Posted on 05/30/2004 8:40:34 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie
THE 22 who died came from diverse backgrounds but held a common interest: a fascination with Saudi Arabia and the advantages that the Kindgom offered both financially and personally.
They also shared in common their deaths at the hands of suspected terrorists. One man was asked to stay on the job instead of retiring, to see the company through another two years. Another lived in the Kingdom most of his adult life. Another was a loyal driver who died with his boss.
On Sunday, family, friends and colleagues helped the Saudi Gazette piece together a picture of some of the expatriates who died Saturday in the terrorist attack at Apicorp facilities at Al-Khobar.
Michael Hamilton, 62, was due to retire from the Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation next year. His contract was renewed last year at the request of the management because his services were badly needed by the company. Hamilton was Apicorp s senior manager for trade and finance. He was also lead adviser for Apicorp s hydrocarbon and gas projects.
He was married to Penelope Hamilton. They have children who are professionals, including a lawyer and medical doctor. The children reside in London and Australia.
He initiated the latest investment package for Apicorp that enables the company now to extend financing to project related to power generation and electricity. Apicorp was purely a financing company for oil and petroleum related projects for the Arab countries.
Hamilton, a British citizen from Sussex, was with Apicorp for the last 15 years. He joined Apicorp after working for Abu Dhabi Bank.
He arrived from Cairo, Egypt, last Thursday after attending the Egyptian International Economic Conference where he represented Apicorp. Jesse Navalta, his secretary, said Hamilton was scheduled to go to Dubai to attend a two-day business meeting starting May 30.
He also recently came from India where he recruited project finance managers.
He was a very good boss, a disciplinarian. He considered me his son and a friend, said Navalta, Hamilton s secretary for the past eight years.
P.J. Sarath, his errand boy, said he is sad and deeply shaken by the death of his boss. He was kind-hearted and caring man, he said.
American Frank X. Floyd, about 52 years old, was the deputy general manager for marketing of Resource Science Arabia Limited (RSAL). He was a resident of Saudi Arabia for more than 18 years and resided in Al-Khobar with his wife.
Floyd was active in professional organizations, including the Project Management Institute in which he was longtime member. Last Saturday he was scheduled to have a meeting with a local consulting and engineering company in Al-Khobar.
He was a very nice, quiet person, a friend said. He is very much respected in the local business community of expatriates.
Lawrence Gregory Monis, who was in his early 40s, is the assistant general manager of Sagr Insurance Company for the past 20 years. He was a very nice, gentle person, said a colleague at the insurance company.
Monis was married. He had two children, a boy and a girl. He is from Karnataka, India.
He was preparing for the visit of his family and was very excited about their coming, said Ashraf, a colleague.
Two of the three Filipinos who died were working in the same company called Resource Science Arabia Limited (RSAL). They were Gerry Dizon and Jolly Guiray.
Dizon was RSAL s accountant. He is from Pampanga province, which is located north of Manila. He is about 40 years old, married and had a 5-year old daughter. His wife recently arrived with their daughter for a few months visit.
Jolly Quiray is the driver of Frank Floyd, the American who was killed with the two Filipinos. He is from Makati City, Metro Manila.
The other Filipino casualty, Mariano Cabasab, worked as a cook at the Oasis Hotel s Japanese restaurant. He was 28 years old and came from Cagayan Valley. He is an Ilocano and a bachelor. He shared a room with six other Filipinos: Roy Villalobos, Elvis Vergara, Ricky Maganto, Marvin de Castro, Emil Monazo and Ian Mortel. The roommates said Cabasab was caught in the crossfire when firefight ensued between the terrorists and Saudi military.
Rami, the 7-year-old Egyptian boy who died when the terrorists exploded the vehicle s gasoline tank, is the son of Samer Ghanoni. Rami was with three other children in that bus two girls and a four-year old boy.
The three of them escaped unhurt together with the bus driver. Rami was seated in the front of the bus.
What are you afraid of? You don't go to Saudi Arabia because...??
As one who has spent a few years doing this myself (though in safe parts of Asia) I'm mystified by this comment. I brought back a lot more dollars for the US economy than I would have earned at the same job in that depressed economic era back home.
They were invited guests. They weren't "invaders" or intruders, they were invited to help the Saudi people manage their resources. Either the Saudis get this under control or their people will starve and they will go back to being desert nomads.
I kept thinking about the whole "dragging the body behind the car" thing. How did the terrorists find the time to do this? This has to take several minutes to complete. Isn't there security in these compounds rushing to the scene immediately upon hearing the gunfire? I guess not. Maybe the guards were all praying towards Mecca when this went down.
"Ahmed, we have time, so go ahead and tie that body to the bumper and let's get outta here!"
I just can't figure out the logistics on that at all.
and, I believe you meant to add:
(Little Bill)"I don't deserve this"
(Will Munny)"Deserve's got nothin' t'do with it."
I believe he stated the reason earlier... Jews are not welcome in Saudi Arabia.
I think his point was if you want to work in a country were most want to drag you through the streets naked until dead, you do so at a great risk. Me? They couldn't pay me $2000 a day, or any amount to work in these whacked out sh*t holes.
You are a heartless ***. Please justify your remarks about "ill-gotten gains," if you think you can.
You are more likely to be murdered in most U.S. cities than in Saudi Arabia. What about those sh*tholes where WE live?
As I said I wouldn't wish what happened to them on any one. I probably used a poor choice of words and what I was thinking was its one shouldn't be in a position not to enjoy one of the blessings of this life. At times my language is clumsy and that still doesn't make me an idiot; I'm only human.
See post 31. I'm not justifying what was done by evil animals to the dead.
You are more likely to be murdered in most U.S. cities than in Saudi Arabia. What about those sh*tholes where WE live?
Look, you wanna chase that good money in Outer Mongolia, Iraq or places like SA? Be my guest. No problemo. I personally wouldn't work for those backstabbing, America hating, lying sons of bitches for no money.
I'd seize their freaking oil fields and sell them reasonably cheap gas and tell them to like it. But I sure the hell wouldn't invite them to my ranch for a BBQ.
There's no explaining evil. And the other poster was right, we were invited guests there. It doesn't give them the right to treat strangers like that in their own home. The commandment to be hospitable to strangers goes back to Abraham.
Exactly. I'm not welcome there.
ANY non-Muslim that goes to the most repressive Muslim nation on the planet - in a post 9-11, Afghanistan and Iraq War world ----- has got to put many things above safety or sanity...
Since Saudi Arabia has long since shown they can NOT/will NOT provide the REQUIRED Islamic protection and safety to invited guests ---- contrary to other Arabs being able to protect Osama Bin Laden from 100s of thousands of our forces.
All non Muslims should have left Saudi Arabia to their own devices YEARS AGO!
To die, or be at risk in Saudi Arabia today --- should NOT be a surprise to ANYONE that elected to remain in ANY civilian capacity...
These folks appear to have place money ahead of EVERYTHING....
(as many of our national politicians who have also been "purchased" by the Saudis)
They played the situation --- wrongly..
Semper Fi
I don't go for that Halliburton Conspiracy garbage. Its not like we're stealing THEIR precious oil. If we could do without it, we'd happily tell them to go back to their f*kin' seventh century and camels.
So why can't we do overseas what Corporate America is doing to Americans at home? If they can take our jobs, seems to me we can fill the world's. Its part and parcel of being in a global economy.
Halliburton has little or no interests in Saudi Arabia. Very few American companies do.
wow.
the terrorists are winning after all.
people are blaming the victims and treating the terrorists' demands as reasonable.
sad indeed.
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