Paracletus

I watched the Ashura parade down in the souk last year, one father had his little daughter walking with him, all cut up in the head like all the adults..

non_Brit

no need to be rude ... i do get your frustration and also your sense of being stuck.

i am simply evaluating a job opportunity from over 6000 miles away. tx for the infos.

shiva

They did and are

Tockalosh

Good question. Basically ones assessment is based upon what you witness. If you don't personally see something then you can ignore what you hear and dismiss it as a lack of moral fibre or whatever the equivalent Canadian phrase is.
What I would say is that a he'll of a lot of people have left. Every compound is half empty even the very best ones where you would have been pissing in the wind 12 months ago.
Of course their are **** wits who refuse to accept what is staring them in the face and long may they remain as I need to flog my range rover to someone!

You could ask why are there still white folks in Zimbabwe or south Africa when both countries are ****ed.

Good luck with your move to Shia central. Do you want to buy a range rover ?

markinbahrain

Firstly,it is unfortunate but you will not get true updates on Bahrain protests by reading 24X7 Bahrain online News or GDN or BTV as it is all extremely biased towards the government.
The media do to a degree have information blocks, and are used to having to exaggerate the truth for the sake of the government.
Secondly, the economy is on its knees and the Government will not say how bad it really is, but it is bad. Both residential & commercial real estate has virtually collapsed in my opinion and occupancy levels in hotels are extremely low. The financial sector has been hit extremely hard with a definite brain drain of expats and companies having left within this sector over the last 9 months for more favorable locations within the ME.
Thirdly, their are official statistics showing the first quarter of this year of people leaving Bahrain, and it is again interesting that the government have decided not to release any further quartely figures for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of this year as they have done in the past which would clearly show just how many have left Bahrain!!
Employment Value Change 1st Quarter of 2011 compared to 2010.

1 Total employment1 594,925 0.2%

2 - Bahrainis 141,263 2.1%
3 - Non-Bahrainis 453,661 -0.4%

Work visas2 Value Change

5 New work visas 22,929 down -8.2%
6 Renewals 30,532 down -19.2%

The bottom line is Non_Brit, Bahrain has huge problems, their still are Asians coming to Bahrain on work visas due to them earning more here than in their home country, and europeans will still prefer to live in Bahrain all be it in a large compound with beefed up security,and travel over the causeway for work in Saudi. But as Tockalosh and Shiva have mentioned the more you actually see the problems first hand then you see that the problems are not going away. Lets be honest whom would have thought that a year ago that the Arab spring would have made so many changes within the arab world, but they have, and its not finished yet, especially in Bahrain. I hope the above gives you some more clearer vision of what is going on from my perspective, alternatively you could always go on youtube to see the daily unrest in Bahrain.

For me personally, well unless my companies largest contract with the Gov of Bahrain is not renewed at my inflated price at the end of February, me and my son will not stay in Bahrain and I will close my company to relocate elsewhere.

Ronnie Biggs

The Markmeister has nailed it. The explosions/teargas/road blockages are rapidly getting out of hand and unless you live in Amwaj or Adliya you'd better get used to bangs and teary eyes. If I was on my own I'd pitch up in town and it would bother me far less but as it is I don't think I could knowingly bring my children here. In saying that, it's still probably preferable to Glasgow.

non_Brit

thanks!!
this is indeed the information i was looking for. i've got no doubts that both local and international reports are off. i just want to find out to what extend really...

the children's safety will be the real deal breaker. for me your parents concerns are the single most important factor.

i've mentioned earlier i think, with my husband working at the airport, amwaj could be the place to live if it wasn't for the lack of decent schools -this is my personal opinion based on what i've read about the schools so far. i can be wrong.

on the other hand, just because amwaj is safe now, it doesn't mean it will stay that way. i have witnessed the 1988 october riots in algeria that ultimately led to a military coup in 1992. something like a thousand people died that same october. we lived in a very safe place, left for a few days on a lovely driving trip deep into the sahara desert (mom, dad and two girls: this is how safe it was!) and when we came back we couldn't recognise the town. with my mother we managed to leave the country almost immediately but my father had to stay till the end of his work contract, a couple of years later. so .. not a virgin when it comes to arab revolutions.

and while i wouldn't like my husband to miss out on a good job opportunity due to my personal experiences, i absolutely dread the deja vue ...

luckily, we don't need to make a decision just yet.

so thanks again, i very much appreciate all input!

wishing you a peaceful weekend!

heartofdarkness

Everyone here is just trying to give yourself and all other potential newcomers good advice. Bottom line its up to you and your situation. I think most of us here are looking or at least thinking for a way out one way or another. You have lived through similar kind of nonsense..so should be aware. As I have mentioned in other posts..Do you want to bring you family to be in a place where you don't know when you might have to leave on a moments notice if things unravel? Will you know where your kids are every night? and god forbid they show up in the wrong place at wrong time?..Thats my concern...We are living it..no one on this board is scaremongering...been here 3.5 years..TRUTH

non_Brit

just thinking about it makes me nauseous ... like i said, children's safety is the real deal breaker.

Tockalosh

If you want a good Idea of what's happening then google expats of Bahrain 3. Its pro gov but will show ya photos of disloyals going about their nightly business. Do you really want to leave Canada with it's peace for here ?

Now I have a genuine fear of brown bears and so Canada has never appealed but I would rather live a peaceful life in the backside of nova scotia with a yard full of bears than put up with these ****wits

non_Brit

wild life is only racoons raveging my gabrage bins ....
will make hubby read all threads when he comes back
work-widow at the moment
cheers!

another non brit

Living in EP in KSA I depend on these guys to provide the details about what's really going on there. Used to make regular weekend runs to Bahrain for a little fun, right now, just doesn't seem worth it.

Paracletus

Interesting FB page they have..and seeing the pictures I'm going to confirm that I'm glad I managed to get out when I did, though it was wholly un-related to the on goings of the 'hizbollah'.

I know the country has always been divided, but this is just getting way out of hand..the language on that FB page is just such lovely propaganda. I wonder if this blogger has been arrested or what..

http://letsblamesociety.blogspot.com/

Tockalosh

I am sure the CPs aide drafts most of it lol however the pics are what they are and it is sad. We have just been to amwaj to get the boys hair cut and both commented that the Arabian gulf looks a damned sight more attractive than the Irish sea washing up against the coast of North West England and not a single disloyal in sight to spoil the view. Amwaj really is another planet without any grafitti or hassle.

non_Brit

exactly why i am here, to get the real story
staying put for now and enjoying a hot and sunny day at only -3C