Bangladesh workers riot over soaring food prices
Posted: 12 April 2008 1902 hrs

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DHAKA: About 10,000 garment workers rioted on Saturday close to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, smashing cars and buses and vandalising factories in anger at high food prices and low wages, police said.

Police fired tear gas and used batons to break up the protests and at least 28 people were injured.

The textile workers went on the rampage in Fatullah, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Dhaka, demanding better pay amid soaring rice prices, police Inspector Nasir Ahmed said.

He said they wrecked cars and buses, attacked factories, and hurled bricks and stones at police who were forced to retaliate with tear gas.

Most of the injured were police officers, he added.

Police sub-inspector Shafiqul Islam said the rampage involved around 10,000 workers from several garment factories, adding, "They became unruly demanding higher wages, saying their current wages don't even meet basic food needs."

The government says food prices, notably the staple rice, have doubled in the last year, caused by a massive shortfall in production after devastating floods and a cyclone last year.

The unrest in Bangladesh was the latest incident of the fallout of mounting food prices.

At least five people have died in similar protests over high food and fuel prices in Haiti, while disturbances have rocked Egypt, Cameroon, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries in the past month.


- AFP/so