CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh The Bangladesh port city of Chittagong was crippled by an opposition-led strike on Wednesday for the second time this week, officials said.

The strike also paralyzed Chittagong port, stranding 35 ships and halting deliveries of goods, they said.

"The port has been paralyzed since this morning by the strike which also disrupted transport and businesses across Chittagong city," said port Traffic Director Mohsin Sarkar.

Chittagong is the country's second largest city and the port, which employs 20,000 workers, handles 80 percent of the country's exports and imports.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange, commercial centers, offices, banks and educational institutions were also closed.

Police said they were maintaining a presence on the streets, but reported no disturbances.

The opposition is trying to pressure the government into withdrawing cases filed against certain opponents over alleged public safety offences.

A daylong strike on Sunday, a working day in Muslim Bangladesh, also brought Chittagong to a virtual halt.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which has a large following in Chittagong, threatened to escalate the action.

"The strike will also be enforced on Thursday to compel the government to withdraw cases filed against political opponents under the notorious Public Safety Act," Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, a leader of main opposition BNP told Reuters.

Business leaders put losses from the strike at $60 million a day in Chittagong, while shippers said they had on average to fork out an extra $5,000 per day in operational costs for each stranded ship.

"We will enforce more strikes in the port city and extend it countrywide if the cases were not withdrawn, Nasiruddin said.

"We were compelled to call the strike as the government did not withdraw cases filed under the so-called Public Safety Act against opposition leaders and activists," Nasiruddin said.

The opposition wants the withdrawal of an arrest warrant issued last month for Mohammad Morshed Khan, an industrialist and adviser to BNP Chief Begum Khaleda Zia, police said.

Police said they had issued the warrant over allegations that Khan and supporters had attacked and damaged a Chittagong hotel.

"The case against Morshed Khan was non-political and based on criminal charges," said Khorshed Alam Sujan, a leader from the ruling Awami League.

(Reuter)