Although the world's focus has shifted from the Middle East turmoil to the devastation caused by Japan earthquake and tsunami, Bahrain is still on the boil. As dissidents continue to agitate against the government, military troops and security forces have been deployed to suppress the never-dying protests on Wednesday, after clashes erupted eliciting an imposition of an emergency rule on Tuesday.
At Manama's Pearl Square, the symbolic heart of the uprising in the Gulf kingdom, riot police fired tear gas to muzzle the protests and clear the Square.
Large scale protests broke out against Bahrain's Sunni monarchy last month as part of the wave of protests sparked off by the successful Tunisian 'Jasmine' revolution and the consequent Egyptian revolt. The country's majority Shiite Muslims are leading the campaign.
Soldiers from other Gulf nations have been dispatched to help the Bahrain government put an end to the protests.
On Tuesday, the King declared a three-month state of emergency and instructed the military to battle unrest in the violence-torn nation.
Start the slideshow to see the images of the ongoing protests as demonstrators face forces:
Doctors form a human chain at Salmaniya Hospital fearing an attack by riot police in Manama, March 15, 2011. A local man was killed on Tuesday in clashes with police in the Shi'ite Muslim area of Sitra and several others were wounded, an opposition parliamentarian said, as unrest continued to wrack Bahrain. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedAn Anti-government protesters places a banner saying ''Go Out'' at the gate of the Saudi Embassy in Manama, March 15, 2011. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedAn Anti-government protesters shouts slogans near the Saudi Embassy in Manama, March 15, 2011. Bahrain's king declared martial law on Tuesday as his government struggled to quell an uprising by the island's Shi'ite Muslim majority that has drawn in troops from fellow Sunni-ruled neighbor Saudi Arabia. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedAnti-government protesters walk towards the Saudi Embassy in Manama, March 15, 2011. Thousands of Bahrainis marched on the Saudi embassy in Manama on Tuesday to protest against the intervention. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedAn Anti-government protester holds a copy of the Koran as she passes by the Saudi Embassy in Manama, March 15, 2011. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedGulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Forces move into Pearl Square to clear anti-government protesters blocking a road in Manama, March 16, 2011.Helicopters flew overhead and Bahraini riot police fired teargas on Wednesday as they cleared mainly Shi'ite protesters from a central roundabout where they had been camped out for weeks, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedSmoke rises as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) forces move in to Pearl Square to evacuate anti-government protesters in Manama March 16, 2011. Helicopters flew overhead and Bahraini riot police fired teargas on Wednesday as they cleared mainly Shi'ite protesters from the central roundabout where they had been camped out for weeks, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedStill image taken from video shows Saudi Arabian troops crossing the causeway leading to Bahrain.Saudi Arabian troops gesture as they cross the causeway leading to Bahrain in this still image taken from video March 14, 2011. About 1,000 Saudi soldiers entered Bahrain to protect government facilities, a Saudi official source said, a day after mainly Shi'ite protesters overran police and blocked roads. REUTERS/Bahrain state TV via RAn anti-government protester waves the Bahraini flag as he stands on a roadblock used to prevent riot police from entering the junction of Bahrain Financial Harbour in Manama March 14, 2011. Bahrain has been gripped by its worst unrest since the 1990s after protesters took to the streets last month, inspired by uprisings that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
