The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Locals Condemn Letpadaung Committee Claims on Compensation, Police Conduct
- Burma’s new Catholic cardinal warns against religious extremism
- Govt Targets Kachin Rebels in Timber Takedown
- A Visit to Chin State’s Heart-Shaped Lake
- Wa Rebels Defy Govt Order, Reopen Drug-Linked Trade Hub in Shan State
- Low Turnout, Local Opposition Marks First Manau Festival Since Renewed Fighting
- India, Pakistan Step Up Border Fighting Ahead of Kerry Visit
- Cambodia’s Political Prince Makes Comeback, Claims PM’s Support
- 4 Shot Dead on Bangladesh Election Anniversary
| Locals Condemn Letpadaung Committee Claims on Compensation, Police Conduct Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:31 AM PST  A local walks along the fence line at the Letpadaung copper mining project last month. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Activists have criticized the Letpadaung report implementation committee for failing to provide a workable land compensation scheme for villagers affected by the copper mine and for justifying the actions of police forces during a recent skirmish at the project site. The committee, established by the Union Parliament to address problems facing the troubled project after riots in 2012, said in a statement on Monday that all land confiscated for the project was done in accordance with the Farmlands Law, with compensation paid at 20 times the land tax valuation of the affected properties. The statement also said that joint venture operator Wanbao's recent fencing of farmland was necessary because of government restrictions on unlawful assembly. Khin San Hlaing, a National League for Democracy lawmaker from Sagaing Division and a member of the 15-person parliamentary investigation team which recommended compensation for villagers, said the committee is reiterating claims from previous statements, which do not address the desire of some villagers around the Letpadaung site to remain on their land. "What they are doing is unacceptable to the public," she said. "As far as we know, there are residents who own over 1,000 acres of land that haven't taken compensation. That's why they should clearly state how much land has been compensated and how much hasn't, and why people did and didn't accept compensation." Khin San Hlaing's comments were echoed by Han Shin Win, a law advisor from the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability who is assisting Letpadaung locals with the land compensation process, who said he questioned whether the compensation is adequate for those landowners to be displaced from the area and whether it would guarantee their livelihood into the future. The statement did not confirm how many acres and how many villagers had agreed to compensation, but said Villagers clashed with police and Wanbao employees on Dec. 22, as the company attempted to fence off disputed lands. Locals who claimed they had not agreed to a compensation scheme with the company tried to block the workers. The implementation committee's statement yesterday repeated claims made earlier in Wanbao press releases, saying that locals had been incited by outside organizations to protest the mining project and were using sticks, knives and slingshots. The statement said that security forces acted in accordance with existing laws and procedures to subdue the protests, which ultimately resulted in the shooting death of 56-year-old protester Khin Win and nine other injuries. Khin San Hlaing told The Irrawaddy that there should be a transparent investigation into the death. "The police forces have been trained by the European Union in how to handle conflict at an international standard," he said. "Shooting defenseless members of the public, knowing that weapon could injure or kill a person, and then issuing a statement of apology—the public would not be satisfied with that. It's important to know who is taking responsibility, and it is important that the exact truth is investigated." The statement claimed that the implementation committee had notified locals in advance that the area under dispute would be fenced, ostensibly to protect local residents and animals from heavy machinery, and that villagers raising crops in the cordoned off area would be compensated with current market prices. But Thwe Thwe Win, a farmer and activist from Letpadaung, said that neither advance notice nor compensation for lost crops was forthcoming, and that police attacked farmers trying to halt the fencing without warning. "They are fencing an area where people have not accepted compensation," he said. "We are losing our land. The police shoot at us and I even called Sagaing Police Col. Nay Htun to ask him to control the police force there. He told me he couldn't." The post Locals Condemn Letpadaung Committee Claims on Compensation, Police Conduct appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| Burma’s new Catholic cardinal warns against religious extremism Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:18 AM PST  Archbishop Charles Maung Bo was one of 20 new cardinals whose appointments were announced on Jan. 4, 2015. (Photo: Archdiocese of Yangon) RANGOON — Religious extremism could derail Burma's much-vaunted reform process, the Buddhist-majority country's first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, said on Tuesday. Bo, who