Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08DHAKA1159
2008-11-10 00:53:00
SECRET
Embassy Dhaka
Cable title:  

SCENESETTER FOR DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF

Tags:  PGOV PTER KREL BG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6899
OO RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #1159/01 3150053
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 100053Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7681
INFO RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 8707
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 2434
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 9945
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0923
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 1548
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 001159 

SIPDIS

FOR DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE JAMES CLAD, FROM
THE AMBASSADOR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PTER KREL BG
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE JAMES CLAD

REF: A. DHAKA 1127

B. DHAKA 1138

C. DHAKA 1139

Classified By: Amb. James F. Moriarty. Reasonsd 1.4 (b) and (d)

------
SUMMARY
-------

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 001159

SIPDIS

FOR DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE JAMES CLAD, FROM
THE AMBASSADOR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PTER KREL BG
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE JAMES CLAD

REF: A. DHAKA 1127

B. DHAKA 1138

C. DHAKA 1139

Classified By: Amb. James F. Moriarty. Reasonsd 1.4 (b) and (d)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) Your visit to Bangladesh comes in the twilight of
the Caretaker Government's (CTG) two-year term, amid
preparations for national Parliamentary elections in
December. The return to democracy remains fraught with
uncertainties, including whether one of the country's two
major political parties -- the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP) -- will participate in the elections. Also unclear is
whether the Caretaker Government's reforms to rid government
of endemic corruption and violence will survive under a newly
elected Parliament. Failure to build on those reforms could
herald a return to the status quo ante and the violent
"winner take all" political culture of Bangladesh.


2. (S/NF) USG activities in Bangladesh are based on three
pillars: democratization, development and denial of space to
terrorists. We strongly support the Caretaker Government's
efforts to ensure free, fair and credible elections. The
U.S. funds a comprehensive, 150 million USD development
program that includes aid for food, health, education,
economic growth and governance. We also cooperate closely
with authorities here to combat terrorism and prevent
Bangladesh from becoming a haven for terrorists. The U.S.
Government will soon begin human rights training for the
Rapid Action Battalion, an elite law enforcement agency that
has taken the lead in countering terrorism, with the goal of
eventually broadening the engagement to include CT training.
The Embassy also recently recommended U.S. Government support
for the creation of a Bangladesh Navy Special Operations
unit, similar to US SEAL and Special Boat units. (Reftel C)

--------------
DEMOCRACY
--------------


3. (U) The Caretaker Government (CTG) came to power in
January 2007, the day after a State of Emergency was declared
to quell political violence in the run-up to Parliamentary
elections. With the strong support of the military, the CTG
canceled the elections and began cracking down on endemic

political corruption and violence. The crackdown initially
won broad public support, but frustration with the Caretaker
Government spilled onto the streets in late August 2007, when
a dispute at Dhaka University between students and soldiers
became a rallying point for Bangladeshis disaffected by
inflation, other economic woes, and restrictions on political
activity. The Government stopped the protests by imposing a
curfew.


4. (U) In September 2008, the Caretaker Government set
December 18 as the date for the delayed Parliamentary
elections. The mechanics of holding elections are largely on
track. A reconstituted Election Commission compiled a new,
credible voter list. The list was put to the test in city and
municipal elections on August 4; turnout for the city polls
ranged from 75 percent to 93 percent. The Awami League
stormed to victory, winning all four major mayoral slots up
for grabs. Election observers reported some generally minor
problems during the vote but none of the violence that marred
past polls. The BNP boycotted the elections, claiming no
vote should be held under a State of Emergency, a position it
still maintains in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections
scheduled for December 18.


5. (SBU) The continuing negotiations over the return to
democracy involve three key players: the Caretaker
Government, the military and the two main parties, which are
again under the direct leadership of former prime ministers
Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and Khaleda Zia of the BNP.
(Note: Jailed on a multitude of corruption charges in 2007,
Zia was released on bail in September; Hasina was out of the
country on medical parole from June until November 6, when
she made a triumphant return to Dhaka. End note.) The Awami

DHAKA 00001159 002 OF 003


League believes it is in a strong position to win the
Parliamentary elections and opposes any delay of the vote.
The BNP is torn about whether to participate, claiming to be
at a disadvantage because many of its top politicians have
been convicted on graft charges and cannot run. Whether Zia
ultimately decides to participate in the elections will go a
long way in determining whether Bangladesh can make a
peaceful return to democracy.


6. (S/NF) The Election Commission recently rejected an
attempt by the newly formed Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) to
register for the December elections (Reftel B). The party was
formed earlier this year by senior members of Harakat
ul-Jihad-Islami-Bangladesh (HUJI-B),which is designated a
Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Government. The
rejection came after Post relayed to a number of senior
Bangladeshi government and military officials strong USG
opposition to the creation of the party. The military's
Directorate General Forces Intelligence drove the creation of
the party in hopes of bringing the HUJI-B above ground.

