DFA monitoring Pinoys in Bangladesh

Protesters block the Shahbagh intersection during a protest in Dhaka on August 4, 2024. The death toll from clashes on August 4 between Bangladeshi protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign and pro-government supporters has risen to at least 23, police and doctors said. —Photo by Munir Uz Zama/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday the government was ready to provide assistance to the 700 Filipinos in Bangladesh as it also called for the “peaceful transition” of power in the country, which has been rocked by violent protests.

“The Philippine government is closely monitoring the developing situation in Bangladesh. The Philippines calls for the peaceful and orderly transition of power,” the DFA said in a statement.

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Protests have broken out in Dhaka as students demanded an end to the government’s decades-old quota system for public service posts, which reserved at least 30 percent of these for the descendants of those who fought for the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.

Local media reports said that nearly 100 civilians and law enforcers have been killed due to the unrest, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Aug. 5, ending her 15-year rule.

Since Aug. 2, the DFA has placed Bangladesh under Alert Level 1, which means Filipinos there should stay indoors. —Jacob Lazaro