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Bangladesh
Hartal from 6am to 2pm today
2012-12-13
[Bangla Daily Star] The BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance is enforcing an eight-hour countrywide hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
from 6:00am today protesting against the arrest of BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and demanding restoration of the caretaker government system.

The BNP and its allies yesterday staged demonstrations in all municipalities, upazilas, and districts across the country and urged people to make today's hartal a success.

The main opposition also warned the ruling party leaders of "public curfew", and said it should not be long when the ministers would not be able to go outside their homes.

"People will siege the houses of ministers and ruling party leaders," said Tariqul Islam, coordinator of the opposition's agitation programmes, at a press briefing in BNP central office in the capital's Nayapaltan area.

He also claimed that the government had filed the case against Fakhrul using fake signature of a city corporation driver, who was on leave during Tuesday's hartal.

At least eight vehicles were set ablaze in the capital last night ahead of today's hartal. One of the vehicles was a bus that used to ferry coppers. It was torched at Bangla Motor intersection. Several homemade bombs also went off in Dhaka last night.

Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir has meanwhile vowed to resist the shutdown.

"Those who are enforcing hartal and blockade are the nation's enemy. Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
and her allies are doing these only to protect the war criminals," said the home minister while addressing a programme on Bangabandhu Avenue yesterday.

Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats went for his rosco...
the Thakurgaon district BNP yesterday enforced a six-hour hartal demanding release of Mirza Fakhrul, who was tossed in the calaboose
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
on Monday and sent to Kashimpur jail yesterday. Local units of the party also brought out processions in many districts protesting the arrest.

In Barisal, at least 30 people including an assistant police commissioner and five cops were maimed in a clash between police and pro-hartal activists yesterday around 4:30pm, reports our correspondent.
Posted by:Fred

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