Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09DHAKA121
2009-02-03 02:57:00
SECRET
Embassy Dhaka
Cable title:  

BANGLADESH SCENESETTER FOR A/S BOUCHER

Tags:  PGOV PTER PREL KGOV BG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1308
OO RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKA #0121/01 0340257
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 030257Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8239
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1961
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 000121 

SIPDIS

FOR A/S BOUCHER FROM THE AMBASSADOR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL KGOV BG
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH SCENESETTER FOR A/S BOUCHER

REF: A. DHAKA 99

B. DHAKA 65

C. SECSTATE 7986

D. DHAKA 70

E. DHAKA 107

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

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

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 000121

SIPDIS

FOR A/S BOUCHER FROM THE AMBASSADOR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL KGOV BG
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH SCENESETTER FOR A/S BOUCHER

REF: A. DHAKA 99

B. DHAKA 65

C. SECSTATE 7986

D. DHAKA 70

E. DHAKA 107

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

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


1. (SBU) USG activities in Bangladesh are based on three
pillars: democratization, development and denial of space to
terrorists. The new government led by Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina swept to power in Parliamentary elections on December
29 and is beginning to flesh out its policies on issues of
great importance to the USG. So far her government has been
saying all the right things concerning denial of space to
terrorists, although it has yet to enact important
anti-terrorism ordinances. The new government also has been
hitting many of the right notes on development by identifying
energy and education as top priorities. The administration's
early performance on democracy has been disappointing,
however, as it apprently inches back towards the
winner-take-all politics and centralized governance that has
crippled Bangladesh throughout its history. In your meetings
with Bangladeshi leaders you will be able to emphasize USG
eagerness to work with the new government on a whole range of
issues and to encourage democratic reform.

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


2. (U) Sheikh Hasna's Awami League won a landslide victory
(230 out of a possible 300 seats) in Parliamentary elections
December 29 after two years of rule by an appointed Caretaker
Government. During its tenure, the Caretaker Government
cracked down on endemic political corruption and violence,
and at one point imprisoned on graft allegations both Hasina
and her main political rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia. The government released both
to participate in the elections, which won wide acclaim for
being the cleanest and most peaceful in Bangladesh's 38-year
history.


3. (SBU) Prime Minister Hasina appointed a Cabinet notable
for the absence of most of the party's Old Guard, including
many politicians tainted by allegations of graft and
violence, in favor of Ministers fiercely loyal to her. The

huge landslide win will test her promise to break from the
country's past "winner-take-all" politics and centralized
governance and to allow the opposition a meaningful voice in
government. So far, signs of meaningful change are few.


4. (C) While the Awami League promised to fill the post of
deputy speaker of Parliament with a BNP lawmaker, the offer
lost its luster when the Awami League made clear the
opposition would only get a newly created, second deputy
speaker position. The Awami League also has insisted the BNP
accept just four front-row seats in Parliament, far fewer
than opposition parties' allotments in the past. The BNP
protested by walking out of Parliament on the second day of
the session, January 29. (Note: The boycott continued as of
Monday, February 2. End note.) Meanwhile, election observers
accused Awami League supporters -- including a newly
appointed Cabinet minister -- of widepread fraud,
intimidation and violence in upazilla (county) elections held
January 22. Although the upazilla elections were intended to
improve political accountability through decentralizing
government to some degree, Awami League lawmakers appear
likely to vote themselves an advisory role over the local
bodies (Reftel A).


5. (C) Hasina's Awami League also seems bent on taking on the
country's main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami. The Awami
League has threatened to try Jamaat leaders as war criminals
for their activities in support of Pakistan during the 1971
war of independence. One of the first actions of the new
Parliament was to adopt a resolution calling on the
Government to move quickly to put alleged war criminals on
trial.

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


6. (C) Bangladesh is a nation with porous borders -- air,

DHAKA 00000121 002 OF 003


land and maritime -- that make it an attractive transit point
and safe-haven for terrorists. India in particular argues
that international Islamic terrorists use Bangladesh as a
safe haven and often cross into India for bombing and other
attacks. New Delhi also says Dhaka should do more to uproot
Indian domestic extremist groups, including the United
Liberation Front of Assam, that India claims use Bangladesh
as a safe haven. Sheikh Hasina has made clear that fighting
extremists and improving regional counterterrorism
cooperation is a top priority for her administration. She has
proposed creating a South Asia security task force; Embassy
Dhaka wants to support those efforts, in part by funding
regional security dialogues organized by prominent local
think tanks. The Awami League's historically friendly ties
with India also should boost regional cooperation, and
India's Minister for External Affairs still plans a short
visit to Dhaka on February 9 despite his increased domestic
responsibilities due to the Indian Prime Minister's heart
surgery.


