Information on the Bangladesh Workers Party and whether its student wing is called "Chattra Moitri" [BGD24525.E]

Bangladesh has two parties called the Workers' Parties in addition to the Krishak Sramik Party (Peasant and Worker's Party) and the Krishak Sramik Awami League (Peasant and Worker's League) (Political Parties of the World 1988, 42-43; Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific 1985, 76; Political Handbook of the World 1994-1995 1995, 70).

The Worker's Party, led by President Abul Bashar and General Secretary `Lashed Khan Menon, is a Marxist-Leninist group that seeks a "people's democratic revolution to achieve socialism" (Political Parties of the World 1988, 42). This party supports land reform, the decentralization of administration, state ownership of the industrial sector, and a foreign policy based on ties with socialist countries (ibid.).

An offshoot of Menon and Bashar's Worker's Party, the Worker's Party led by Nazrul Islam, supports a Marxist-Leninist ideology and seeks to reunify "the international communist movement" (ibid.,43.). In May 1986, three candidates from the Nazrul party were elected to Parliament (ibid.). The Krishak Sramik Party (KSP) was founded in 1914 and is "the oldest party within the region now known as Bangladesh" (Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific 1985, 76). The KSP "supports parliamentary democracy, non-aligned foreign policy and socialism" and has a membership of 125,000 (Europe 1995, 496).

The Krishak Sramik Awami League (Baksal) was launched in 1975 by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a new political party, although it "was for all purposes the old Awami League under a new name" (ibid., 53). The party is a pro-Soviet group which has worked with the Bangladesh Communist Party (Political Handbook of the World 1994-1995 1995, 70). The president of the KSP and BAKSAL is A.S.M. Sulaiman and the general secretary is Mohammad Emdad Hossain (ibid.).

The following information on the Chattra Moitri was obtained during a 3 July 1996 telephone interview with a representative of the High Commission of Bangladesh. Chattra Moitri means student friendship in Bangla. The Chattra Moitri is a university student alliance that has no special affiliation to any political party. It provides university students with a forum for constructive debate on various social issues.

For further information on the leftist parties of Bangladesh and the history of the parties mentioned in this Response to Information Request, please consult the attached documents.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DlRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References


The Europa World Year Book 1995. 1995. 36th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.

High Commission of Bangladesh, Ottawa. 3 June 1996. Telephone interview with representative.

Political Handbook of the World: 1994-1995. 1995. Edited by Arthur S. Banks. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.

Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific. 1985. Edited by Haruhiro Fukui et al. Westport, Corn: Greenwood Press.

Political Parties of the World. 1988. 3rd ed. Edited by Alan J. Day et al, Chicago, 111: St James Press.

Attachments


Bangladesh: A Country Study. 1989. Edited by James Heitzman and Robert L. Worden. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army, pp. 180-181,

Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific. 1985. Edited by Haruhiro Fukui et at. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, p. 76.

Political Parties of the World. 1988. 3rd ed. Edited by Alan J. Day et al. Chicago, Ill: St James Press, pp. 42-43.