Bangladesh to formally accept court ruling on job quotas after protests
Adds curfew, army chief's comments; paragraphs 3-5
By Mohammad Ponir Hossain and Sam Jahan
DHAKA, July 23 (Reuters) -Bangladesh is expected to formally accept on Tuesday a court ruling to cut quotas for government jobs, media said, meeting a key demand of students whose protests sparked one of the worst outbreaks of violence in years that killed almost 150 people.
Calm prevailed in the capital, Dhaka and most major cities for a second day amid a curfew and an Internet and telecoms shutdown the government imposed after the protests erupted last week.
However, the security situation is still not entirely under control, the army chief, who toured the capital by helicopter on Tuesday morning, told reporters.
Officials said curfew is to be relaxed for four hours in the afternoon, up from three on Monday, to allow people to buy essentials.
The protesters wanted authorities to overturn a high court decision last month that restored a quota system setting aside nearly 60% of government jobs for some people, such as families of those who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence.
The quotas had been scrapped in 2018 by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who accepted late on Monday a Supreme Court ruling to scrap most of the quotas.
The acceptance is expected to be published in the government's formal record on Tuesday, media said, meeting one demand made by protesters.
On Monday Hasina blamed her political opponents for violence and said the curfew, imposed on Friday, would be lifted "whenever the situation gets better".
The protesters have given the government 48 hours to meet eight demands, such as a public apology from Hasina and the re-opening of university campuses shut when the violence began.
On Tuesday, Malaysia became the latest nation to evacuate citizens from Bangladesh because of the violence, with the foreign ministry saying a flight bringing them home was set to arrive in Kuala Lumpur, the capital.
India also said at least 4,500 Indian students had returned home from Bangladesh.
Writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Clarence Fernandez
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
