Click-2-ListenPalm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Patrons in tuxedos and evening gowns were greeted by a group of protesters picketing outside a prestigious local golf club near Royal Palm Beach where a Bangladeshi military leader had a party Saturday night.
About 50 men, women and children of Bangladeshi descent crowded under streetlights near the entrance to The Breakers West, 1560 Flagler Parkway, to protest the arrival of Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed, chief of staff of the Bangladeshi army.
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The general, who has family living in Palm Beach County, has abused his power by arresting popular politicians and holding them under trumped-up charges of corruption, the protesters claimed.
"He's putting all politicians in jail and is trying to manipulate democracy," said Mohammed Khan of Boynton Beach. "He should not use the army for politics."
Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since January, when violence broke out ahead of elections. The elections were canceled, and the country's military now holds most power.
Critics argue that some of the top soldiers, including Ahmed, are using the anti-corruption push to arrest prominent politicians and vault themselves into the ensuing political vacuum.
The protesters huddled under umbrellas, waved signs written in English and Bengali and mugged for a Bangladeshi news crew.
The group called for the release of Sheikh Hasina, a former prime minister and daughter of the nation's first prime minister, who is in prison on corruption charges.
"This is a big setback for women in Bangladesh," protester Farzana Khan said.
Some people arriving at the club cheered or whistled. More gawked through rolled-up windows.
The military leader traveled to the county to visit relatives, including his son, a student at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, said his brother Salam Ahmed.
He will return to Bangladesh today after delivering a speech at Harvard University.
"This isn't a political event," said Salam Ahmed, who lives in suburban West Palm Beach. "He's just coming to see me."
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