HOME MINISTER BLAMES INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000709

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2010
TAGS: PTER ASEC PGOV BG BG
SUBJECT: HOME MINISTER BLAMES INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES FOR
FAILURE TO SHARE THREATS AGAINST U.S. INTERESTS

REF: DHAKA 0462.

Classified By: A/DCM DC MCCULLOUGH, reasons para 1.4 d.


1. (C) Summary: Home Minister Babar assured CDA that he
agreed "100 per cent" that BDG intelligence agencies should
inform the U.S. Embassy promptly of threats against American
interests, that he would remind them of this responsibility,
and that he would inform the Prime Minister about this
situation. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On February 1, CDA met with Home Affairs Minister
of State Lutfuzzaman Babar. Present were MHA Secretary
Hossain and Joint Secretary Ahktar Ahmed. RLA was present as
notetaker during the 90-minute meeting.


3. (C) CDA expressed dismay that BDG had not shared
information on at least three threats on American interests
in the past 18 months. The latest threat was on Peace Corps
Volunteers (PCVs) in Gazipur where the language training
program is located. CDA disabused Babar of his notion that
some information was not at "our level" (Minister-CDA) and
stated that the Embassy wanted to know about all threats.
Babar said that if the civilian and military intelligence
units (NSI and DGFI, respectively) were not passing on
information, we should let him know. He agreed "100 per
cent" that they should be passing on the information and he
would remind them to do so. He claimed that sometimes he did
not hear of threats until a day or so later. He also
promised that since these two units were under the Prime
Minister that he would inform her as well.


4. (C) Babar agreed to CDA's request that the RSO be allowed
to interview the arrested JMB leader "Sonny" Rahman since he
had been implicated by another JMB detainee in the planning
of a possible attack on Pace Corps Volunteers (reftel).


5. (C) CDA also noted another upcoming announced siege on
February 10 by anti-Ahmaddiya zealots and asked what plans
the Home Ministry had to ensure that Ahmadiyyas would be
protected. Babar affirmed that the police would handle it
and would if forced take a hard-line against demonstrators.
He said that in the last attempted siege, in Dhaka, 60-70
members of the IKMB were beaten as police prevented them from
attacking the Ahmadiyya mosque.
CHAMMAS