Violent clashes leave nearly 100 dead, government imposes indefinite curfew, student protesters continue to defy

Violent clashes in Bangladesh on August 4 that left nearly 100 people dead are threatening to continue as student protesters called for a march to the capital Dhaka on August 5 in defiance of a curfew.

A garment shop catches fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 4. (Source: AP)

Reuters news agency quoted an online news channel as saying that on August 5, army tanks and police vehicles were present on the streets of the capital Dhaka, while security forces conducted foot patrols. There was almost no civilian traffic, except for a few motorbikes and three-wheelers.

Earlier, on August 4, Al Jazeera news agency reported that at least 91 people were killed and hundreds injured in a wave of violence across the South Asian country of 170 million people, when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.

Protesters blocked major highways and even attacked and vandalized a medical college hospital in the capital Dhaka. Bangladeshi Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen condemned the action and called for restraint.

Police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd of protesters, while the Bangladeshi Ministry of Home Affairs declared an indefinite curfew nationwide, starting from 6pm on August 4 local time (7pm on the same day Vietnam time).

Speaking after a meeting of the national security council on August 4, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned protesters for destabilizing the country.

Violent protests have erupted in Bangladesh since July, led by student groups against state job quotas.

The protests stopped when Bangladesh’s Supreme Court abolished most quotas, allowing high-achieving graduates to apply for 93% of government jobs without quota restrictions. However, students have been staging sporadic protests since last week.

The unrest forced the Bangladesh government to suspend high-speed internet services, while social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp were unavailable.

Faced with this situation, on the same day, August 4, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed concern about the violence in Bangladesh and called for dialogue between the government and protesters.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bangladesh-dung-do-bao-luc-khien-gan-100-nguoi-tu-vong-chinh-phu-tung-lenh-gioi-nghiem-vo-thoi-han-sinh-vien-bieu-tinh-tiep-tuc-thach-thuc-281412.html