was named a cardinal by Pope Francis on Jan. 4, warned that Buddhist nationalism directed against minority Muslims could drive the latter to connect with international extremist groups that would "retaliate." "So far they have been more on the quiet side, but if they come with the force of an international community of Muslims, then violence, terrorism, suicide bombers and all these things could happen," Bo told Reuters in an interview at the red-brick cathedral in downtown Rangoon, Burma's largest city. Bo called for mutual understanding and urged the government to do more to curb hate speech by radical monks. Burma emerged in 2011 from half a century of military rule, and the semi-civilian government has lifted curbs on freedoms of speech, association and media. But the reforms have been accompanied by a rise in Buddhist nationalism, with monks forming groups aimed at promoting the country's Buddhist character. The main target of the Buddhist nationalist movement has been the country's Muslims, who account for about 5 percent of a population of 51 million. Sectarian violence since June 2012 has killed at least 240 people, mostly Muslims, while almost 140,000 Muslims remain in displacement camps after their homes were destroyed. Burma is also racked by conflicts with ethnic insurgents, who have been battling the government for autonomy, some for six decades. The government is pushing for a nationwide ceasefire pact this year, but the peace process has faltered with sporadic clashes. Bo said he was optimistic about Burma's reform process, but warned that the military could again seize control if the peace process failed and sectarian violence continued. "We hope that chaos won't happen," he said, calling on the military to make greater efforts to build trust with ethnic armed groups, and for more monks to speak out against extremism. "For peace in the country the Buddhist monks also have quite a major role to play, too," said Bo, leader of Burma's Catholics, who make up just about 1.6 percent of the population. Francis appointed 20 new cardinals, 15 of whom will be eligible to vote for the next pope. It was the first time cardinals from Burma, Tonga and Cape Verde were appointed and the appointees from all three nations are electors. The post Burma's new Catholic cardinal warns against religious extremism appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| Govt Targets Kachin Rebels in Timber Takedown Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:13 AM PST  Three trucks loaded with Burmese timber wait to cross a river on the Burma-China border. (Photo: EIA) RANGOON — The Burmese government took a hard line on the timber trade in Kachin State on Tuesday, as state-run media publicly denounced rebels for facilitating illicit cross-border transfers. The military-owned Myawaddy daily newspaper reported that 122 people—102 of them foreigners believed to be Chinese—were arrested in Kachin State's Wai Maw Township from Jan. 2-4, carrying documents indicating that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) had authorized timber transport. A nationwide ban on raw timber exports went into effect on April 1, 2014, though logging has long been a major source of revenue for the KIA and its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), which has been at odds with the government for decades over political autonomy and the right to resources. A liaison officer for the KIO, Dau Kha, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the authenticity of the document—which the government said identified a high-ranking KIA officer as complicit in illegal trade—could not be confirmed. "I have not seen that letter, so I couldn't tell because there are many letters issued by the KIO business department regarding permissions for timber trucks to cross our territories," said Dau Kha, explaining that the logging industry is complicated and involves approval from several authorities including the government, government-backed militias and KIA officers. Logs extracted in Sagaing, he said, are often cut under the authority of the government but are ultimately shipped through KIO-controlled areas, where they are taxed. Dau Kha said that there is no active logging in the Wai Maw area because most of the woods were felled by the government during a ceasefire period that lasted until June-2011, but trees cut in central Burma often pass the route en route to China. All of those exports are now illegal, as the ban limits trade to government-approved shipments of processed woods out of Rangoon ports. While not denying that illicit trade continues, the KIA perceived both the ban and the recent crackdown as a tactic used by the government to cut off revenues and supplies to ethnic armed groups. Rapid enforcement of new national policies in ethnic areas has often served as pretense for clashes between rebel and government troops. No conflict has yet been reported in Kachin State since the year began, but tensions remain high after the Burma Army launched multiple rounds of artillery onto a KIA academy near the rebel headquarters in Laiza in late November, 2014. The attack, which the government said was "unintentional," left 23 cadets from various ethnic armed groups dead. The incident brought an ongoing peace process to a near standstill as government and ethnic negotiators tried in vain to reach a nationwide peace