Bangladesh protesters set fire to election office

BANGLADESH: A group of political activists set fire to an election commission office in southern Bangladesh on Tuesday, as a 14-party alliance began a new campaign to force the ouster of top election officials over charges of bias.

The protests came a day after the election commission set parliamentary elections for January 21, defying calls by the Awami alliance to delay announcement of poll schedules until the commission was reorganised and the voters' list was updated.

Riot police stopped thousands of slogan-shouting activists of the Awami League alliance, led by former prime prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as they marched toward the heavily guarded election commission headquarters in the capital Dhaka.

"Protesters are still converging towards the EC headquarters, but police appears determined to hold them back," a Reuters cameraman said.

Earlier on Tuesday, suspected alliance supporters set fire to a district election office in the southern coastal town of Barisal, and hundreds of documents were burnt, police said.

"We are investigating but suspect it was an act of those who try to disturb the election process," an office said. On Monday, another election office and a court building were set on fire in the southwestern town of Khulna.

A.U.N. official said overnight that Secretary-General Kofi Annan was sending a top aide to Bangladesh ahead of January elections to help ensure they are peaceful and transparent.

Craig Jenness, director of the world body's Electoral Assistance Division, will be in Bangladesh from Wednesday through Friday to meet with the head of the caretaker government and other senior officials, election authorities, political party representatives and various interest groups, U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

The Awami alliance accuses the election commission of a bias toward the main rival Begum Khaleda Zia, who ended her five-year term as prime minister in October, and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The alliance has threatened to step up protests including a new transport shutdown if the election commission went ahead with its poll schedule.

"Unless the election commission cancels the schedules by next Saturday, we will launch a new wave of protests, including an indefinite transport blockade from Sunday," Abdul Jalil, general secretary of the Awami League, told reporters.

DHAKA, Tuesday, Reuters