Gulf | Bahrain
Qatar detains 15 Bahraini fishermen who strayed
Their families said that they received phone calls informing them that they were held in Qatar and that they would be put on trial next week.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 August 11, 2010
Manama: A new crisis over fishing boundaries has erupted between Bahrain and Qatar following the arrest of 15 Bahraini fishermen for allegedly entering Qatari waters.
The Bahrainis, reportedly all amateur fishermen from Muharraq, Bahrain's second largest city, and Sitra, a coastal town south of Manama, were arrested on Thursday and Friday after they strayed into Qatari waters and have been held by Qatari authorities.
Their families said that they received phone calls informing them that they were held in Qatar and that they would be put on trial next week.
The detention of the 15 Bahrainis comes in the wake of a bitter standoff between Manama and Doha over the arrest of 117 Bahrain-based fishermen by the Qatari Coast Guards. The incident was triggered by the shooting of Adel Al Taweel, a Bahraini fisherman. Qatar said that the coast guard was forced to shoot after the fisherman failed to heed their warnings and subsequently resisted arrest.
Al Taweel was treated at a local hospital and Qatar snubbed Bahrain when it sent a medical team and a human rights team to help repatriate him.
Security concerns
Bahrain insisted on the release of all Bahraini and Bahrain-based Asian fishermen who had been held by the Qataris who had cited security concerns for the arrests.
The crisis was eventually resolved when the leaders of the two countries spoke on the phone and Qatar's Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani ordered the release of the detainees and their boats and equipment.
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