Oman police fire rubber bullets at protesters, two dead

By REUTERS

MUSCAT: Omani police fired rubber bullets on stone-throwing protesters demanding political reform in an industrial town on Sunday, killing two people, and the military moved in to secure the area, witnesses said. They said at least 1,000 protesters had gathered for a second straight day in a main square in Sohar before police tried to disperse them first with tear gas and batons before firing on them with rubber bullets.

“Two people have died after police fired rubber bullets in the crowd,” one witness, who declined to be named, told Reuters from Sohar. Another witness said the police had used live ammunition, but that could not be confirmed.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, trying to ease tensions in the normally sleepy Gulf state as Arab unrest spread in the region, reshuffled his cabinet on Saturday, a week after an earlier protest in the capital Muscat.

Protests were also taking place in the southern town of Salalah where demonstrators have been camped out since Friday near the office of a provincial governor.

After the clashes in Sohar, police pulled back from the protest and the crowd, some of whom were carrying petrol and matches, was making its way to a police station, said one witness, who gave his name only as Mohammed. Helicopters circled overhead.

Witnesses said at least eight people had been hurt in the melee in addition to the two fatalities. Roadblocks had been set up on a main road between Sohar and Muscat, they said.

Gulf Arab countries have stepped up measures to appease their populations following popular unrest that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

Last week, about 300 Omanis demanded political reforms and better pay in a peaceful protest in Muscat as unrest in other Middle East countries and North Africa turned increasingly violent.

In mid-February, the sultanate increased the salary for national workers in the private sector by 43 percent to $520 per month. There is no official unemployment rate, but a CIA estimate from 2004 put the rate then at about 15 percent.

Comments

DR JON SPELLER

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As an old Cold Warrior against atheistic Communism and former Editor of EAST EUROPE Magazine, I aver that it is sad that Omani authorities had to fire rubber bullets in Oman, but that it must be emphasized that the protesters were not peacefully protesting, unlike those in Tunis and Cairo, but throwing rocks in a violent manner. Even in the United States, where peaceful protest is a Constitutional right, the authorities cannot tolerate violent protests. Since ascending to the throne of Oman, His Majesty King Qaboos bin Said has accomplished very much in the economic and sociological development sectors. Admittedly, representative government progress has not adequately kept pace with those reforms, but I have no doubt that the Sultan of Oman is aware of the fast moving worldwide winds of change towards more democratic governance, and, prayerfully His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said will become a helmsman in accord with the traditional great maritime tradition of Oman towards prudent evolution of representative monarchical governance in the Sultanate of Oman and worldwide. Even the US White House is now beginning to recognize that monarchies can better adapt and prudently evolve to future parliamentary governance and respect for human rights in countries around the world rather than the truly dictatorial, anarchic, and corrupt republican regimes the US has so unwisely and wrongly supported in the past worldwide. .In EAST EUROPE Magazine during the 1970's I strongly supported His Majesty King Qaboos in his successful war against the Communist backed rebels from South Yemen, even though amoral and immoral Dr Henry Kissinger showed that he didn't give a hoot about opposing the Soviet backed regime in Aden, although my personal friend and fellow Anti-Communist CINCPAC Commander four star Admiral John S. McCain, US Navy, considered Aden to be a dangerous key base for Soviet naval penetration of the Indian Ocean. The Admiral also was disturbed as a matter of human rights and the principle of self-determination of nations about the pro-Soviet arranged overthrow of the independent Sultanate of Zanzibar and the horrible massacres committed against Arabs there that had taken place in 1964, horrific film documentaion about which can be seen on YouTube. Subsequently, Zanzibar was annexed by the corrupt Tanzanian regime. Although many Zanzibaris of all ethnic groups now desire that Zanzibar regain its independence, it remains part of the corrupt Republic of Tanzania. Zanzibar is the only national UN Member ever that is not a member of the UN today. A dear friend of mine back in the 1970's at the Omani UN Mission to the UN (an Omani Royal of the Zanzibari branch of the Royal Family) documented to me that the first Arab ship to arrive in New York harbor in the 19th century was an Omani vessel from Muscat, and I published an article on that fact in EAST EUROPE Magazine. Oman can easily become a major merchant marine flagship carrier worldwide in harmony with the royal flagship merchant marines of the Kingdom of Norway and the Empire of Japan. The Royal Omani Navy, in collaboration with the Royal Saudi Navy, can also become at the forefront of the International Community in serious efforts to permanently end piracy in the Indian Ocean. That the world's monarchies in various stages of evolutionary representative governance, regardless of their cultural, religious and sectarian divides, must follow the deep spiritual and temporal dimension intuitive guidance as has been expressed by sage Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is my devout personal opinion as well as that of various friends of mine of various nationalities and religious faiths. Dr Jon Speller, New York NY USA

AN ARAB SUBJECT

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Second GCC country and 4th Arab country yearning for freedom of expression and democracy. While the entire world is enjoying this privilege Arabs are deprived of even in this 21st century. Whoever the ruler, he gets glued to the chair until death.........

PETER

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Dr.Speller is outlining important background facts but this is snow of yesterday. Today we have a totally different world global acting, messages spreading fast with new technologies,a new generation not even knowing how it all was " before ". For our politicians today regarding Oman is important, they " watch " the strait of Hormuz with US help for sure.Furthermore from Kuweit via Saudi Arabia down to Oman, the leader in these countries depend still heavily on the US umbrella.Dr.Speller is outlining a glorious past, but this ( unfortunately ) is of nobodys interest today anymore.I remember quite well Omani employees in the hotel business, working as beach boys, Omani girls in housekeeping or at recieving VIP at airport, complaining bitterly about the low income.So here again it is education which enables people to climb up the social ladder. This must be a prime target , also for the Omani goverment.
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