US embassy cable - 05DHAKA5706

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 005706 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, BG 
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH OPPOSITION HOLDS MEGA RALLY SAFELY 
 
REF: DHAKA 05648 
 
Classified By: A/POLCOUNS David Renz, reason para 1.4 d 
 
1 (SBU) Summary: Despite government roadblocks to prevent 
their attendance, and a government engineered transport 
strike, thousands gathered amidst tight security in the 
largest political rally since August 21, 2004 when bomb 
blasts at an Awami League rally killed 22.  The AL led 14 
party opposition again demanded reform of the caretaker 
government and election commission, issued a 23 point 
political platform of what they would do once in power, and 
spelled out future political actions to press their demands 
and remove the BNP-Jamaat Islami government.  End summary. 
 
2 (SBU) On November 22, by the start of the program at 2 PM 
local, an estimated 100,000 people waited in the outdoor 
arena, Paltan Maidan, and surrounding area for the rally 
speeches to start. Media reported that as many as 300 people 
were injured in opposition processions as they made their way 
to the area.  Opposition leaders claim that the government 
arrested as many as 10,000 people, sealed off entry points to 
Dhaka with road blocks, engineered a transport workers 
strike, and told bus drivers and boat owners not to transport 
potential attendees in an effort to stop supporters from 
attending the rally. 
 
3. (SBU) Shiekh Hasina demanded the BNP-Jamaat government 
step down saying that they supported Islamist militants, 
crippled the economy, failed to govern by permitting 
corruption and nepotism, killed thousands of people including 
journalists and indigenous peoples while permitting bombs 
blasts and militants to kill judges, accused BNP and Jamaat 
leaders of being involved in the bombs blasts, and accused 
government leaders of profiteering while prices of essentials 
increased. 
 
4. (SBU)  Al General Secretary Abdul Jalil read a 23 point 
"common minimal program" of what the opposition would do if 
they came to power. Starting with a vow that they would not 
accept any election without reforms in the caretaker 
government and the election commission, the opposition 
promised to find and prosecute the bomb attackers, stop 
extra-judicial killings, separate the judiciary from the 
executive, strengthen local government, stop corruption, 
require financial disclosure for politicians and top civil 
servants, better regulate prices of essentials, open closed 
factories and mills, eliminate poverty, reduce unemployment, 
provide for freedom fighters, eradicate gender disparities, 
improve education and health care, ensure freedom of the 
press, implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts accords, ensure 
optimal use of energy supplies, and emphasize regional 
cooperation of water resources and trade. 
 
5. (SBU) The AL called for a dawn to dusk hartal for November 
24 to protest the government's attempts to obstruct 
opposition supporters from attending the rally. Opposition 
leaders accused the government of creating a wildcat 
transport strike by arresting transport leader Mujibur Rahman 
the day before the rally, knowing that transport workers 
would strike to force the release of their leader.  The 
hartal kicks off a two month long program of political 
activities that include sit-ins at government offices, 
demonstrations and a long marches from an outlying city 
towards Dhaka. 
 
6. (C) BNP MP Ziaur Rahman Khan told poloff, when asked if 
the Awami League and its supporters benefited from the rally, 
that "the rally did help focus on what is wrong with the 
country, but overkill on the negative is counterproductive." 
Khan was critical of government attempts to squelch 
supporters from attending the rally, saying it was 
"unnecessary."  When asked about Sheikh Hasina's accusations 
that PM Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, Jamaat Islami's 
Industries Minister Nazami, and State Minister Barbar are 
behind the bomb attacks, Khan sidestepped the question saying 
that the "Awami League loses when Sheikh Hasina speaks." 
 
7. (C) Comment:  Not down and out, the AL showed they can 
organize a large rally despite obstacles that are thrown in 
the path.  The next measure, to see if the the rally helped 
build any momentum toward's the AL's high risk confrontation 
strategy, will be whether the announced November 24 hartal is 
widely observed.  The BNP, with their reputation as guardians 
of public order on the line, showed they can provide 
effective security with little or no outsized violence such 
as a repeat of August 21, 2004, yet still managed to place 
obstacles in the path of the opposition, so as not to let 
them forget who is in power. 
CHAMMAS