Bangladesh Prime Minister Resigns, Flees Country

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced Ms Hasina's resignation in a nationally televised address and said an interim government would be formed.

According to media reports, Ms. Hasina, 76, boarded a military helicopter with her sister and was en route to India. CNN News 18 said she landed in Agartala, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, across the eastern border with Bangladesh.

People celebrate the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5. Photo: Reuters

Ms Hasina resigned after student activists called for a march to the capital Dhaka on 5 August in defiance of a nationwide curfew to build pressure, after deadly clashes across the country a day earlier left nearly 100 people dead.

The death toll on August 4, including at least 13 police officers, was the highest one-day death toll in any protest in Bangladesh's recent history, surpassing the 67 deaths reported on July 19 when students took to the streets to protest quotas.

Over the weekend, attacks, vandalism and arson targeted government buildings, offices of the ruling Awami League party, police stations and homes of public figures, according to local media. Violence was reported in 39 of the country's 64 districts.

Bangladesh Railways said it had suspended all services indefinitely due to the escalating violence. Garment factories in the country, which supply some of the world's top brands, have also been closed indefinitely.

Bangladesh has been engulfed in protests and violence following last month’s student demonstrations over state job quotas. The protests have escalated into a campaign to oust Prime Minister Hasina, who won a fourth consecutive term in office in January.

About 250 people were killed and thousands injured in the riots.

Army chief General Zaman said he had held "productive" talks with leaders of all major political parties and would soon meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin to discuss the way forward.

Television footage showed thousands of people pouring into the streets of the capital Dhaka in jubilation and chanting slogans. Thousands also stormed Ms Hasina's official residence, chanting slogans, raising their fists and making victory signs.

Crowds gathered in the living rooms of the mansion. Some carried away televisions, chairs and tables from one of Bangladesh's most heavily guarded buildings. "She has fled the country," some shouted.

Protesters in Dhaka also climbed to the top of a large statue of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ms Hasina's father, and began chipping away at its head with axes.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thu-tuong-bangladesh-sheikh-hasina-tu-chuc-tron-khoi-dat-nuoc-post306461.html