Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus takes charge of Bangladesh, hopes to heal strife-torn country

DHAKA — Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh's caretaker government on Thursday (Aug 8), hoping to help heal the country that was convulsed by weeks of violence, forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee to neighbouring India.

Known as the "banker to the poor", Yunus is the pioneer of the global microcredit movement. The Grameen Bank he founded won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for helping lift millions from poverty by providing tiny loans to the rural poor who are too impoverished to gain attention from traditional banks.

As chief adviser of the caretaker government, he is, however, tasked with bringing stability back to the country which witnessed some of its worst violence in decades and then hold fresh parliamentary elections.

"The brutal, autocratic regime is gone," Yunus said in a televised address to the nation after taking charge. "Tomorrow, with the rising sun, democracy, justice, human rights, and full freedom of fearless expression will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation. That is our goal."

Earlier on Thursday, on his arrival in Dhaka following medical treatment in Paris, Yunus said he would govern it with the guidance of students who backed him for the role in the caretaker government.

A harsh critic of Hasina, Yunus became emotional and seemed to hold his tears back at the airport as he referred to a student he said had been shot during the protests and that sacrifice could not be forgotten.

Hasina's flight from the country she ruled for 20 of the last 30 years after winning a fourth term in January triggered jubilation and violence as crowds stormed and ransacked her official residence.

Many Hindu homes, temples and businesses were vandalised after Hasina's