Thursday, January 18th, 2007Crisis-wracked Bangladesh's politicians are only in it for the money, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus said, but refused to reveal if he intended one day to seek the helm of the embattled democracy.In an interview with AFP, "banker to the poor" Yunus also said his country was tired of months of unrest and blockades, with most people "jubilant" that a state of emergency had been imposed and elections cancelled."It's about power, power to make money. There is no ideological thing, simply who gets the bigger booty," Yunus said of the struggle between the main political parties to wrest control ...
(read more) Saturday, January 13th, 2007The Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance has called off its action programme, including blockade and hartal, in the changed political context.Awami League General Secretary and Co-ordinator of the grand alliance Abdul Jalil declared the cessation of agitation at a press briefing at AL's Dhanmondi office after returning from the Bangabhaban where Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed took oath as the chief adviser yesterday evening.Asked for his reaction to Dr Fakhruddin's take-over as chief advisor, Jalil said, "No comment…We will talk after the formation of a complete caretaker government."JSD President Hasanul Huq Inu hoped that the new caretaker government would take steps to ...
(read more) Friday, January 12th, 2007President Iajuddin Ahmed has admitted flaws in the process of updating voter list and said it is imperative to prepare a flawless voter list to hold a free and fair election.Addressing the nation over radio and television last night, the president said it is not possible to hold an acceptable election within the stipulated 90 days, without correcting the voter list.Referring to the demands of the grand alliance for transparent ballot boxes and issuing voter ID cards, the president said the general election is an expensive process and it will not be good for a nation to hold more than ...
(read more) Thursday, January 11th, 2007Vowing to resist the 'one-sided' January 22 polls at any cost, Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance leader Sheikh Hasina yesterday announced fresh agitation programmes that include non-stop siege of the Bangabhaban, four-day blockade and two-day hartal."The Bangabhaban will be besieged for an indefinite period from January 14 and countrywide blockade will be enforced on January 14-15 and 17-18. If the processes of holding the one-sided election on January 22 is not stopped despite these programmes, hartal will be enforced on January 21 and 22," Hasina said at a grand rally at Paltan Maidan in the capital.The AL chief, flanked by ...
(read more) Wednesday, January 10th, 2007Five top leaders of the Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance were injured as police assaulted them while using brute force to disperse alliance activists and leaders from around the Bangabhaban during a siege of it yesterday that triggered violent clashes between the law enforcers and the demonstrators.Policemen in riot gear brutally assaulted the leaders at Noor Hossain Square and fired teargas shells inside the AL central office on Bangabandhu Avenue during the siege that was also marked by police-demonstrators pitched battles in Fakirerpool and Joykali temple area.The leaders -- Tofail Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon, Nurul Islam, Dilip Barua and Haji ...
(read more) Wednesday, January 10th, 2007Some 5,000 'O' and 'A' level examinees sit their exams beginning from today with fears that they might not be able to attend all of them, as the exams might coincide with the political programmes like blockades or hartal. Although exams are kept outside the purview of blockade, many O and A level examinees expressed their concern over not being able to attend the exams that will continue till 29th. These exams will be held simultaneously at different exam centres of Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Rajshahi along with the rest of the world.Examinees fear that they will face serious troubles ...
(read more) Tuesday, January 9th, 2007Supporters of the Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance fought pitched battles with law enforcers in the capital and elsewhere leaving more than 150 injured yesterday on the second day of the three-day countrywide blockade that disrupted normal life.The grand alliance will also lay siege to the Bangabhaban today alongside its countrywide blockade that ends today.Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has already imposed a ban on squatting around the Bangabhaban to prevent a siege of the president's office.Police in riot gear swooped on processions brought out by the alliance defying a ban in the capital's Lalbagh, Malibagh, Bangabandhu Avenue and ...
(read more) Monday, January 8th, 2007More than 200 persons were injured as blockaders fought pitched battles with law enforcers in the capital and elsewhere yesterday on the first day of the three-day countrywide blockade called by Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance.The blockade cut off the capital from the rest of the country.Military vehicles mounted with automatic weapons patrolled the streets of the capital yesterday. The army and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members were seen guarding different strategic points in the city.Several hundred army personnel were drawn together in Adabor after the area witnessed the worst clash of the day between grand alliance activists and ...
(read more) Monday, January 8th, 2007The armed forces expressed their desire to have the authority to arrest anyone from any place on the polling day without a warrant in addition to the power they already have to arrest any person within a radius of four hundred yards of a polling station.The home ministry meanwhile instructed intelligence agencies to strengthen their surveillance on persons involved with 'ill-attempts' to resist the election, and asked other law enforcing agencies to take preemptive legal actions against those who might create trouble on the polling day set for January 22 amid a boycott by Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance and ...
(read more) Sunday, January 7th, 2007Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance's countrywide 72-hour blockade starts today amid the caretaker government's resolute and elaborate plan to thwart the demonstration for electoral reform 'at any cost' short of a negotiation. The blockade slated to be a 48-hour one was stretched by another 24 hours last night by the grand alliance. It has threatened to lay siege to Bangabhaban, the office of the president, on the extended day of the blockade.Sources said the government, if necessary, will use the army along with other law enforcement agencies to foil the demonstration as the army was already used to face a ...
(read more) 
