Bangladeshis in N.B. in the dark as communication is cut after deadly protests

To Mostofa Kamal, the sound of the dial tone when he tries to call his parents in Bangladesh could mean anything. 

He doesn't know if his family is safe, because for the past week, Kamal has not been able to reach their hospital from his home in Fredericton.

"It's like they are on the moon, and I am completely in the dark," he said. 

Kamal's family lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where there is limited internet and office hours after more than a week of chaos triggered by student protests over government job quotas. Nearly 200 deaths were reported in just over a week of violence.

WATCH | Bangladeshis in N.B. fear for family amid violent protests back home:

When their families in Bangladesh don't answer the phone, they fear the worst

4 months ago

Duration 2:00

Mostofa Kamal hasn't been able to speak to his elderly parents in a hospital in Bangladesh for a week. Mohammad Munim was unable to contact his family for three days

Clashes have taken place since July 15 between the police and mainly student protesters demanding an end to a quota that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971.

The chaos became deadly after the country's main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and right wing Jamaat-e-Islami party extended their support to the protests. While violence spread across the country, many government establishments were also under attack in Dhaka.

Offices and banks opened for a few hours Wednesday, but Kamal said even when he could call his parents, the bandwidth was too low for a clear signal. 

"It's a tenseful situation," he said. "I don't even know if they are safe."

Muhammad Munim felt lucky that he was able to get a message through to his Bangladeshi family from his phone. 

"At least we could have a conversation. I asked, 'How is everything? Are you OK? Do you have food?'"

He said his parents gather a week's worth of groceries at a time to avoid going into the streets.

Kamal, who is president of the Bangladeshi-Canadian Association of New Brunswick, is grateful for the community in New Brunswick. 

The association had planned to hold a picnic on July 20, but changed plans when community members heard of the situation back home.

Instead of a picnic, the association held an awareness event for members of the Bangladeshi community to meet and pray for their families back home.

"It relieves some pressure to talk to everyone," said Kamal.

People gathered in Fredericton from all over the province to lend their support to each other. Kamal said it didn't feel right to host an event like a picnic when people are "worried about their brothers and sisters back home."

Students from the Bangladeshi Student Society were also there, including Farah Nur, who graduated from the University of New Brunswick in April.

She said being with the community was a way she could deal with the stress of the situation.

"I was worried, I was depressed. I didn't even know if my parents were OK." 

When Nur couldn't speak to her parents for five days, she had to take a day of stress leave from work. So when the opportunity to be with others came up, she had to take it.

"I felt like I am doing something for the people for my country. It felt nice to stand with them when my family is so far away from Canada."

With all that's happening, Munim is still optimistic that normalcy will return for his family in Bangladesh. 

"It's my expectation that things will get back to normal very soon. We need to resolve this issue as soon as possible so that we can communicate with our families, our extended members, and relatives and friends."