HOME AFFAIRS ADVISER SAYS LIFTING STATE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000717

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2018
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM BG
SUBJECT: HOME AFFAIRS ADVISER SAYS LIFTING STATE OF
EMERGENCY POSSIBLE BEFORE ELECTIONS

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Home Affairs Adviser Matin said the lifting of the
State of Emergency before Parliamentary elections in December
was possible if the law-and-order situation was calm and the
political parties acted responsibly. He also expressed
enthusiasm for a public awareness program proposed by Post to
help his Ministry's counterterrorism efforts. Matin
reaffirmed his commitment to preventing the deaths of any
prisoners being held in custody by law enforcement agencies,
but acknowledged that Bangladesh in general had a long way to
go before meeting U.S. human rights standards.

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LIFTING THE EMERGENCY: A QUESTION OF LAW AND ORDER
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2. (C) Ambassador Moriarty told Home Affairs Adviser Gen.
(ret.) M.A. Matin on July 2 the Caretaker Government (CTG)
needed to ensure Parliamentary elections scheduled for
December were perceived as free, fair and credible. The
Ambassador noted the losing political party could question
the credibility of the election if it were held under the
current State of Emergency. (Note: The Emergency has been in
place since the CTG came to power in January 2007. End note.)
He said the poll's credibility also would be questioned if
agencies within the government were seen as attempting to
hand-pick the winners of the election, even if those efforts
had little chance of success. Matin said if the law-and-order
situation were calm and the political parties acted
responsibly, the Government probably would consider an
absolute lifting of the Emergency. He noted some Emergency
Power Rules already had been relaxed to allow campaigning for
the municipal elections to be held August 4; others, such as
the ban on trade union activity, could be lifted soon.


3. (C) In explaining the recent month-long national crackdown
on crime, Matin said the law-and-order situation had earlier
deteriorated slightly but was "now in better shape." He said
only 192 of the approximately 50,000 people detained in the
campaign had been arrested under Emergency Power Rules. The
rest, he said, were arrested under existing criminal law and
many of them had qualified for bail, which meant Bangladesh's
already horrendously overcrowded jails were not further
burdened.


4. (C) The Ambassador cited a report from Odhikar, a
respected local human rights organization, charging that the
number of extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies
had risen dramatically in June to 28, bringing the half-year
total to 68. The Home Adviser reiterated that no one should
die while under custody. He also said he had issued orders
forbiding physical torture. Instead, he said, the goal of
interrogation should be to break detainees mentally. Still,
he argued that, for cultural and other reasons, Bangladesh
could not be expected to achieve the same standards of human
rights as the United States. The Ambassador replied that
Bangladesh nonetheless must move toward those higher
standards and promised to continue to push for improvement.

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HOME AFFAIRS ADVISER SUPPORTS USG PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAM
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5. (C) The Ambassador outlined to Matin a program to improve
relations between police and the public that was proposed to
his Ministry in March by Post's Information Support Team. The
program would encourage the public to report information on
bombs and suspected terrorists to police; would increase
public awareness of the dangers of bombs; would increase the
positive perception of the police among the public; and would
provide cellular phones to security forces for a tip line.
Matin replied that the program would be of "great use for our
police force." His underling in charge of pushing the
proposal through the bueraucracy, however, conceeded that
after three interagency meetings there was not yet a
"concrete decision." (Note: The Ambassador will follow up
with a letter to Matin reiterating that Post is ready to
implement the program upon receiving Ministry approval. End
note.)


6. (C) The Ambassador also informed Matin that a recent USG

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assessment of Bangladesh's border security had found areas in
which procedures could be improved. The Home Affairs Adviser
said Bangladesh already had made many improvements to border
security but that its neighbor, India, had not. Still, he
said a review of the border assessment team's findings would
be "no problem."

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COMMENT: MORE SIGNS OF POLITICAL FLEXIBILITY FROM THE CTG
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7. (C) The Caretaker Government in recent weeks has shown it
is willing to compromise with the two major political parties
to ensure a successful Parliamentary election in December.
CTG advisers in June negotiated the release from jail on
medical parole of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, who
is facing multiple charges of corruption. They also are
negotiating for the release of Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her two ailing sons, all of whom
are in prison on graft charges. Matin's suggestion that
Emergency Rule could be totally lifted before the elections
under certain conditions is another sign of CTG flexibility
as it seeks to bring about a smooth return to democracy. Post
will continue to encourage the CTG to lift the Emergency at
an appropriate time before elections and will continue to
implore the political parties to act responsibly and
compromise their often hardline positions for the sake of
Bangladesh's future.
Moriarty