Bangladesh opposition holds protest marches

DHAKA, July 27 (Reuters) Bangladesh opposition parties today held marches across the country to demand electoral reforms amid tight security enforced by police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) force, witnesses said.

The marches were peaceful despite a government warning of a possible attack by unidentified extremists.

Today was the third of six days of marches planned by a 14-party opposition alliance led by the Awami League.

The opposition also wants a say in choosing the chief of a caretaker administration that will supervise January's election.

Authorities mobilised thousands of police and paramilitary troops with sniffer dogs, saying there was information the marches could be targetted by extremists.

The government did not say who the extremist threat came from, but Islamist militants launched a series of bomb attacks across the country between August and December last year, killing at least 30 people and wounding 150.

Thousands of people joined the marches.

''The mass participation in the campaign shows popular support for our cause,'' Mohammad Nasim, a senior leader of Awami League, said on today.

REUTERS PKS KN1906