Cairo 20 July 2008 Dear Guests Peace is eluding us. On Wednesday afternoon (16 July 2008) Hassan was kidnapped by Bedouins in front of the Court Building in El Tur. His car, with doors standing wide open and bullet holes, was found in the centre of town. We, his friends and attorneys, acted immediately. I sent telegrams to the Minister of Interiors, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister as well as to president Mubarak, requesting assistance. A police report was also filed in Dahab. According to various statements, the Government in Cairo mobilized a large contingent of police, in order to have my husband released alive from the kidnappers. Around 3pm on Thursday I received a phone call from Hassan from the St Catherine’s police station. Under the circumstances he was okay and was being brought by police to El Tur, where I was to meet him. At about 8pm, at the El Tur police station, I could take Hassan into my arms again. Relatively hurt, his leg damaged, his whole body swollen and covered in bruises, especially his eyes and ears were affected, but he was alive. He had been taken to an oasis near St Catherine’s on the back of a pick-up truck. Already during the journey he was beaten and kicked into unconsciousness. There he was tied to a tree by his arms and legs and, amongst other things, “shooting practice” with him as target were held. Tied up and with a noose around his neck, each kidnapper cut off a piece of his moustache, which in Egypt is a symbol for dishonoring and degrading a man. Immediately after my arrival in El Tur we went to the hospital for preliminary treatment, then to the State Prosecutor as well as to the police. Because of the shooting our car is unfit for driving and will serve in further police investigations. At 2am we could leave El Tur for Cairo. After much sleep and a happy reunion with family and friends, a hospital visit in Cairo was unavoidable. The leg is now in plaster. Yesterday Hassan met with the Minister of Interior to thank him as well as to discuss how to now proceed and which action to take regarding our Hotel SIRTAKI. Today Hassan is with the Chief Prosecutor in Ismailia. At the moment I have no idea what will happen. I find this whole story so incredible, that I don’t quite know how to handle it. For almost six months now we are trying to solve this problem which has been caused by the Bedouins. Only one positive thing has come out of all this: -- We now know who our friends are. –- I will be in contact again should there be any news, hopefully only positive news. With kind regards Heidi Dahab, 18 May 2008 Dear Friends and Guests Yesterday morning the Officer of the Court from El Tur went to the Dahab police to execute, under police protection, the following verdict issued on 23.04.2008. “The return of the SIRTAKI Hotel to the owner, Hassan A. Enin” With the following reason from the police the handing over of the SIRTAKI Hotel to the owner was cancelled. There are not enough police in Dahab to guarantee a smooth hand-over of the SIRTAKI Hotel. There is no guarantee that the police can protect the family of the owner (i.e. my husband, my son and myself), the Officer of the Court and staff of the SIRTAKI Hotel from the Bedouins. Kind Regards Heidi Dahab 11.05.2008 Dear Friends Three months have passed since the armed attack by about 200 Bedouins on our SIRTAKI Hotel. And now there is some news. The Supreme Court of the Sinai in El Tur gave the following verdict: >>The SIRTAKI Hotel, including our home, has been handed back to my husband Hassan A. Enin. << The court in Suez has determined that on 17.05.2008 at 08.00 our SIRTAKI Hotel, as well as our home, will be handed over to Hassan A. Enin by an officer of the court and the police. The first court case against two of the leading Bedouins, who organized and executed the attack, was held in the Nuweiba Court yesterday (10.05.2008). Dear Friends and Guests, I thank you for your support and solidarity in this matter. Up till now we have needed much patience as well as moral support to fight our legal battle. On 17.05.2008 the officer of the court has to assess the damage and after we ourselves have formed a picture of the extent of the vandalization, we will start with repairs. I will be in contact again as soon as I have more details. Thank you for your help and understanding. Kind regards Heidi SIRTAKI Hotel E-Mail sirtaki@sirtakidive.com Dear Friends Obviously now the question is “Why?” Some background information I can provide. Firstly, we are not the only ones this has happened to. We are, however, the first of the larger hotels. What should be noted, is that we are the first who are not paying the so-called ‘protection money’. In other words, we are the first case reported to police and court of law. Here are some recent examples of places that were forcibly occupied by Bedouins, and where ultimately money was paid to the Bedouins, so that the police did not have to intervene. • Negm Paradise Camp • Farfasha Restaurant • Moon Valley Camp • Bird’s House Camp • Desert Divers Dive Centre • Abdl Hamid Butcher • Venezia Supermarket Following the occupation of SIRTAKI on 10.02.08, another property (Star of Dahab Camp) has already been occupied. The intervals between these attacks are decreasing and the willingness to violence by the Bedouins is increasing. Some people were beaten so badly that they had to hospitalizised. We are fighting for our lovely SIRTAKI – our property - through the legal channels. We will have to see whether this will be possible for us in this country. We thank all our friends who participate in our fate and who thereby give us great moral support. Thank You! Kind Regards Heidi
	My report is long, so herewith a summary of the facts. On the morning of 10 February 2008 about 200 Bedouins occupied SIRTAKI and our home by force of arms. SIRTAKI employees were beaten up and their belongings were taken from them. Hassan, who was in the house, managed to escape from the Bedouins. In the meantime we have laid charges of loss of freedom, theft and destruction of private property. The state prosecutors have already been able to form a picture of the act of violence. The hotel is guarded by police since the afternoon of February 10th. Neither SIRTAKI nor our home can be entered. Hassan and his lawyer are under police protection. Adam and I, we are in hiding. As soon as it is possible and if there are any changes to the situation here, I will keep you informed.
