CHARGE VISITS CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 004435

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PTER BG
SUBJECT: CHARGE VISITS CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS

REF: DHAKA 01558

Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Judith Chammas, Reason(s): 1.4 (b)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: From August 23 to 25, Charge D'Affaires
visited the Chittagong Hill Tracts with poloff (notetaker)
and interviewed government, military, journalists and
representatives from civic action groups. CDA distributed
book bags with Bangla-English dictionaries, school supplies,
and a well known photographic book America 24/7 to several
grade schools, briefly described school life in America and
answered questions from the children. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) CDA met with Wadud Bhuiyan, BNP MP for the Chittagong
Hill Tracts Khagrachari district, and Chairman of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board. Accompanying
Charge in this meeting and others were poloff (notetaker) and
A/RSO. Bhuiyan told Charge that 80 percent of the 1997
Chittagong Hill Tracts Accords have been implemented, blamed
former rebel leader Shantu Larma for Hill Tract insecurity,
saying that he was still involved in extortion and
kidnapping, and that progress on the 1997 Peace Accords takes
time. He said that the Peace Accords seem to cause more
divisions within the residents of the Hill Tracts and that
all sides seem to think they have lost out. All, he said,
are "not satisfied."


3. (C) Commenting on the security situation, Bhuyian said
that the Army ensured the safety of everyone, that "if the
Army was not here, it would not be safe for anyone including
Shantu Larma." When asked whether international monitors
might reduce charges that the Army is committing abuses
towards indigenous people, he responded that "our Army is
enough" and that they have not "taken sides."


4. (C) Bhuiyan said his role in the CHT was to create an
environment suitable for the "giving up of arms," but his
mediation is not acceptable to Shantu Larma who, according to
Bhuiyan, "feels sidetracked and ignored."


5. (C) In a meeting later that day, Army brigade commander
Brigadier General Shabbir ul-Karim told Charge that "we are
here to assist the civilian authorities" but that one can not
expect progress to happen overnight. He admitted that
certain issues were still unfulfilled. For example, he said
that two important ministries, forestry and transport, have
not been transferred to local authority as stipulated in the
1997 Accords, and said that administration could be improved
if civilian government workers were given instructions on
local Hill Tract customs. Nonetheless, he said, things have
improved since the Accords, and cited numerous examples:
political parties have increased, freedom of speech has
improved, there is more travel along the roads, and more
transportation to and from the plains.


6. (C) When asked about further UN and NGO development
efforts, he said that development will come and "no one will
stop it" but to ensure development work, there must be law
and order, but for now, the police don't have respect for the
local people," while "the Army people have respect." When
asked about the Army training the local police, he responded
that they do not train the police, but with 10,000 men in his
brigade, he takes the police with the Army on patrols, and
leads by example. Without the Army, he said, "the 13 tribal
groups would be fighting amongst themselves" with their
inter-tribal power struggles. Besides, we have helped them
by building schools and roads, he said.


7. (C) In another meeting with the Army, Charge met with
Brigadier General Asraf Abdullah Yusuf, Commander of a
Brigade based in Rangamati. Yusuf said that he had only been
in the CHT for five months but had been here three times over
his career. He commanded 8-9,000 men in four battalions. He
insisted that he and Army do not want to be in the Hill
Tracts owing to malaria, and they are only here to aid the
civil powers, as the Army can go to places the civil
government can not. When asked whether he has a civilian
liaison unit, he said that his intelligence chief functioned
in that capacity. Pressed further on how he communicates
with the various NGOS, UNDP, or civilian groups, he explained
that he functioned in that capacity, but has no unit
dedicated to civilian military communication.

8, (C) When questioned about security in the CHT, he said
that there are people from the United People's Democratic
Front (UPDF),the Parbatya Chattagam Jana Sanghati Samiti
(PCJSS),and Bengalis, who are hired collaborators, who
engage in toll collection (i.e., extorting).


