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Bangladesh braces for new violence

Bangladesh's national police chief vowed yesterday there would be "zero tolerance" of violence following a political crisis that sparked deadly clashes between rival political parties.

His comments came as the country braced for further bloodshed after the opposition called nationwide protests and blockades over President Iajuddin Ahmed's decision to name himself head of a caretaker government that will oversee elections in January.

At least 15,000 police were on the streets of Dhaka and thousands more were deployed nationwide after three days of protests led by the leftist main opposition Awami League that left at least 21 people dead.

"There will be zero tolerance of further violence. Anyone who tries to disrupt law and order will be punished," Inspector General of Bangladesh Police Anwarul Iqbal said.

"We have now enough police and paramilitaries all over the country and the situation has improved markedly. Blockades on roads have been taken down and inter-city buses are running again," he added.

In Dhaka, private cars and buses were off the roads although offices and shops remained open and no fresh clashes were reported, police said.

"Awami League activists will hold rallies later but there is no report of any violence," Dhaka police commissioner Mizanur Rahman said.

The political crisis came to a head after the five-year mandate of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Islamist-allied government ran out on Friday.

Her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) failed to strike a deal on who should head the interim administration with the main opposition Awami League, which has threatened to boycott the elections.

The Awami League and its 13 allies rejected as politically biased the government's choice of former Supreme Court justice K.M. Hasan to head the caretaker body.

Talks to find a compromise candidate broke down on Sunday and President Iajuddin Ahmed said he had no alternative but to appoint himself to the body.

After being sworn in, the president appealed for calm. The opposition responded by calling mass protests and blockades for yesterday but stepped back from rejecting the decision outright.

A senior military source said the army had been put on standby in case of further bloodshed, following deadly clashes between rival parties.

"The armed forces are on high alert. They will be on the streets the moment they are asked to keep law and order," the source said.

The president's intervention came after violence hit central Dhaka, with running battles between opposition supporters and police, and between members of the rival parties, breaking out all over the country.

Police in the southern Satkhira district said a local leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, the outgoing government's biggest coalition partner, was hacked to death by Awami League supporters.

The Oath-taking ceremony was boycotted by the Awami League, which called on the caretaker chief to meet its outstanding demands.
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