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Yemen Protests Leave 4 Dead, 7 Injured
SAN`A, Yemen (AP) -- Protesters clashed with security forces for a second day Thursday after the Yemeni government reduced subsidies on oil products, and the violence in the capital and elsewhere left four dead and seven injured. Demonstrators clashed with security forces around government buildings, including oil ministry offices, in different provinces and set shops and cars on fire. In Sa'dah, 125 miles northwest of the capital, San'a, medical officials allowed to speak only on condition of anonymity said three people were killed and seven were injured. Witnesses said two of the injured were security force members. Police refused to comment.
In San'a, army tanks lined the main streets and surrounded the offices of the Cabinet, the ruling party and radio and television buildings. One protester was killed during clashes in a poor southeastern neighborhood, witnesses said. Protesters set two army cars on fire in Lawdar, a town 155 miles southeast of San'a that is a stronghold for Muslim fundamentalists. Protests also erupted in the north in Marib, and in central cities including Ibb and Radaa, and in the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah. Two journalists working for local partisan papers were arrested and their cameras were confiscated, the press syndicate and an editor said. Ahmed Said, editor-in-chief of the Al-Wahdawi weekly, confirmed that a journalists from his paper and the Al-Asima weekly were rounded up by police.
Correspondents for foreign and Arab television networks were informed they should refrain from photography, filming or airing footage of the riots, but no official ban was issued. The unrest started Wednesday, a day after the government said it would reduce subsidies on oil products by more than half. The government said seven months ago it wanted to curb a budget deficit, but the cuts have been postponed at least three times to avoid sparking protests. © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. |
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