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In Response to Protests, Bahrain Declares State of Emergency

VOA News March 15, 2011

Bahrain's king has declared a three-month state of emergency in response to weeks of anti-government protests by majority Shi'ites against the Gulf state's Sunni rulers.

State television said Tuesday King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has ordered the commander of Bahrain's armed forces to take "appropriate measures" to safeguard the nation against protesters whom he accused of "terrorizing" the population.

In a sign that the protests were continuing, residents said a demonstrator was killed in a confrontation with police in a Shi'ite village.

The streets of the Bahraini capital's financial district were deserted Tuesday, with many stores closed and major highways blocked by police and barricades set up by opposition activists two days earlier. The barricades have stopped business activity in Manama, a regional banking hub.

In other areas, young men armed with sticks and clubs were seen patrolling the streets.

In another move to counter the protests, about 1,000 Saudi soldiers and 500 police from the United Arab Emirates entered Bahrain on Monday to protect government buildings at the request of the island state.

The government of predominantly Shi'ite Iran said Tuesday the presence of Gulf troops in Bahrain is "unacceptable" and will make the situation "more complicated." Iranian officials also accused the United States of pressuring Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, to intervene on behalf of Bahrain's Sunni rulers.

Bahrain's government condemned the Iranian statements as a "blatant interference" in the island state's affairs and withdrew its ambassador in Iran for consultations.

A coalition of Bahraini Shi'ite opposition groups had issued a statement Monday denouncing the entry of Gulf troops as an "occupation."

Bahrain's government invoked the collective security agreement of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. But it remains unclear whether other members of the bloc - Oman, Kuwait and Qatar - will also contribute forces.

The U.S. State Department Tuesday warned its citizens against travel to the Gulf country and advised Americans in Bahrain to consider leaving. It said U.S. citizens should avoid all demonstrations because they could escalate into violence.

In Washington, White House spokesman, Jay Carney, called on countries of the Gulf region to show restraint but said the United States does not consider the arrival of foreign forces in Bahrain an invasion. He did not call for the withdrawal of the Saudi and UAE forces.

Oil-rich Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which provides support to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family has offered to hold a dialogue with opposition groups on democratic reforms, but protesters want the government to meet their demands first.Some opposition groups want the creation of a constitutional monarchy in which the parliament has more power, while others seek the ouster of the ruling family.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.