GOI NON-PAPER ON ATTACKS ON (BANGLADESH) AWAMI

S E C R E T NEW DELHI 000876 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2015 TAGS: PTER PREL IN BG SUBJECT: GOI NON-PAPER ON ATTACKS ON (BANGLADESH) AWAMI LEAGUE LEADERS REF: 04 NEW DELHI 5486 Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt, Reasons 1.5 (B,D). ¶1. (C) On January 27, MEA Director (Americas) Renu Pall gave us the following non-paper list of summer 2004 attacks on Awami League leaders in Bangladesh. This non-paper was originally referenced by our GOI interlocutors during the August 31-September 1, 2004 US-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group (CTJWG) meeting in New Delhi. ¶2. (S) Begin lightly-edited text: Title: "Attacks on Awami League Leaders" -- May 7, 2004: Trade Union Leader and Awami League MP Ahsanullah Master was gunned down at Tongi, north of Dhaka. -- June 21, 2004: MP and senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sen narrowly escaped a bomb explosion at Sumanganj District. -- June 28, 2004: Mayor of Sylhet city corporation and President of Sylhet Awami League Badruddin Ahmen Kamran, received a death threat from an unknown organization called "Tiger Killing Force Limited." -- August 7, 2004: Bomb explosion outside a hotel where the Awami League was holding a meeting. Mayor of Sylhet narrowly escaped. -- August 21, 2004: Attack on Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition and Former Prime Minister, while she was addressing an Awami League rally in Dhaka. At least 15 people died and 300 were injured. End text. Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) Pall made no request for USG action on the above matter. In the context of our ongoing dialogue regarding Bangladesh and CT cooperation, Mission would appreciate Washington's perspective on the veracity of this data. MULFORD