7. (C) An early indicator of the Hasina administration's
commitment to counterterrorism will be its decision on
whether to enact two Caretaker Government ordinances -- one
on fighting money laundering and the other on countering
terrorism (Reftel E). Senior Awami League officials have sent
contradictory signals on the fate of these and the rest of
the 122 ordinances passed by the Caretaker Government.
Embassy officers from the Ambassador on down have stressed
the importance of enacting the two ordinances, which
represent a marked improvement of Bangladesh's
counterterrorism legal framework and are necessary to
strengthen Bangladesh's role in international efforts to
combat terrorism.


8. (S/NF) To counter the transnational terrorist threat,
Embassy Dhaka has recommended USG support for the creation of
a Bangladesh Navy Special Operations Force, 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 and IICT priority three
Hizbul Mujhadin),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; Bangladesh is a particularly attractive maritime
launching point for such infiltration efforts.


9. (SBU) The USG already funds many other 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 address root causes of extremism
through outreach to leaders of influence (including religious
figures) and to madrassas. Two initial Cricket Diplomacy
events to promote better relations between police and the
communities they serve have been smashing successes (Reftel
B). The Embassy plans to soon begin a multiyear community
policing program to further deny space to terrorists.


10. (C) The USG also has started human rights training for
the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB),whose history of alleged
human rights violations prevented earlier engagement. The
number of people reportedly killed in gun battles with RAB
has decreased significantly since mid-2007, and the initial
U.S. training is designed to further improve RAB's human
rights record. During your visit, a Department of Defense
legal team and senior members of the U.S. International
Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program will be in
Dhaka finalizing the training schedule. The Awami League
government has expressed strong support for the program.
However, a recent decision by the State Department's Bureau
of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to deny training to most
senior RAB officials could undermine the effectiveness of the
program (Reftel C).

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


11. (U) Your visit will come shortly after our "America Week"
program, a public outreach event to promote bilateral
relations in Barisal Division. Barisal and Khulna Divisions
bore the brunt of Cyclone Sidr in November 2007. The cyclone
killed thousands of people, destroyed the homes and

DHAKA 00000121 003 OF 003


livelihoods of millions, and left $2.3 billion of damage to
infrastructure. As part of an interagency 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. The $6.5 million budgeted by
the Department of Defense for building cyclone shelters and
schools in the affected areas thus is most welcome. This
effort will dovetail nicely with plans for spending some $75
million in USAID funding appropriated by Congress for
post-Sidr relief.


12. (SBU) On top of natural disasters, inflation --
particularly of food prices -- remains dangerously high for
Bangladeshis, 86 percent of whom subsist on less than $2 a
day. (Note: The Awami League promised in its campaign to make
fighting inflation its top priority. Prices for basic
commodities such as rice skyrocketed during the Caretaker
Government, though they have decreased somewhat in part
because of the global economic downturn. End note.) Our
assistance levels remain high -- some $150 million last year.
More important, economic growth, fueled by ready-made garment
exports, has surpassed 6% annually over the past six years.
The new government has identified power generation and
education as two top priority development areas, which if
successfully pursued should help lay the fondation for
healthy, longterm economic growth. During a courtesy call by
the Ambassador, Foreign Affairs Minister Dipu Moni urged the
U.S. Congress to pass the New Partnership for Development
Act, which would make Bangladeshi apparel duty-free to the
U.S., and expressed keen interest to access Millenium
Challenge funds (Reftel D).

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


13. (C) Thank you for making the effort to come to
Bangladesh. The visit will highlight the importance the USG
places on working constructively with Bangladesh on a wide
range of issues. You will be meeting officials of a new
government who are grappling with hugely important issues
such as how to improve regional counterterrorism cooperation,
how to strengthen Bangladesh's own counterterrorism
capabilities, and how to lay the foundation for extended
economic growth. Your visit will provide a unique opportunity
to encourage the new government in this work and to stress
the importance of good governance, cooperation with the
opposition, and enactment of the counterterrorism ordinances
passed by the Caretaker Government. The Government of
Bangladesh will be eager to hear your assurances that the USG
will continue a wide range of assistance.
MORIARTY