Bangladesh said Wednesday it would deploy the army at the country's main seaport to keep cargo moving after days of strikes by dock workers hit crucial garment shipments. Workers at the southern Chittagong sea port have been on strike since Monday.
After an emergency visit by the shipping minister Tuesday failed to end the standoff, the army was called in to keep cargo at the port moving. "Negotiations have failed and we have sent in soldiers to run the port and maintain law and order," the port's security director Lieutenant Colonel Kamrul Islam told AFP, adding that all protests at the port have been banned.
Chittagong port handles more than 90 percent of Bangladesh's imports and exports and the walkout has caused huge delays, angering the country's powerful garment sector, which accounts for more than 80 percent of total shipments. "This summer, garment exporters had to spend nine billion taka (130 million dollars) on air freight because of delays or mismanagement at the port," the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said in a statement.
Comments
Comments are closed.