Kuwait Emir Orders Police to Maintain Order Day after Protestors Storm Parliament
Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, on Thursday ordered the national guard and security forces to take all "necessary" measures to maintain security in the Gulf state.
The order was issued in a statement by the cabinet which held an emergency meeting chaired by the emir, a day after opposition-led protesters calling for the premier's resignation stormed the parliament building.
The emir "ordered the interior ministry and the national guards to take all measures and preparations necessary to confront whatever undermines the security of the country and public order," said the cabinet statement.
He also ordered that they should be "provided with all authority necessary to ensure security and the application of the law... to put an end to such shameful provocative acts," it added.
The statement however did not specify the types of measures the security forces will take to contain protests that have been calling for the resignation of the cabinet and dissolving parliament over graft charges.
Protesters on Wednesday stormed the parliament building in Kuwait City following clashes with police who beat them up with batons, injuring five people.
The interior ministry said in a separate statement on Thursday that five security personnel and a member of the national guards were also hurt in the clashes.
Tension has been building in Kuwait over the past three months after it was alleged that about 16 MPs in the 50-member parliament received around $350 million (259 million euros) in bribes, apparently for their parliament votes.
The public prosecutor has opened an unprecedented investigation into the case after several local banks referred accounts held by MPs on suspicions of receiving huge illegal deposits.
Some opposition MPs have linked the government to the alleged bribes and accused the 71-year-old premier, nephew of the emir, of transferring public funds into his personal accounts overseas. The charges were denied.
Also on Wednesday, about 20 opposition lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary session a day after the government and its supporters rejected a bid by the opposition to quiz the prime minister over corruption allegations.
The premier has been a target of opposition criticism since he was appointed to the job in February 2006, forcing him to resign six times, and dissolving parliament and holding fresh elections on three occasions.
Kuwait is OPEC's third largest producer, pumping around 3.0 million barrels of oil per day. It has accumulated over $300 billion in assets but projects have been stalled because of political disputes.
Source: Agence France Presse
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