US embassy cable - 05DHAKA517

UNCLAS DHAKA 000517 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, SNAR, AFIN, BG 
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH: 2003/2004 END USE MONITORING REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 17655 
 
1.  In response to reftel, American Embassy Dhaka is pleased 
to provide the following information regarding end use of 
INL-provided assistance in Bangladesh. 
 
2.  Procedures:  Forensics Advisor Howard Dobres visited the 
testing laboratory operated by the Department of Narcotics 
Control (DNC) in Dhaka, examined the equipment, and 
questioned laboratory personnel on the use of each piece of 
equipment.  The DNC lab technicians were cooperative and 
helpful but the Lab Director was inattentive and seemed 
irritated by the visit. 
 
3.  Status: In July 2000, post turned over to the DNC an 
analytical balance, top-loading balance, and polarizing 
microscope for use in their newly constructed narcotics 
testing laboratory.  The Bangladesh courts have accepted the 
lab's results as bona fide evidence in narcotics cases.  All 
items provided by ICITAP are generally kept clean, in good 
working order, and stored within a secure building and 
compound.  Machinery that is understood by the lab chemists 
is being used for its intended purpose.  However, some 
equipment is outside the chemists' technical training and so 
stands unused.  During our meetings with the lab staff and 
the Director General (DG) of the DNC, alternatives for 
training on the equipment were discussed which included using 
local professors from the University of Dhaka to help train 
DNC staff on proper usage of certain lab equipment.  This 
would be in lieu of additional training provided by ICITAP's 
Forensic Advisor on his trips to Bangladesh approximately 
every four months. 
 
4.  Problems: The DG of the DNC appears to be energetic and 
proactive, but his department, including the laboratory 
facilities, suffers from severe budgetary constraints.  As of 
the December visit by Howard Dobres, lab chemists had not 
been paid for six months.  Aside from the equipment provided 
in 2000, there is little more that the chemists have to work 
with.  The lab itself is very poorly cleaned and maintained 
and lacks temperature control, refrigeration facilities, and 
proper ventilation, including in the rooms where the 
ICITAP-provided equipment is stored.  Basic items such as 
voltage stabilizers and Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS) do 
not exist.  The absence of these items places equipment at 
undue risk of electrical damage or failure.  In addition, 
field communications, field testing, and sophisticated 
narcotics analysis capacity are seriously lacking. 
 
5.  Impact:  Samples referred to the drug lab continued to 
increase in 2004.  The support thus far provided by ICITAP, 
while useful, has not had a significant impact on improving 
the quality of the lab's work or its efficiency.  It appears 
that this is largely due to the extent of the problems at the 
lab and the lack of ability of the lab technicians to use the 
more sophisticated analysis equipment.  These factors make 
assistance provided at the current level inconsequential. 
Simple changes would improve the situation, but they must 
come from the DNC or elsewhere in the Government of 
Bangladesh (BDG). 
 
6.  Program Changes:  To help address these challenges, a 
Letter of Agreement (LOA) on Narcotics Control and Law 
Enforcement was signed in 2002 between the USG and the BDG to 
provide equipment and training.  An ICITAP team visited the 
DNC's drug lab in June 2003 to evaluate needs and provide 
recommendations.  In addition, an amendment to the original 
LOA (April 2004), which will provide USDOJ/ICITAP training to 
address police professionalism, internal corruption, and 
forensic investigations, is underway with the Bangladesh 
National Police.  The USDOJ/ICITAP Program Manager is 
currently conducting the training associated with the LOA and 
thus far has trained approximately 220 Bangladesh Police 
Officers in related courses.  The DG of the DNC, recently 
informed of the state of affairs at the testing lab, has 
stated his intention to check more regularly on the 
operations of the laboratory and to see that staff are paid. 
THOMAS