Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DHAKA6293
2005-12-21 06:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dhaka
Cable title:
CHARGE'S MEETING WITH HOME MINISTER
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 006293
SIPDIS
INFO USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
AMCONSUL CALCUTTA
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2010
TAGS: PTER KISL PHUM PGOV BG BG
SUBJECT: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH HOME MINISTER
Classified By: RLA N.Langston, reasons para 1.4 b, d.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 006293
SIPDIS
INFO USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
AMCONSUL CALCUTTA
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2010
TAGS: PTER KISL PHUM PGOV BG BG
SUBJECT: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH HOME MINISTER
Classified By: RLA N.Langston, reasons para 1.4 b, d.
1. (C) Summary: Home Affairs Minister Babar told Charge that
RAB is now the lead law enforcement agency on combating the
JMB terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism. He also said JMB
is aware that their string of violent attacks is not
sanctioned by Islam, and therefore their prime motivation
must be to unseat the ruling party by splintering their
four-party coalition. End Summary.
2. (SBU) On December 19, Charge and RLA met with Home Affairs
Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar for one hour in his office. Home
Secretary Hossain was also present.
SIPDIS
3. (C) Babar told Charge that the Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB),a paramilitary group responsible for 148
extra-judicial "cross-fire" killings in 2005, is now the lead
law enforcement agency in the counter-terrorism campaign
against the Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB). He stated
that the country's intelligence agencies remain involved, but
that RAB is the only agency authorized to conduct both
intelligence and operational activities. Therefore, Babar
said he designated RAB to be in charge of arrests and press
releases on the JMB round-up as well as any other
counter-terrorism activities. (Note: Senior police officials
have told RSO that they are angry that RAB is getting all the
credit for investigative work done by police.)
4. (C) Babar said the campaign against JMB extremists is
ongoing and that despite "good catches" in recent weeks, the
fight continues, especially given that Bangla Bhai and Abdhur
Rahman are still at large. He said that three of the seven
JMB council members have been arrested and that a total of
700 people are in custody in connection with the JMB
terrorist attacks. He stated that 200-300 have been
released. Charge requested a copy of statements by the
high-profile JMB arrestees and/or copies of transcripts of
interrogations, which Babar promised to provide.
5. (C) BDG efforts, however, are not without their snafus.
Babar confirmed that one of those arrested and released was
Kazarul, Bangla Bhai's reputed deputy. Babar said he was in
Singapore when this happened and found out that a young
official in charge in that district had done a background
check with all the police offices and found no records on
Kazarul and therefore released him. (Note: PMO Principal
Secretary Siddiqui told Charge the release resulted from a
SIPDIS
phone call by PM son Tarique Rahman.) Another incident which
made Babar "furious" was the authorization by a high official
to re-instate the bank account of the Kuwait-based NGO,
Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, which had been frozen in
2004 because of its support for extremist Ahle Hadith
mosques. The re-instatement reportedly stemmed from an
appeal from a high-level official who argued on behalf of an
orphanage funded by RIHS. Babar refused to give the name of
the official but said that the account was now frozen once
more.
6. (C) Babar assured Charge that no BDG official "would be
spared" if they had dealings with JMB. He admitted that at
one time, when Bangla Bhai was allegedly popular in the
Rajshahi division for his vigilante action against local
criminals, several government ministers supported him. When
Charge asked if those ministers were being held accountable,
he sighed, "This is a difficult question you are asking me."
7. (C) Babar insisted that JMB's agenda is political and not
religious. JMB must be aware that Islam does not condone
violence, he said, and the randomness of their targets
indicates they are primarily interested in creating
instability. Therefore, he concluded, JMB is politically
motivated, and it's all about "winning the next election" and
splitting Jamaat Islami (JI) from the BNP-led ruling
coalition.
8. (C) Charge told Babar that DS would like to offer
Bangladesh extensive training through its Anti-Terrorism
Training Assistance (ATA) program, which would include
sending a DS agent to be assigned to a police office,
preferably the Detective Branch. Babar said the program
sounded good but he would get back to Charge, who noted we
need an answer by December 30.
9. (C) Charge noted that the Department had decided not to
support USG meetings for a RAB delegation due to visit
Washington because of our well-known concerns about RAB's
systematic extra-judicial killings. Babar asserted that he
was unaware of the visit, but remarked, "If your government
will not help with RAB, we will do the training ourselves."
10. (C) Comment: We need to confirm with DGFI, NSI, and the
PMO that RAB is indeed the BDG's designated new lead on
counter-terrorism and the anti-JMB campaign. Officially or
not, RAB seems to be playing that role, based on its
high-profile JMB arrests and weapons seizures. RAB could
well be abolished if the Awami League manages to win the next
election, but if the USG-BDG CT partnership is to become more
robust in the short term, it seems we need to decide what we
can and cannot do with RAB as a matter of law and policy.
