2ND Army called out as protesters defy Bangladesh demo ban

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Sunday November 12, 2006

Dhaka- The army was called out in Bangladesh Sunday to help the civil administration in quelling violent anti-government protests, an official announcement said. A statement from the presidential palace said troops would if necessary be deployed across the country, currently in the grip of by political turmoil.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters were injured and several reported missing Sunday as political violence flared across Bangladesh on the first day of an opposition-sponsored indefinite blockade of Dhaka, isolating the capital city from the rest of the country, officials and witnesses said.

Trains were set on fire, buses stoned and ferry services disrupted as riot police shooting tear gas and rubber bullets battled with mobs of protesters on the streets of the capital city.

Witnesses claimed some 500 people were injured in clashes with police in cities and larger towns across the country.

Opposition parties said more than 1,000 activists were arrested by security forces over the weekend. Official figures on detainees were not immediately available. At least six people were reported missing after the clashes.

Nearly 20 people were injured as an inter-city train came under attack by protesters in the town of Tongi, near Dhaka, a spokesman for the state-run railways said.

Ports and factories in the southern business hub of Chittagong were also shut down.

Bangladesh's caretaker government had earlier Sunday banned rallies and protests in Dhaka, with more than 15,000 security forces on the streets.

The 14-party opposition movement, led by the Awami League, had warned of reprisal attacks if their peaceful protests were foiled by police.

"We do not expect any major outbreak of violence during the protests but we are not taking any chances," said Dhaka Police Commissioner Bazlur Rahman had said, adding that the law enforcers had strict orders to protect the security of the common people.

The opposition announced the "siege of Dhaka" in order to pressurize the caretaker government of President Iajuddin Ahmad to fire Chief Election Commissioner M A Aziz for alleged partisan decisions, and to accept demands for reforms in the Election Commission.

The siege of Dhaka was enforced by opposition activists blockading all the entry points into the city by road, rail and waterways, senior Awami League leader Tofail Ahmad said.

About 20 people were killed in political violence across the country last month, media reports said.

The 14-party movement, under opposition leader Sheikh Hasina and the Nationalist-Islamist coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, are the main contenders for office in parliamentary polls expected in January.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency