After five days of clashes between factory workers and the police, Bangladesh has decided to shut down 300 garment factories in the town of Ashulia. Some half a million workers are employed there, representing 60 percent of the people working in the country's textile industry. Apparel makes up 80 percent of Bangladesh's total exports of $23 billion. While some sources say the workers are calling on their employers to raise wages to meet the increased cost of living, officials of the industry say that the clashes were caused by criminals trying to destroy the country's textile industry.

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