BANGLADESH OPPOSITION HOLDS MEGA RALLY SAFELY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 005706

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER BG
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH OPPOSITION HOLDS MEGA RALLY SAFELY

REF: DHAKA 05648

Classified By: A/POLCOUNS David Renz, reason para 1.4 d

1 (SBU) Summary: Despite government roadblocks to prevent
their attendance, and a government engineered transport
strike, thousands gathered amidst tight security in the
largest political rally since August 21, 2004 when bomb
blasts at an Awami League rally killed 22. The AL led 14
party opposition again demanded reform of the caretaker
government and election commission, issued a 23 point
political platform of what they would do once in power, and
spelled out future political actions to press their demands
and remove the BNP-Jamaat Islami government. End summary.

2 (SBU) On November 22, by the start of the program at 2 PM
local, an estimated 100,000 people waited in the outdoor
arena, Paltan Maidan, and surrounding area for the rally
speeches to start. Media reported that as many as 300 people
were injured in opposition processions as they made their way
to the area. Opposition leaders claim that the government
arrested as many as 10,000 people, sealed off entry points to
Dhaka with road blocks, engineered a transport workers
strike, and told bus drivers and boat owners not to transport
potential attendees in an effort to stop supporters from
attending the rally.


3. (SBU) Shiekh Hasina demanded the BNP-Jamaat government
step down saying that they supported Islamist militants,
crippled the economy, failed to govern by permitting
corruption and nepotism, killed thousands of people including
journalists and indigenous peoples while permitting bombs
blasts and militants to kill judges, accused BNP and Jamaat
leaders of being involved in the bombs blasts, and accused
government leaders of profiteering while prices of essentials
increased.


4. (SBU) Al General Secretary Abdul Jalil read a 23 point
"common minimal program" of what the opposition would do if
they came to power. Starting with a vow that they would not
accept any election without reforms in the caretaker
government and the election commission, the opposition
promised to find and prosecute the bomb attackers, stop
extra-judicial killings, separate the judiciary from the
executive, strengthen local government, stop corruption,
require financial disclosure for politicians and top civil
servants, better regulate prices of essentials, open closed
factories and mills, eliminate poverty, reduce unemployment,
provide for freedom fighters, eradicate gender disparities,
improve education and health care, ensure freedom of the
press, implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts accords, ensure
optimal use of energy supplies, and emphasize regional
cooperation of water resources and trade.


5. (SBU) The AL called for a dawn to dusk hartal for November
24 to protest the government's attempts to obstruct
opposition supporters from attending the rally. Opposition
leaders accused the government of creating a wildcat
transport strike by arresting transport leader Mujibur Rahman
the day before the rally, knowing that transport workers
would strike to force the release of their leader. The
hartal kicks off a two month long program of political
activities that include sit-ins at government offices,
demonstrations and a long marches from an outlying city
towards Dhaka.


6. (C) BNP MP Ziaur Rahman Khan told poloff, when asked if
the Awami League and its supporters benefited from the rally,
that "the rally did help focus on what is wrong with the
country, but overkill on the negative is counterproductive."
Khan was critical of government attempts to squelch
supporters from attending the rally, saying it was
"unnecessary." When asked about Sheikh Hasina's accusations
that PM Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, Jamaat Islami's
Industries Minister Nazami, and State Minister Barbar are
behind the bomb attacks, Khan sidestepped the question saying
that the "Awami League loses when Sheikh Hasina speaks."


7. (C) Comment: Not down and out, the AL showed they can
organize a large rally despite obstacles that are thrown in
the path. The next measure, to see if the the rally helped
build any momentum toward's the AL's high risk confrontation
strategy, will be whether the announced November 24 hartal is
widely observed. The BNP, with their reputation as guardians
of public order on the line, showed they can provide
effective security with little or no outsized violence such
as a repeat of August 21, 2004, yet still managed to place
obstacles in the path of the opposition, so as not to let
them forget who is in power.
CHAMMAS