Shipping Advisor Sakhawat Faces Protests at Chattogram Port

Amid the ongoing movement at Chattogram Port, Shipping Advisor M Sakhawat Hossain has faced protests from workers and employees. He was attacked by protesting workers and employees outside Gate No. 4 of the port around 11 am on Thursday.

Shipping Advisor Sakhawat Hossain arrived at Chittagong Port on Thursday morning. As he was leaving the port, protesters outside Gate No. 4 kept chanting various slogans. At this time, the advisor got out of the car and tried to talk to the protesters.

At that time, Ibrahim Khokon, coordinator of the Port Protection Sangram Parishad, said, “I have been working at the port for 32 years. I have not seen such a chairman (Port Chairman SM Moniruzzaman). In the last one and a half years, he has harassed us in various ways. I cannot go to meet him. We want the chairman’s removal.”

At this time, Advisor Sakhawat said to the protesters, “I will talk to you one-on-one. I have been working with you for the past one and a half years. I will listen to you. You must also listen to me.”

Then the advisor went to the port building and sat in a meeting with senior port officials there.

Ibrahim Khokon said, “We have told the advisor our demands. We have demanded the removal of the port chairman. He will meet with us.

“Due to the continuous strike, there has been a complete standstill at the Chittagong port on Thursday as well. No container has entered the port through the port since morning, no shipping has taken place, and product delivery is also suspended as usual.”

The strike has been going on since Saturday under the banner of the Port Protection Movement Council to protest the government's decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to UAE-based DP World.

After observing an 8-hour strike for the first three days, the protesters began an indefinite strike on Tuesday.