accord by the end of the year. The goal has since been pushed back to Union Day, on Feb. 12. The KIA is one of only two major ethnic armed groups yet to reach a bilateral peace agreement with the government. On Sunday, the KIA turned down an invitation to attend a military parade in Burma's capital city of Naypyidaw honoring the country's independence from Britain. Dau Kha said that aggression from the Burma Army in Kachin and Shan states is damaging to the peace process. "Peace cannot be built by force and military strategy," he said. The post Govt Targets Kachin Rebels in Timber Takedown appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| A Visit to Chin State’s Heart-Shaped Lake Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:36 AM PST  The heart-shaped Rih Lake lies nestled amid the Chin Hills of northwestern Burma, not far from the border with India. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) FALAM TOWNSHIP, Chin State — Were it not for its famous heart-shaped lake, Reh Khaw Da, a small town that lies near Burma's northwestern border with India, would have been just another frontier town ensconced in southern part of the Chin Hills. Reh Khaw Da and its beautiful surrounding hillside can be reached after a 24-hours bus ride from Rangoon, which takes one past Mandalay, through Sagaing State and into the Chin Hills. After a short motorbike ride into the hills around Reh Khaw Da, the majestic view of the one-mile-long Rih Lake and its heart-shaped outline comes into sight. The gentle rolling hills around it are sparsely populated and the area is one of the most remote and least developed parts of Burma. According to local people, Rih Lake is a source of myths. Some said a girl turned into the lake after she was rescued by a spirit when her father tried to kill her on her stepmother's request. Another legend has it that all souls destined to heaven must pass through the lake, and that the trees surrounding the lake have souls. On a recent chilly but sunny December morning, the lake seemed a perfect holiday spot. Some local tourists walked around its shores, taking snap shots while a lone fisherman cast his net in the middle of the lake. "I wish more people come here," said one of the restaurant owners near the lake. He said the location of the lake and the bad infrastructure in the area makes it somewhat off-limits to visitors. "We only have international tourists occasionally, like once in a month," he said. The post A Visit to Chin State's Heart-Shaped Lake appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| Wa Rebels Defy Govt Order, Reopen Drug-Linked Trade Hub in Shan State Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:42 AM PST  Soldiers from the United Wa State Army ride in a vehicle in a street in city of Namteuk near the Chinese border. (Photo: Reuters) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma’s biggest ethnic rebel group, has recently reopened Popakyen trading hub in Mong Hsat Township, located in southeastern Shan State close to the Burma-Thai border, local sources have said. Burmese authorities ordered the shutdown of the trade station in October after a large drug haul was seized nearby, but the heavily-armed rebels now appear to be defying the order and have deployed troops in the area since late December to assert control, according to residents. "They [the UWSA] sort of challenged the Burmese authorities. They ignored the order and reopened the base. They deployed their troops for security. They want to show that no one can influence the businesses that belong to them," said a Shan businessman based in Tachilek, a border town located across from Mae Sai, a border crossing in northern Thailand. "They [Wa soldiers] seem they are ready to fight if the Burmese army start it. It is like they want to test the Burmese army," said the man, who requested anonymity due to sensitivity of discussing the UWSA's dealings. Popakyen is a trade station located some 73 km (44 miles) northwest of Tachilek and functions as a hub for cross-border trade controlled by the UWSA. Goods going to and coming from Thailand are traded in the small town, which has road links to Tachilek and Mae Sai. Tachilek is one of Burma's largest border trade crossings. Illicit trade coming from Shan State is rampant and murders, arrests and drug seizures are a common occurrence. In July last year, Burmese police seized more than US$2.3 million worth of opium and several automatic weapons in Tachileik. The businessman said the Wa rebels were aggressively asserting their control over the area in Mong Hsat Township, adding that they also grabbed land for the trade area from local residents and killed a man in December who claimed to own land that the rebels had seized. "They shot dead the man in a restaurant in the center of Tachilek in public, but nobody dared to say a word," he said. "All incidents such as the death … and land confiscation by the UWSA troops were reported to respective local authorities. But no actions are taken. We can’t rely on them [authorities]." Local residents confirmed they reported the incidents to the police and local lawmakers, including those belonging to the opposition parties of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Shan Nationalities Development Party (SNDP). Thar Gyi, a SNDP lawmaker in the Shan State legislature who is based in