Hartal

It's my last full day in Bangladesh today and I'm waiting hopefully to be picked up from the hotel soon to see customers. I use the caveat 'hopefully' because there has been a hartal called for tomorrow. Wikipedia tells me hartal was originally a word used in Gujarat to describe the closing down of shops or businesses to create a demand. Ghandi popularised the word in India for what we might call strikes and it is now used all over South Asia for strikes or civil disobedience. I suspect with action called for tomorrow there's a fair chance we'll need to be careful going out today, especially this evening

I'm flying home tomorrow and after first hearing about the hartal yesterday I contacted the hotel reception who said their normal action is to take guests who need to fly to the airport early in the morning (the hartal is dawn until dusk) and if nessacary under armed police guard. There was some trouble in Dhaka on Monday (50+ people were injured and 27 vehicles vandalised including some set on fire) and things are generally hotting up politically after Eid. Fuel prices and public transport costs are being increased by the government and there is general underlying unrest. I will be a relieved man when the plane leaves tomorrow