Protesters reacted angrily after police confiscated four 'coffins' being used in a mock funeral procession in Bahrain.

The four empty boxes were seized by officers during a demonstration against a tax on foreign workers yesterday morning.

Traders were carrying them from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) to the nearby offices of Tamkeen, located at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Sanabis.

However, the coffins - symbolising the alleged death of Bahraini businesses - were confiscated midway through.

'They (police) told us we can't have the coffins and black flags we were carrying because we didn't have permission, so where is the freedom in the country of so-called freedom?' asked protesters' spokesman and Lion Construction Establishment general manager Hisham Mattar.

'It's not an explosive or a (gas) cylinder, it's an empty coffin and they are worried about an empty coffin?

'The law allows us to express ourselves and next time we will take permission for the coffins.'

The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations by business owners against a BD10 monthly tax on every foreign worker they employ.

The fees are collected by the LMRA and used by Tamkeen to train Bahrainis for the workplace, create jobs and support local businesses.

'Enough is enough, this is the right time to stop the BD10 fee - the economic crises is not over for us,' Mattar added.

'The solution is they must stop the BD10 fees now and do research to see how they can get money in a different way.

'Business is down and a lot of companies have moved out because the property prices have gone down and construction companies have closed their businesses.

'I am an example of how our business income has shrunk - I used to employ 65 people, now I only have 40.

'There is no more blood to bleed.'

Mattar also accused Tamkeen of often taking months to respond to applications for help from the private sector and urged the organisation to give priority to small and medium businesses that really needed financial support.

'It's like they (Tamkeen) wait for you to die and then they bring you food,' he said.

'I have examples of people who have waited four, five and six months for help.

'If there was no problem, why would all these people walk out in the sun and protest? It's because they are really affected.

'Why would they go on protesting for a year and a half if they didn't have a reason?'

However, a Tamkeen spokeswoman responded yesterday by saying the organisation was already supporting small and medium enterprises through various schemes - such as providing businesses with quality management systems and auditing and financial programmes.

She denied applicants had to wait months for help from Tamkeen and claimed the average response time was two weeks, provided applicants provided the proper documentation.

Any companies facing problems with Tamkeen applications were urged to contact its Private Sector Support Unit directly.-TradeArabia News Service