CHAMMAS
SIPDIS
INFO USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
AMCONSUL CALCUTTA
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2010
TAGS: PTER KISL PHUM PGOV BG BG
SUBJECT: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH HOME MINISTER
Classified By: RLA N.Langston, reasons para 1.4 b, d.
1. (C) Summary: Home Affairs Minister Babar told Charge that
RAB is now the lead law enforcement agency on combating the
JMB terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism. He also said JMB
is aware that their string of violent attacks is not
sanctioned by Islam, and therefore their prime motivation
must be to unseat the ruling party by splintering their
four-party coalition. End Summary.
2. (SBU) On December 19, Charge and RLA met with Home Affairs
Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar for one hour in his office. Home
Secretary Hossain was also present.
SIPDIS
3. (C) Babar told Charge that the Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB),a paramilitary group responsible for 148
extra-judicial "cross-fire" killings in 2005, is now the lead
law enforcement agency in the counter-terrorism campaign
against the Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB). He stated
that the country's intelligence agencies remain involved, but
that RAB is the only agency authorized to conduct both
intelligence and operational activities. Therefore, Babar
said he designated RAB to be in charge of arrests and press
releases on the JMB round-up as well as any other
counter-terrorism activities. (Note: Senior police officials
have told RSO that they are angry that RAB is getting all the
credit for investigative work done by police.)
4. (C) Babar said the campaign against JMB extremists is
ongoing and that despite "good catches" in recent weeks, the
fight continues, especially given that Bangla Bhai and Abdhur
Rahman are still at large. He said that three of the seven
JMB council members have been arrested and that a total of
700 people are in custody in connection with the JMB
terrorist attacks. He stated that 200-300 have been
released. Charge requested a copy of statements by the
high-profile JMB arrestees and/or copies of transcripts of
interrogations, which Babar promised to provide.
5. (C) BDG efforts, however, are not without their snafus.
Babar confirmed that one of those arrested and released was
Kazarul, Bangla Bhai's reputed deputy. Babar said he was in
Singapore when this happened and found out that a young
official in charge in that district had done a background
check with all the police offices and found no records on
Kazarul and therefore released him. (Note: PMO Principal
Secretary Siddiqui told Charge the release resulted from a
SIPDIS
phone call by PM son Tarique Rahman.) Another incident which
made Babar "furious" was the authorization by a high official
to re-instate the bank account of the Kuwait-based NGO,
Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, which had been frozen in
2004 because of its support for extremist Ahle Hadith
mosques. The re-instatement reportedly stemmed from an
appeal from a high-level official who argued on behalf of an
orphanage funded by RIHS. Babar refused to give the name of
the official but said that the account was now frozen once
more.
6. (C) Babar assured Charge that no BDG official "would be
spared" if they had dealings with JMB. He admitted that at
one time, when Bangla Bhai was allegedly popular in the
Rajshahi division for his vigilante action against local
criminals, several government ministers supported him. When
Charge asked if those ministers were being held accountable,
he sighed, "This is a difficult question you are asking me."
7. (C) Babar insisted that JMB's agenda is political and not
religious. JMB must be aware that Islam does not condone
violence, he said, and the randomness of their targets
indicates they are primarily interested in creating
instability. Therefore, he concluded, JMB is politically
motivated, and it's all about "winning the next election" and
splitting Jamaat Islami (JI) from the BNP-led ruling
coalition.
8. (C) Charge told Babar that DS would like to offer
Bangladesh extensive training through its Anti-Terrorism
Training Assistance (ATA) program, which would include
sending a DS agent to be assigned to a police office,
preferably the Detective Branch. Babar said the program
sounded good but he would get back to Charge, who noted we
need an answer by December 30.
9. (C) Charge noted that the Department had decided not to
support USG meetings for a RAB delegation due to visit
Washington because of our well-known concerns about RAB's
systematic extra-judicial killings. Babar asserted that he
was unaware of the visit, but remarked, "If your government
will not help with RAB, we will do the training ourselves."
10. (C) Comment: We need to confirm with DGFI, NSI, and the
PMO that RAB is indeed the BDG's designated new lead on
counter-terrorism and the anti-JMB campaign. Officially or
not, RAB seems to be playing that role, based on its
high-profile JMB arrests and weapons seizures. RAB could
well be abolished if the Awami League manages to win the next
election, but if the USG-BDG CT partnership is to become more
robust in the short term, it seems we need to decide what we
can and cannot do with RAB as a matter of law and policy.
CHAMMAS