DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Hundreds of student protesters and political activists in Bangladesh, armed with bamboo sticks, iron rods and pipes, on Thursday, assaulted supporters of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and prevented them from reaching the previous house of her father and assassinated independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the capital.
The house in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area was turned into a museum to showcase narratives and other objects about a military coup on Aug. 15, 1975, when Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members. The house, now called Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, was torched by the protesters hours after Hasina’s downfall on Aug. 5 following an uprising during which more than three hundred people were killed.
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DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Hundreds of student protesters and political activists in Bangladesh, armed with bamboo sticks, iron rods and pipes, on Thursday, assaulted supporters of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and prevented them from reaching the previous house of her father and assassinated independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the capital.
Protesters block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Student protesters rough up a supporter of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party suspecting him of paying respect to her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his death anniversary outside his residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, August 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Protesters carry sticks and Bangladesh flags as they block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
A protester carries Bangladesh flag as he and others block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Military and paramilitary personnel stand guard as protesters block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Rahman is fondly called Bangabandhu or, a friend of Bengal.
Thursday is the anniversary of Rahman’s death, and Hasina, now self-exiled in India, urged her supporters to commemorate the day by paying respect to Rahman. Previously, Aug. 15 was a public holiday and was observed as a national mourning day by Hasina’s administration. But that has been canceled by an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus following the ouster of Hasina, who survived in 1975 along with her younger sister because they were visiting Germany in 1975.
On Thursday, the protesters attacked Hasina’s supporters who attempted to get to the site. They manhandled many and checked the visitors’ phones and identity cards while threatening journalists for filming the incidents at the scene, witnesses said.
Another group of protesters on Thursday chanted “Naraye Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” or, “Allah is Great, Shout of Allah is Great” as they marched through streets in the area where the museum site remained blocked with barbed-wire fences.
The protesters, who arrived at Rhaman's house first on Wednesday, attacked a prominent actress, as she along with dozens of Hasina’s supporters reached there to light candles as part of the commemoration.
Overnight, they held a party using loudspeakers and playing songs as they danced outside the museum, which was set on fire during the anti-government demonstrations earlier this month. Videos of the party went viral on social media.
The protesters said they were out to stop the gathering of Hasina’s supporters as they could attempt to create chaos in the name of commemoration.
Sarjis Alam, a key organizer of the student protests, said Thursday that they would continue to demand the trial of Hasina as he led a rally in Dhaka's Shahbagh area.
Asked about the harassment of journalists by the students and other activists outside the museum, he said he would inquire about that but gave no details.
In the past, big gatherings took place on the premises of the museum, seen by many as a source of inspiration.
Hasina had asked supporters earlier this week to “pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying” outside the museum, in her first public statement since her fall.
With no police in sight, the chaos remained in Bangladesh's capital throughout Thursday.
Sam Jahan, a video journalist for Reuters, protested against the harassment by the protesters, in a Facebook post.
“It is fair enough what you, the political activists, student protesters want to achieve, politically. But when you try to stop my rolling camera, resisting the freedom of the press and when you manhandle my colleagues, I will speak up,” Jahan wrote in the post.
The country's leading English-language Daily Star newspaper reported that their journalists faced trouble at the scene, and they were forced to delete photos and videos.
Mujib Mashal, South Asian bureau chief of The New York Times, in a video post on social media platform X said that it was a “complete mob rule.”
“The victims of yesterday are perpetrators of today; men armed with clubs and pipes (many identified themselves as BNP and Jamaat) thrashing and chasing away anyone they suspect of being Awami League,” he said.
The protesters have been demanding trial of Hasina for the killings during weeks-long violence and cases have already been filed against her and other close party colleagues and top police officials.
More than 300 people were killed in unrest that started in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs that later morphed into a movement against what was considered Hasina’s increasingly autocratic administration. The uprising eventually forced Hasina to leave office and flee to India, ending her 15-year rule.
Yunus took over as the interim leader. Sixteen people, including two student protest leaders and others, drawn mainly from civil society, have been included in the interim Cabinet.
He chose the new Cabinet members after talks between student leaders, civil society representatives and the military.
A sign saying 'This road will be open for all soon!' is posted on a barricade as protesters block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Protesters block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Student protesters rough up a supporter of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party suspecting him of paying respect to her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his death anniversary outside his residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, August 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Protesters carry sticks and Bangladesh flags as they block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
A protester carries Bangladesh flag as he and others block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Military and paramilitary personnel stand guard as protesters block the road in front of the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on his death anniversary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
SINGAPORE (AP) — Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor.
After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican delegation and journalists traveling with him flew to Singapore aboard local carrier Aero Dili's only aircraft, an Airbus A320. It landed about three hours later in Singapore, where Francis had no public events scheduled for the rest of the day.
Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who formally secured their independence from Indonesia in 2002, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.
