CNU Students From Bangladesh Urge Their Government to Stop Bloody Suppression

    Bangladeshi students studying at Chonnam National University (CNU) demonstrated against their authorities for excessive use of force and reform of a quota system for government jobs in front of Minjumaru on July 19. Recently, in Bangladesh, more than 100 people were hurt and died as student protests against the public official quota system have become intense. The quota system, which triggered severe protests, allots 30 percent of government jobs to family members of veterans who fought for the Bangladeshi independence war in 1971 and 26 percent of that to others (disabled individuals, indigenous communities, women, and people from underdeveloped districts). To cease the protest, the Bangladeshi government blocked all means of communication, including the internet and text messages, and ordered schools to close temporarily.
    Bangladeshi students at CNU, therefore, organized a group in support of the student protests and expressed their concerns. Farok Md Omar (Ph.D. Student, Interdisciplinary Program of Global Diaspora Studies, Bangladesh), who participated in the demonstration at CNU, said, “Many young people already died. The Bangladeshi government must stop this violent repression immediately.” He also talked about the quota system in question. “The basic cause of this protest that occurred in my country is the civil service quota system. Bangladeshi students want to get government jobs because it guarantees tenure. It is totally unfair if 56 percent of government jobs are allotted to very few people. It necessarily creates fierce competition. That is why we are doing this.”

By Choi Daniel, Reporter