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105 killed in Bangladesh protests; nationwide curfew imposed

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At least 105 people have been killed in Bangladesh as police cracked down on unrelenting student-led protests against govt job quotas despite a ban on public gatherings.

The govt has decided to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy the army.

Earlier in the day, telecommunications were disrupted and television news channels went off the air.

Authorities had cut some mobile telephone services the previous day to try to quell the unrest. 

According to reports, police and security officials fired bullets and tear gas at protesters and banned all gatherings in the capital Dhaka. 

The protests, which began weeks ago but escalated sharply this week, represent the biggest challenge to PM Sheikh Hasina since she won a fourth consecutive term in office after the January polls.

The government has deployed police and paramilitary forces across the capital to lock down campuses and break up protests. 

On Wednesday, universities including the country’s largest suspended classes and closed dormitories, and on Friday police in Dhaka said they were banning all gatherings and demonstrations in the capital. 

According to foreign media, border guard officials fired at a crowd of more than 1,000 protesters who had gathered outside the head office of state-run Bangladesh Television, which was attacked on Thursday. 

The border guards shot at the crowd with rifles and sound grenades, while police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Bullets littered the streets, which were also marked by smears of blood. 

Internet services and mobile data were widely disrupted on Thursday night and remained down on Friday in the capital, Dhaka. 

Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp were also not loading. A statement from the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said they were unable to ensure service after their data center was attacked by demonstrators, who set fire to equipment. 

Student protesters said they will extend their calls to impose a shutdown on Friday, and urged mosques to hold funeral prayers for those who have been killed.

Source: Times Of India

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Showers expected in parts of the island today

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Showers have been predicted at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and North-western provinces today (June 16), according to the Department of Meteorology.

Fairly heavy rains above 50 mm are likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts.

A few showers may occur in the Northern province and in the Anuradhapura district as well.

Strong winds of about 40-50kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Northwestern provinces and in the Trincomalee district.

The general public has also been requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds.

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19-yr.-old dies after hotel elevator collapses

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Moratuwa Police launched an investigation after a 19-year-old youth had died after an electric elevator at a hotel collapsed on June 14.

The deceased is a resident of Arukgoda in Panadura, and was an employee at the Bolgoda Hotel in Moratuwa.

According to reports, the elevator, which was reportedly designated solely for the use of hotel employees, had given away when the youth was inside, injuring him critically. He was rushed to the Panadura Base Hospital but was pronounced dead upon admission.

The management of the hotel has lodged a complaint with the Moratuwa Police regarding the incident. Further investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the elevator collapse.

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Assets over Rs. 4 bn. of 88 individuals frozen

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Assets worth over Rs.4 billion belonging to 88 individuals who have accumulated wealth through illegal activities, including drug trafficking, have been frozen by the Illegal Assets Investigation Division, data from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) shows.

The frozen assets include more than 77 large land plots totalling over 1,500 perches, more than 40 houses and buildings, 12 gemstones, over 10 kilogrammes of gold, a supermarket, a pharmacy, two hotels, a soap manufacturing machine, over 100 vehicles, seven multi-day fishing vessels, 328 bicycles, and two vallam boats.

The assets of 26 major underworld drug traffickers are among those frozen. The largest volume of assets frozen, preventing sale or transfer, belongs to an individual known as Dematagoda Ruwan, who is the brother of Dematagoda Chaminda, a known underworld figure.

According to the Illegal Assets Investigation Division, the total value of assets frozen under Dematagoda Ruwan’s name stands at Rs.666.9 million. These include five bank accounts holding Rs 90 million, two land plots worth Rs.380 million, 10 vehicles valued at Rs.200 million, 1.5 kilogrammes of gold worth over Rs.20 million, two houses worth over Rs.40 million, and pawned items valued at more than Rs.10 million.

The list of those whose assets have been frozen includes many prominent underworld drug figures such as Kudu Salindu, Kudu Roshan, Mohamed Rifkan, Weliwita Suda, Karandeniya Sudda, Ganemulla Sanjeewa, Ladiya, Kevuma, Batuwatte Chamara, Basiq, Olumara, Bathala Heen, Parei Sudda, and Kirinde Chamara, among others.

The division’s information reveals that the assets of these individuals have now been officially frozen. Bathala Heen, a well-known cannabis trafficker, recently had Rs.100 million worth of assets frozen, while last week an additional Rs.30 million worth of assets under his wife’s name were also frozen.

Many of these underworld drug traffickers whose assets have been frozen are currently overseas, and much of the property is registered under the names of their relatives. These asset freezes are the result of investigations ongoing since 2021. A senior Police officer stated that further investigations will be carried out into the assets of a large number of other individuals, and that necessary steps will be taken to freeze those assets as well.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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