Incidents lors d’une grève générale au Bangladesh

Reuters

27/06/2010

Des affrontements ont opposé policiers et manifestants dimanche à Dacca, la capitale du Bangladesh, en marge d’une grève générale, la première depuis janvier 2007, organisée par l’opposition pour réclamer des élections législatives anticipées.

Vingt-cinq manifestants ont été blessés et des dizaines d’autres interpellés. Plusieurs véhicules, dont des bus, ont été incendiés, ont rapporté des témoins.

Le mouvement, à l’appel du Parti nationaliste du Bangladesh (BNP) de la Bégum Khaleda Zia, associé au Jamaat-e-Islami, a paralysé les transports publics à travers le pays. La plupart des entreprises et magasins sont restés fermés mais banques et administrations publiques ont fonctionné presque normalement.

L’opposition, qui dénonce notamment la corruption et le bilan économique du gouvernement, veut contraindre Sheikh Hasina, redevenue Premier ministre en janvier 2009, à organiser des élections avant la date prévue de 2013.

Anis Ahmed, Guy Kerivel pour le service français

Police and protesters clash in Bangladesh general strike

Reuters

Sun Jun 27, 2010

DHAKA- Bangladesh police on Sunday used tear-gas and batons to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters in the first general strike in over three years, which the opposition hopes can force early elections.

World

The strike, called by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami, halted public transport and kept most businesses shut across the impoverished country, which economists estimated could lose an overall $250 million from the stoppage.

Government offices and banks, however, remained open but with less staff than usual. The stock markets of Dhaka and Chittagong were also trading as usual and the country’s main ports were still handling cargo, officials said.

The opposition parties said the strike, in which some two dozen people were injured, was intended to draw public attention to the government’s « failures and excesses » and to give impetus to their demands for a mid-term election. Bangladesh is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2013.

Police detained around 150 activists, including several senior BNP leaders, for inciting the unrest and leading marches during the strike, during which protesters hurled bricks at the security forces and set vehicles ablaze.

The interior ministry said around 10,000 riot police and other forces were deployed in the capital Dhaka.

BATTLING BEGUMS

Sunday’s general strike was the first large-scale challenge by the BNP, led by Begum Khaleda Zia, to her rival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who took office in January 2009.

It was also the first strike since January 2007, when an army-backed interim government took power, ending months of political unrest.

BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain said the strike was a show of the « people’s lack of confidence in the government. »

A day earlier, Hasina dismissed the strike, saying it was aimed at creating anarchy.

« The BNP and its stooges are out to frustrate democracy and create anarchy. But people who gave us a huge mandate in 2008 elections will foil all evil designs, » she said on Saturday.

Political analysts said the strike was the latest manifestation of the long-running discord between Hasina and Khaleda, known as the « battling begums » and who have rotated the leadership of their country since 1991. « Begum » is an honorific term for lady in Bangladesh.

The opposition accuses the government of being unable to deliver on promises that include cracking down on corruption, improving power and gas supplies, attracting investment and keeping spiraling food prices in check.

They are also angry that the government last month banned the publication of a pro-opposition daily newspaper and arrested its editor on charges of sedition and maligning the government as well as Hasina’s family.

The government says it is too early to assess its performance.

Minor clashes mark hartal

thedailystar.net

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pro-hartal Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal workers chase a human-hauler near Aziz Supermarket in the capital’s Shahbagh area yesterday. Photo: StarStar Report

Yesterday’s nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal was by and large peaceful all over the country, except some sporadic clashes between police and pickets, and damage of few vehicles in the capital and some other places.

Police fired teargas shells and charged batons on pickets during the general strike, enforced by the main opposition BNP and its allied parties, at few spots of the capital, and picked up at least 167 of them, 13 of whom are women.

The arrestees also included BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas, Vice-chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, lawmaker Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annee, and the party chairperson’s advisers Abdul Mannan, and Ahmed Azam Khan.

Later in the afternoon, Mannan also a former state minister, and Azam were granted bail by a Dhaka court. They were released in the evening.

The law enforcers also raided the residence of Mirza Abbas at Shahjahanpur and allegedly vandalised rooms, and assaulted his family members including his wife Afroza Abbas, also a vice president of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, BNP’s front organisation for women.

In clashes outside the capital, over 50 people were injured, and 150 were detained by the law enforcers.

BNP however alleged that at least 1,000 pro-hartal activists were arrested, and 500 were injured by police and ruling party resisters across the country.

BNP and its front and associate organisations brought out marches in many areas of the capital, chanting slogans against the government.

The pickets set fire to at least three buses at Shantinagar, Motijheel, and Shahbagh; and damaged vehicles at different places including Shahbagh, Shewrapara, Ramna, Motijheel, Shahjahanpur, and Mirpur.

BNP will stage countrywide demonstrations today protesting the arrests of its leaders and workers, and demanding their immediate release.

Most of the shops, schools, and many business offices remained close while transports including train services faced major disruption in the capital. Very few long distance buses left the city.

Some inner city buses, and private cars were seen on roads during morning hours, but the number dropped rapidly as the news of clashes in the city spread.