Tachilek, declined to confirm the incidents had been reported to lawmakers when contacted by The Irrawaddy. Another lawmaker, who declined to be named or have his party identified, said he recently visited the Popakyen trading post area and saw the UWSA preparing for a resumption of trade. "There are no big trading activities there yet, but I saw some Wa soldiers repairing and rebuilding their shops and buildings," he said. For many years, the UWSA has been linked to rampant opium, heroin and methamphetamine trade that flourishes in Shan State. The illicit drugs are trafficked into China and northern Thailand, from where they are distributed to the rest of the region. The UWSA were allowed to operate the Popakyen trading area after renewing a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government in December 2011. Much of Mong Hsat Township is controlled by the Burma Army and the UWSA opened a liaison office in Mong Hsat town following the ceasefire. Following the seizure in Mong Hsat of a large drug haul hidden in a 10-wheel trick in October, authorities and the Burma Army enforced a crackdown on the rebels' activities and Popakyen was shut down. The UWSA is the largest ethnic rebel army in Burma with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 fighters. The group has acquired heavy Chinese weaponry and is believed to be in the possession of surface-to-air missiles, armed personnel carriers and possibly helicopters. The group controls a large zone called Special Region 2 along the border with China and gains funding from operating casinos, rubber plantations, cross-border trade and, most importantly, large-scale illicit drug trafficking. The post Wa Rebels Defy Govt Order, Reopen Drug-Linked Trade Hub in Shan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| Low Turnout, Local Opposition Marks First Manau Festival Since Renewed Fighting Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:22 AM PST  A small crowd assembles on Monday for the opening prayer ceremony of the Manau festival in Myitkyina. (Photo: Jade Land Kachin / Facebook) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Despite the objections of thousands of members of the local population, a prayer ceremony held to launch the first Manau festival staged inside Burma in four years has gone ahead in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina. About 500 people joined the ceremony on Monday, according to ethnic Kachin lawmaker Toi Bu—a subdued turnout for what had traditionally been the marquee event of the Kachin social calendar, until the festival was cancelled in late 2011 after renewed local violence. A petition calling on the Kachin State government to cancel the festival because of ongoing hostilities between the Burma Army and local ethnic armed groups gathered more than 8,000 signatures in November. Residents of Myitkyina have also alleged that the businesspeople and politicians responsible for organizing the festival have close relationships with the Union government. Tu Raw, an executive committee member of the Kachin Traditional Literature and Cultural Committee, said that many locals had concluded the return of the festival was premature. "Many Kachin did not join the opening ceremony," he told The Irrawaddy. "After we went the petition, the state government met us. They told us they would hold it. They asked us to join it. They even told us it was not possible to cancel their plans." “It is not the right time to hold the Manau festival. Our region does not have peace yet. There are still Kachin refugees living in camps," he added. Toi Bu told The Irrawaddy that while she understood local opposition to the event, she believed an official recognition of Kachin State Day on Jan. 10 was overdue and the festival would be an avenue towards constructive dialogue with the Union government. "I support holding the Manau festival to honor Kachin State Day. By celebrating, we respect an important anniversary and we can have constructive engagement with the government," she said. "We should think about how to cooperate and work together and good things will come." Speaking of a recent visit to Bahmo Township, where there have been clashes between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army in recent times, Toi Bu said there was a universal yearning for peace and development in Kachin State—a sentiment which had intensified after the November shelling of a Kachin Independence Organization base near Laiza, which claimed the lives of 23 cadets. "I found that [Bahmo] is very quiet. I spoke to the army and they said they wanted to have peace. I am sure our Kachin also want peace," she said. "Many tourists have not dared to come to our region as they understand there is ongoing fighting. This fighting is disrupting our region's ability to have progress. We need to have development." The Manau festival, held this year in conjunction with the 67th anniversary of Kachin State Day, has been staged in a variety of contexts in years gone by. Occasionally it has been held to commemorate battle victories or Kachin ethnic army procession, while a biennial festival is held among the Kachin diaspora in Thailand to mark the birthday of King Bhumibol and to thank the monarch for allowing exiles to reside in the country. This is the first time the Kachin State government has organized the Manau festival to coincide with Kachin