Crisis-ridden Bangladesh assures beefed-up security for foreign missions

The Bangladeshi government has assured its regional neighbors of more security for their diplomatic missions as well as nationals in the country.

The assurance was given in the wake of the main opposition alliance's prolong roads, rail and waterway blockade which triggered wide-spread violence, leaving scores of people dead since the end of last month.

"The election-time government would leave no stone unturned to heighten and ensure full safety and security of the diplomatic missions in Bangladesh as well as foreign nationals including students and expatriate workers from their countries living in Bangladesh during these critical period preceding the elections," Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali was quoted as saying in a briefing Monday afternoon given to the ambassadors and head of missions in Bangladesh from South and Southeast Asian countries.

"The all-party election-time government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is providing all-out support to the Election Commission towards creating a conducive environment for holding the 10th parliamentary elections scheduled for January 2014, in a free, fair, credible and peaceful manner," a Foreign Ministry statement also quoted him as saying during the briefing.

It said Ali briefed the envoys about the various security measures undertaken by the election-time government under close directives of the Election Commission to "prevent BNP-Jammat (two major opposition parties) terrorist attacks on the lives and property of the common people specially the minorities, as well on state institutions."

Ali reaffirmed the government's strong resolve to thwart any attempts of terrorism by the enemy of the state in the name of blockades and strikes against peaceful conduct of the forthcoming general elections and the war crimes tribunals, it added.

According to the statement, envoys who attended the briefing thanked Hasina's election-time government and expressed their satisfaction for the additional security measures provided for the diplomatic areas -- Gulshan and Baridhara.

They also assured that with the high level of support and protection provided by the government they feel safer and secure in moving around Dhaka even during these days of blockades and strikes, it added.

Bangladesh Election Commission Friday announced to deploy troops for 15 days from Dec. 26 as part of beefed-up security measures to hold parliamentary polls slated for Jan. 5.

Widespread violence erupted across Bangladesh since last month as the country's main opposition party-led alliance decided to boycott the general elections.

Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP) and its 17 allies including key Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party have asked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring back a non- party caretaker system, or else the opposition won't participate in the next election because it fears an election without the non- party caretaker government will not be free and fair.

Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's opposition alliance Thursday called a fresh four-day blockade from Saturday morning demanding parliamentary polls under an interim non-party caretaker government.

Khaleda's 18-party opposition alliance has started enforcing prolonged blockades after the Election Commission on Nov. 25 announced the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls. Scores of people including ruling and opposition men were dead and hundreds others injured in widespread violence since Nov. 26.

The European Union, the Commonwealth and the United States have already announced that they won't send poll observers.