TWO AWAMI LEAGUE MP'S INJURED IN CLASHES WITH

UNCLAS DHAKA 005797 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL BG SUBJECT: TWO AWAMI LEAGUE MP'S INJURED IN CLASHES WITH POLICE ¶1. (SBU) Approximately 100 persons, including Awami League MP's Mohammaed Nasim, a former Home Minister, and Assaduzzaman Nur received modest injuries today during the opposition's march on the Prime Minister's Office, according to press and police reports. Police used tear gas and batons to repel thousands of demonstrators in three downtown areas as they tried to breach barricades erected to deny them access to a broad exclusion zone around the Prime Minister's Office. Nearly 10,000 police, Rapid Action Battalion, and Bangladesh Rifles personnel were deployed to thwart the opposition's program demanding changes in Bangladesh's electoral system. Some buses and other vehicles were reported damaged. ¶2. (SBU) At a barricade in Russell Square, near the trendy Dhanmondi area, 2,000 demonstrators threw bricks and stones at police, injuring about 15. Police responded by pushing demonstrators into the surrounding residential area. In the Mohakali area, 5,000 demonstrators were tear-gased, reportedly after several molotov cocktails exploded. ¶3. (SBU) According to his son, MP Assaduzzaman Nur was treated and released from hospital. He claimed that police deliberately targeted his father, hitting him several times with sticks. ¶4. (SBU) As of 1600 local, all clashes have ended and all roads are open. Awami League leaders are meeting at 1830 to review the day's developments and discuss next steps. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Today's modest level of violence would not appear to justify a retaliatory general strike, especially since the Awami League is focused on a grand rally at the Purana Paltan parade grounds on September 18. To their credit, police continue to show relative restraint, despite some clear provocations. BUTENIS