Spotlightingnews

Bangladesh Protestor Dies

Bangladesh, textile worker from troubled clothing factory dies because of street clashes between protestors and police officers.

The hostilities that led to the man's death escalated after this incident, as well as around one hundred cars being either damaged or set on fire, over 5 textile factories destroyed, and more than 50 people injured.

The man was shot in Savar, 30km away from Dhaka, as police was not able to control the angry mob.

Jamaruddin Ahmed, local police chief, told AFP: "The unruly workers of the factory agitated on the streets blockading the highway and smashing vehicles. They forced workers at other factories to join them."

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association: "This is part of a conspiracy to ruin the nation's economy."

Although two-thirds of Bangladeshis are farmers, more than three quarters of Bangladesh's export earnings come from the garment industry, which began attracting foreign investors in the 1980s due to cheap labor and low conversion cost. In 2002, the industry exported US$5 billion worth of products.

The industry now employs more than 3 million workers, 90% of whom are women. A large part of foreign currency earnings also comes from the remittances sent by expatriates living in other countries.

Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains an underdeveloped and overpopulated nation.

Yet, as the World Bank notes in its July 2005 Country Brief, the country has made impressive progress in human development by focusing on increasing literacy, achieving gender parity in schooling, and reducing population growth.