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Bangladesh lifts curfew in major cities |
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DHAKA: Bangladesh's military-backed government on Monday lifted the curfew that had been imposed on six main cities to quell public disorder, an official said. "The government has withdrawn the curfew from the capital and five other cities," government spokesman Makhan Lal Hira said in Dhaka. The restrictions were imposed on Wednesday night in an attempt to end days of rioting. The curfew had been gradually eased since Friday, bringing normal life back to the streets of Bangladesh. When interim government chief Fakhruddin Ahmed announced the curfew, he said it was necessary to prevent "anarchy." It followed student protests at Dhaka University demanding the closure of an army campus post. Although the government quickly agreed to the student demands, the violence spread to other universities including northwestern Rajshahi where one bystander was killed and dozens injured in a clash with police. The government accused politically motivated-thugs -- acting on behalf of the country's ousted politicians -- of hijacking the demonstrations in an attempt to bring down the government. Protests and political activity have been banned under the country's state of emergency, which was imposed in January following months of unrest over vote-rigging allegations and the cancellation of polls. The army-backed government took over on January 12 and has promised to clean up Bangladesh's corrupt politics before holding fresh elections by 2008. |
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