NEW DELHI, July 29. /TASS/. Mass student protests in Bangladesh and their after-effects, including the curfew and the Internet shutdown, cost at least $10 bln for the national economy, The Daily Star newspaper says, citing date of the foreign investors chamber of commerce and industry.

According to calculations, the $10 bln figure of economic costs was achieved during seven days of fierce protests.

The curfew halted the wave of violence but became another shock for the already fragile economy, the newspaper said. People were unable to access their bank accounts. Panic buying of essential goods was recorded in Dhaka and other major cities. Many businesses were simply unable to work.

The Internet failure is also anticipated to affect the clothing industry of Bangladesh, which accounts for about 85% of country exports.

"Some insiders worry that instability will see the country lose orders to competitors elsewhere in the region. The impact of the protests will place further stress on an economy that was already ailing," the newspaper reported, citing Pierre Prakash, the program director for Asia at the International Crisis Group. "Any delay in shipments will hurt the sector," Faruque Hassan, a former president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told the news outlet.

The government will use the taxpayers money and will have to suspend development projects, which will severely affect the economy, the newspaper added.

Protesters appeared in streets in Bangladesh cities in early July, demanding to cancel job quotas for relatives of participants in the 1971 Independence War. The situation gradually aggravated and protests evolve into unrest with more than 170 people died. The curfew was introduced in the capital. Communications suffered interruptions and TV broadcasting was turned off. On July 21, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh canceled the majority of quotas for public positions. Law enforcement agencies of the country arrested over 5,500 people in connection with protests.