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) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶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. -------------- -------------- LIFTING THE EMERGENCY: A QUESTION OF LAW AND ORDER -------------- -------------- ¶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. -------------- -------------- HOME AFFAIRS ADVISER SUPPORTS USG PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAM -------------- -------------- ¶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 DHAKA 00000717 002 OF 002 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." -------------- -------------- COMMENT: MORE SIGNS OF POLITICAL FLEXIBILITY FROM THE CTG -------------- -------------- ¶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