US embassy cable - 05DHAKA4435

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 004435 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PTER, BG 
SUBJECT: CHARGE VISITS CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS 
 
REF: DHAKA 01558 
 
Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Judith Chammas, Reason(s): 1.4 (b) 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: From August 23 to 25, Charge D'Affaires 
visited the Chittagong Hill Tracts with poloff (notetaker) 
and interviewed government, military, journalists and 
representatives from civic action groups.  CDA distributed 
book bags with Bangla-English dictionaries, school supplies, 
and a well known photographic book America 24/7 to several 
grade schools, briefly described school life in America and 
answered questions from the children. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C)  CDA met with Wadud Bhuiyan, BNP MP for the Chittagong 
Hill Tracts Khagrachari district, and Chairman of the 
Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board.  Accompanying 
Charge in this meeting and others were poloff (notetaker) and 
A/RSO.  Bhuiyan told Charge that 80 percent of the 1997 
Chittagong Hill Tracts Accords have been implemented, blamed 
former rebel leader Shantu Larma for Hill Tract insecurity, 
saying that he was still involved in extortion and 
kidnapping, and that progress on the 1997 Peace Accords takes 
time.  He said that the Peace Accords seem to cause more 
divisions within the residents of the Hill Tracts and that 
all sides seem to think they have lost out.  All, he said, 
are "not satisfied." 
 
3. (C) Commenting on the security situation, Bhuyian said 
that the Army ensured the safety of everyone, that "if the 
Army was not here, it would not be safe for anyone including 
Shantu Larma."  When asked whether international monitors 
might reduce charges that the Army is committing abuses 
towards indigenous people, he responded that "our Army is 
enough" and that they have not "taken sides." 
 
4. (C) Bhuiyan said his role in the CHT was to create an 
environment suitable for the "giving up of arms,"  but his 
mediation is not acceptable to Shantu Larma who, according to 
Bhuiyan, "feels sidetracked and ignored." 
 
5. (C) In a meeting later that day, Army brigade commander 
Brigadier General Shabbir ul-Karim told Charge that "we are 
here to assist the civilian authorities" but that one can not 
expect progress to happen overnight.  He admitted that 
certain issues were still unfulfilled. For example, he said 
that two important ministries, forestry and transport, have 
not been transferred to local authority as stipulated in the 
1997 Accords, and said that administration could be improved 
if civilian government workers were given instructions on 
local Hill Tract customs.  Nonetheless, he said, things have 
improved since the Accords, and cited numerous examples: 
political parties have increased, freedom of speech has 
improved, there is more travel along the roads, and more 
transportation to and from the plains. 
 
6. (C) When asked about further UN and NGO development 
efforts, he said that development will come and "no one will 
stop it" but to ensure development work, there must be law 
and order, but for now, the police don't have respect for the 
local people," while "the Army people have respect."  When 
asked about the Army training the local police, he responded 
that they do not train the police, but with 10,000 men in his 
brigade, he takes the police with the Army on patrols, and 
leads by example.  Without the Army, he said, "the 13 tribal 
groups would be fighting amongst themselves" with their 
inter-tribal power struggles.  Besides, we have helped them 
by building schools and roads, he said. 
 
7. (C) In another meeting with the Army, Charge met with 
Brigadier General Asraf Abdullah Yusuf, Commander of a 
Brigade based in Rangamati.  Yusuf said that he had only been 
in the CHT for five months but had been here three times over 
his career.  He commanded 8-9,000 men in four battalions. He 
insisted that he and Army do not want to be in the Hill 
Tracts owing to malaria, and they are only here to aid the 
civil powers, as the Army can go to places the civil 
government can not.  When asked whether he has a civilian 
liaison unit, he said that his intelligence chief functioned 
in that capacity.  Pressed further on how he communicates 
with the various NGOS, UNDP, or civilian groups, he explained 
that he functioned in that capacity, but has no unit 
dedicated to civilian military communication. 
 
8,  (C) When questioned about security in the CHT, he said 
that there are people from the United People's Democratic 
Front (UPDF), the Parbatya Chattagam Jana Sanghati Samiti 
(PCJSS), and Bengalis, who are hired collaborators, who 
engage in toll collection (i.e., extorting). 
 