State Day of its own accord, said local community leaders. Previously, Manau organizers had to seek permission to hold the festival on the anniversary. Events for the first Manau festival will continue through to Sunday, including a traditional Manau dance on Kachin State Day. The post Low Turnout, Local Opposition Marks First Manau Festival Since Renewed Fighting appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| India, Pakistan Step Up Border Fighting Ahead of Kerry Visit Posted: 05 Jan 2015 09:43 PM PST  India’s Border Security Force officers carry a coffin containing the body of a colleague during a wreath-laying ceremony in a camp in Jammu January 1, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) SRINAGAR, India — Indian and Pakistani troops intensified cross-border firing on Monday, killing an Indian border guard and forcing hundreds of villagers to flee, escalating tensions before visits by top U.S. officials. India said four Pakistanis planning an attack on Indian soil were killed, although Indian media and opposition parties disputed the official account. The Pakistani army confirmed two civilian deaths from Indian shelling. Monday’s incident, in the Samba district south of Jammu along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, followed the killing of four Pakistani soldiers by their Indian counterparts on New Year’s Eve. A senior Indian official with the border security force said they had retaliated against machine gun and mortar attacks on about 60 positions along a more than 200-km (125-mile) stretch of the border on Monday. "Pakistani rangers fired rocket propelled grenades in villages near the border and our men have responded," the officer told Reuters. Amid the growing hostility, India’s security agencies last week declared a nationwide alert to avoid militant strikes in the lead-up to visits by top U.S. diplomat John Kerry and President Barack Obama later in January. Kerry is due to speak at the weekend before an investment summit in Gujarat, at the furthest end of the Pakistani border from Kashmir, the organizers said. Obama will attend India’s Republic Day military parade on Jan 26. Indian media say Kerry will also visit Pakistan, but officials in Islamabad have not confirmed that. Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have ratcheted up since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called off peace talks in August, with sporadic rounds of heavy shelling pounding civilian villages along a previously peaceful stretch of border. The South Asian rivals, who have fought two wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, have traded blame for an upsurge in firing and shelling that started in October last year. Last week, the clashes stretched beyond the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir and touched international waters when Indian Coast Guards said a Pakistani fishing boat laden with explosives blew up in the Arabian Sea. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday accused India of pursuing a low-intensity war by starting unprovoked firing on the international borders. At least 4,000 Indian villagers have fled their homes since New Year’s Eve, officials said, and similar numbers are believed to have fled border areas on the Pakistan side. India closed schools near the border and postponed exams on Monday. The post India, Pakistan Step Up Border Fighting Ahead of Kerry Visit appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| Cambodia’s Political Prince Makes Comeback, Claims PM’s Support Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:27 PM PST  Prince Norodom Ranariddh arrives during news conference at his residence in Phnom Penh January 5, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's Prince Norodom Ranariddh returned on Monday to lead a party that ditched him eight years ago, in a comeback aimed at reviving royalist support to sway a 2018 election expected to be the country's closest yet. The son of the influential late monarch Norodom Sihanouk and half-brother of the current King Norodom Sihamoni has had a turbulent political career. He was overthrown as co-prime minister in a bloody 1997 coup, and nine years later forced out of Funcinpec, the party his father founded. "My return to Funcinpec is a good event, not just for me but for all real royalists and Sihanoukists to reconcile," Ranariddh, 71, told a news conference. "I was ousted… and now I'm back. There is no one in history like this." Ranariddh's move has drawn skepticism, with some experts calling it a political maneuver by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen to form an alliance and extend the rule of his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) beyond 2018, as challenges to its power grow. The party was stunned in the 2013 election by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which carved a chunk out of the CPP's parliamentary majority but refused take its seats for a year, arguing it had won, but that the CPP had fixed the results. The CPP and CNRP in July agreed a truce to end a year of at times violent turmoil. The CNRP returned to the legislature in return for unprecedented concessions by Hun Sen, the self-styled "strongman" with whom Ranariddh once shared power, and who, he said, fully supported his comeback. "I and Prime Minister Hun Sen have shaken hands and agreed that we, Funcinpec and the CPP, should bring back political policies that the Cambodian people need," he said, during a speech in which he criticized the CNRP. Carlyle Thayer, an expert on Southeast Asia at the Australian Defense Force Academy, said Hun Sen was "stirring the pot" by opening a potential third party challenge to the CNRP. "Hun Sen may have calculated that a rejuvenated Funcinpec will draw support away from the CNRP," he said. "There is always the possibility of a CPP-Funcinpec electoral alliance," he said, adding, however, that the royalists' power had waned and such a pact could ultimately hurt Funcinpec. The post Cambodia's Political Prince Makes Comeback, Claims PM's Support appeared first on The Irrawaddy. | |
