By Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's army-backed interimadministration has asked foreign diplomats, who often makecomments on domestic politics, not to interfere in thecountry's internal affairs.
The government move came on the heels of recent visits byforeigners who made comments on the country's criminal justicesystem and human rights situation.
"There has been a renewed perceptible tendency on the partof some foreign diplomats to make remarks in public that asection of the media has perceived to be interference inBangladesh's internal affairs," a foreign ministry statementsaid late on Thursday.
It said recognised diplomatic norms and standards should beadhered to.
Bangladeshis had earned Independence and sought to guardtheir sense of sovereignty with "zeal and pride", the statementsaid.
"The diplomatic agents concerned are urged to take note ofthis fact, and act in consonance with these sentiments."
Recently, the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Dhaka, Geeta Pasi,held meetings with top leaders of mainstream political parties,including the Awami League of detained former prime ministerSheikh Hasina.
The United States has also urged the Bangladesh governmentto hold free and fair parliamentary elections within a promisedtimeframe this year by ensuring participation of all politicalparties in a democratic process.
A U.S. embassy spokesman in Dhaka said on Friday they hadbeen giving the same message to the Bangladesh authorities formonths and had done nothing beyond that.
Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency sinceJanuary 2007, which banned all political activities and streetprotests.
The government launched a massive anti-corruption drive inwhich Hasina, her rival and former prime minister Begum KhaledaZia and dozens of their former ministers have been detained.
Bangladesh, which depends largely on foreign aid anddevelopment support, usually makes no complaints overprescriptions from donors.
"But this time their repeated suggestions over somethingthat the government had already committed to accomplish iscausing confusion among the public," said an official who askednot to be named.
"Instead they should try to help the (election) processgoing on smoothly and completed within the deadline," he added.
(Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by Jerry Norton)
