Gunfire in Bangladesh mutiny camp stops

By Anis Ahmed

DHAKA (Reuters) - Gunfire erupted for the second day at a paramilitary camp in the Bangladesh capital on Thursday, police said, as troops took to streets in towns across the country in a mutiny over pay.

However, police said the fresh shooting in Dhaka stopped after an appeal by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for an end to the violence that took nearly 50 lives on Wednesday.

"Lay down your guns immediately and go back to barracks. Do not force me to take tough actions or push my patience beyond tolerable limits," Hasina warned mutinous Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border troops in a national broadcast.

"Give democracy and the economy a chance to develop."

The turmoil underscores the challenges faced by Hasina, who took office only last month after winning parliamentary elections in December that returned Bangladesh to democracy after nearly two years of army-backed emergency rule.

The mutiny had begun Wednesday at the BDR's Dhaka headquarters and shooting there and in the immediate vicinity accounted for the known deaths so far.

Shooting incidents involving BDR troops then erupted in more than a dozen other towns on Thursday, local police said.

Mobile phone services were ordered cut by the government to stem rumors and misinformation, one cell phone operator said.

An amnesty brought calm to the capital Thursday morning but fresh firing broke out in the afternoon before Hasina's speech.

The firing subsided and then stopped and BDR troops resumed laying down weapons under the amnesty after Hasina's speech, but police urged residents around the complex to evacuate.

"Vacate your homes, leave the area and go with your children to safer places," one policeman said over a loudspeaker.

Home Affairs Minister Shahara Khatun told a private television station the rebellious soldiers in Dhaka had started returning to barracks after surrendering their arms.

Bangladesh, home to more than 140 million people, has had several military coups since independence in 1971, but this week's mutinies are over pay, benefits and command structure, officials said, not politics.

Traditionally the BDR is led by army officers. Some BDR troops want commanders drawn from their own ranks.

The main duty of the BDR troops is guarding the country's borders, but they often back up the army and police in meeting other defense and security requirements.  Continued...