MANAMA: Bahrain's king pledged to bring reforms and another demonstrator was Saturday confirmed to have died in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as international calls mounted for restraint. “I shall not allow a stop in the reform process which I began when I took the reins of power,” King Hamad said in a statement on the official BNA news agency. “The door is open to all subjects that are in the interest of all the citizens,” he said. A protester missing since Wednesday's crackdown in Manama on a month-old pro-democracy movement was Saturday confirmed dead, an opposition MP said, bringing to at least five the number of protesters killed this week. The MP, Mattar Mattar, said the dead man “was one of those missing since Wednesday,” whose number he put at “around 60.” Police were posted outside the hospital, where doctors trying to help the injured protesters have allegedly been attacked. The government has denied the accusations. Bahrain faces mounting international pressure to exercise restraint and ensure the safety of jailed opposition leaders. Overnight, the US said it was “deeply troubled” by the arrest of several opposition figures and activists in the Gulf kingdom, urging authorities to ensure transparent judicial proceedings. Washington also called on Bahraini “security forces to cease violence, especially on medical personnel and facilities,” he said, urging “maximum restraint” by the Bahraini government and that protesters also “engage peacefully and responsibly.” On Saturday, BNA reported that Bahrain Defense Forces have until further notice banned maritime activity in various areas of the Gulf archipelago's waters from 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) to 6:00 A.M. (0300 GMT). UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Thursday the crackdown might be breaking international law as he expressed “his deepest concern over reports of excessive and indiscriminate use of force.” Bahrain reduced curfew times by four hours Saturday and said ministries and schools would return to normal working hours after a crackdown on mainly Shiite protesters raised tensions in the oil-producing region. The unrest brought Bahrain's economy to a virtual standstill and schools and universities were closed to prevent sectarian clashes that had begun to erupt daily.
