Bangladesh government expands crackdown on all opponents

by Special Correspondent
September 22, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1821/bangladesh-government-expands-crackdown-on-all

Members of law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have started countrywide crackdown on members and supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, as well as other partners of opposition four party alliance, as part of ruling party's decision to "combat" the general strike of September 22, called by the opposition political parties. The country-wide general strike will begin in few hours, while the law enforcing agencies have already arrested more than 1500 Jamaat-e-Islami men as well as few hundred activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its alliance partners, including ultra-Islamist Islami Oikya Jote [Islamic Unity Front]. Sources in Bangladesh Police hinted that during early hours of September 22, few top ranking leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party may be arrested.

In the meantime, dozens of activists of Bangladesh Awami League, Jubo League [youth front of the ruling party] and Chhatra League [student front of the ruling party] have started patrolling various areas in the capital city as well as other parts of the country, to locate any opposition activists. These ruling party men are instructed by the high command of Bangladesh Awami League to nab the opposition activists and hand them over to law enforcing agencies, after "severe beating". Officers at all the police stations in the country are already alerted by the government to "cooperate with the ruling party men" while they nab the opposition activists.

Seeking anonymity, a senior police official told Weekly Blitz that some of the "controversial" figures in the ruling party are playing "over-enthusiastic role" taking advantage of Prime Minister's absence and visibly pushing the country towards civil war.

He said, "There are in-house enemies in the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, who are secretly conspiring to destabilize the government by deteriorating the law and order situation. These in-house enemies of the ruling party earlier conspired to minus Sheikh Hasina from politics when she was arrested on corruption charge by the military backed interim government."

While supporting the countrywide crackdown on the political opponents of the ruling party, a mid-level leader of Bangladesh Awami League said, "Our party has come to power for at least 30 years. We cannot allow any opposition politics in this country by parties like Jamaat-e-Islami or BNP, which are war criminals and corrupts."

He said, "Current government is upholding the ideologies of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and we support re-formation of one-party system in this country, which is essential for ensuring a prosperous Bangladesh."

When reminded, such one-party system would go against democratic spirits, the ruling party leader said, "What democracy you are talking about? The democracy, which would place war criminals like, Jamaat-e-Islami or corrupts like Bangladesh Nationalist Party in power?"

Meanwhile, more than 8,000 members of law enforcing agencies have already been deployed only in Dhaka city to combat the opposition's hartal on September 22. In addition to this, more than fifty "mobile courts" will be deployed on the streets to give conviction to people on summary trial. Such summary trial and conviction is given within 1-2 minutes. The ruling party, for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, started using "mobile courts" during political programs of the opposition parties with the goal of generating fear in the minds of the opposition activists.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party announced a countrywide daylong general strike for Thursday in protest against the government's 'unilateral' and 'undemocratic' decision to increase the prices of fuel oils that heightened public sufferings. Acting secretary general of Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP], Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "the government's irresponsible decision had forced them to call the strike. The government raised the prices of fuel oils again in a span of just 100 days which would cause more sufferings to the people."

He said the strike was also against soaring prices of daily essentials, law and order slide, the government's failure in bringing stability to the capital market, police action on small investors and oppression on opposition activists and their detention.

Although the government said bus fare would increase by 10 paisa per kilometre, transport operators were extracting much more than that from passengers, he said.

Fakhrul said the stock market kept plunging since the AL-led government assumed office but it failed to tackle the situation because people of the ruling party were involved in the plunder.

Fakhrul alleged the government had unleashed police and Rapid Action Battalion to silence protests against its 'ineptitude' and 'indifference' to public sufferings. 'They even attack peaceful programs like human chains and processions and beat up opposition activists,' he said.

Small investors at country's stock exchanges, who already turned into virtual pauper following severe manipulation of some of the influential figures in the stock market, have already warned the government of "dire consequences" if the small investors were not rescued from such financial disaster, which has been created by some of the influential figures, most of whom belong to the ruling party. The 3.5 million small investors are also planning to go into anti-government movement from next week, if the current crisis in the stock market is not resolved.

The ruling Bangladesh Awami League has already called upon its activists to begin a "second war of liberation" against Jamaat-e-Islami from September 22 and "completely eliminate Jamaat from Bangladesh." On the other hand, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has also warned the government of further general strikes from Sunday, if the law enforcing agencies or ruling party men would go into any "repressive actions on the opposition workers".

Related Topics:  Bangladesh News receive the latest by email: subscribe to weekly blitz's free mailing list