Omani police arrested six people involved in a demonstration on Monday demanding jobs and higher wages in the eastern town of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, witnesses said, in another sign of the unrest sweeping the Arab world. Around 100 protesters, mostly young people, marched in the streets chanting, "Where are the jobs?"
Some witnesses told Reuters the protests turned violent when some demonstrators broke into private properties and government buildings. Police arrested six people, they told Reuters. "They went mad and started kicking doors and windows of buildings," said one witness, who did not want to be identified. Sultan Qaboos bin Said, a US ally who has ruled Oman for 40 years, promised a $2.6 billion spending package last month after nearly two months of demonstrations inspired by pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world.
Oman's civil service minister said last week the government has employed about 33,000 people since Sultan Qaboos bin Said ordered the creation of 50,000 jobs in March. "We have been very patient in the last two months waiting for jobs. All the jobs are going to people in the cities and not in smaller towns," 23-year-old protester Hamed Abu Suroor said.
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