Bangla oppn threatens more stirs; economy reels

DHAKA, Nov 14: Bangladesh opposition parties, campaigning to unseat Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, on Saturday ignored calls to find an alternative to costly strikes and warned of more stoppages. The seven-party opposition alliance, lead by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), also rejected a proposal that if it put a moratorium on strikes the ruling Awami League would do the same if it loses the next election.

Opposition sources said more strikes were likely before the Moslem fasting month of Ramadan starts in the third week of December. Seven people were killed and more than 300 injured in violent clashes during a three-day anti-government strike that ended on Wednesday. The alliance has already announced a protest march on parliament house on Monday and a mass hunger strike on November 23.

The business community, in an appeal to the opposition. Such a campaign cannot be termed to have the support of the people’, especially after Bangladesh was ravaged by floods until September, a statement byfive Chamber of Commerce groups said.

Finance minister Shah Kibria has put daily losses from strike action at four billion taka ($ 83.3 million), and said the stoppages would not unseat the government but would create problems for the common people’.’ Economists pointed out that Bangladesh could need around $ 3.4 bn — 10 pc of its GDP –to repair the damage to the economy from recent floods.