Bangladesh army says it foiled bid to oust Hasina government
Bangladesh army says it foiled bid to oust Hasina government
Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh’s army has foiled an attempt by former and serving officers to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government, a military spokesman said.
“Instigated by some non-resident Bangladeshis, some serving and retired officers with extreme religious views have tried to create disorder in the army,"Brigadier General Muhammad Masud Razzaq said in a statement. “The conspiracy was a bid to topple the system of democratic governance through the army,"Razzaq said.
Still, a coup with an Islamic militant orientation would be a surprise, Rahman said in a telephone interview from the capital. While researching the officer corps, Rahman said he had not found that Islamic militant views or socialization are widespread.
Hasina was elected in December 2008, ending two years of military-backed emergency rule, on a programme of combating terrorism, cutting food prices and raising living standards. Her government aims to boost growth to 8% in two years from 6.7% in the year ended 30 June. More than half of the country’s 166 million people live on less than $1.25 a day, according to the Asian Development Bank.
A border security force, the Bangladesh Rifles, mutinied in 2009 over guards’ pay and working conditions. The rebels killed 63 army officers before the military suppressed the revolt and arrested hundreds of force members over subsequent months.
“Political tensions have continued over the trials of the rebels,"Rahman said. The government tried 666 members of the border guards in a single proceeding in June, convicting all but nine in a process that the New York-based group Human Rights Watch said failed to meet international standards for a fair trial.
About one-third of Bangladesh, the world’s seventh most populous nation, floods during the annual monsoon, hampering development. The government says it will try to spend $10 billion, or 11% of its gross domestic product, over a decade to increase power capacity and attract investment from abroad. The country’s labour costs are lower than India and China, drawing companies such as General Electric Co. and International Business Machines Corp.
“Political stability has helped the economy," Mustafa K. Mujeri, director general of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, a Dhaka-based policy research organization, said in a telephone interview. "News of the failed attempt in the army to destabilize the government is unlikely to have a big impact on the economy, Mujeri said. "It’s an isolated incident."
Mark Williams in New Delhi contributed to the story.
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