Bangladesh suspends indefinite curfew

Streets and markets bustled again in Bangladesh's biggest cities Friday after the government temporarily suspended an indefinite curfew imposed to quell violent student protests demanding an end to emergency rule.

The curfew suspension was to last 14 hours, the Information Ministry said in a statement.

There has been no sign of protests since the curfew was imposed on Wednesday evening in six cities including the capital, Dhaka. The measure temporarily shut down mobile phone services, cleared streets of protesters and forced people to stay home.

Late Thursday, the army-led security forces detained two university teachers who backed the students' campaign, the United News of Bangladesh news agency reported.

Anwar Hossain, a leader of Dhaka University Teachers Association, and Harunur Rashid, another senior teacher, were picked up from their homes in the university campus, the news agency said.

It was not immediately clear if the arrests were related to the teachers' support of the students' cause.

Residents welcomed the temporary curfew lift, saying it would let them shop for necessities.

"This is a right move. We now have enough time to buy food and other essentials we badly need," said Habibur Rahman, a school teacher in Dhaka.

The protesters have demanded the immediate restoration of democracy and an end to emergency rule _ imposed in January when President Iajuddin Ahmed canceled scheduled elections, outlawed demonstrations, curtailed press freedoms and limited other civil liberties.

The interim government now running Bangladesh is backed by the military, which ruled the country throughout the 1980s. Officials say elections will be held in late 2008.

Demonstrations began Monday at the University of Dhaka, spreading to college campuses across the country and then onto city streets, leaving hundreds injured and one person killed.

Whether the general population supports the students' demand is an open question.

Bangladesh's democracy, restored in 1991 after an earlier period of military rule, has been known for entrenched corruption and a bitter rivalry between the leaders of the two main political parties.

Much of Bangladesh welcomed the military-backed government when it came to power in January, but some observers saw the protests as the beginning of a shift in public sentiment.

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Associated Press Writer Julhas Alam contributed to this report.