Bangladesh PM Resigns and Flees Amid Nationwide Deadly Protests

Anti-government protesters are celebrating in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country.

Transcript

00:00Celebrations in the streets of Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, after news broke that Prime

00:08Minister Sheikh Hasina had resigned and fled the country.

00:13After weeks of anti-government protests demanding she step down after more than a decade in

00:17power, Hasina's helicopter was spotted leaving the capital, heading towards neighbouring

00:23India where she's expected to seek safe passage.

00:27Not long after her departure, protestors stormed and looted the parliament house and

00:32her official residence, speaking out from inside the building.

00:47Countrywide protests began last month as a peaceful student movement against a quota

00:52system for government jobs, which effectively reserved a majority of the lucrative roles

00:57for people with connections to the Prime Minister's party.

01:00Sheikh's government imposed curfews and internet restrictions on the country's 170 million

01:06population, and they closed schools and universities in an attempt to quash the action.

01:12The Supreme Court overturned most of those job quotas, but after the government ordered

01:17a harsh police and military crackdown that saw thousands of protestors arrested and more

01:22than 300 killed, the demonstrations quickly transformed into an anti-government movement.

01:29Hours after Hasina fled, the head of Bangladesh's army promised justice and said a neutral interim

01:35government would be formed.

01:55The army chief also called for calm among protestors, a call echoed by the country's

02:00politicians and the United Nations.

02:03But violence on the streets is continuing, with some police stations being set alight.

02:10Human rights activists are calling the upheaval a win for the people, but say a non-partisan

02:15investigation is needed to prosecute those responsible for the violence.

02:21We know that the supporters of the Awami League, of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, had attacked

02:26But with trust in the government broken, many Bangladeshis are expecting the country's

02:41next leadership to rebuild independent institutions and restore human rights protections.

02:48Student leaders have said they want to be involved in the interim administration.

02:52And unless the military facilitates this, these protestors are refusing to leave the

02:57streets.

02:58Ryan Wu and Rosie Greninja for Taiwan Plus.