The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mamunur Rashid

The Government has jailed over 200,000 people, including 100 leading businessmen, since January last year on charges of misuse of office and corruption, which caused a slide in Bangladesh's domestic and foreign investments.

Source said the Government in running an anti-corruption drive had inadvertently caused most of the businessman to go underground to avoid detention.

Due to the stagnation in businesses in the country the domestic and foreign investments also declined.

Source said the recent abnormal price hike may be attributed to the arrest of the businessmen.

The anti-graft drive was intended to capture activists of both leading political parties - the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party - to maintain a stable political climate ahead of the national polls in December, analysts said.

Intelligence sources said many business leaders fearing incarceration were living incognito at home or have taken refuge abroad.

At least 100 leading businessmen are presently behind the bars, sources say.

Thousands of people, including opposition activists, have been arrested in the police crackdown and jailed in the country.

'About 50,000 people have been held since May 28 during the special law and order drive,' police said.

A high Government official also dismissed speculations that he was stepping down over alleged differences on tackling the threat from opposition groups.

He rejected claims by the opposition that the arrests were a bid to browbeat grassroots level political workers and local leaders into supporting pro-government outfits.

Source said while not commenting on the anti-graft drive, donor nations, including the US, Britain and the European Union have urged the Government to hold credible elections by the end of the year before domestic and foreign investors take flight.