Plan for martial law in Bahrain

Press Association,
Monday March 14 2011

A parliament group has asked Bahrain's king to impose martial law after a month of unrest which has left the tiny Gulf nation sharply divided between minority Sunni Muslims backing the ruling system and Shiites demanding sweeping changes.

There was no immediate response from Bahrain's monarch, but authorities have expressed increasing frustration that opposition groups have not accepted offers to open dialogue aimed at easing the crisis.

A military-run crackdown would risk further polarising the strategic island kingdom - home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet - and send a chill through the many international banking and financial companies which use Bahrain as their Gulf hub.

The parliament bloc's statement, carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, asks for a three-month declaration of martial law and claimed "extremist movements" were trying to disrupt the country and push it toward sectarian conflict. The appeal also seeks a curfew and the dispatch of army units around the country.

The Alayam newspaper, which is closely aligned with the royal family, reported on its website that forces from neighbouring Gulf nations were expected to send reinforcements to Bahrain to bolster security forces.

Read the rest of the article.