24/01/13 16:17

Many expatriates living in Bahrain say that the situation is one of fear and panic as regular violence occurs on the street day and night.

In a report by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA), the organisation said that parts of the country have become no-go areas with some people deciding to move for the protection of their families.

It has been produced to be submitted as evidence to the House of Commons in the UK, which is due to launch an investigation into how London deals with issues in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Extensive written evidence has also been submitted by a large number of British figures who have lived and worked in the Gulf, with diplomats and retired military officials among their number.

The BFEA report stated: “Tyres are burnt everyday and incendiary devices placed at major junctions and highways around key traffic routes, creating serious traffic delays and producing dangerous toxic fumes.

“Another tactic that generates fear is the constant attacks on police patrols with Molotovs. As these patrols operate on highways and within residential areas, this often means there are incidents where civilians are inadvertently hit by Molotovs.”

It goes on to say that there have been a number of cases where expat families have been attacked in their cars with rocks, iron rods and Molotov cocktails on these roads.

Local street furniture such as traffic lights and street lights are being vandalised, along with graffiti appearing on schools and churches.

Private property, such as houses and cars are also being targeted by vandals and the blowing up of gas cylinders is contributing to areas being deemed no-go zones.

The BFEA noted: “Warning notices to expatriates have been placed in some villages. This was followed by indiscriminate placing and detonation of bombs and incendiary devices.

“On November 5th last year five such devices were placed in areas predominantly populated by expatriates and these were detonated without any warning. Tragically, this led to the death of two expatriates, the serious injury of another, damage to several vehicles and community property.

“The discovery of other similar devices in the days that followed led to a climate of fear and panic.”

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