At that time, countries all over the world withdrew from Kuwait. Iraq has opened the only road route: Kuwait-Iraq-Jordan. For more information, you can search for the Chinese ambassador's name "Qin Hongguo Kuwait" mentioned below.
"Emergency Evacuation from Kuwait"
Mei Xiaolong
At 1 a.m. (Kuwait time) on August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army launched a sudden attack on Kuwait and occupied the entire territory of Kuwait at 4 p.m.
After the outbreak of the war, the Iraqi authorities repeatedly wrote to the embassies of various countries: "Ico has been merged into one country." August 24 is the deadline for the evacuation and closure of the embassies of various countries in the country.
At that time, there were about 4,700 mainland Chinese laborers in Kuwait, plus Taiwan compatriots, Hong Kong compatriots and other overseas Chinese, a total of 4,885 people. According to domestic instructions, these personnel must be evacuated as soon as possible in six batches.
What I experienced was the second batch of evacuation work, involving 1,818 mainland workers, 136 Taiwan compatriots, 15 Hong Kong compatriots and some overseas Chinese, as well as some staff from our embassy, totaling more than 2,000 people. I was appointed as the leader of this group of evacuees and the leader of the foreign affairs team, responsible for the safe evacuation.
Time is running out. In order to get the "Concession Pass" as soon as possible, on the evening of August 19th, Qin Hongguo, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait, and the driver risked their lives and entered the Iraqi army headquarters on the night of the curfew without contacting them by phone. The person in charge of the Iranian side negotiated to handle the "concession pass" and finally got the "concession pass."
At 5:30 in the morning of the next day, we gathered in the square of the Ministry of Electricity in Kuwait as planned and set off in several hundred cars. After Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait, if foreign personnel wanted to evacuate, they had to follow the only land route designated by Iraq—Kuwait—Iraq—Jordan, and automobiles were designated as the only means of transportation.
The first difficulty we encountered was bad weather. It is about 1,600 kilometers from Kuwait through Iraq to the Jordanian border, most of which are desert roads. The convoy proceeded in the desert, as if in a "steamer", sitting on it was very uncomfortable.
Although the journey has been hard, the friendship between the compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the mainland is unforgettable.
When traveling, the mainland compatriots’ car suddenly broke down and they squeezed into the Taiwan compatriot’s car; if the Taiwan compatriot’s car broke down, if it was a minor problem, the maintenance team would be responsible for the repair. Car.
Due to the rush of departure, some mainland personnel did not have enough gasoline and water in their cars. At that time, it was extremely difficult to refuel and water in the local area, not to mention the high price, and there were long queues.
At this time, Taiwan compatriots extended a helping hand. They used the large oil trucks and water trucks they had prepared. For those mainland vehicles that needed to be refueled and watered, the two Taiwanese guys who drove did not hesitate to provide services enthusiastically until they were full.
As the war escalated, diplomats from various countries stationed in Kuwait and a large number of foreign laborers hurriedly fled Kuwait, flooding into the same evacuation channel at almost the same time, and the scene was extremely chaotic.
Our convoy continued to move forward and ran into trouble again when it was approaching the Iyo border. As Iraq announced the temporary closure of the border between Iraq and Jordan, we can only stop and rest under the Xinba Bridge in Iraq. At this moment of urgency, our embassy in Jordan stepped up its negotiations with the Jordanian side and handled the entry visa procedures for us. After negotiations with the embassy, the Jordanian side provided us with convenience and allowed our evacuees to pass the checkpoint smoothly. Until then, I was greatly relieved.
Subsequently, dozens of aircraft were dispatched in order to pick up our country’s evacuees from Kuwait. It is said that for every plane that lands in Jordan once, an airport fee of 10,000 U.S. dollars in cash must be paid to the Jordanian side. The Chinese government took all the thousands of evacuees out safely at any cost. Today, every time I think about this, I am still proud and excited.
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