| 4 Shot Dead on Bangladesh Election Anniversary Posted: 05 Jan 2015 08:22 PM PST  An activist of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shouts during a rally in Dhaka on Jan. 20 last year, protesting the outcome of elections held two weeks prior. (Photo: Andrew Biraj / Reuters) DHAKA — Clashes between police and opposition activists and a separate attack by unidentified gunmen left at least four people dead in Bangladesh on Monday amid heightened tensions on the anniversary of elections boycotted by a major opposition alliance last year. Two men on a motorbike opened fire on a group of anti-government activists in northwestern Bangladesh, killing two, while two others died in separate clashes elsewhere. The shooting took place in Natore district, 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Dhaka, which has remained largely cut off from the rest of the country since Sunday, said Aminul Haque, a leader of the local unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Police would not immediately confirm the identities of the dead, but Haque said they were activists from the party’s student wing. The identities of the two men on the motorbike were not immediately known. Separately, police and ruling party activists clashed with opposition activists in the northwestern districts of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, leaving two others dead and dozens injured, including police, police said. In both cases police opened fire and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse stone-throwing activists who attempted to march, ignoring a police ban. Similar violence was reported in the northeastern district of Chittagong, where the opposition said at least 300 party activists were arrested. The Jan. 5 elections last year were boycotted by a major opposition alliance led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Tensions heated up recently after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party said it would hold rallies to celebrate the anniversary, while Zia—her archrival—announced that anti-government protests would take place. The violence, which follows a year of relative calm since last year’s elections, demonstrates that the country’s politics remain deeply divided. Zia denounced Monday’s police actions and asked her supporters to continue road, rail and waterway blockades across the country for an indefinite period. Hasina, meanwhile, urged the opposition in a televised address to shun violence. Speaking to activists from her party’s student wing on Sunday, Hasina criticized Zia, saying it was a mistake to boycott last year’s elections and accusing her of destabilizing the country. Zia’s party boycotted the elections because it said they would be rigged. Police on Sunday banned all rallies in Dhaka and prevented Zia from leaving her office, while dozens of opposition activists were detained across the country. Police said they cordoned off Zia’s Dhaka office as part of enhanced security steps. Police erected barbed wire fences and parked sand-filled trucks at entry points leading to Zia’s house, and a large number of security personnel surrounded the area on Monday. Zia on Monday got in her car and attempted to leave her office but security officials did not allow her, prompting her to announce the indefinite blockade. On Sunday, police clashed with opposition supporters in several parts of the country, leaving dozens of people injured, ATN Bangla and Channel 24 television stations reported. On Monday, Dhaka remained cut off from the rest of the country, with capital-bound buses and ferries shut down because of fears of violence. Zia has renewed her call for Hasina to step down and declare a new election, but ruling party leaders have rejected the demand, saying the next election will not be held before 2019, when the government’s five-year term expires. The Election Commission went ahead with last year’s election after two major political alliances led by Hasina and Zia failed to agree on a formula for appointing a caretaker government to oversee the poll. Chaos had reigned in the country for a year, with opposition activists staging a series of attacks, strikes and transportation blockades that left nearly 300 people dead in 2013. Zia was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, but failed to hand over power peacefully. A military-backed caretaker government then ruled the country for two years before Hasina came to power with a landslide election win in 2008. The post 4 Shot Dead on Bangladesh Election Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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