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Night curfew imposed, protesters cleared from Bahrain site

MANAMA — Bahrain on Wednesday imposed night curfew until further notice across a large swathe of Manama after government forces drove protesters from the streets using teargas, tanks and helicopters.

A spokesperson of the Bahrain Defence Force said the curfew would be in force between 4pm and 4am in areas extending from the Saif Flyover until the traffic lights before the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Bridge, including 400 metres on either side of the main highway.

The areas covered by the curfew are the surroundings of the Pearl roundabout which was evacuated by security forces. The evacuation also covered the only state-run and largest hospital, the Salmaniya Medical Complex, that had been taken over by the protesters.

The spokesperson called upon the residents of the curfew areas to coordinate with army checkpoints to facilitate their movements. Gatherings, rallies, demonstrations and sit-ins are not allowed anywhere in Bahrain until the situation is back to normal, he said.

“All citizens and residents must cooperate fully with the checkpoints for the sake of their safety. Anyone who violates these measures will face appropriate legal action,” the spokesperson said.

The evacuation of the Pearl roundabout, focal point of weeks of protests since February 17, prompted rare criticism from Bahrain’s US allies.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a television interview, Bahrain and its allies who have sent troops to help it put down demonstrations are on the wrong track.

“We find what’s happening in Bahrain alarming. We think that there is no security answer to the aspirations and demands of the demonstrators,” Clinton told CBS in an interview, urging Bahrain to negotiate a political agreement with demonstrators.

“We have also made that very clear to our Gulf partners who are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council, four of whose members have sent troops to support the Bahraini government. They are on the wrong track,” Clinton added, according to a US pool reporter who attended the interview.

Hospital sources said three policemen and three protesters were killed in the evacuation that began a day after Bahrain declared emergency law to quell the unrest.

A protest called on Wednesday by the youth movement, which had been leading the Pearl roundabout protests, failed to materialise after the military banned all marches and gatherings. A witness saw Bahraini tanks move in the direction of Budaya Street, where the protest was set to take place.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Bahrain’s crackdown was “unjustifiable and irreparable”.

“Today, we witness the degree of pressure imposed on the majority of people in Bahrain,” he said according to state TV. “What has happened is bad, unjustifiable and irreparable,” he added.

Helicopters flew overhead and riot police fired teargas as government forces advanced from about 7am on the Pearl roundabout. Youths hurled petrol bombs at police near the roundabout and scattered as new rounds of teargas hit.

The area was cleared within about two hours but protesters knocked down two policemen in their cars as they fled.

A medical source said dozens were taken to Bahrain International Hospital, hit by rubber bullets or shot gun pellets or suffering teargas inhalation.

Bahraini troops blocked off several streets including the main road to the Sitra area. Tanks guarded key intersections and the entrances to some areas. Streets were deserted, shops were closed and people queued at cash machines.

Riot police blocked access to the Salmaniya hospital, where many civilian casualties had previously been treated, and witnesses said access to other health centres was also blocked.

Opposition newspaper Al Wasat said Bahrain’s health minister has resigned over the government’s crackdown and the housing minister is boycotting cabinet meetings.

(With inputs from agencies)

news@khaleejtimes.com