Coup threat after Bangladesh violence

VIOLENT political clashes have erupted across Bangladesh for a third straight day despite attempts by rival political groups to reach a compromise over the installation of a caretaker government to run the country ahead of general elections in January.

At least 14 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the violence between supporters of the ruling, four-party, Islamist-linked Government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of the outgoing Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, and the 14-party opposition Awami League headed by Sheik Hasina, daughter of the country's founding father, Sheik Mujibur Rahman.

Last night, amid fears that the army could intervene to stage yet another of the coups that have been a feature of Bangladesh's political history, President Iajuddin Ahmed intervened in the crisis and effectively gave the rivals a day in which to agree on a caretaker prime minister.

Officials of both the BNP and the Awami League, alarmed by the possibility of another coup, said they would work together to seek a compromise that would end the chaos that has reduced the capital, Dhaka, and other cities to war zones.

The violence surrounds Bangladesh's unique system of government which requires an administration at the end of its five-year term to hand over power to an unelected interim government charged with organising an election within 90 days.

Begum Zia's five-year term ended on Friday and she was due to hand power to her handpicked candidate for the post of caretaker prime minister, former chief justice K.M.Hasan.

But the Awami League, seeking to wrest power from Begum Zia, refused to accept Judge Hasan's nomination, claiming him to be a biased former member of the BNP. And it promised to launch a protest movement that would close down the country -- something that it has effectively done, with all roads into Dhaka from the rest of Bangladesh now cut.

Fortuitously, in view of the opposition to his nomination, Judge Hasan, who was due to be sworn in on Friday, announced he was unwell, so the handover of power was postponed and will not now take place until Begum Zia and Sheik Hasina agree on a candidate. Bitter rivals, the two leaders have not spoken directly to each other in years. Parliament has regularly been boycotted by whichever party is not in power, and street violence has become a regular feature of the country's political process.

But the level and the extent of the violence this time has stunned political observers, and there are fears that unless it is soon brought under control the army will step in.

The homes of some senior ministers were attacked at the weekend, and several had to flee. Senior officials of the BNP and Awami League were reported to be among the dead and injured.

There are also fears about the role of Islamist parties allied to the jihadi movement which have been increasingly strident on the Bangladeshi political scene.

Indian intelligence has said it is increasingly concerned about the extent to which Bangladesh is being used by al-Qa'ida-linked jihadi terrorists.

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20665800-2703,00.html