
Britain’s world-famous officer training school, Sandhurst, has accepted a £3m donation from the King of Bahrain, despite global criticism of the regime following a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators last year.
Documents obtained by the Bureau reveal the top military training establishment was in negotiations with the regime about the donation throughout 2011. It received the money in January 2012 and sent a gushing letter thanking the King of Bahrain for his generosity at the beginning of summer.
The academy, which is responsible for training British Army officers, is using the donation to build a sports hall which is due to open early next year. It will be named in the country’s honour.
The donation is part of a long-standing relationship between the Bahraini royal family and Sandhurst. The King, Hamad bin Essa Al Khalifa, was trained at the Surrey-based academy, as are a select group of Bahraini military personnel each year.
‘It is disgraceful that the British government should allow the King of Bahrain to fund Sandhurst’
Jeremy Corbyn MP
The King has also been a patron of the Sandhurst Foundation, the academy’s alumni charity, since 2007. He twice donated a fee of £69,975 to the Foundation in 2011 and 2012.
The Sunni regime, which rules over the Shia majority, was criticised after the Saudi National Guard were deployed to crush pro-democracy protests that started in February 2011, sparked by the Arab Spring movement. Hospital staff were arrested for helping protestors and many are still on trial.
Jeremy Corbyn MP condemned the decision to accept the donations.
‘Bahrain has an appalling human rights record and even now medical practitioners are on trial for helping victims,’ he said.
Bahrain protests / Al Jazeera English
‘It is disgraceful that the British government should allow the King of Bahrain to fund Sandhurst and it seems there is a completely different set of standards on human rights relating to Bahrain, compared to many other states in the Gulf and Middle East region.’
The MoD has provided training for 77 Bahraini military personnel at Sandhurst since 1992, including three last year, and 39 in the past decade, according to a response to a Freedom of Information request.
An MoD spokesman told the Bureau that although the training costs the government £78,000 per recruit, Bahrain only pays £48,400, meaning the government subsidises training costs to the tune of £29,600 in each case. Figures suggest this will have cost the MoD £384,800 in the past three years alone.
An MoD spokesman argued that the subsidies were beneficial to Britain as they ‘help them [Bahraini military personnel] see how we do things,’ – a practice dating back to 1947.
The recruits undergo a 48-week Army Commissioning Course, which the MoD says gives ‘a grounding in British Military doctrine’ and teaches ‘to think and communicate as commanders and to foster a deep interest and care for the individual’.
Bahrain sports hall
In the correspondence obtained by the Bureau, Major General Patrick Marriott, a trustee of the Sandhurst Foundation, thanked the Bahraini monarch. ‘His Majesty’s very generous donation to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has been received and with much gratitude. I would be most grateful if you would please convey my humble duty and my sincerest thanks to His Majesty for providing these funds for supporting the development of a modern multi purpose Sports Hall,’ he wrote on May 24, 2012.
The letter, addressed to the King of Bahrain’s second son, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Essa Al Khalifa, who is Chief of the Royal Court, explains that building work is due to ‘commence imminently and if it pleases your Excellency, I will keep you updated on a regular basis’.
His Majesty’s very generous donation to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has been received and with much gratitude. I would be most grateful if you would please convey my humble duty and my sincerest thanks to His Majesty for providing these funds…
Major General Patrick Marriott, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
In a letter dated February 1, 2011 addressed to Major General Marriott, the Sheikh confirmed the £3m donation, after an initial £100,000 for design work, asking for ‘the cash flow for the remaining balance’.
Just 14 days later violence broke out in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, as 14 protesters were injured and one killed by government security forces, who used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up demonstrations.
The protests continued into March, with Saudi Arabia controversially deploying 1,000 troops to quell them. Up to 50 people have reportedly been killed to date during protests.
A Bahraini protestor critically injured after police reportedly opened fire on demonstration on February 18. Image: Al Jazeera
Sandhurst did not immediately reply to the Sheikh’s request for instructions on where to deposit the remaining funds. On October 1, 2011 – more than eight months later – the Sheikh wrote to Major General Marriott expressing concern ‘that we have not as yet received a reply’ to the previous letter.