Dear Friends  How I should start this I don’t quite know. I am horrified and my thoughts are as if blown away. I do not feel any hatred, no sadness. Only emptiness. For the past 10 years I have lived here in Egypt and during this time we have built up friendships with the country, her people as well as with kind guests from all over the world. My heart is filled with memories of happy, warm and sunny times with friends. The bomb attacks of nearly two years ago were the first shock. But everybody was equally affected by this. And now …? I arrive back in Dahab from Germany, via Cairo and Sharm, late in the evening of  9 February 2008. Little Adam has to go to school in Sharm the following day, which means getting up early in order to get the 06.17 bus. Thank God he is gone and we were not at home. I come back along El Fanar Street, deep in thought about what needs to be done first, seeing that I have just been able to enjoy almost 4 weeks in Germany. I would like to thank all our dear guests who visited our stand at the BOOT Exhibition.  Paperwork and bookings need to be sorted out, e-mails need to be checked and at home the suitcases are not yet unpacked. Lost in thought, from the street I see many veiled figures in our SIRTAKI. I hear something breaking. So I walk past the hotel in order to see whether I can make out anything from the beachfront side of the hotel. Hassan had not mentioned anything about visitors, guests, clients or others. From Lighthouse I see more disguised Bedouins, armed with sticks and stones, standing at our pool. What has happened? What is happening here? It is important that nobody recognizes me. At last I see a policeman in civilian clothes who has become aware of the situation at SIRTAKI. At least he has communicated his impression of the happenings and by phone requests police back-up. Then I see two faces that I know; my employees. One of them is still in his bed clothes and totally distraught. From them I hear that the Bedouins beat them out of their sleep and stole the telephones. Further employees arrive. The chef asks me to go through a passage, so that in a restaurant near SIRTAKI, I can be safe from the Bedouins. From here I phone Hassan, who is still at home. He whispers into the phone, as in the background the Bedouins who are “playing” Wild West in SIRTAKI, can be heard. To our guests, whom I hadn’t even greeted yet, but whose mobile numbers I knew, I sent a text message telling them to stay in their hotel rooms. Later I heard that they barricaded themselves in their rooms until the police rescued them. These guests were so clever – they took a few photographs of the siege. I attach these photographs to my report. Earlier I saw a friends’ car and presumed that he was in the hotel as well. I phone him to warn him as well as to get help from him. With a baton next to me, I wait in the restaurant for three hours. Now and then I observe SIRTAKI from a roof terrace from a neighboring building. The restaurant employees are very reserved and kind to me, and as far as it is possible try to help me by offering water, tea and coffee.  Then Hassan phones me. He has managed to escape from the Bedouins and is in the street. I have to take the car and drive away – to safety. Upon arrival at a friends’ place, I had no idea what to say. What actually happened? What was important at this stage was that Adam and I were far away and that Hassan was under police protection.   In the afternoon when Adam came back from school, I fetched him from the checkpoint outside Dahab. (The police there had been informed). I could not take the risk of Adam coming near our hotel or anywhere near the Bedouins in Dahab.   After a friend fed us and gave us clothes, we were to go to the Hilton Hotel. Hassan organized this and dropped us off there.  The following days I commute between my friend and the school bus, in order to give my child some normality.  Hassan is at the police station and two days at the State Prosecutors in Nuweiba.  On Tuesday (12.02.08) the State Prosecutor was in the hotel and in my home. Many things have been smashed up. Money - lots of money – is missing. My laptop bag with laptop, new camera, documents and bookings from the exhibition, are gone. Documents relating to bank matters and accounts are also missing. Only at a later stage will I be able to see what else is missing. The bank accounts have been blocked. That was the only thing I could do. I feel so alone and without energy. What will happen? Will any guests still come to us after something like this? Just at a point when business has recovered from the after-effects of the bombings. I have the feeling that the police and the authorities are powerless against the large number of Bedouins. Even the German Embassy seemed powerless when I reported to them that on the afternoon of the 12^th Hassan, in the police station, received death threats against his wife and child (me and Adam). They also rely on the police and authorities.  The following questions arise:  Do we have the strength and the money to build everything up again? Can friendships survive something like this?  Will our regular clients return?  Can we attract any new clients at all?  For now I want to go back to my home to establish some form of normality. At the moment I am still at the Hilton and have nothing but myself. How long will this still last? Without my home? Without documents, without money, without everything?  During this time my father tried to reach me at SIRTAKI. I first have to understand what happened before I can attempt to explain to him what’s going on here. What is he thinking …?´ Many Dahab friends tell me that in thougts they are with us. This is great, but despite this I am sitting here alone, horrified by what has happened. Dear Friends and Guests, I hope that you will nevertheless support us and show that one can not simply just do anything to us. Please come to us in Dahab to SIRTAKI and show us your solidarity.  I will be in touch again as soon as the situation here has normalized.  Thank you for your interest. Kind regards. SIRTAKI Heidi and Adam

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Sirtaki Hotel & Dive Center
P.Box : 44 Dahab -South Sinai - Egypt.
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 last update  02/21/08 15:36

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