Pro-government activists attacked pickets with sticks near Shahbagh and Mirpur-10 intersections. BNP lawmaker Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annee was injured during the clash at Shahbagh.

Abul Kashem, superintendent engineer of Public Works Department, had to be admitted to the intensive care unit of Square Hospital with a severe head injury, after the pickets vandalised his car in front of Aziz Cooperative Supermarket at Shahbagh around 9:30am.

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain said the hartal was hundred percent successful with spontaneous public participation, while ruling Awami League General Secretary Syed Asharaful Islam said the programme was a total failure as the people rejected it.

Replying to Delwar’s allegation that ruling party activists attacked pickets, Ashraf said his party did not resist the hartal.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia met her party’s senior leaders last night, and thanked them and the people of the country for their active participation in the hartal.

She announced the hartal from a grand rally in the capital on May 19, placing a slew of demands to the government, including one for a resolution to the ongoing gas, water, and electricity shortages.

Later a number of like minded parties including Jamaat-e-Islami expressed their solidarity to the programme, but yesterday Jamaat’s presence on streets was not that visible in the capital. It was the first hartal in more than three and a half years.

Jamaat in a press release however said they held a rally at Purana Paltan.

ROAD TO BNP HEADQUARTERS CLOSED BY POLICE
Major roads to the central office of BNP in the capital were kept off-limits by police, almost all through the day.

However, some BNP leaders and activist reached the office using various lanes and by-lanes, and demonstrated in support of the hartal in front of the office.

BNP activists led by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amanullah Aman, and Rizvi Ahmed marched towards the party office at 7:30am, but failed to reach due to a police barricade.

Many city residents also faced problems going to their work places due to the roadblocks.

SHAMSHER MOBIN ARRESTED FROM MOHAKHALI
The Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up BNP Vice-chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury and five other pickets from Wireless Gate area in Mohakhali on charges of delivering provocative speeches.

Police also foiled BNP’s several attempts to bring out a march on Mohakhali-Gulshan road.

Being intercepted by police, the marchers held a brief rally near Wireless Gate.

The striking party however managed to bring out marches on Bishwa Road near Kuril.

CLASH AT MIRPUR
At least 10 pickets were injured as anti-hartal activists, armed with sticks, swooped on pro-hartal marchers led by BNP Standing Committee Member Rafiqul Islam Mian near Mirpur-10 around 7:30am. Both groups pelted each other with brickbats.

Another pro-hartal march of BNP and Jamaat activists was chased by pro-government activists at Shenpara around 10:30am.

Being chased, the hartal supporters took position in adjacent alleys, and vandalised a bus in the area.

Besides, police dispersed a march brought out by BNP and its associate organisations near Sony Cinema Hall at Mirpur -1 around 2:15pm.

JCD- BCL CLASH, ANNEE’S ARREST
At least 15 leaders and activists of BNP backed Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) were injured in separate clashes with pro-AL Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), and employees of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) at Shahbagh intersection, and on BSMMU premises in the morning.

Police picked up seven JCD leaders and BNP lawmaker Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annee from the area.

Around a hundred JCD leaders and activists led by Annee and JCD General Secretary Amirul Islam Khan Alim blocked the roads at Shahbagh intersection around 6:30am, and vandalised at least 10 vehicles.

After about an hour, around 200 BCL activists launched an attack on the pickets while they were rallying there.

JCD activists reorganised themselves quickly and made a counter attack. Both groups hurled brickbats at each other leaving at least five JCD and several BCL activists injured.

Police chased the JCD pickets out of the spot. The protesters then took shelter on BSMMU premises.

After a few moments, some JCD members got into an altercation with some BSMMU employees that sparked a fresh clash between the employees and the pickets on the university premises leaving 10 injured.

JCD activists vandalised some building fixtures and windshields of some vehicles that were parked there.

A group of pickets set fire to a bus, and vandalised at least three other buses in front of the Engineers Institute around 10:30am. Police picked up 13 persons from the spot.

Presiding over the House last night, Deputy Speaker Swakat Ali informed parliament members, as per the rules of proceedings, that their colleague Annee had been arrested.

OLD DHAKA CLASH
Police intercepted pro-hartal marchers led by Dhaka City Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka in Nawabpur area around 11:30am.

The law enforcers charged batons on the pickets, as they tried to break the police barricade.

The hartal enforcers threw brickbats on police, prompting the latter to fire some teargas shells. Police detained at least 10 persons from there.

Around 11:00am, the law enforcers detained three pickets when they were vandalising a car at Joykali Mandir area.

FIVE ARRESTED FROM MOHAMMADPUR
Around 12:00pm, police arrested at least five youths for interrogation from in front of former state minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmood Tuku’s residence at Iqbal Road of Mohammadpur, allegedly for preparing to picket.

Earlier in the morning 30 to 40 pickets led by Jubo Dal President Moazzem Hossain Alal brought out a pro-hartal march from Asadgate towards Mohammadpur Town Hall.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 28 juin 2010.

Publié dans émeutes, riots