ConflictBarometer_2015

ASIA AND OCEANIA
Minister Sheikh Hasina and then out of protest. On January 6,
Zia called for a peaceful countrywide blockade to protest her
confinement and to push for a government dialogue about
free and fair elections. However, the next three months saw
highly violent blockades all over the country, leaving approx.
150 people dead and thousands injured. Most of them died
in arson attacks. The Industry Minister confirmed on January
22 that 7,000 had been arrested by then, later NGOs claimed
that over 14,000 people were arrested until March 30.
The local polls in Chittagong city and North and South Dhaka
on April 28 were troubled by irregularities and obstructions.
For instance, the motorcade of Zia was attacked twice on April
20 and 22 on the way to election campaigns. Although BNP
firstly had participated, the party then announced the boycott
of the elections during the election day due to allegedly
observed fraud.
Nevertheless, BNP participated in the nationwide municipal
polls on December 30. Up to 33 candidates from various parties
withdrew their candidacy on the very same day, claiming
electoral manipulation. One man was killed in clashes in
Chittagong division and dozens were injured. AL won almost
70 percent and BNP subsequently rejected the results.
Similar to the previous years, several high rank members of
BNP and JeI were prosecuted. Two JeI leaders and a former
BNP minister were hanged for committing war crimes in
1971. Zia was prosecuted for corruption and instigating an
arson attack on a bus in January. Also her son, BNP Senior
Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, was charged for a similar
incident. BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
was sent to jail for vandalism during protests in January, but
was released on bail on December 1.
Further, the government blamed the BNP for frequent attacks
on bloggers and religious minorities, while it denied any presence
of Islamic State in Bangladesh [→ Bangladesh (Islamist
groups)]. mwf
BANGLADESH (RMG WORKERS)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2006
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
RMG workers vs. government
other
The conflict over working conditions, social security, and payment
between ready-made garment workers (RMG) and the
government continued as a violent crisis.
RGM workers could only irregularly attend their factories
between January and April. This was due to a nationwide
transportation blockade by the oppositional Bangladesh Nationalist
Party [→ Bangladesh (opposition)]. In response, they
staged several protests demanding an end to the blockade.
For instance, RMG manufacturers and workers jointly started
a daylong hunger strike on February 14 on the premises of
the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association,
Dhaka division.
Also after the end of the transportation blockade, RMG workers
continued their protest. For instance, on April 26, around
400 RMG workers rallied in the capital Dhaka, demanding
the payment of their salary. Police forces injured 15 people
in the following clashes. Two years after the Rana Plaza
collapse on 02/24/13, which had left 1,135 people dead,
the compensation for the survivors and victim's families was
still not fully paid. As in previous years, affected families
repeatedly staged protests. On June 1, the police charged
Rana Plaza complex owner Sohel Rana and 40 others with
murder. Furthermore, on July 4, the police arrested 67 workers
on charges of vandalism during protests that called for
due salary in Savar, Dhaka. On December 9, over 1,000 RMG
workers staged a demonstration in Dhaka after one worker
had been killed and two others injured in a bus accident. The
protesters vandalized at least 20 buses, blocking the roads
and demanding compensation for the family of the dead man.
As in previous years, safety deficiencies in factory buildings
led to several accidents. For example, on December 20, at
least 20 people were injured when a defect boiler blasted in
a garment factory in Ashulia, Dhaka. In various cases, RMG
workers fell sick after consuming contaminated food or water
provided by the factories. mbl
CHINA (CHRISTIANS)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1949
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
Government vs. Christians
system/ideology
The conflict over religious freedom between Christian groups
and the government continued as a violent crisis.
Throughout the year, authorities repeatedly raided house
church meetings and masses. For instance, on January 11,
police officers disrupted a house church meeting, questioned
worshippers, and confiscated bibles and hymnals in Shunyi
District in the capital Beijing. In a similar incident, on January
19, dozens of police officers arrested about 20 worshippers
in Langzhong, Sichuan Province. On April 11, two Christians
were placed under an eleven-day police detention for
teaching children Chinese characters based on the Bible
in Huocheng County, Kazakh Prefecture, Xinjiang Province.
More than 100 policemen raided a house church's summer
camp on July 28, arresting one in Chuzhou, Anhui Province.
On November 18, the police detained approx. 60 Christians
during a crackdown in Zepu county, Kashgar prefecture,
Xinjiang.
In early March, authorities prevented Chinese Christians from
attending the ''Three-fold-Visions'' Training Conference by
withholding passes for entering Hong Kong. On March 25,
eight Christians who had obstructed the removal of a church's
cross in the previous year in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province,
were charged with ''illegal occupation of farmland.'' On various
occasions, authorities demolished or removed church
crosses in Zhejiang, triggering violence on August 6. That
day, the police in Rui'an City removed a church's cross and
injured six who had attempted to protect it. The next day, the
local government mobilized more than 700 officials to tear
down another church's cross in Rui'an, which worshippers
had guarded for 20 days. In late August, Zhejiang's provincial
government issued new regulations for churches regarding
the disclosure of their expenses and requiring their activities
to be compliant with the government.
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