US embassy cable - 05DHAKA1807

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Identifier:	05DHAKA1807
Wikileaks:	View 05DHAKA1807 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Dhaka
Created:	2005-04-19 11:51:00
Classification:	CONFIDENTIAL
Tags:	PHUM PGOV PREL BG
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001807 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2010 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PREL, BG 
SUBJECT: EXTRA-JUDICIAL "CROSSFIRE" KILLINGS DROP SHARPLY 
 
Classified By: P/E Counselor D.C. McCullough 
 
1. (SBU) Police "crossfire" deaths in March fell 62 percent 
from January, according to press reports compiled by 
prominent human rights NGO Odhikar.  "Crossfires" by the 
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) plummeted even more, from 12 in 
January to just two each in February and March.  Regular 
police continue to account for the bulk of the deaths, or 86 
out of 105 for the first three months of 2005.  The other 
three deaths came from the Cobras and the Cheetahs, two small 
police units.  For the first 17 days of April, there were 12 
reported "crossfire" deaths, none involving RAB. 
 
2. (C) Comment: Extra-judicial killings have apparently not 
stopped, as senior BDG officials maintain, but they are down 
sharply.  This positive trend, starting in February, 
coincides with promises made then by senior BDG officials to 
the Ambassador to address this issue.  While quiet diplomacy 
appears to have worked well in this case, we will continue to 
press key BDG interlocutors for the complete elimination of 
extra-judicial killing.  Even if March's relatively low 
figure of 21 deaths were sustained for the rest of 2005, that 
would still leave a yearly total of 294. 
THOMAS