Oman protests spread, road to port blocked

Sohar, Oman: The demonstrators blocked roads in the main port in northern Oman and ransacked the nearest supermarket on Monday, part of protests to demand more jobs and political reforms that have spread to the capital of the Sultanate.

The doctor said six people were killed in clashes between stone-throwing protesters and police on Sunday in the northern industrial city of Sohar. Minister of Health of Oman, said only one person was killed and 20 wounded.

Hundreds of protesters blocked access to the industrial zone that includes a port, a refinery and aluminum smelter. Port spokeswoman petroleum exports, which usually amounts to 160,000 barrels a day from the port were not affected.

"We want to see the benefit of our oil wealth is distributed evenly on the population," one protester shouted at the speaker next to the port. "We want to scale down from expatriates in Oman, so more jobs can be created for Omanis.

The peaceful protests also spread to other cities, with hundreds of demonstrators outside the Government's Ministerial Complex in Muscat and elsewhere in the capital.

Unrest in Sohar, Oman, the main industrial center, was a rare outbreak of unrest in the normally sleepy sultanate ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said for four decades, and follows a wave of democratic protests in the Arab world.

Sultan, trying to ease tensions, promised on Sunday to create more jobs, provide unemployment benefits and expand the study of power quasi-parliamentary advisory council.

Although hundreds of protesters blocked roads near the port, hundreds of people were in mainly Globe Roundabout, angry after police opened fire on Sunday at protesters demanding political reform, job creation and higher wages.