Protests against fuel price hike in Bangladesh

DHAKA, AUG 20: Police used clubs to disperse angry transport workers whose protest against fuel price hikes turned violent, police official...

DHAKA, AUG 20: Police used clubs to disperse angry transport workers whose protest against fuel price hikes turned violent, police officials said today.

The violence occurred in the southern city of Chittagong yesterday, the day government increased fuel prices by up to 63 per cent. The government said the increases will help offset millions spent every year to subsidise fuel in Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The government has been importing crude oil at 30 dollar per barrel and selling at 22 per barrel.

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The hikes, the first in seven years, also touched off protests in Dhaka, the capital. In Chittagong, is 216 kilometers south of Dhaka, protesters damaged at least 100 cars, police said.

The main opposition party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has called for a nationwide general strike on Sunday.

Traffic thinned in Dhaka today as many service station owners closed, saying they needed to assess their stocks. Mass transportation fares have almost doubled, even though the government tried to cushion workers by raising the price of diesel, the fuel largely used by commuter buses, by only two per cent to 12.95 takas a litre. Private bus owners took advantage of even that slight rise to inflate their fares.

Most commuters rely on privately owned buses, taxis and motorised rickshaws.