Bangladeshis Thursday mourned the killing of 10 people in the first suicide bomb attacks in two places of the country Tuesday by way of joining the whole day general strike enforced by lawyers to pay homage to them.

The country was paralyzed due to the strike. The schools, ports and private offices were shut. Most transport workers stayed indoor as no long-distance transport plied.

Shops and other businesses, including the stock exchanges in the capital Dhaka and southern Chittagong remained closed. Chittagong Port, the largest port in the country, and southwestern Mongla Port did not operate.

The lawyers enforced the general strike backed by the 14-party opposition alliance led by Awami League of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

All professional bodies, civil society members, human rights activists expressed solidarity.

The lawyers bade farewell to their two colleagues, who were among the 10 dead buried on Thursday. The general strike, however, passed off peacefully. There was no report of any violence.

Two suicide bomb attacks, one in Gazipur, 35 km north of the capital, and the other in Bangladesh's second largest city Chittagong, left 10 people killed with two suicide bombers on Tuesday and over 60 others wounded.

A private television channel Thursday reported that a suicide bomber, who lost two legs and hands in the attack, died Thursday raising the death toll to 13.

Lawyers across the country on Thursday continued their court boycott and marched through the streets accusing the government for its failure to give security to life of people.

As the lawyers wore black badges and hoisted black flags atop their office buildings to mourn the deaths of their colleagues and others in the bomb attacks on Tuesday, a fresh suicide bomb blast occurred in Gazipur Thursday morning leaving two people killed and 24 others injured. The bomb blasts reportedly were launched by the suicide squad of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, a banned Islamist outfit in the country.

The government beefed up security coverage in courts in Bangladesh. Lawyers, litigants and officials were permitted to enter the court premises after inspection by metal detectors while the outsiders were not permitted to enter the court premises on Thursday by the security personnel.

Source: Xinhua