Bangladesh Eases Curfew to Keep Economy Going After Protests

Bangladesh relaxed a nationwide curfew after deadly protests last week, allowing the key garment export sector and banks to reopen as the government tries to get the economy back on track and stem the declines in foreign exchange reserves.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced the new measures after assuring garment factory owners of the security situation in a meeting in Dhaka Tuesday night. The authorities lifted the curfew from 10am to 5pm local time for Wednesday and Thursday and soldiers were still on the streets, diverting traffic from key government buildings.

Banks reopened and the Dhaka stocks fell the most in three months over the unrest. Broadband internet was restored in parts of Dhaka including diplomatic enclaves and commercial zones. Monitoring service Netblocks said social media and mobile data restrictions remained in place after the protests left more than 170 people dead.

The economic damage from the protests and the curfew over the past week has hit 100 billion taka ($850 million), according to initial industry estimates compiled by Bloomberg News. It’s a significant setback for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government is negotiating with the creditors and the International Monetary Fund to bolster foreign-exchange reserves that have fallen to $21.8 billion last month.

The unrest, which stemmed from a controversial government jobs quota system, has affected the garments sector the most. It accounts for more than 80 percent of Bangladesh’s exports and contributes about a tenth of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product.

While the nation’s top court ruled to roll back much of the jobs quota system to placate the student protesters, the heavy-handed response from the government to quell the demonstrations has drawn criticism from the US, the biggest buyer of Bangladesh-made garments.

“The government should refrain from acts of violence against peaceful protesters,” Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the Department of State, told reporters in Washington. “We also remain deeply concerned by reports of ongoing telecommunications disruptions across the country.”

Security forces arrested about 3,000 people in the past week for their alleged roles in arson attacks and vandalism on property, including the state-run television building, a metro station, and countless government-owned cars, according to a count by the Prothom Alo newspaper.

Hasina blamed the opposition for capitalizing on the student protests and carrying out militant-like attacks after the court ruling. The unrest is the deadliest since Hasina extended her grip in power for a fourth term in elections in January.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said his group had nothing to do with the violence.

While Hasina has overseen one of the fastest growing economies in the world and helped to lift millions out of poverty, critics argue that those achievements are overshadowed by her authoritarianism. They say the 76-year-old leader has used state institutions to stamp out dissent and stifle the media, something she denies.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who faces time in prison and is seen as Hasina’s rival, had called on world leaders and the United Nations to help end the violence against those who are exercising the right to protest.

Hasina’s government hit back against Yunus a couple of days later.

“He has nowhere in the statement condemned the attack on the property of the state and people, but rather sought the intervention of foreigners in what’s going on in Bangladesh, which is an act of treason,” Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said.

By Arun Devnath

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