JNN 14 Feb 2011 : Bahrain’s security forces set up checkpoints and clashed with marchers in at least one village Sunday as opposition groups blanketed social media sites with calls to stage the first major anti-government protests in the Gulf since the uprising in Egypt

Online activists have been calling for wage protests and demanding political, social and economic reforms, the Times said.

Bahrain Centre for Human Rights called on King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa to take measures to avoid the use of force by security forces against peaceful protests which might take place in the very near future.

The wide-ranging clampdown appeared directed toward Bahrain’s Shiite majority – which had led the drive for Monday’s rallies – and reflected the increasing worries of the Sunni rulers who have already doled out cash ,and promised greater media reforms in an effort to quell the protest fervor.

In an effort to stave off anti-government protests, Bahrain’s king has paid $2,650 to every family “as a sign of appreciation,” an official statement said

Even after this all A prominent human rights activist predicted “chaos and bloodshed” if attempts are made to crush the planned demonstrations.

The tiny kingdom of Bahrain is among the most politically volatile in the Gulf and holds important strategic value for the West as the home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Bahrain’s Shiites – accounting for nearly 70 percent of the population – have long complained of systematic discrimination by the ruling Sunni dynasty, whose crackdown on dissent last year touched off riots and clashes.

Shiite-led opposition groups and others have joined calls for the demonstrations on a symbolic day – the anniversary of Bahrain’s 2002 constitution that brought some pro-democracy reforms such as an elected parliament.

In Karzakan, a Shiite village in western Bahrain, riot police clashed with a small group of youths who staged a march following a wedding ceremony. An Associated Press photographer saw several people injured and others gasping from tear gas.

Security forces set up checkpoints around the Shiite villages and throughout the capital Manama to monitor people’s movements. Units also patrolled malls and other key spots in a clear warning against holding the rallies, which have been the focus of social media appeals and text messages for more than a week.

Bahrain — with a population of approximately 568,00 — is considered the poorest population among its oil-rich Gulf neighbors, the newspaper said.

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