Bangladesh leftist coalition stages strike over record fuel price hike

Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 26: Security has been tightened in parts of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka as a coalition of left-wing political parties led by the Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) staged a half-day strike on Thursday.
The LDA, a combination of seven left-leaning political parties, called the nationwide strike for Thursday, protesting against an increase in fuel, fertilizer prices and prices of essential commodities.
Security forces dispersed protesters as they tried to hold marches along major roads in Dhaka and many other parts of the country.
LDA activists were seen carrying placards and shouting slogans and some of them were singing and writing slogans on the road.
The strike caused traffic congestion in parts of Dhaka.
Several LDA activists were detained for vandalizing a minibus in Dhaka on Wednesday night.
No major incidents have been reported elsewhere in the country.
Earlier this month, Bangladesh's retail fuel prices were hiked to levels not seen since the country's independence in 1971.
The Bangladeshi government hiked fuel prices by up to 51.7 percent.
Officials said the latest price hikes at the retail level were inevitable to reduce the subsidy burden on state-run distribution companies.
Experts said the fuel price hike would worsen inflation, which increased to 7.56 percent in June, the highest rate in about nine years.
Source: Xinhua