At least 25 people were killed this week in Bangladesh following violent clashes between student protesters and groups loyal to the government. Hundreds more were injured.
Protesters in the capital of Dhaka and elsewhere are rallying against Bangladesh’s government job quota system. The system reserves 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of veterans who served in the country’s 1971 war of independence.
The government job scheme, which largely benefits supporters of the ruling Awami League party, was paused in 2018 following similar protests. Last month, however, Bangladesh’s High Court resumed the quota system, sparking a fresh wave of demonstrations. The country’s Supreme Court paused the High Court’s ruling last week and will decide on the future of the quota system on August 7.
Protesters support a more merit-based recruitment system. The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi daily, reported that protesters, who have blocked roads and railway lines, were attacked by police and individuals with the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the Awami League’s student wing.
Some analysts suspect the protests reflect wider economic anxieties and frustrations with an increasingly "authoritarian" regime.
Hasina pushes ahead with diplomacy
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated her support for the quota system on Monday and initially “scolded the [protesting] students.” On Wednesday, however, addressing the nation, Hasina registered her concerns for the safety of the students and stated that “precious lives have been lost unnecessarily.”
Hasina juggled a crisis at home with diplomacy abroad. On July 10, while protests simmered, Hasina was in Beijing. She met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and agreed to upgrade the Bangladesh-China relationship to a "comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership.”
Beijing was expected to provide a significant loan of up to US$5 billion to refresh Dhaka’s “dwindling” foreign-exchange reserves but instead offered US$137 million.
Possibly on a related note, Hasina said days later that she would prefer India complete an estimated US$1-billion development project on the Teesta River, which flows through Bangladesh and India. “China is ready,” Hasina told journalists, “but I want India to do the project."
