Halifax Bangladeshi people worry as internet still down in country after deadly protests

It’s been several days since Taher Ahmed has been able to speak with his family in Bangladesh and he’s feeling helpless.

The government of Bangladesh shut down internet and text message services on Thursday as part of a clampdown on protests that’s also included a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order and the army on the streets.

“It’s only my parents … in Bangladesh and they don’t have anyone beside them to look after [them]” if anything happens, said Ahmed, who moved to New Brunswick as a student and now lives in Halifax.

Across Bangladesh, student-led protests demanding the end of a controversial government jobs quota system began in late June but turned deadly last week.

The quota system reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

On Monday there was apparent calm after Bangladesh’s top court ordered the veterans’ quota to be cut to five per cent.

Abdul Malik Roman has also had trouble contacting his family back home.

“We are able to connect with them … but you can’t hear them properly,” said Roman, who lives in Halifax. “I feel … anxious and worried.”

The recent clashes follow similar violent protests ahead of January’s national elections by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s opponents in response to what they called her authoritarian rule, and by garment workers demanding better pay amid high inflation.

Hasina’s government has denied accusations of authoritarianism and crackdowns on free speech.

“There is only one option right now … in my opinion for the government,” Roman said. “They have to step down, because this government [is] fully corrupted.”

The government previously halted the quota system in 2018 following mass student protests, but in June, Bangladesh’s High Court reinstated the quotas, setting off a new round of protests.

Hospital data shows at least 147 people have been killed. On Friday, an Associated Press reporter saw security forces fire rubber bullets and tear gas at a crowd of more than 1,000 protesters who had gathered outside the head office of state-run Bangladesh Television.

Ahmed said violence and unrest in his home country has been occurring since its founding. He moved to Canada six years ago for his safety and better opportunities. 

“Students are the future for any country” and can make positive change “if they get the proper opportunity,” he said.

“But in my country, it’s [the] opposite.”

Ahmed wants Canada and other countries to pressure the Bangladeshi government to respect human rights.

In a statement to CBC News, Global Affairs Canada said the federal government is deeply concerned by the violence that erupted following the protests in Bangladesh.

“We support the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” the statement said. “Canada calls for all involved to work together to end further violence and come to a peaceful resolution.”