Just Wow---
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/why-do-the-wives-and-daughters-of-dubai-s-sheikh-mohammed-keep-trying-to-escape-20191230-p53noy.html
Why do the wives and daughters of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed keep trying to escape?
Princess Latifa, daughter of Dubaiâs billionaire ruler, fled her âgilded cageâ two years ago. Captured by commandos off Indiaâs coastline, she hasnât been seen since.
When we got in the car on the day of our escape, I turned to Latifa and said, âWeâre like Thelma and Louise,â â says Tiina Jauhiainen, with a small smile at the bittersweet memory. âBut then Latifa cried out, âNo, no, donât say that! Their story doesnât have a happy ending.â â
That was two years ago, on February 24, 2018, the day Princess Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, tried to escape her life as a Dubai princess, with the help of her best friend, Tiina.
At 32, it was the first time Latifa had ever been in the front seat of a car, having always had a driver and travelled in the back. The escape was the result of a seven-year plan that involved driving into Oman, taking a dinghy into international waters, and boarding a yacht to Sri Lanka, from where Latifa hoped to fly to the United States and claim political asylum
âLatifa was initially relieved when we got to the boat, but every day she was growing increasingly worried that her father might already be after her,â says Tiina. âAt times, the days on the boat felt really, really long. It got hotter the closer we got to India, and the boat was full of cockroaches. Escaping on a yacht sounds glamorous, but it was the opposite. We spent most of our time downstairs, trying to contact journalists on our phones, as Latifa felt that might protect her.â
But after just eight days on board the yacht, captained by HervĂ© Jaubert (a Frenchman whose help Latifa had enlisted after she read about his own escape from Dubai), the princessâs short-lived freedom came to an abrupt end off the coast of Goa, when the two women heard gunshots from the upper deck. âLatifa immediately realised theyâd come after us,â recalls Tiina. âWe were downstairs hiding in the bathroom. We were scared, hugging each other. There was nowhere to go.â
The cabin began to fill with smoke. âWe later realised they were stun grenades,â explains Tiina, and the pair were forced onto the upper deck, where they were met by several commandos pointing machine guns at them. âIt was pitch black with the red lights of the laser sights pointed at different parts of our bodies. I was pushed to the floor, in a pool of blood [several crew members had been injured]. They tied my hands and shouted, âClose your eyes! Donât move or weâll shoot you.â
âWe were taken back to Dubai. That was the last time I saw Latifa. She was being dragged off the boat, kicking and screaming, yelling that she was seeking political asylum. They ignored her. The whole situation was so unreal. I wish Iâd said something, but I was paralysed. They threatened to shoot my brain out if I spoke. It was shocking. It was beyond my comprehension.â