Bahrain's King Announces End to State of "National Safety" in June

MANAMA, Bahrain, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- King Hamad of Bahrain announced his country's state of "national safety" will end June 1.

The national safety law, often erroneously referred to as a "state of emergency" or "martial law," was enacted in mid-March to deal with rising violence from demonstrators in Bahrain.

The announcement is a sign that Bahrain has rebounded from the unrest, with banks reopened, students back in school and tourism returning to the island Kingdom.

Curfews in the capital city of Manama and on sea were also reduced last week as protests have dwindled. Bahrain has called for a national dialogue to resolve issues with opposition forces and many Bahrainis believe ending the state of national safety will greatly advance this goal.

The Bahrain Grand Prix, originally scheduled for March 13 and a source of a big government investment, was postponed because of the unrest.

Formula One's governing body said last week that Bahrain had until June 3 to decide if a new date could be set for this year. If Bahrain does plan to go ahead with the race, that would help explain the lifting of the state of national safety on June 1 rather than June 15 as originally planned, several Bahrainis said.

SOURCE Kingdom of Bahrain