100 hurt as workers, police clash in Bangladesh

DHAKA - More than 100 people, including 17 policemen, were injured Saturday in a clash between police and garment factory workers in Bangladesh, Xinhua reported.

Violence broke out in Narayanganj district, 17 km southeast of Dhaka, when thousands of workers of the ACS Textiles took to the streets to demand reduction in work time from 15 to 11 hours.

The protesters damaged at least 25 vehicles and blocked a highway around 9 a.m., causing traffic jams. Police, who rushed to the spot, fired seven teargas shells and dozens of rubber bullets, to disperse the crowd.

Over 100 people, including 17 policemen, were wounded in the clash that lasted for three hours.

ACS Textile mill manager Shah Bidaz said the workers vandalized the factory before the street protests.