HUMAN RIGHTS VETTING FOR BALANCED BUFFALO COURSE

UNCLAS DHAKA 000035 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR SCA/PB ATTN: BRENT CHRISTENSEN DEPT FOR SCA/RA ATTN: JOSEPH BRENNIG DEPT FOR DRL ATTN: ROD MORGAN OR LEROY POTTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM MASS MARR PREL KCRM BG SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS VETTING FOR BALANCED BUFFALO COURSE IN SYLHET APRIL-MAY, 2007 ¶1. This is an action request. See para three. ¶2. The following units have been selected for participation in the 2007 Balance Buffalo exercise in Sylhet, Bangladesh from April 23 to May 22, 2007. Post vetting was completed on January 3, 2007. Post requests the department conduct Leahy vetting for the following units: Unit: Bangladesh Army, Para Commando Battalion Name of Commander: Lt. Col. Md. Touhidul Islam, psc. Commander Personal Number: BA-2777 Commander DOB: 11/20/64 Unit: Bangladesh Navy, BNS Haji Mohsin Name of Commander: Capt. M. Nurul Amin, (N),ndc., psc. BN Commander Personal Number: P. No. 126 Commander DOB: 01/10/54 Unit: Bangladesh Rifles, Adjutant, 38 Rifle Battalion Name of Commander: Capt. Md. Shahnewaz Taskin Commander Personal Number: BA-6245 Commander DOB: 11/25/77 Unit: Bangladesh Rifles, 21 Rifle Battalion Name of Commander: Junior Commissioned Officer (Warrant Officer) Md. Abdul Kader Commander Personal Number: 5121 Commander DOB: 03/07/56 Unit: Bangladesh Rifles, 38 Rifle Battalion Name of Commander: Junior Commissioned Officer (Warrant Officer) Shekh Abdul Jabbar Commander Personal Number: 5056 Commander DOB: 03/07/56 ¶3. Post requests that the Department of State authorize post to make the following statement to the relevant DOD units: "Embassy verifies that the Department of State possesses no credible information of gross violations of human rights by the above named individual or unit." ¶4. Post Human Rights Officer is Luke Zahner, unclass e-mail:zahnerlv@state.gov. ¶5. COMMENT: Embassy has no information to indicate this individual or any unit he has served in has been involved in gross violations of human rights. BUTENIS