More than 300 Bay of Plenty families from Bangladesh are in pain as they watch their families face violence from police and government authorities in their home country – so will protest in Tauranga this Sunday, August 4.

Bay of Plenty Bangladesh Community member Kamal Hossain says their families back home are facing violence from police and other government forces – border guards, the Rapid Action Battalion and even the Army – as students protest in Bangladesh to change the Quota system in public job sectors.

Kamal says Bangladesh is facing civil unrest after a Supreme Court ruling that under the quota system, some 56% of sought-after civil service jobs are being reserved for relatives of veterans who fought in the Bangladesh War of Independence from Pakistan in 1971.

He says many of the country’s contemporary political elite are related to that generation and are being favoured by this ruling.

Soldiers have been patrolling the deserted streets of the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, and the Government ordered all offices and institutions to stay closed for two days after at least 114 people were killed this week during student-led protests against government job quotas, according to a NZ Herald article published on July 21.

The Bay of Plenty’s Bangladesh Community has decided to gather and protest this Sunday, August 4, at 11am on the corner of 15th Ave and Cameron Rd by Tauranga Boys’ College to raise awareness about what’s happening to their families in their home country.

“We are protesting for justice, humanity and democracy in Bangladesh. There is no democracy at all in Bangladesh,” says Kamal.

Sojib Ahmed, left, Shaikh Imran, Sadia Mallik Kakon, Rabeya Sultana, Kamal Hossain. Photo: John Borren

“People have no rights in Bangladesh. The current Government is fully corrupted. If anyone says anything about their rights, police shoot and kill them.

“Our aim is to protest to create pressure to stop killing the innocent students and people and establish justice in the country. The public should know what is happening, they should not be biased by the government-controlled media and their administration.

“We stand on behalf of the Bangladesh community, for the people and students in Bangladesh who are being killed by Bangladeshi police and by the non-electrode Government agency.”

Kamal says the Bangladeshi Government doesn’t want to show their brutality and cruelty to people outside Bangladesh.

“We are very concerned for our family back home. We are worried as there is no way to communicate. They have disconnected all internet and phone lines.

“Many media are completely shut down but open only those who talk in favour of the Government. “We are so worried about our relatives. All social media has now stopped broadcast news.

“Almost everyone in Bangladesh is offline. We don’t know what’s going on in Bangladesh now.”

Kamal says this protest is to tell the Bangladeshi Government: “Please stop killing our students and people”.

The Bangladesh community here invites fellow BOP residents to join this Sunday’s protest at 11am.

- SunLive