Bangladeshis in Vancouver react to PM’s downfall after protests

VANCOUVER: Hope and excitement spread quickly among members of Vancouver’s Bangladeshi community as news spread that the South Asian country’s prime minister has resigned amid a massive revolt against his rule, led mostly by students. . “We’re celebrating Bangladesh’s bloody struggle for its second independence,” said Abdullah-Al Talha, 31, who came to Canada from his home country in 2006. Bangladeshi immigrants took to the streets of Vancouver, happy to see the country’s government fall after weeks of turmoil. The news sparked an impromptu meeting organized by the Bangladesh Student Association Vancouver outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Monday evening. “I’m really getting goosebumps who showed up wearing the red and green colors of their country. According to Parboti Roy, a sessional lecturer in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of BC, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has led Bangladesh for 15 years, was forced to resign after several weeks of incompetence due to her long-running “authoritarian” leadership. The unrest has faced increasing criticism.