Asia
Violent clashes erupted in Bangladesh on Sunday
as opposition supporters took to the streets to protest against a January 5 general election that they are
boycotting. The opposition says it will not take part
in the vote unless an interim government oversees
it and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina steps down. The
boycott means more than half of 300 parliament
seats will go uncontested, undermining the legitimacy of the election and making it highly unlikely it will
do anything to restore stability in one of the world’s
poorest countries. The leader of the main opposition
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Begum Khaleda Zia, called for a march on the capital, Dhaka, in
defiance of a police ban to protest against what she
calls the “farcical” election. One person was killed as
police opened fire to disperse protesters throwing
stones and crude bombs in central Dhaka and a railway guard was killed in a blast at a city station. “The
government is undemocratic and illegal. It should step
down immediately,” former premier Khaleda told reporters in front of her home after being barred from
attending the march. Dozens of police were deployed
late on Saturday to stop her from leaving her house.
Khaleda said the “march for democracy” would continue on Monday. Pro-BNP lawyers also clashed with
police and ruling party supporters at the Supreme
Court. Opposition party officials say hundreds of
their supporters have been detained across the country over recent days and Dhaka is virtually cut off as
authorities suspended bus, rail and ferry services into
the city. Violence has gripped the country as Hasina
and her ruling Awami League press ahead with vote.
More than 200 people have been killed in political
violence this year, half of them since November 25
when the Election Commission announced the date
for the vote. Rolling strikes staged by the opposition
and blockades of roads, rail lines and waterways are
also hurting the $22 billion garment export industry,
which has already been under a cloud because of a
string of fatal incidents. Hasina and Khaleda, both related to former national leaders, have dominated politics in Bangladesh for more than two decades. The
antagonism between them has frustrated attempts
at reconciliation.
A Thai protester was killed and four wounded on Saturday when an unidentified gunman opened fire on
demonstrators whose efforts to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have flared into violence in
recent days. The shooting came 48 hours after clash