Majority of British residents in Bahrain continue to shelter in place, although the UK embassy has been providing guidance to the ‘steady stream’ of those choosing to depart the kingdom across the King Fahad Causeway.
Speaking exclusively to the GDN, UK Ambassador Alastair Long also revealed that the embassy has been monitoring the prices of outbound travel from Bahrain, including land transport and flights from open airports in the region.
“We are communicating to British nationals that there are two options,” he added.
“There is the option to shelter in place in Bahrain just as Bahrainis are doing. And the vast majority of British residents are choosing to do that and I maintain still that the chances of coming to harm are not nil, but are minisculely small because of the brilliant job the Bahraini Defence Force (BDF) and the wider Bahraini authorities are doing for us.
“The other option – the causeway still remains open so that is a route that people can avail themselves of.
“We’re also constantly testing the prices and availability of transport options, and while they’ve increased a little bit because of demand, it doesn’t look like people are trying to make an opportunity out of this situation, so there are reasonably priced options for taxis and buses and other routes over the causeway.
“In terms of flight availability on the other side of the causeway, beyond the options in Riyadh, Gulf Air is also opening up the route to London from Dammam.
“And again, the price point is reasonable in keeping with their normal fare structure so that remains an opportunity.
“If people want to leave the kingdom, they can but what we’re not trying to tell people is, do one or the other however, it’s important to note that our travel advice does say you should only be in Bahrain if it’s essential.”
Mr Long noted that while there have been ‘at least three’ repatriation flights which departed from Oman, a variety of commercial options remain available, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air.
The British Ambassador also highlighted certain cases in which the embassy has stepped in to issue emergency travel documents to expedite departure for UK nationals.
“To be honest, it’s quite normal that there are people who find that their passport has expired or will expire in less than six months, as well as those who have lost their passport or have a newborn and need to apply to get their first passport,” he explained.
“That’s standard embassy business but what has been disrupted is the logistical flow, and where people might normally be happy to wait for that passport to arrive, now they want to make travel plans sooner because of the situation.
“So in that circumstance, they can come to us and request an emergency travel document that covers them to get through to the UK.”
Mr Long also noted that those who are travelling using an emergency travel document will have to get in touch with Saudi authorities before heading to the border, adding that the embassy has been guiding them through this process.
Meanwhile, the UK continues to support the BDF in defence operations with the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon fighter jets.
The GDN had reported on Tuesday that an Iranian drone heading towards Bahrain was shot down by one of these jets, according to British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey.
Mr Long emphasised that the RAF’s stance in the region remains defensive and the force is not participating in any offensive operation.
He noted that UK Senior Defence Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren met BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa on Tuesday to discuss how the RAF can contribute to defence operations.
“What was really evident is that there’s very high morale in the BDF and very impressive organisation, and a determination to keep people safe,” he added.
Speaking of the UK’s defence capabilities in the region, Mr Long noted that it had developed counter-piracy, counter-narcotics and minesweeping capabilities to keep people safe and defend them from illegal and aggressive action.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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