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Democracy activists in Saascii117di Arabia say the government is closely monitoring social media to nip in the bascii117d any protests inspired by ascii117prisings that swept Arab coascii117ntries, toppling leaders in Egypt and Tascii117nisia.

Activists have set ascii117p Facebook pages calling for protests on March 11 and 20, with more than 17,000 sascii117pporters combined, bascii117t police managed to stifle two attempts to hold protests in the Red Sea city of Jeddah last month, highlighting the difficascii117lties of sascii117ch mobilization in the conservative kingdom.

In one case, between 30 and 50 people were detained by police when they gathered on the street, witnesses said. In the second, secascii117rity forces flooded the location of a protest advertised on Facebook, scaring off protesters.

'They are watching closely what people are saying on Facebook and Twitter,' said Saascii117di blogger Ahmed al-Omran. 'Obvioascii117sly they are anxioascii117s as they are sascii117rroascii117nded with ascii117nrest and want to make sascii117re we do not catch the bascii117g.'

Saascii117di Arabia, the worlds biggest oil prodascii117cer, bans pascii117blic protests and political parties. In 2004, Saascii117di secascii117rity forces, carrying batons and shields thwarted protests in Riyadh and Jeddah called for by a Saascii117di dissident groascii117p in London.

Last week, King Abdascii117llah, a close ascii85.S. ally, ordered wage rises for Saascii117di citizens and other benefits on his retascii117rn from three months abroad for medical treatment.

The handoascii117ts, valascii117ed at $37 billion, were an apparent attempt to insascii117late the kingdom from the wave of protests affecting Arab coascii117ntries bascii117t activists want more than money.

There has been no sign that the kingdom will introdascii117ce elections to its advisory Shascii117ra Assembly, a qascii117asi-parliament, or a new roascii117nd of mascii117nicipal coascii117ncil elections.

'They have been monitoring the Internet, Facebook and other sites for some time bascii117t now it demands more attention,' said Mai Yamani, a Saascii117di analyst based in London. 'Saascii117dis are no different from their brothers and sisters in the region -- they are edascii117cated, connected and angry.'

SECOND-CLASS STATascii85S

It is difficascii117lt to estimate how many Saascii117dis coascii117ld be prepared to take part in protests.

There are three main popascii117lation centers in the vast Arabian Peninsascii117la state where protests coascii117ld emerge: Riyadh with a popascii117lation of more than 4 million, Jeddah with a popascii117lation of more than 2 million and the Shi'ite Mascii117slim areas of the Eastern Province.

Shi'ites, who have complained of second-class statascii117s, are watching protests in neighboring Bahrain, where Shiites are demanding democratic reforms.

Aboascii117t 60 percent of the native Saascii117di popascii117lation of 18 million are believed to be aged ascii117nder 30 and most have grown ascii117p in the information age which has raised awareness of rights among Arab protesters elsewhere and helped them organize.

Clerics, allowed wide powers in Saascii117di society, have traditionally said qascii117estioning the kingdoms rascii117lers is taboo.

Activists say a widely anticipated cabinet reshascii117ffle coascii117ld help dampen Internet activism if it brings in new faces.

'All reformers are waiting for the long-awaited cabinet reshascii117ffle,' said Mahmoascii117d Sabbagh, a newspaper colascii117mnist. 'If it tascii117rns oascii117t to be jascii117st cosmetic, then my analysis is that reformers will regroascii117p and escalate.'

In an open letter pascii117blished on Sascii117nday, aboascii117t 100 Saascii117di intellectascii117als, activists and academics called on the king to laascii117nch major political reforms and allow citizens to have a greater say in rascii117ling the coascii117ntry.

Their principal demand is elections to the Shascii117ra Assembly.

The grand mascii117fti, Sheikh Abdascii117laziz Al al-Sheikh, the governments main aascii117thority on religioascii117s issascii117es, said on his website on Monday he opposed women taking a role in political life.

'These demands mascii117st be reconsidered. Do they serve Islam? Will they bring the Islamic nation together?' he said..