The attached fax dated 24 August 1995, which was sent to the DIRB by the Bangladesh researcher of Australia's Refugee, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), explains the meaning and reference of paragraph 3.2.1.8 of page 20 of the RIAS publication Country Profile: Bangladesh.

Although information on how the Dhaka metropolitan police voted during the Dhaka City Corporation Election could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB, the attachments, which may be of interest, provide general information on the City Corporation elections, which were held on 30 January 1994, in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi.

Please consult the following attachments: Xinhua dated 30 January 1994 and Radio Bangladesh of 30 January 1994 for general information; Reuters of 31 January 1994, Agence France Presse (AFP) of 31 January 1994 and 1 February 1994 for election violence; Radio Bangladesh of 31 January 1994 and Keesing's of January 1994 for election results; and Xinhua of 2 February 1994 for comments on the defeat of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in these elections.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Attachments

Agence France Presse (AFP) [Hong Kong, in English]. 1 February 1994. "15,000 Join Mourning March 1 Feb." (FBIS-NES-94-023 3 Feb. 1994, pp. 33-34)

_____. 31 January 1994. "Six Killed, 30 Injured in Attack on Opposition Parade." (FBIS-NES-94-023 3 Feb. 1994, p. 33)

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. January 1994. Vol. 40, No. 1. "Bangladesh: Election Violence," p. 39821.

Radio Bangladesh [Dhaka, in Bengali]. 31 January 1994. "Mayoral Election esults Announced; Six Reported Killed in Dhaka Violence." (BBC Summary 3 Feb. 1994/NEXIS)

_____. [Dhaka, in English]. 30 January 1994. "Mayoral Election Results Announced; Six Reported Killed in Dhaka Violence." (BBC Summary 3 Feb. 1994/NEXIS)

Refugee, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. 24 August 1995. Fax sent to the DIRB from the Bangladesh researcher.

Reuters. 31 January 1994. BC Cycle. Anis Ahmed. "Seven Killed in Post-Election Violence in Dhaka." (NEXIS)

The Xinhua News Agency. 2 February 1994. Pan Xiaozhu. "Roundup: Changes in Bangladesh Cabinet Likely." (NEXIS)

_____. 30 January 1994. "City Corporation Elections end in Bangladesh." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International Report 1995. 1995.

Asiaweek [Hong Kong]. Weekly. January to February 1994.

DIRB "Bangladesh" country file. January to March 1994.

The Economist [London]. Weekly. January to February 1994.

The Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) [Hong Kong]. Weekly. January to February 1994.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Report. January to February 1994.

Human Rights Watch World Report 1995. 1994.

India Today [Delhi]. Fortnightly. January to February 1994.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly. January to February 1994.

News From Asia Watch. 1993 to present.

On-line search of media sources.

Oral sources.