Qatar stops two Bahraini vessels, arrests four sailors

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Two Bahraini cruisers with four sailors onboard are taken into custody by the Qatari coast guards, said Bahrain’s Coast Guard Command. Bahraini Coast Guard officials said they learned about the incident in a fax message by the General Department of Coast and Border Security.

The arrest was for “illegally entering the territorial waters of the State of Qatar and practising fishing without a permit,” the Qatari fax to Bahrain said.

Qatari officials said they are pursuing legal actions against the sailors on board the captured cruisers. Bahraini Coast Guard officials said they are taking necessary legal measures to ensure their release.

Provocations

Qatari coast guards are known to routinely harass Bahrainis and capture their vessels on the pretence of border violations. In a similar incident in January this year, Qatar had arrested a bodybuilding champion and two other Bahrainis during fishing trips. Their release came several days after Manama demanding their release.

That arrest was also the third incident after Bahrain and its allies signed a deal to end a row with Doha. The Interior Ministry said, in a statement, that Qatari authorities had also released a Bahraini sailor arrested in December but kept their boats.

At that time, Bahrain’s interior ministry said it had not received any official notice. “Such provocative practices were inconsistent with the principles of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and reflected Qatar’s hostility,” the ministry had said.

Before that Qatari coastguards vessels also violated regional and international agreements by stopping two Bahraini boats inside Qatari waters.