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Top News reporter Su Ziqing intern Shi Huiping

Recently, protests broke out in Bangladesh. It is reported that the goal of this protest is for the citizens of the country to abolish the "quota system" for Bangladeshi public servants and implement merit-based recruitment. On July 10, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh announced the suspension of the government job quota system. On the 21st, the latest ruling was made to significantly reduce the quota of civil service positions reserved for the descendants of the country's "founding heroes" to 5%, while 93% of civil service positions will be open to the public for merit-based recruitment. So far, the protest is still ongoing.

According to Tina (pseudonym), a Chinese living in Bangladesh, the protests in Bangladesh are currently concentrated near the university district. "No Chinese people are participating in the demonstrations. The power and Internet are cut off in the city, and work and school are suspended. Only some supermarkets, pharmacies and other shopping malls related to people's livelihood are open as usual."

Screenshot of the video circulating on social media platforms

Recently, a video circulated online showed that demonstrations are still going on in Bangladesh. According to relevant news reports, demonstrators demanded the abolition of Bangladesh's "quota system", which is a government public sector regulation that reserves some positions for certain groups. People participating in the protest set up roadblocks at major intersections in the capital Dhaka and blocked major highways connecting the capital and other cities, paralyzing traffic in most parts of Dhaka and several major cities.

On July 22, Top News contacted a Chinese in Bangladesh named Tina (pseudonym), who has been in Bangladesh for three years, running a homestay and real estate sales and rental business, and married a local. Tina said that there were some voices against the "quota system" in early July, and large-scale protests suddenly broke out in mid-July until Bangladesh sent out the army and police to maintain order.

"The demonstrations started around the 18th and 19th, first in the two cities of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Chittagong, and later spread to the entire Bangladeshi college student community, who all participated in the marches and protests," said Tina.

The event caused the local government to shut down work and most schools to suspend classes. According to Tina, some basic livelihood industries are still open, but the local government stipulates that residents cannot go out on the streets. "Local people who did not participate in the march can go out for two hours a day to relax or buy daily necessities, and are required to stay at home during the rest of the time. I don't even know what's going on in my neighbors' homes now."

As the protests continued, cities such as Dhaka were cut off from the internet and power, making it difficult to contact the outside world. Tina could only contact her family through long-distance international calls most of the time. "I haven't heard of any Chinese involvement because it doesn't involve the interests of Chinese people. Most of the Chinese who came here are doing business or participating in China-Bangladesh aid projects, and they all hope that the unrest can be quelled as soon as possible," said Tina.

Screenshot of Jiang Wen's social media account

Another Chinese in Bangladesh, Jiang Wen (pseudonym), told the Top News reporter that he had passed by the conflict area in Dhaka. According to the public information on his social media account on July 20, Dhaka has been disconnected from the Internet since the protest conflict broke out. He wanted to return home immediately but it was difficult to contact his family and he could not see the flight information. Due to the restrictions on activities, there were few pedestrians and vehicles on the road. He tried various ways to successfully arrive at the airport. Currently, flights to and from Bangladesh are normal.

Tina said that the demonstrations continued, but she had not heard of any Chinese being injured. "If the violence threatens the safety of the Chinese, the consulate will notify them to evacuate immediately. We have not received any notification yet, which means it is safe for the time being. The Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh also said that it believes the Bangladeshi government will handle it properly."

At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 19, in response to the protest marches in Bangladesh, China stated that the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh will continue to pay close attention to the safety of Chinese citizens and enterprises in Bangladesh and provide necessary assistance within the scope of its duties.