Ⓐnarcho Queer

General Strike Called After Bangladesh Unrest

Bangladeshi opposition parties have called a general strike after at least two people were killed in clashes during nationwide road blockades demanding a caretaker government to ensure elections due in 2014 are fair.

Police and witnesses said at least two people were killed and more than 200 injured in Sunday’s violence in the capital, Dhaka, and a number of other districts.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary-general of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), called for the daylong stoppage on Tuesday in protest against what he said were government atrocities committed against political activists during the protests.

The BNP, which leads an 18-party alliance and is led by Khaleda Zia, former prime minister, had enforced the eight-hour road blockades, which ended at 2pm (08:00 GMT).

The opposition has threatened to boycott the 2014 polls unless a caretaker administration is installed beforehand.

The ruling coalition, led by the Awami League, says the caretaker system, made up of unelected persons, cannot be reinstated as it violates democratic values.

It offered opposition parties the chance to join an election-time “all-party” government to hold a credible poll under a stronger election authority.

A protester was killed during Sunday’s clashes between opponents and supporters of the government in Sirajganj district, 104km northwest of Dhaka, Wahid Zaman, local police chief, said.

He did not provide details.

In Dhaka, one protester was killed by a speeding bus as some demonstrators tried to stop it, a police official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

As many as 100 opposition activists were detained.

Source: anarcho-queer