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