Major General Marriott finally responded on November 8, 2011, writing: ‘Please accept my sincerest apologies for not replying to your previous letter. I was waiting for clarification on the total costs of the project.’ He included the bank details for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the letter, asking the Sheikh to pay the remaining balance, noting that the anticipated completion date would be December 2012.
However, in later correspondence, Major General Marriott moved the initial completion date back to March 2013. He also added: ‘With regards to signage; my team is working with the architects to design a suitable commemorative plaque which meets the needs of the Royal Military Academy and His Majesty.’
When asked whether Major General Marriott’s delay in response to the Sheikh was because of turmoil inside Bahrain, an MoD spokesman said it was not, reiterating the Major General’s claim about waiting for clarification on the project’s total costs.
A ‘significant’ donation
Andy Slaughter MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Bahrain, said it was ‘significant’ that the £3m donation was to Sandhurst itself, rather than its charitable wing, the Sandhurst Foundation.
‘The government’s response on questioning has been almost entirely uncritical of what Bahrain is doing. For a country the size of Bahrain [the island’s population is 1.3m], which is very small indeed, the number of deaths, injured and those imprisoned, victimised and dismissed is highly significant.
The government’s attitude to Bahrain is completely different to the rest of the Arab Spring, and if anything, over the last six months, it’s moved far more sycophantic to the regime than before.
Andy Slaughter MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Bahrain
‘The point is, they haven’t really done anything about it. It’s all PR, about presenting an acceptable face.’
Close ties
An MoD spokesman explained that the British military has a long tradition of ‘integrating overseas personnel who have been selected for officer training and we have no wish to discontinue this practice.’
He added: ‘Sandhurst receives about one donation every five years, in addition to charitable gifts from a wide range of organisations and individuals. All donations are in compliance with the UK’s domestic and international legal obligations and our values as a nation.
‘All overseas requests for defence training are considered on a case-by-case basis and it would not be provided if we thought such training would lead to human rights abuses. Providing defence training and education to overseas cadets at the same high standards used by UK armed forces helps to save lives and raise awareness of human rights.
‘It also helps build stability overseas as part of the government’s wider foreign policy goals.’
The Bahrain authorities have said that Hamad set up an independent commission to examine any allegations of abuse last year.
Ties that bind
The King of Bahrain’s £3m donation to Sandhurst is part of a longstanding ‘relationship of patronage and favours’, according to a leading academic who fled the country during the uprising.
Professor Mike Diboll, who now works at the University of Sussex, worked in Bahrain for four years until the violence broke out.
‘This is about retaining that reciprocal favours relationship between the Bahraini monarchy and strains within the British establishment,’ he said.
Although Britain recognised the independence of Bahrain in 1913, it remained under British administration until full independence was declared in 1971.
Dr Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen, a research fellow specialising in the Gulf states, at the London School of Economics and Political Science said he found the donation to Sandhurst ‘astonishing’.
‘The stuff that’s happened over the past 18 months should have persuaded everyone in the UK government and armed forces that the credibility of the Bahraini government’s claims to be reforming is, pretty much, zero,’ he said.
‘The leader of the opposition, who I met recently, was shot at in June – he was targeted deliberately. We’ve had people being continually arrested, we’ve had the closure of another political party and this is on-going.’
But he said the Bahrain’s relationship with Sandhurst ‘fits into a much wider pattern of British officers providing the backbone of Bahrain’s security forces.’
Sign up for email alerts from the Bureau here.
September 2nd, 2012 at 2:50 am (#)
If the Bahrain government also donates to the British police force perhaps they’ll accept some of them for training in the UK. Bahrain police really do need to move on from smashing parked cars, shooting tear gas into house air-conditioning systems and beating and sexually molesting teenagers.
The UK establishment is a disappointing group.
