US embassy cable - 05DHAKA954

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000954 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR I/FW, B/G, IIP/G/NEA-SA, B/VOA/N (BANGLA SERVICE) STATE 
FOR SA/PAB, SA/PPD (LSCENSNY, SSTRYKER), SA/RA, INR/R/MR, 
AND PASS TO USAID FOR ANE/ASIA/SA/B (WJOHNSON) 
 
CINCPAC FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR, J51 (MAJ TURNER), J45 
(MAJ NICHOLLS) 
 
USARPAC FOR APOP-IM (MAJ HEDRICK) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR, OIIP, OPRC, KPAO, PREL, ETRD, PTER, ASEC, BG, OCII 
SUBJECT: Media Reaction: U.S. Human Rights Report on 
Bangladesh, Israel;Dhaka 
Summary: On the U.S. Human Rights report on Bangladesh, 
independent Bangla "Jugantor" urges the government to 
perform its duties, instead of denying the situation.  Pro- 
government "Sangram" defended the government's tough 
 
measures in preserving law and order situation and said that 
crossfire deaths occur in other countries also. 
On Israel, English "New Age" agreed with comments made by 
the Mayor of London on Sharon that criticism of the Israeli 
government policy is not anti-Semitism. 
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1. U.S. Human Rights Report on Bangladesh 
----------------------------------------- 
 
"The Government Should Perform Its Duty" 
Independent Bangla language newspaper "Jugantor" editorially 
comments (3/4): 
 
The U.S. human rights report on Bangladesh has commented 
that the government's human rights record has worsened 
further.  The Washington meeting of Bangladesh's financial 
donors also mentioned the gradual decline of the situation. 
Without accepting the U.S. report, the Law Minister said 
that the government is playing a powerful role in improving 
the human rights situation.  He also did not accept the 
criticism of the RAB's extra judicial killing in the name 
combating terrorism.  The U.S. State Department publishes 
human rights reports on each country every year.  All think 
that these reports should be considered seriously.  It would 
not be an offence to remind those who are now in power how 
they accepted these report when were in the opposition.  It 
should also be considered whether people will accept the 
attitude that reports are justified when they go against 
others, but unjustified when they go against us. 
 
The government should perform its duties in improving human 
rights situation.  The denial of the worsening situation 
will not bring any good; rather tarnish the image of the 
country further. 
 
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"Variety of human rights" 
Conservative Islamic Bangla language newspaper "Sangram," 
spokesman of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a partner of the four- 
party ruling alliance, editorially comments (3/4): 
The Bangladesh government has rejected the U.S. State 
Department report on Bangladesh's human rights situation. 
If any country or its agency prepares a report on another 
country and if that report is one-sided and unfounded, it 
would be natural for the relevant country to reject it. 
Bangladesh has rejected the U.S. human rights report for the 
same reason. 
... Some time it becomes necessary to adopt tough measures 
against those who cross the limit for the preservation of 
human rights of millions of people.  The U.S. who adopted 
series of tough laws and measures to preserve law and order 
should not have difficulty to realize this.  It became 
unavoidable to adopt strong measures the way some miscreants 
raised their heads with encouragement from home and abroad 
and ignored law and order.  The creation of the RAB was for 
this reason.  Killers and miscreants die in crossfire not 
only Bangladesh, but also in other countries, including our 
neighbors.  But the question of human rights does not arise 
in respect to them. 
In the present world, the issue of human rights is much 
linked to politics.  Various interests are also involved in 
it.  So, voices are not raised when real violations of human 
rights occur, but incidents are created or human rights are 
wrongly interpreted to put some countries under pressure. 
Local and foreign cliques are active in this regard. 
Media's motivated roles are also noticeable.  The 
government, therefore, should take necessary measures in 
regard to deception in this issue and the people should also 
be careful. 
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2. Israel 
--------- 
"Livingstone has a point" 
Independent English language newspaper "New Age" editorially 
comments (3/6): 
The contention by Mr. Livingstone that Ariel Sharon has 
continued to organize terror can be borne out by the 
atrocities he resorted to in his efforts to isolate the late 
Arafat in Ramallah. There was little of civility and nothing 
of decency when he sent his forces to humiliate the 
Palestinian leader in such crude manner. Additionally, the 
way in which his forces have continually razed Palestinian 
homes speaks of the murderous nature of the man who today 
leads, ironically, the state of Israel. His targeted 
assassinations of Palestinian figures were a mockery of the 
principles of global behavior. The amazing thing is that he 
has gone unpunished. That is not the way things ought to 
have happened. And yet, as London_fs mayor notes, there are 
shallow people all around all too willing to deride any 
criticism of Israeli government policy as anti-Semitism. 
Such an attitude speaks of a mob mentality. There is and 
always will be a difference between the historical 
sufferings of the Jewish people and the dangerously 
militaristic policies of the state of Israel. Mr. 
Livingstone has only restated the point. We agree with him. 
Thomas