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(DECEMBER -23-29)
According to reports, violent clashes erupted in Bangladesh as opposition supporters took to the streets to protest against a January 5 general election which they are boycotting. The leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Begum Khaleda Zia, called for a march on the capital, Dhaka, in defiance of a police ban to protest against what she calls the "farcical" election. According to opposition party officials, hundreds of their supporters have been detained across the country over recent days and Dhaka is virtually cut off as authorities suspended bus, rail and ferry services into the city. Reportedly, more than 200 people have been killed in political violence this year, half of them since November 25 when the Election Commission announced the date for the vote. 1
- 1. Paul, Ruma, “Protests against Bangladesh election turn violent”, Reuters, December 29, 2013 at http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/12/29/bangladesh-election-idINDEE9BS0....