Court orders Ershad to surrender

Gen Ershad and allies describe the ban as a 'conspiracy'

A court in Bangladesh has ordered former military ruler Gen Hussein Muhammad Ershad to turn himself in ahead of elections later this month.

Court officials said Gen Ershad must surrender to authorities by 17 January.

He was banned in December from standing in the 22 January election because of a conviction for corruption.

Gen Ershad seized power in a coup in 1982. He has faced numerous trials for corruption, and has already served five years in jail.

"He was asked to surrender to the court by 17 January. He will be taken into custody once he surrenders," public prosecutor Abdullah Mahmud Hasan told AFP news agency.

Poll boycottl

The general's Jatiya Party, the third largest in the last parliament, announced it would boycott the election after he was banned from standing.

His attempts to appeal against his sentence failed.

Gen Ershad and his supporters are part of an alliance led by the Awami League party.

The Awami League is not participating in the vote because it says it will not be free and fair and election officials are biased towards its historic rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Home Ministry officials have warned that the military will be used to prevent a planned national transport blockade called by the Awami League on Sunday and Monday.

More protests against the vote were held in the capital, Dhaka, on Friday.

The BNP, which left power in October, rejects the accusations of bias and says it will take part in the vote regardless.

On Friday, the United States issued a statement calling for fair elections.

"We urge the caretaker government and the election commission to act swiftly and impartially to create conditions under which all parties can participate," the US embassy in Dhaka said.

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