The country's top business owners asked Hasina on Monday to withdraw the curfew and restore internet service, which has been down for days as part of a complete communications blackout. They pleaded with her to have the army provide security for the Dhaka-Chattogram highway - the economic lifeline that connects the capital to the country's main port city - amid fears of vandalism.
For nearly two weeks, student protesters and security forces have been locked in a tense standoff, and violent clashes have killed at least 146 people. The protests started out against quotas - primarily against the 30 percent of government jobs reserved for descendants of people who founded Bangladesh in the 1971 war of independence.
On Sunday, the Bangladesh Supreme Court significantly shrunk the quotas, but the students have released a list of eight demands, focused on seeking justice for their comrades killed in the violence. The government-imposed curfew remains in place, as does the internet block.
In the past five days, Bangladesh's economy has suffered losses amounting to more than $1.2bn.
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