Bangladesh jute workers clash with police; 100 hurt

Police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of jute workers demanding their wages at Khalishpur industrial area.

At least 100 people were injured when police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of Bangladesh jute workers demanding their wages.

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They said clashes erupted at Khalishpur industrial area in southwestern Khulna district, 350 km from the capital, Dhaka.

Separately, hundreds of jute mill workers blocked a highway at Sitakunda, 250 km southeast of Dhaka disrupting communication between the capital and the country's main Chittagong port.

The workers at Sitakunda were also seeking payment of long overdue wages.

Bangladesh has 27 state-owned and 118 private jute mills, which together export finished products worth $270 million annually.

The country also exports raw jute worth $114 million a year.