“Go forward with the happiness of youth, but don’t forget one thing,” Francis told them. “You are the heirs of those who persevered in founding this nation. For this, don’t lose your memory, the memory of those who persevered with so much sacrifice to consolidate this nation.”
The 87-year-old pope, who is on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, ditched his prepared remarks to speak off the cuff in his native Spanish, as he often does when he's around young people.
The joyous encounter came just hours after around 600,000 people — or nearly half the population — packed a seaside park for Francis’ Mass. It was held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago, when East Timor was under brutally oppressive Indonesian rule.
Francis came to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to encourage it more than two decades after it secured independence as it struggles with poverty and high unemployment.
In his final remarks at the end of the liturgy, Francis warned the Timorese today to beware of the “crocodiles” who come ashore and “want to change your culture, your history.”
It was an apparent reference both to East Timor’s past, as a colonial possession of first Portugal and then Indonesia, but also its current attractiveness to international commercial interests eager to develop its natural gas reserves.
The oil and gas industry is the bedrock of the Timorese economy and the main source of government revenue. Development of the promising offshore Greater Sunrise gas field, shared between Australia and East Timor, has been stalled for more than two decades — mainly over the question of which country the fuel should be piped to.
Timorese officials believe that piping gas into their country would deliver more benefits for their people despite the added logistical challenges. In an interview last week, President Jose Ramos-Horta said any alternative would have to be “a very persuasive proposal.”
Francis, who is from Argentina and is history’s first Latin American pope, has long railed against multinational companies that exploit poor countries for their natural resources for their own benefit without taking care to adequately compensate the local population or care for the environment.
“And don’t go near those crocodiles because they bite, and bite a lot, a lot,” Francis said Tuesday night, using a term in Spanish that means both “to bite” and to accept bribes.
The huge turnout in East Timor was a testament to the devout Catholic faith of its people and their reverence of the church, which strongly backed the Timorese’ fight for independence. Francis praised the Timorese for having not only built up their country from scratch, but reconciled with Indonesia after securing independence in 2002.
One of the Timorese who campaigned for that independence, Fransisco Dionisio Fernandes, was a 15-year-old acolyte at the Dili Mass celebrated by St. John Paul II on the same field as Francis.
He went on to become one of the most vocal pro-independence activists in East Timor, known locally by his nom de guerre Maukura. But he chose the path of nonviolent resistance rather than joining the guerrillas, preaching a message of reconciliation with Indonesia that Francis underscored during his visit.
“What’s past is past, every nation certainly has its dark history, and we cannot erase history,” Fernandes said in an interview. “East Timor has made a great effort to reconcile the wounds of the past and found a way to pursue a process of genuine reconciliation.”
Fernandes, who became a career diplomat, said the focus was now on the future.
“Now is the time for Timorese to fight for the development and people’s welfare. With the principle of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, we rebuild together with Indonesia which is destined to be brothers.”
East Timor remains one of the poorest in the world, with around 42% living below the poverty line. It struggles with high levels of unemployment and malnutrition. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s citizens are under 30 years old, making youth job creation a high priority.
From Dili, Francis was flying to Singapore, one of Asia’s economic powerhouses. The city-state’s transformation from a colonial port lacking natural resources into an economic power since its independence from Malaysia in 1965 has long been touted as a success story.
It enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world, and is known for its safety and low crime rate. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in and its competitive work environment makes for a stressful, overworked people.
Francis has no official program in Singapore on Wednesday other than a private meeting with his Jesuit confreres.
Niniek Karmini reported from Dili, East Timor. Eileen Ng contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets the volunteers on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis travels in a buggy as he greets the volunteers on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis is accompanied by East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta to abroad a plane to Singapore at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis is accompanied by East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta to abroad a plane to Singapore at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Airport staff wave to Pope Francis at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Airport staff wave to an airplane which Pope Francis aboard at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Volunteers wait to greet Pope Francis on his arrival in Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
People display a East Timor national flag to show it to Pope Francis taking off with his flight from Díli, East Timor and bound to Singapore, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
From left, Pope Francis is welcomed by Singapore's Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and his wife (name not given) and the Ambassador of Singapore to the Holy See Ang Janet Guat Har as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets before the meeting with young people in Centro de Convencoes in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Pope Francis is welcomed during the meeting with young people in Centro de Convencoes in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Pope Francis waves out of the car on the day of the Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu during his apostolic trip to Asia, in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Willy Kurniawan/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis waves from the popemobile as he tours the crowd of faithful at the end of a mass at the seaside park of Tasitolu, 8 kilometers west of Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Alessandro Di Meo/pool via AP)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Men and women in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People wait for Pope Francis outside the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, ahead of a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People wait for Pope Francis outside the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, ahead of a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Students singi and chant on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis wears an East Timor traditional Tais scarf he received upon his arrival at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor for a meeting with young people, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Tais are usually made for ceremonial use, along with feathers, coral, gold and silver. It has the symbolic meaning of respect towards guests, friends, relatives and ancestors. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
