4 Bangladesh Government Advisers Resign

Armored vehicles of the Bangladesh Army move towards the Presidents House in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006. Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed ordered deployment of the army across the country after an interim government failed to end a lingering political standoff over electoral reforms. (AP Photo/ Pavel Rahman) (Pavel Rahman - AP)

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Four advisers to Bangladesh's interim government resigned Monday as soldiers patrolled towns and cities to try to end weeks of often-violent protests, prompting unease over the country's democratic future.

Meanwhile, an alliance of 14 political parties said it would hold protests Tuesday to press for election reforms ahead of next month's polls despite the deployment of thousands of troops to quash demonstrations.

Bangladesh, an impoverished nation of 140 million people in South Asia, has been paralyzed over the past two months by street protests to demand electoral reform. The strikes and transport blockades often turned violent, leaving more than 30 dead and scores injured since the end of October.

Some 17,000 soldiers patrolled Bangladesh's towns and cities for a second day Monday and further troops could be sent to the countryside if the need arises, military spokesman Lt. Col. Anisur Rahman said.

Human Rights Watch said it was concerned about the deployment of troops and urged the military to avoid partisan sympathies.

"Abusive members of the military have enjoyed near-total immunity for their violent crimes in the past," said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "If the military is to promote law and order today, it must respect the law."

Political tensions deepened Monday as four senior advisers, hand-picked by the country's interim leader, resigned in a vote of no confidence in his ability to lead the country to free and fair elections on Jan. 23.

"We, the advisers, have tried our level best to break the political deadlock, but we faced obstacle and noncooperation at every step," Sultana Kamal, a human rights lawyer, told the United News of Bangladesh. "We could not see any remarkable outcome of our efforts."

Police indefinitely banned public gatherings or protests around the presidential palace in Dhaka, and armored vehicles have taken up positions around the building.

Deploying the military was viewed as a risky step in Bangladesh, which has been plagued by military coups since gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971. Two of its presidents were slain in coups, and there have been 19 other failed coup attempts.

The alliance, headed by former opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, said the resignations proved that Ahmed cannot be trusted to oversee free and fair elections.

"If the president's advisers have no confidence in him, how can the country?" alliance spokesman Abdul Jalil said.