Oman cracks down on protesters in three cities, several arrests made

Muscat - 13 May 2011: The authorities in Oman cracked down on protesters in three cities overnight on Thursday, making several arrests in the process.

The army first took charge of the parking lot outside the Governor's Building in Salalah, which has been termed "Liberty Square" by activists, who are camping their since February 25.

The armoured vehicles and security personnel encircled the area where protesters have been demanding reforms. Those who refused to leave the place were handcuffed and taken away in a waiting bus.

Pictures posted of activists in handcuffs

The pictures of activists being handcuffed and taken away were posted on the social media sites such as Facebook and local forum Sablat Oman.

The crackdown started after 9pm in Salalah as well as Muscat. Some activists were taken into custody from outside the Shura Council office and Al Khuwair Ministry area in Muscat also.

"They dismantled tents and took away everything," an activist, who preferred not to be named, told Gulf News Friday. Even in Muscat these activists were camping since February 25 and they even used to take their meal in these tents.

The activist said that a fellow activist Mohammad Al Habsi was summoned for interrogation by the security agencies Friday morning.

Al Habsi was active in posting updates, pictures and videos about the protests on a page created on Facebook, especially to post development about the protests in the country.

Authorities swoop on protesters

After clearing protest sites in Muscat and Salalah after 9pm, the authorities swooped on protesters in Sur in the eastern part of the country at around 2am.

"In Sur also they demolished the tents and made some arrest," the activist informed Gulf News.

"Everything has been cleared although we in Salalah have been very peaceful in staging our sit-ins," he added. Except Sohar, Ibri and Jalan Bani Bu Ali, protests and demonstrations have been generally peaceful in the other parts of the country.

Late Thursday night, government-owned Oman News Agency carried the news of arrests.

The report quoting an official security source said security and military authorities arrested a number of "provocateurs" in Muscat and Salalah.

The source said that the deliberate inciting of rioting and public disorder by the detainees had reached a level that necessitated intervention to prevent them from continuing to break the law and stop their attempts to incite sedition, which has nothing to do with the public interest.

"They have no justification to continue gatherings and sit-ins," a source was quoted in the ONA report.

The authorities affirmed they will not hesitate to apply the law and protect the security of citizens and the nation.

source: GN