More than 120 hurt in Bahrain clashes

More than 120 protesters have been wounded in clashes with police in Bahrain this week, activists said on Wednesday, in a crackdown to stop majority Shiites breaking out of their neighborhoods to stage protests one year after an uprising.The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the clashes, while a senior opposition figure said the government had put out feelers on talks to resolve the crisis in the Gulf Arab state.Police conducted operations into the night in the flashpoint town of Sitra, seizing 15 teenagers in a raid on one building after a police vehicle was damaged by a petrol bomb earlier, residents said.The streets were deserted with residents staying indoors as dozens of jeeps sped through the streets in apparent search operations. A policeman inside one vehicle fired a tear gas canister over some buildings before hurtling round a corner.Opposition activists reported similar operations in numerous other Shiite areas of the island including Budaiya as well as Musalla and Sanabis which are on the edge of the capital.Riot police also used armored personnel carriers that have not been seen on Bahrains streets since martial law last year.The heightened security presence at this time aims to spread security and reassure all citizens and residents... Expressing opinion must be within the space allowed by the law, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said in comments on the ministrys website.It gave no information on the number of arrests this week.A U.N. statement said Ban Ki-moon expected Bahrain to act in accordance with international human rights obligations.The Secretary-General is concerned about reports of clashes in Bahrain between security forces and demonstrators over the past few days, the statement said.A medic who works with researchers of an international organization and asked not to be identified said the numbers of wounded in clashes this week was the highest in months.There were over 100 cases on Tuesday and 37 of them are bad, with head injuries and fractures, he said. On Monday we had 20 people (wounded) in villages around the country. The medic said some casualties had been hit by birdshot, controversial ammunition that Bahraini police deny using.Most of the wounded were treated in village homes or private health clinics because protesters from the Shiite majority fear they will be arrested if they go to hospitals run by the government, which is appointed by the Sunni monarchy.The protests began as a spontaneous movement embracing both Shiites and Sunnis, cutting across religious and class divides with demands for broad political, social and economic reform. But they descended into sectarian violence as backroom talks on democratic reforms went nowhere, and hardliners in government and the opposition seized the initiative.Government forces backed by Saudi troops crushed the month-long revolt last year. By June, when a state of emergency was lifted, 35 people had been killed.