DHAKA, 13 June 2006 — At least 30 people were injured in the Bangladeshi capital yesterday in clashes between police and opposition workers trying to whip up support for a nationwide strike, witnesses said.
The clashes erupted after baton-wielding police swooped on thousands of activists trying to march through the streets of Dhaka on the eve of a two-day strike called by the 14-party opposition alliance to press for electoral reforms ahead of elections next year.
Several vehicles were set on fire in the latest unrest in the Bangladeshi capital where some 200 people were injured on Sunday during a similar protest.
The opposition alliance led by former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed has been demanding the removal of the chief electoral commissioner and changes in the system of caretaker administration to ensure a free and fair poll.
The government led by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia proposed talks to resolve the issue but they failed to take place after the opposition objected to the presence of the ruling party’s Islamist partner in the negotiating team. The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party held a separate rally in Dhaka to denounce what it called “violence and vandalism” by the opposition and urged residents to resist the strike.
Opposition parties yesterday announced a 36-hour shutdown from this morning stepping up pressure on the government to implement a package of reforms for holding a fair and credible general election.
Accord Signed to End Labor Unrest
An tripartite agreement involving the government, laborers and the owners of factories was signed in Dhaka yesterday aimed at putting an end to the ongoing protests by workers and granting them their due rights.
The three parties concerned, also decided to form a “minimum wage board” for increasing the pay of garment workers.
Representatives from the government, Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and trade unions signed the 10-point Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of their respective sides following negotiations.
