DHAKA, 14 June 2006 — Bangladeshi police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas to disperse protesters yesterday as a strike by opposition parties brought the country to a near-standstill.
Shops, private offices, schools and colleges were closed and cars were off the roads across the country, officials said.
Clashes between the police and opposition activists left nearly 70 people injured on the first day of the two-day strike for electoral reforms. An opposition alliance led by former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed called the strike to try to force the government to accept demands for electoral reform ahead of parliamentary election slated for next January.
The demands include the removal of the election commissioner and an opposition say in the caretaker administration to be appointed to run the country ahead of the polls.
While the impoverished country remains divided over political issues, the business community says it is fed up with repeated shutdowns that badly affect production and exports. Obaidul Karim, chairman of the Orion Group of industries, said: “During strikes we are forced to close our trade and business.
“All my factories and firms have been closed as we do not want to take any risk of their being attacked or damaged. On each day of strike, the country suffers industrial losses up to 6 billion taka ($85 million).” The Orion Group does business in textiles, pharmaceuticals, banking, electronics, printing, power and construction sectors.
The clashes occurred yesterday in Dhaka, nearby Narayanganj and northern Sirajganj, where police used batons and tear gas to disperse marching activists, witnesses said. The protesters responded by throwing rocks at police. Protesters set fire to seven vehicles, including a police car and three goods trucks, in Dhaka and its suburbs, police said.
More vehicles were damaged in Narayanganj, Sirajganj and southern Chittagong port city. The strikers attacked and damaged two railway stations in northern Bangladesh disrupting movement of trains.
