Workers clash with cops in Bangladesh

DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers churning out clothes for top global brands walked off the job and clashed with police as protests over low wages entered a second week.

Police said water cannons and tear gas were fired to disperse huge crowds of striking factory workers in Savar, a garment hub just outside the capital Dhaka.

Bangladesh is dependant on garments stitched by millions of lowpaid tailors on factory floors across the emerging South Asia economy of 165 million people.

The protests are the first major test for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since winning a fourth term in the Dec 30 elections marred by violence, thousands of arrests and allegations of vote rigging and intimidation.