September 2nd, 2012 at 11:08 am (#)
So much of the information contained within your article is factually incorrect, where should I start…
Firstly, the Saudi National Guard did not enter Bahrain, it was the Peninsular Shield, the security arm of the GCC (like NATO) which is comprised of Bahraini, UAE, and Saudi troops (among others) and who intervene in order to maintain security in any member state. At the point of their intervention, protesters had come to possess weapons, and had occupied the only public hospital (which you speak of) storing weapons, and intimidating doctors and patients. It was vital that forces intervene to keep the peace and to avoid further violence and deaths.
Secondly, the hospital workers you speak of caused a few of those deaths by refusing to treat Sunni patients, and by rejecting the international medical code of ethics.
Thirdly, I don’t know who you speak of when you say the head of the opposition (who was shot at) since the opposition here is hardly organized, and therefore more closely resemble guerilla groups rather than a viable opposition. In fact, the many groups that exist are extremist Islamics, including the main Shiite group- Al Wefaq Islamic Society.
Though protesters do call for democracy, they do not have the right to occupy the concept. All the people of Bahrain want democracy, including the government, which is working towards reform and to increasing the power of parliament. We disagree with the methods the protesters employ, including burning police cars, using molotov cocktails and other weapons, causing the death of numerous police officers, and endangering the lives of ordinary citizens. We further reject their sectarian mentality, which you are supporting, and we support the liberal and moderate government which stands in opposition to these illiberal, intolerant, and frankly, terrorist, groups.
Please take what I have said seriously, do some further research on the topic and I urge you, once you have done so, to print another article which more closely resembles the truth- as part of your journalistic responsibility.
(Editor’s note: In a written parliamentary answer, Nick Harvey, the UK Armed Forces Minister, said the Government could not rule out the possibility that British-trained Saudis took part in the Bahraini operation. He said: “The Ministry of Defence has extensive and wide-ranging bilateral engagement with Saudi Arabia in support of the Government’s wider foreign policy goals. The Ministry of Defence’s engagement with Saudi Arabia includes training provided to the Saudi Arabian National Guard, delivered through the British mission. It is possible that some members of the Saudi Arabian National Guard which were deployed in Bahrain may have undertaken some training provided by the British military mission.”)
September 2nd, 2012 at 11:47 pm (#)
@Noora
its amazing that the government still pays unintelligent trolls, they should at least hire ones that are capable of lying.
all the accusations you provided were debunked by the King’s appointed BICI, nice try though.
what I would call inaccurate though, is the number of deaths, which is between 100-108, all names, pictures, & stories are available online.
September 3rd, 2012 at 7:56 am (#)
@Sandhurst
It is really disappointing to accept these funds from a king who is responsible of killing over 100 people, injuring thousands of people by using bird shot gun which is illigal to be used by the international law since 14 Feb,2011.
@Noora
First, Everyone knows that Saudi arabia is the one who is leading the GCC countries. like US leading the world. So, saying Saudi forces, or GCC forces is the same specially that 95% of these GCC army forces is from Saudi arabia (excluding the Bahraini national Army).
Second, Saying the protestors were holding weapons and they have occupied the hospital is not true. BICI (which has been appointed by the king itself) have declined these and said there is no evidence of these claims. In addition, Bahrain court itself have released these doctors and said that they are innocent after almost one year of turturing and humiliation in jail.
Third, The doctors did not refuse to treat any of one. Check youtube to see that even the militia who were targeting the peaceful protestors were treated in the Salmaniya hospital by these doctors.
Forth, “All people want democracy even the government”. This is right, and thats why we have a prime minister who has been and still holding his position for over 40 years. Please do not fool people, they all know that Bahrain is not democratic country. People are not allowed to elect the president, or even the prime minister.
Fifth, the Oppositions are not islamic extremist (like alqaeda).However, they are muslims since the majourity of the people in Bahrain are muslims. However, They have the Shia, Sunni and liberals among them. The opposition were protesting very very peacefuly in the pearl roundabout and they were given roses to the police men and security forces as an indication of the peace. However, the regime in Bahrain replied back by killing and turturing hundreds of them just because they said they want freedom.
September 4th, 2012 at 5:31 pm (#)
@Noora
You are waisting time because you are a big liar same as your Gov.
September 9th, 2012 at 6:36 am (#)
‘Birds of a feather?”