Bangladesh factories, banks reopen as curfew is eased after protests taper off

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) -Factories, offices and banks reopened in Bangladesh on Wednesday after a nationwide curfew enforced by the army was eased and relative calm prevailed following days of deadly violence.

Rush-hour traffic returned to the capital Dhaka and broadband internet was largely restored, although social media continued to be suspended after student-led protests turned violent last week.

Almost 150 people were killed as security forces cracked down on gatherings against quotas in government jobs that were reinstated by a high court order last month during an unemployment crisis. The quotas included reservations for families of fighters in the 1971 independence war.

But students paused their protests on Sunday when the Supreme Court agreed to scrap most quotas and ruled that 93% of jobs should be open to competition.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government eased the curfew it had imposed four days ago to contain the violence that spread across the country.

"For now, all social media will remain shut," Zunaid Ahmed Palak, a junior technology minister, told reporters.

People may have to wait until Sunday or Monday to get mobile internet, he said.

As curfew eased, the garment and textiles industries, which supply to major Western brands, began reopening factories.

"All our factories are open today. Everything is going smoothly," said S.M. Mannan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

The stock exchange opened too, as well as banks, after remaining shut the past two days.

Dhaka residents were out on the streets, some making their way to offices as buses also began running in some places.

News websites, which had stopped updating since Friday, were back online.

Data from hospitals showed at least 147 people have been killed and police said they have arrested nearly 3,000 for violence and arson.

The government said curfew restrictions would be relaxed for seven hours on Thursday too, and offices would also be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

STUDENT DEMANDS

Analysts say the student action has given fresh impetus to Hasina's critics - who accuse her of authoritarianism - months after she won a fourth-straight term in power in January in an election boycotted by the main opposition party.

"The informal federation of government critics appears deeper and wider than before the election, which presents a serious challenge to the ruling party," said Geoffrey Macdonald at the United States Institute of Peace.

Hasina, 76, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, who led the country's movement for independence from Pakistan.

The earlier 56% job quotas included a 30% reservation for families of the independence fighters, which critics said favoured supporters of Hasina's Awami League.

Hasina's government had scrapped the quotas in 2018 but a high court ruling reinstated the them last month, which the government appealed in the Supreme Court.

The quotas left fewer than half of state jobs open on merit amid an unemployment crisis, particularly in the private sector, making government sector jobs with their regular wage hikes and perks especially prized.

Hasina has blamed her political opponents for the violence and her government said on Tuesday it would heed the Supreme Court ruling.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has denied any involvement in the violence and accused Hasina of cracking down on free speech and dissent, charges denied by her government.

Students have made four demands to the government with a deadline of Thursday, including the restoration of internet, withdrawal of police from campuses, lifting the curfew and reopening universities shut since Wednesday. Students groups have not said what they plan to do if the demands are not met.

(Writing by Sakshi Dayal and Shivam Patel; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Alex Richardson and Angus MacSwan)