UK MPs denounce Hasina's arrest

Six UK politicians have called for the Bangladesh authorities to release the former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who was arrested on extortion charges.

In a letter to The Times newspaper in London, they said they were gravely concerned about the manner in which Sheikh Hasina was arrested. "We are... gravely concerned about the undignified arrest this week of... Sheikh Hasina," the British politicians' letter published in The Times read.

Sheikh Hasina was arrested last week after a raid on her house in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Her bitter rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Khaleda Zia, also faces criminal charges and has been ordered to appear before a court by 26 August over tax evasion allegations.

News via BBC

Bangladesh police detain Sheikh Hasina

DHAKA (Reuters) - Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina was arrested from her Dhaka home on Monday and taken to a local court, her party said.

It was not immediately clear on what charges Hasina was detained, but she has previously faced murder charges during political violence late last year and allegations of extortion.

Television channels showed hundreds of policmen escorting Hasina, the chief of the Awami League party, to a metropolitan court. Police had surrounded Hasina's house since Sunday midnight, witnesses said.

Bangladesh: Military's Six Months in Power

When high-profile politicians were jailed in Dhaka for alleged corruption after an interim government took power in January, there was widespread incredulity in a country where political leaders were never seen as accountable.

Six months on, many people acknowledge that the army-backed administration is determined to root out corruption.

More than 170 political leaders are behind bars. The crackdown has earned accolades among ordinary people who are disillusioned with politicians.

Many of them have been accused of amassing personal wealth and ignoring the country's development needs.

Related Link: VOA News Report

Some analysts think the emergency administration will only hold elections when it has achieved its other major goal, reforming the country's two main political parties.

Despite the delay in elections, many people remain optimistic that the interim government can lead the country out of the crisis it faced in January. Then, differences between the two main political parties on how to hold elections triggered bloody street battles.

News via VOA

Bangladesh: Two choices

Zafar Sobhan, The Brunei Times

The country had two choices on January 11. Actually, let me amend that statement. The country was not then nor has it since been offered any kind of choice.

So, to be more specific, the caretaker government and the army which is supporting it, had two choices.

No one asked the public what they wanted, but to the extent that public opinion could be gauged, it is perhaps fair to say that the decision not to go for quick elections was not unpopular.

However, it cannot be argued that the choice was universally popular, either.

In many ways, the immediate past elected government was the worst we have seen in our history, and to the extent that it would have most likely been unceremoniously tossed out of office pursuant to free and fair elections.

Had free and fair elections been held, what would have happened?

> Read full article

Former PMs lose control of parties

Former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, are looking extremely isolated in the unofficial political-scene.

While there is a ban on political activities, the military-backed interim administration is allowing influential members of both-parties to discuss the inevitable possibilities of reforms, from within.

In recent round-table meetings, different factions in both parties have been eager to get their message to the media, after years of suppression from the very top. Critics have however suggested that, the military intelligence has been successful enough to pervade the once daunting barriers of both the leading parties.

Leading Awami League stalwart Tofael Ahmed, a former minister said that, "while a proposal to curb the power of party president is under discussion , no proposals would be taken leaving out Sheikh Hasina".

Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia to be exposed

Following the leakage of sensitive-tapes to the media, regarding interviews with leading politicians. Preparations are on full-swing among the current Bangladeshi administrators to expose the leading ladies to the Bangladeshis, who have been long revered as idols.

The investigative-unit (TFI) is preparing a case for a humiliating exit for Sheikh Hasina & Khaleda Zia, leaders of Awami League & the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, respectively. Reports from Dhaka suggest; to build a platform for their exit, edited details of these controversial interviews will be shown on television.

Both leaders are likely to be questioned at their homes, and, if the investigators aren't greeted with cooperation, they will use evidence from the interrogations.

Bangladesh joins the political spin game!

The airwaves of Dhaka is rife with the news of how much Sheikh Hasina extorted from businesses, offering them generous licenses to operate in the public domain.

Apparent conversations of officials with the arrested politicans, including Awami League's 'Abdul Jalil', are increasingly occupying the discussions in tea-stalls among the rural communities in Bangladesh.

While the majority of the public are supportive of the current interim-government's actions, some have questioned the leakage of such sensitive materials.

The defense argues that, this leakage of interviews of the accused, proves that it's 'the-end' for both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.

Related Link: Political Spin

> Image by Little Tramp

Sheikh Hasina's USA trip fails

Following a tide of questions from her own party members about the ongoing corruption charges, Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League leader has been barred from traveling abroad.

She was due to leave for the USA to see her pregnant daughter.

The last time Sheikh Hasina travelled abroad was in April, when Bangladesh's army-backed interim government tried to prevent her return and force her into exile.

Earlier this week, she was prevented from going to the port of Chittagong to see victims of a recent mudslide. She said then that the move was "inhuman, undemocratic, unconstitutional and against the freedom of an individual".

News enhanced via BBC South Asia

Sheikh Hasina's empathy

In a statement read out by her spokesperson Sajeda Chowdhury in Dhaka today, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina has expressed her sorrow at the loss of lives in Chittagong, due to the landslides.


She said, "I am empathetic at the loss of lives, and feel that, my basic rights are being restricted by the interim administration; by not allowing me to visit the affected area."

Former PMs reject corruption charges

DHAKA, June 8 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's two former prime ministers have rejected accusations of corruption and abuse of power and said the country's army-backed interim administration had targeted them to tarnish their image.

"All these charges are false and baseless," immediate past prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia told reporters, breaking a long silence since January when the administration launched a drive to clean up politics ahead of elections late next year.

Khaleda's rival Sheikh Hasina, chief of the Awami League and a former prime minister, also denied allegations of extortion and corruption against her. "They are telling all lies. They are devoid of any truth," she told reporters.

News via Reuters AlertNet