9. (C)  Over tea, Charge met the "Equal Rights Movement" 
composed mostly of Bengalis who complain that the 1997 
Accords have been unfair to them.  The leader, Belayet 
Hossain Bhuiyan, is the younger brother of Wadud Bhuiyan and 
told Charge that their group includes all religions, and 
peoples and its purpose is "consciousness raising." The 
younger Bhuyian complained that: 
--the insurgents harass Bengalis who legally moved to the 
Hill Tracts; 
--the Army continues to find arms hidden by the tribals; 
--the tribals have privileges the Bengalis do not have; 
--the Land Commission is dominated by tribal people and is 
thus unfair; 
--the Bengalis who moved to Army protected "cluster villages" 
have had their unoccupied land stolen by tribals; 
--Bengalis remain 85 percent illiterate while tribals get 
preferred access to education; 
--UNDP never helps Bengalis only the tribals; and 
--UNDP is secretive about their activities in the Hill Tracts. 
 
10. (C) Bhuiyan blamed tribal insurgents for continued 
reports of violence in the Hill Tracts and while Bengalis may 
have done acts of retribution, "it is in the name of justice 
as only tribals get economic benefits."  He said that before 
the Army arrived, 30,000 Bengalis had been killed, but while 
the Army is still needed, they are doing more for the tribals 
than they do for the Bengalis. 
 
11. (C) Later that day, Charge met with the United People's 
Democratic Front (UPDF) leaders Animish Chakma, Pradipan 
Khisha, and others.  Chakma and his followers said that the 
CHT Development Board funds the Army,  and that while their 
group has offered to work with Shantu Larma and his 
organization, the Parbatya Chattagam Jana Sanghati Samiti 
(PCJSS), Chakma said that Shantu Larma beleives that his 
organization in "the only one in the district." 
 
12. (SBU) While in the Hill Tracts, Charge participated in 
the distribution of over 1,000 backpack school bags to 
children at three schools, with ages ranging from 6 to 16. 
The school bags, came complete with notebooks, paper, pens 
and pencils, a Bangla-English dictionary, and a picture book 
called "America 24/7" depicting the diversity of life in 
America. Charge spoke to the students about similarities and 
differences of Bangladeshis and Americans, and took questions. 
 
13. (SBU) Examples of the school children's questions are: 
 
--Do tribal people in the United States have equal 
rights/special rights? 
--Are Native Americans permitted to have their own language 
in their schools? 
--Do American schools offer special incentives to girl 
students? 
--Do average Americans feel comfortable with Muslims around? 
--What rights do children have in America? 
 
14. (C) On August 24, Charge met with CHT Regional Council 
members and its Chairman, Shantu Larma.  Larma explained that 
military rule leaves him and the Regional Council with "no 
power to function." He said that while additional laws need 
to be passed in Parliament, some laws remained "completely 
un-implemented." He called for the government to withdraw the 
military administration and let the Hill District Councils 
and Regional Councils do their jobs, reduce the numbers of 
unneeded Army troops and permanent camps, and withdraw the 
500 temporary Army camps as specified in the Accords.  He 
charged that the UPDF is "organized by the government" whose 
main duty is to be an obstacle to implementation of the 1997 
CHT Accords, that they have links to the Army and the slaying 
of 37 PCJSS supporters over the years, and that the UPDF is 
"not a political organization."  Having signed the 1997 CHT 
Accords, he said "I have a special responsibility" to ensure 
the government honors their agreement.  He claimed that as a 
way forward, there are those in the cabinet who support more 
implementation of the accords but that a "policy maker" does 
not support the Accords.  He said that the international 
community needs to pressure the government and ask for return 
to civil authority. 
15. (C)  Charge met journalists in Khagrachari and Rangamati 
Districts.  The journalists complained about lack of access 
to UNDP, and said that since the money is from the United 
States, they should have spent the money evenly between 
Bengalis and tribals but have spent the money only on 
tribals, that the accords are 85 percent implemented, but 
tribal groups are able to pressure the government by going to 
foreign diplomats, such as those of Canada and Australia, and 
that journalists are constantly under threat by both Army and 
the tribals. 
 
16. (C) Charge met with officials from UNDP in their 
Rangamati offices.  They said that starting with no NGOS in 
1997, they now have 19 NGOs, such as Action Aid, MSF, and 
World Vision, operating in the Hill Tracts.  Progress 
continues, they said, citing a recent EU agreement signed in 
August that would create, among other things, a mobile 
reproduction health clinic for women in the remotest areas of 
the CHT.  The officials defended their programs, saying that 
while it is true 80 percent of the programs have gone to 
tribal people, these are programs operating in the remotest 
areas which have had no government assistance at all. 
CHAMMAS