GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000410

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM BG
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF
POLITICAL BAN

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Elizabeth Gourlay; reason
1.4(d)


1. (U) The Caretaker Government on March 8 announced it
would strictly enforce the ban on political activities until
further notice, effective immediately. The announcement
effectively shuttered party offices and ended the
government's informal tolerance of limited political meetings
and "indoor" events. The announcement was contained in a
press notice issued by the Home Ministry. The note expressly
accused the political parties of abusing the government's
tolerance of limited activities. The ban applies to "all
sorts of indoor politics, processions, rallies and public
meetings and political activities" and warns that "stern
actions will be taken against the violators of the order."


2. (U) The public note gives notice that the government
will strictly enforce restrictions on political activities
originally imposed under the Emergency Powers Rules of 2007
issued on January 25. Those rules in turn implement the
terms of the Emergency Powers Ordinance 2007 issued by the
President in conjunction with the declaration of the State of
Emergency.


3. (SBU) The ban follows a recent increase in the pace of
political activity by the parties. On March 3, Hasina
publicly called for elections by June. The Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) has also increased its public calls
for early elections and has begun demanding the immediate
release of arrested BNP political leaders. The government
was also reportedly concerned by small student protests
following the arrest of BNP Joint General Secretary Tarique
Rahman and the possibility of additional protests as it
continues its high profile arrests of senior political and
business leaders.


4. (C) Turmoil continues within both of the major
political parties. Embassy sources within the BNP report
that as many as 49 of about 200 Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Ministers of Parliament from the last Parliament meet
regularly and have decided that party Chairwoman Khaleda Zia
and her son Tarique must go. Many believe party Secretary
General Manan Bhuiyan is behind the push. The dissident MPs
are reportedly interested in reconstituting the BNP into a
military-friendly party and presumably its party of
preference in the next election.


5. (C) Meanwhile, Awami League Presidium member Abdur
Razzaq recently called on CDA on March 5 to confirm press
reports that party leaders on March 4 pushed back hard on
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina's public call for
elections in June, saying that once again she had not
consulted them on an important policy matter. Long a critic
of Hasina's, Razzaq said that he and senior leaders Tofael
Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Hussein Amu, and Motia Chowdhury
(normally seen as a Hasina loyalist) are able and ready to
rule the party collectively once Hasina steps down. He
claimed that at one point in the Awami League meeting, an
agitated Hasina threatened to decamp to the US to visit her
family.


6. (C) Rumors continue to circulate about possible exile
for the "two ladies." Sources within the Awami League have
confirmed that Hasina is anxious to travel to the U.S. to
visit her son and daughter-in-law, who recently gave birth to
their first child, Sophia. Hasina could travel as early as
March 15, although some in her party have counseled her
against traveling at this time because doing so will feed
rumors of her possible exile. According to sources within
the BNP, Zia does not have any plans to travel at this time.
PASI