--------------
DEVELOPMENT
--------------


7. (U) In the midst of the nation's political uncertainty,
Bangladeshis are coping with the aftermath of natural
disasters and spiraling inflation. Cyclone Sidr blasted
through southwestern Bangladesh in November 2007, killing
thousands of people, destroying the homes and livelihoods of
millions, and leaving 2.3 billion USD of damage to
infrastructure. As part of an inter-agency effort, the U.S.
military played a crucial role in relief efforts by
airlifting vitally needed water, food and emergency supplies
to Bangladeshis in remote areas. However, the Government of
Bangladesh and other international donors have not sustained
the strong levels of assistance provided in Sidr's immediate
aftermath, and millions of victims remain in need of aid to
rebuild their lives. The additional $75 million for cyclone
victims approved by the U.S. Congress has thus come at a most
opportune time. On top of natural disasters, inflation --
particularly of food prices -- remains dangerously high for
Bangladesh's desperately poor population, 86 percent of whom
subsist on less than $2 a day.

--------------
DENIAL OF SPACE TO TERRORISTS
--------------


8. (C) Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation with porous
borders -- both land and maritime -- that make it an
attractive transit point and safe-haven for terrorists.
Several USG studies this year have underlined just how poorly
the borders are policed, and the Embassy is working on a
multipronged approach with other Western Embassies to help
Bangladesh improve its border security. The USG funds many
programs in Bangladesh to counter terrorism, including a wide
range of training under the Anti-Terrorist Assistance program
coordinated by the State Department. USAID and Public
Affairs Section programs also address root causes of
extremism through outreach to leaders of influence (including
religious figures) and to madrasas.


9. (C) Human rights concerns have in the past prevented the
USG from providing training to the paramilitary Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB). The RAB's record generally has improved
under the Caretaker Government, and a USG interagency group
recently agreed to allow training to help RAB further improve
its human rights. A team of two Department of Defense staff
judge advocates and a New Delhi-based Federal Bureau of
Investigation agent will be in Dhaka this month to come up
with a training blueprint to improve the RAB's transparency
and accountability when dealing with allegations of gross
human rights violations. Should human rights training bring
meaningful improvement, subsequent USG engagement with RAB
may expand to include counterterrorism training.


10. (S/NF) Bangladesh arrested several hundred alleged
members of Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB),the banned
Islamic extremist group responsible for a wave of bombings
and suicide attacks in late 2005, and recovered bomb-making
materials and weapons from their hideouts. Those arrests,

DHAKA 00001159 003 OF 003


along with the execution in March 2007 of six senior JMB
leaders, represented a clear blow to the organization. More
recently, however, JMB reportedly has increased recruitment
efforts. Moreover, the GOB has taken relatively little action
against Bangladeshi groups with ties to transnational,
Pakistan-based terrorist organizations. Concerns of possible
violence by extremist organizations in the run-up to
elections remain.


11. (S/NF) To counter the transnational terrorist threat,
Embassy Dhaka has recommended USG support for the creation of
a Bangladesh Navy Special Operations unit, similar to US SEAL
and Special Boat units. The Government of Bangladesh intends
this unit to be a counterterrorism force that will address
critical gaps in Bangladesh's maritime security capability.
Transnational violent extremist organizations (such as
Interagency Intelligence Committee on Terrorism (IICT)
priority one Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) and IICT priority three
Hizbul Mujhadin (HM)),transnational crime, drugs and human
trafficking are currently exploiting these gaps to facilitate
operations throughout South Asia. USG support for the
creation of this new force is critical to denying space to
terrorists. Additionally, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is actively
developing a maritime capability in order to infiltrate
India; due to increases in land and air security within
India, Bangladesh is a viable maritime launching point for
these infiltration efforts.

--------------
YOUR VISIT
--------------


12. (S/NF) Your visit to Bangladesh comes at a critical
juncture in this contry's young history. Your visit will
highlight the importance the USG places on bilateral
relations as well as on the Bangladesh military remaining a
professional force that serves as a role model for
Bangladeshi society. Your meeting with Chief of Army Staff
General Moeen Uddin Ahmed will provide an opportunity to
reinforce defense cooperation and strong USG opposition to
the IDP. You can also deliver the message opposing the IDP in
your meeting with the DGFI military intelligence leaders.
Your meeting with naval leadership will focus on maritime
security issues such as cooperation on creating a naval
Special Operations force; with RAB leadership will discuss
the way forward with engagement; and with Bangladesh Rifles
officials will help you gain insight into border security
problems.

Moriarty