Several people were injured in clashes and business brought to a standstill in Bangladesh yesterday during a nationwide general strike called by the opposition in a fresh campaign to remove the Islamist-allied government.

Cars and buses were off the roads and schools and shops and private offices in major cities were closed, police said. Transport to the main Chittagong seaport was cut off as no inter-regional buses or trucks moved.

At least 10 strike supporters and seven policemen were injured in clashes between police and opposition supporters in Dhaka, police said.

But an opposition statement said at least 30 Awami League activists were injured after police used batons to disperse protesters who threw stones at security personnel in Dhaka. Separately, another 10 opposition activists were injured in neighbouring Narayanganj town, the statement said.

"A constable is fighting for life in hospital after opposition activists hurled a brick in his face," deputy commissioner of Dhaka police Mahbub Alam said. Police also detained six opposition activists, he added.

The opposition Awami League party and its 13 smaller allies called the nationwide dawn-to-dusk strike. The opposition has accused Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's four-party coalition government of corruption, incompetence and authoritarianism - allegations the government denies.

Bangladesh has been shaken recently by a spate of blasts and killings.

Zia, however, has vowed to remain in power until her five-year term expires in October next year, paving the way for new elections within three months.

The strike followed a rally on Tuesday in Dhaka that drew at least 100,000 demonstrators urging the government to "quit now".

Yesterday, police erected barbed-wire barricades around Awami League's headquarters in central Dhaka, preventing about 500 activists inside from marching through the streets.

The protesters instead squatted inside the cordoned area, shouting anti-government slogans such as "Down with the corrupt government," "Quit power, hold elections".

Other than Dhaka, 60 other cities and towns were hit by the protest, according to the opposition.

PHOTO CAPTION

Bangladeshi journalist Tipu Sultan receives information over a cellphone in Dhaka November 16, 2005. He was crushed, and was left for dead, because he dared to write about the links between politics, organised crime and corruption in Bangladesh. (Reuters)