Wednesday, March 16, 2011

MANAMA: Bahrain’s king declared martial law Tuesday as his government struggled to quell an uprising by the island’s Shiite majority that has drawn in troops from Saudi Arabia as at least three people were killed and 200 wounded in various incidents.

The U.S. warned Tuesday that there was “no military solution” to the political upheaval in Bahrain while Iran condemned the intervention, prompting Manama to recall its ambassador.
The three-month state of emergency will hand wholesale power to Bahrain’s security forces, which are dominated by the Sunni elite, stoking sectarian tensions in one of the Persian Gulf’s most politically volatile nations.

Disturbances shook the kingdom through the day. A hospital source said two men, one Bahraini and the other Bangladeshi, were killed in clashes in the Shiite area of Sitra and more than 200 people were wounded in various incidents. State television said a Bahraini policeman was also killed, denying media reports that a Saudi soldier had been shot dead.
Doctors were overwhelmed by an onslaught of patients at Manama’s Salmaniya hospital, rushing the wounded into a packed emergency room, forcing many to wait in the halls.

Nurses held back tears when attending to injured young men, and doctors could barely contain their anger.
“They were all shot from close range,” said Nabeel Hameed, a neurosurgeon at the capital’s biggest hospital. “Yes, they do shoot to kill,” he added.
“I heard the sound of the bullet flying and after that my arm felt like it was falling off,” said Mohammad Abdullah Hassan, 18, who was shot in the elbow. 
The United States said it was concerned about reports of growing sectarianism in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

It dispatched Assistant Secretary of State Jeff Feltman to Bahrain to push for dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Speaking in Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she prodded Saudi Arabia to support a peaceful political solution and stressed that “they along with everyone else need to be promoting the dialogue” between protesters and the monarchy.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor warned “the use of force and violence from any source will only worsen the situation,” in a statement clearly aimed at Saudi Arabia.

Iran, which sits across the Persian Gulf from Bahrain, criticized the decision to send in Saudi troops. “The presence of foreign forces and interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs is unacceptable and will further complicate the issue,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said at his weekly news conference in Tehran.
A Bahraini Foreign Ministry official called the remarks “blatant interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs,” the state news agency BNA said, adding that Manama had recalled its ambassador to Iran for consultations.

Tehran summoned the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and of Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in the absence of direct diplomatic relations.
In telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Qatar and the secretary-general of the Arab League, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi warned the situation could spiral into a regional crisis, the official IRNA news agency reported.

It was not clear if a curfew would be imposed or whether there would be any clampdown on media or public gatherings. “In order for the situation to return to normal we have to establish order and security and … stop the violations which have spread disturbances among the people of our dear country,” said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed al-Khalifa.

Bahraini state media have said Shiite opposition activists, who complain the state has been naturalizing Sunni foreigners to tip the sectarian balance, are targeting foreigners.
More than 1,000 Saudi troops rolled into the kingdom at the request of Bahrain’s rulers Monday. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have said they would also send police.

Thousands of Bahrainis marched on the Saudi Embassy in Manama Tuesday to protest against the intervention.
“People are angry, we want this occupation to end. We don’t want anybody to help the Al-Khalifa or us,” said a protester who gave his name as Salman, referring to the ruling family.
Violent clashes between youths wielding clubs, knives and rocks have become daily occurrences, forcing Bahrain University and many schools to close in order to avoid further trouble.

The United Nations and Britain echoed the U.S. call for restraint and the Group of Eight powers expressed concern, though analysts said the escalation showed the limits of U.S. influence when security was threatened.
Amnesty urged Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to restrain their forces after witnesses said protesters were shot. “The king’s declaration of a state of emergency must not be used as a cover for repression,” said Malcolm Smart, the group’s regional director.

The largest Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq, condemned the imposition of martial law and urged international intervention. “They want to talk with a gun on our head, and saying, you either take this or you die,” said Abdel-Jalil Khalil, a leader of Al-Wefaq.
Top Bahraini Shiite preachers sought Muslim and international help as they warned that anti-regime protesters will be targeted in a “massacre.”

In a sign that security could deteriorate, the U.S. State Department advised against all travel to Bahrain due to a “breakdown in law and order.”
Armed youths attacked the printing press of Bahrain’s only opposition newspaper Al-Wasat overnight in an effort to stop its publication.

Metal barricades and piles of sand and rocks blocked the main road to the
financial district and most shops were shut. Around Bahrain, residents have placed dumpsters and metal on the road to prevent strangers from entering their neighborhoods. Young men, some in masks and carrying sticks, guarded the entrances. 

At Manama’s Pearl Square, the symbolic center of the revolt, thousands of protesters were still in shock over the arrival of neighboring armies when the state of emergency was declared. “We are ready for anything, but this protest started peacefully and it will end peacefully,” said Ali Hassan, a demonstrator. – Agencies