His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain pledged to bring reforms on Saturday. “I shall not allow a stop in the reform process which I began when I took the reins of power,” King Hamad said
in a statement on the official BNA news agency. “The door is open to all subjects that are in the interest of all the citizens,” he said.
Bahrain on Saturday reduced curfew times by four hours and said ministries and schools would return to normal working hours after a crackdown on protesters.
The curfew now runs from 8pm to 4am from Seef Mall, through the Pearl Roundabout and the financial district to the diplomatic area.
“The Education Ministry calls on all the employees of the ministry, schools, nurseries and higher education institutes, both public and private, ... to return to work starting from Sunday, March 20,” the statement said.
Bahrain has arrested at least seven opposition leaders and driven pro-democracy demonstrators from the streets after weeks of protests that prompted its king to declare emergency and draw in troops from Saudi Arabia.
The BNA also reported that Bahrain Defence Forces have until further notice banned maritime activity in various areas of the Gulf archipelago’s waters from 5pm to 6am.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al Khalifa said that most of those arrested “do not recognise the political system of Bahrain” and that there was evidence that Sharif, one of the detainees, had been in “contact with foreign parties”.
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