9. (C) Over tea, Charge met the "Equal Rights Movement"
composed mostly of Bengalis who complain that the 1997
Accords have been unfair to them. The leader, Belayet
Hossain Bhuiyan, is the younger brother of Wadud Bhuiyan and
told Charge that their group includes all religions, and
peoples and its purpose is "consciousness raising." The
younger Bhuyian complained that:
--the insurgents harass Bengalis who legally moved to the
Hill Tracts;
--the Army continues to find arms hidden by the tribals;
--the tribals have privileges the Bengalis do not have;
--the Land Commission is dominated by tribal people and is
thus unfair;
--the Bengalis who moved to Army protected "cluster villages"
have had their unoccupied land stolen by tribals;
--Bengalis remain 85 percent illiterate while tribals get
preferred access to education;
--UNDP never helps Bengalis only the tribals; and
--UNDP is secretive about their activities in the Hill Tracts.


10. (C) Bhuiyan blamed tribal insurgents for continued
reports of violence in the Hill Tracts and while Bengalis may
have done acts of retribution, "it is in the name of justice
as only tribals get economic benefits." He said that before
the Army arrived, 30,000 Bengalis had been killed, but while
the Army is still needed, they are doing more for the tribals
than they do for the Bengalis.


11. (C) Later that day, Charge met with the United People's
Democratic Front (UPDF) leaders Animish Chakma, Pradipan
Khisha, and others. Chakma and his followers said that the
CHT Development Board funds the Army, and that while their
group has offered to work with Shantu Larma and his
organization, the Parbatya Chattagam Jana Sanghati Samiti
(PCJSS),Chakma said that Shantu Larma beleives that his
organization in "the only one in the district."


12. (SBU) While in the Hill Tracts, Charge participated in
the distribution of over 1,000 backpack school bags to
children at three schools, with ages ranging from 6 to 16.
The school bags, came complete with notebooks, paper, pens
and pencils, a Bangla-English dictionary, and a picture book
called "America 24/7" depicting the diversity of life in
America. Charge spoke to the students about similarities and
differences of Bangladeshis and Americans, and took questions.


13. (SBU) Examples of the school children's questions are:

--Do tribal people in the United States have equal
rights/special rights?
--Are Native Americans permitted to have their own language
in their schools?
--Do American schools offer special incentives to girl
students?
--Do average Americans feel comfortable with Muslims around?
--What rights do children have in America?


14. (C) On August 24, Charge met with CHT Regional Council
members and its Chairman, Shantu Larma. Larma explained that
military rule leaves him and the Regional Council with "no
power to function." He said that while additional laws need
to be passed in Parliament, some laws remained "completely
un-implemented." He called for the government to withdraw the
military administration and let the Hill District Councils
and Regional Councils do their jobs, reduce the numbers of
unneeded Army troops and permanent camps, and withdraw the
500 temporary Army camps as specified in the Accords. He
charged that the UPDF is "organized by the government" whose
main duty is to be an obstacle to implementation of the 1997
CHT Accords, that they have links to the Army and the slaying
of 37 PCJSS supporters over the years, and that the UPDF is
"not a political organization." Having signed the 1997 CHT
Accords, he said "I have a special responsibility" to ensure
the government honors their agreement. He claimed that as a
way forward, there are those in the cabinet who support more
implementation of the accords but that a "policy maker" does
not support the Accords. He said that the international
community needs to pressure the government and ask for return
to civil authority.

15. (C) Charge met journalists in Khagrachari and Rangamati
Districts. The journalists complained about lack of access
to UNDP, and said that since the money is from the United
States, they should have spent the money evenly between
Bengalis and tribals but have spent the money only on
tribals, that the accords are 85 percent implemented, but
tribal groups are able to pressure the government by going to
foreign diplomats, such as those of Canada and Australia, and
that journalists are constantly under threat by both Army and
the tribals.


16. (C) Charge met with officials from UNDP in their
Rangamati offices. They said that starting with no NGOS in
1997, they NOW have 19 NGOs, such as Action Aid, MSF, and
World Vision, operating in the Hill Tracts. Progress
continues, they said, citing a recent EU agreement signed in
August that would create, among other things, a mobile
reproduction health clinic for women in the remotest areas of
the CHT. The officials defended their programs, saying that
while it is true 80 percent of the programs have gone to
tribal people, these are programs operating in the remotest
areas which have had no government assistance at all.
CHAMMAS