Bangladesh opposition calls nationwide strike over fuel price hike

Bangladesh opposition calls nationwide strike over fuel price hike

2011-09-21 07:46:35 GMT+7 (ICT)

DHAKA (BNO NEWS) -- The main opposition party in Bangladesh on Tuesday announced a day-long general strike across the country for Thursday to protest against the increase in fuel prices, local media reported.

The acting general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, told a press conference that they will also protest against soaring prices of daily commodities and the government's failure to tackle the capital market.

In addition, Alamgir said they will demand an end to the detention of opposition activists and protest the deteriorating law and order, Bangladesh News 24 reported.

The announcement came after the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed raised the price of fuel on Monday. It also follows clashes between activists from the Jamaat-e-Islami party and police.

On Monday, Jamaat activists demanding the release of their senior leaders clashed with police in Dhaka and elsewhere. Dozens of activists were arrested after several vehicles were set ablaze.

In July, BNP and its political partners enforced a 48-hour general strike to protest against the abolition of a caretaker government.

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