TARIQUE RAHMAN AND OTHERS ARRESTED;

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000396 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KCRM BG SUBJECT: TARIQUE RAHMAN AND OTHERS ARRESTED; ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE CONTINUES Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Geeta Pasi; reason 1.4(d) 1.(SBU) During the night of March 7, GOB police made near simultaneous midnight arrests of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Joint Security General Tarique Rahman (the son of former Prime Minister Kheleda Begum Zia),former Health Minister Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Awami League allied Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Mayor ABM Mohiuddin. Also arrested were Jamaat Islami former Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and Atiquallah Khan Masud, editor of the daily Bangla language newspaper Janakatha. Tarique appeared in court on March 8 and was remanded to police custody. ¶2. (C) Beginning at 1130 PM on March 7, GOB joint forces went twice to Awami League President Sheikh Hasina's residence, Sudha Sadan, to search for Awami League (AL) members, including some relatives of Hasina's. Sheikh Hasina's security chief, Maj. Gen. (ret) Tareque Siddiqui told poloff he refused entrance to the joint forces who were dressed in civilian clothes, after conferring with 9th Division's General Masud, who professed ignorance about the raid on Hasina's house. He said that an hour later, the joint forces returned, threatened to break the doors, and "so I let them in." Siddiqui said that in the meantime, he heard that Tarique Rahman had been arrested, commenting to poloff "maybe they were balancing things for the arrest of Tarique." The joint forces left Sudha Sadan without arresting anyone. ¶3. (SBU) During the morning of March 9, police arrested AL Joint Secretary General Obaidul Quader, and Jatiyabadi Chatra Dal (JCD) president Shahabuddin Laltu. Police told embassy that they arrested nine Chatra Dal students in Dhaka and ten Bogra Jubo League leaders for attempting to organize protests against the arrest of Tarique Rahman. Police also reported they arrested two Chittagong lawyers for attempting to organize protests agains the arrest of the Chittagong mayor Mohiuddin. ¶4. (C) On March 8, the media published a list of fifty political leaders and businessmen, claiming that they would be the subject of the second phase of the government's anti-corruption drive. The list included Tarique Rahman, Dr. Mosharruf Hossain, and others who had been arrested during the night as well Sigma Huda, former communications minister Nazmul Huda's wife and Embassy attorney, Ha-Meem garment factory owner AK Azad (president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries),Awami League Religion Advisor Sheikh Abdullah, and Khelada Zia's younger brother Biman flight engineer Shamim Iskander. The GOB has not confirmed the accuracy of the list. One of the listed individuals, Jatiya Party (Monju) member Anwar Hossain Monju, told poloff that after police raided his house asking for his whereabouts, he did not return home fearing arrest. Monju said that he would be glad to have his representative file any statement of his assets the Anti-Corruption Commission wanted. He said he is afraid to file it personally, claiming that in February a number of prominent businessmen were arrested immediately after filing a statement of assets to the Anti-Corruption Commission. ¶5. (C) Initial public reaction to the arrest of Tarique is overwhelmingly positive. Nonetheless, the government's continued targeting of high profile political and business leaders continues to create concerns among elites. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Export Association (BGMEA) former President Annisul Haque expressed concern over the arrests and told us today that he plans to work with other industrialists and chambers of commerce to communicate to the government that the fear of arrest of businessmen undermines business confidence among businessmen may ultimately adversely affect the economy. PASI