S'poreans urged to defer all non-essential travel to Bangladesh: MFA

Singaporeans are advised to defer all non-essential travel to Bangladesh as the situation there remains "volatile", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Saturday, Jul. 20.

Internet services, mobile data networks, and public transport services in the country have been disrupted, the ministry added, as police there have cracked down on protests in response to demonstrations and escalating violence, with the military being called in.

They are strongly encouraged to eRegister with MFA, especially those who have not done so.

Singaporeans in Bangladesh who require consular assistance should contact the High Commission of the Republic of Singapore in Bangladesh via its 24-hour duty mobile phone at +880-181-955-7146 or via its landline at +880-2-222-280-404.

MFA's 24-hour duty office can be contacted at +65 6379 8800/ 6379 8855.

Protest against job quotas

The Bangladesh government imposed a nationwide curfew on Saturday to quell student-led protests that have killed at least 110 people and injured thousands this week.

The protests started out peaceful but 50 people were reportedly killed on Friday alone, BBC reported.

The protests, which continued despite a ban on public gatherings, are against government job quotas imposed in a country facing high unemployment among young people.

A third of public sector jobs are reserved for the relatives of veterans from the country’s war for independence from Pakistan in 1971, according to BBC.

The students are arguing that the system is discriminatory, and are asking for recruitment based on merit.

Youths make up close to one-fifth of the 170 million people in the South Asian country.

Over a five-day period, protestors set vehicles on fire and threw bricks.

In response, police fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to disperse the crowds.

The demonstrations are the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year, which extends her 15-year rule.

It is estimated that 18 million young Bangladeshis are looking for jobs.

University graduates face higher rates of unemployment than their less-educated peers, as Bangladesh has become a major exporter of ready-to-wear clothing — contributing around US$40 billion (S$53.8 billion) worth of clothes to the global market.

The sector employs more than four million people, many of them women, but factory jobs cannot meet the aspirations of the younger generations.

Top photo via ekattor.tv