The Associated Press
Sunday, August 19, 2007
MANAMA, Bahrain: Villagers clashed with police near Bahrain’s capital Sunday over access to fishing grounds seized by a member of the royal family, witnesses said.
More than 200 residents of al-Malkiyah village, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of the capital Manama, sealed off the town’s main road and set fire to a tower guarding coastal lands claimed by Sheik Hamad bin Mohammed Salman al-Khalifa, a cousin of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifaa.
Police fired tear gas at the protesters to subdue them, according to witnesses at the scene.
The Associated Press
Sunday, August 19, 2007
MANAMA, Bahrain: Villagers clashed with police near Bahrain’s capital Sunday over access to fishing grounds seized by a member of the royal family, witnesses said.
More than 200 residents of al-Malkiyah village, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of the capital Manama, sealed off the town’s main road and set fire to a tower guarding coastal lands claimed by Sheik Hamad bin Mohammed Salman al-Khalifa, a cousin of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifaa.
Police fired tear gas at the protesters to subdue them, according to witnesses at the scene.
Bahraini government officials could not be reached for comment.
Residents held a similar protest in June and were pelted with tear gas and rubber bullets.
The king’s cousin built a concrete wall two years ago blocking access to the coastline and installed a series of nets to prevent fishing in nearby waters.
According to the independent Al-Wasat newspaper, government officials promised to remove the traps by August 15 but had not done so.
Several young men jumped in the water during Sunday’s protest and began dismantling the fishing nets, witnesses said.
Other protesters carried banners criticizing the royal family members’ land grab, with one reading, “We are the kind of people who never abandon our shores to the hands of the powerful.”
“The shores of Bahrain are for sale: for more information please call the royal court,” said another one.
Local council leader Yousif al-Bori blamed the government for Sunday’s incident, saying they “procrastinated in implementing the rule of law.”
Bahrain’s ruling family is Sunni Muslim, but 60 percent of the population, and most of the residents of al-Malkiyah, are Shiite.
Herald Tribune
