DHAKA, 15 September 2007 — Hundreds of Bangladeshi textile workers armed with sticks and stones attacked buildings near the capital yesterday and clashed with police, incensed by a rumor that a colleague had died inside a factory.

More than 100 people were injured in the clashes with police, prompting authorities to close down nearly 100 textile units indefinitely in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Police fired tear gas and used batons to drive away the stone-throwing workers, witnesses said.

Police said the violence had stopped but security remained tight to prevent a recurrence of the unrest, which was triggered by a rumor that a factory worker had died. “It was a false alarm,” said Brig. Gen. Ashraf Abdullah Yussuf, executive chairman of Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority.

A police official said, “There had been tension in some of the factories at the DEPZ for the last few days over nonpayment of salaries and allowances and the rumor about the killing of the worker added fuel to the fire.” After the rumor, hundreds of workers gathered in front of the two gates of the industrial zone yesterday morning. They also blocked Nabinagar-Kaliakoir highway and damaged a number of vehicles disrupting traffic for two hours.

The workers damaged a bank building outside the DEPZ and fought with police. More than 100 workers including 18 policemen were injured in the violence. Assistant Police Superintendent Motiur Rahman was among those wounded.

Garments are Bangladesh’s biggest export, which earned nearly $9 billion in the year to June 2007.

The country has more than 4,000 garment factories, employing around 2 million workers, mostly women.

Labor unrest in the textile industry has been growing in recent years with employees complaining of nonpayment of wages and overtime charges by factory owners.

Yussuf said the latest violence was fuelled by people from outside the Dhaka export zone, which houses both local and foreign units.

Two factory workers were killed and hundreds injured in similar violence near Dhaka last year.