Muscat: Security forces on Thursday fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Liwa town, about 235km north of Muscat, according to Monitor of Human Rights in Oman (MHRO).
The independent human rights group has posted photographs of protesters running helter-skelter after security forces fired tear gas. Gulf News could not independently verify the claims.
The protests, led by Dr Talib Al Maa’mari, Shura Council member from Liwa, were held by local residents, including women and children, to oppose growing pollution in the area due to the Sohar Industrial Estate.
The local residents have protested for the same reason in the past also.
They posted photographs of the protests and subsequent action by the security forces on various social media sites.
Esmail Al Muqbali, an activist, has rejected action against protesters in his post on social media website Facebook.
“Reject this barbaric act in Liwa on a rally that was held to oppose pollution from smoke emitted from factories in the Sohar Industrial Estate,” he said in his post.
The MHRO page on Facebook also reported that men, women and children came out to protests against pollution in the area in Liwa.
