Reuters AlertNet Lite - Fifty injured as Bangladesh blockade takes hold

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

Fifty injured as Bangladesh blockade takes hold

07 Jan 2007 14:57:41 GMT
Source: Reuters

Previous | Next

Soldiers patrol streets during a nationwide blockade in Dhaka January 7, 2007. Activists and police clashed in Bangladesh on Sunday, injuring at least 50 people at the start of a three-day transport blockade aimed at derailing upcoming elections.
REUTERS/RAFIQUR RAHMAN

(Adds president advised to discuss poll delay)

By Anis Ahmed

DHAKA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Activists and police clashed in Bangladesh on Sunday, injuring at least 50 people at the start of a three-day transport blockade aimed at derailing upcoming general elections.

Witnesses said police were also injured in the clashes in Shyamoli, a residential area of the capital, Dhaka. Police used teargas and rubber bullets against stone-throwing activists from a multi-party alliance set to boycott the elections on Jan. 22.

Police detained 30 people in Shyamoli and other areas. Rail officials said protesters stopped trains at major junctions.

The country's political crisis deepened on Wednesday when the alliance led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, head of the Awami League, announced its boycott plan, accusing the interim government of favouring her opponents.

The Jatiya Party of former army ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad and the Liberal Democratic Party led by former President A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury also decided to boycott the polls.

The alliance said the blockade was aimed at forcing President Iajuddin Ahmed to step down as head of the interim government and force the election commission to announce new poll schedules.

Iajuddin, in a statement late on Saturday, said the vote could not be delayed because of constitutional constraints.

But an adviser to the interim government, Shafiqul Haque Chowdhury, said on Sunday the president had asked his deputies to consult the rival political groups on a ballot delay.

"Three advisers including myself have met today a top leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the immediate past ruling party, acting on signals given by the chief adviser (Iajuddin)," he told reporters after the meeting.

He did not give details but said a similar meeting was expected with leaders of Hasina's Awami League.

"If both sides have a consensus, maybe we can try to find a way to have a new election schedule, within or outside the framework of the constitution," Shafiqul said.

The constitution stipulates that new elections must be held within 90 days after the tenure of a government expires.

To solve the stalemate President Iajuddin has been advised to discuss the constitutional constraints with experts to find out an acceptable solution.

"We have advised the president to discuss the constitutional constraints with the legal experts and to seek opinion of the Supreme Court in this regard," said Azizul Haque, another adviser to the caretaker government.

The constitution provides that the election may be delayed (beyond 90 days) in case of natural disasters like floods and cyclones.

BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia ended her five-year rule as the country's prime minister in late October and handed power to a caretaker government headed by Iajuddin.

BLOCKADE

On Saturday, police banned rallies, blockades and other protests to try to maintain order, promising that offenders would be dealt with strictly. But the alliance vowed to go ahead with the transport shutdown.

At Savar, 25 km (15 miles) from Dhaka, protesters attacked cars trying to ignore the blockade. Twenty other vehicles were damaged and 40 people injured elsewhere in the country, police said.

Deliveries from the main seaport at Chittagong and at several land ports connecting India and Myanmar were suspended.

Troops began patrolling Dhaka's streets on Saturday while paramilitary soldiers and elite Rapid Action Battalion members fanned out across the country to try to foil the blockade.

The Awami League announced a plan to block access to the presidential palace on Tuesday, raising fears of more violence.

At least 45 people have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes between supporters of Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, since October. (Additional reporting by Nizam Ahmed)

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

Countries

Small country map
© 2004 Europa Technologies Ltd.

Reset map

• Bangladesh profile
· View map

MORE >>

NGO latest

• Bangladesh's extraordinary contribution to Sri Lanka tsunami survivors
Oxfam GB - UK

• Alliance urges action to close the HIV services gap at International Development Committee session on global HIV epidemic
International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

• Fifty injured as Bangladesh blockade takes hold

• Tight security as Bangladesh blockade begins

• At least 55 dead in Bangladesh bus fire

• Bangladesh army patrols Dhaka ahead of blockade

• Fifty feared dead in Bangladesh bus fire

MORE >>

Last updated:Sun Jan 7 14:59:06 2007