Why expats should really leave Bahrain now

If Western expat financial services professionals in Bahrain haven't considered the option of leaving the kingdom, they may wish to take on board the advice of the US Department of State, which is encouraging its citizens to depart if they possibly can.

Western countries seem to have taken note of the threat Bahrain's civil unrest poses to their citizens. The UK advised against travel to the country yesterday, and now the US is asking its expats in Bahrain to consider leaving because of the "breakdown in law and order".

Bahrain has now declared a state of emergency for three months, Saudi, UAE ad Qatari troops have been deployed and a fresh round of violent clashes has seen at least five killed and hundreds injured.

Bahrain's military has now imposed a curfew.

One banker who works in Saudi, but whose family is based in Bahrain, tells us this has meant the problems have finally hit home.

"Undoubtedly, this is a significant escalation and will impact Western expats in Bahrain," he says. "The US Embassy contacted my family by both e-mail and phone this morning, essentially urging them to leave if they could."

Although there's no evidence that Westerners are being targeted by protesters in Bahrain, the US Department of State suggests there's still potential dangers.

"Demonstrations have degenerated into violent clashes between police and protesters on several occasions, resulting in injuries," it said in a statement. "There also have been multiple reports of sectarian groups patrolling areas throughout Bahrain and establishing unofficial vehicle checkpoints."

Yesterday 1,000 Saudi troops entered Bahrain in an attempt to quell the protests - firmly stating its support in favour of the ruling al-Khalifa family and its opposition to the constitutional monarchy being called for by the Shia protesters.

Saudi is clearly attempting to prevent a significant uprising, something which could inspire similar demands from its own Shia population and encourage more destablisation across the region. But intervention also invites Iran, which has been fomenting the unrest in Bahrain, to stake its interest in the kingdom.

Bahrain's rulers are currently promoting the need for safety for its citizens, and have used this as justification for calling in Saudi troops to quell protests. But one expat writing to the Gulf Daily News suggests that the foreign community has been largely been forgotten.

"The very same expats who run the newspapers, the banks, the embassies, the hotels and the oil industry. What about our safety?," she wrote.

But some see this unrest as an opportunity. Recruiters in Bahrain tell us that they're receiving more CVs from the Indian subcontinent from people assuming that Western bankers are considering fleeing the country.

Another banker says it's an opportunity for expats to secure a pay rise: "There is nothing wrong in demanding a premium from a country with protests and uncertainty," he tells us.