UK training Bangladesh 'death squad'

[Devil Soul]

UK training Bangladesh 'death squad'

British officials in Bangladesh have confirmed Wikileaks reports that the UK is training a police force in the country accused of being a death squad.

Rapid Action Battalion members have been taught "interviewing techniques" and "rules of engagement" by the UK authorities, said the leaked cables.

One message says the US would not offer tactical training to the RAB because of its alleged human rights violations.

UK officials told the BBC the focus of the training was on human rights.

Set up in 2004, the 9,000-strong RAB is accused of more than 550 killings.

The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has obtained a cache of about 250,000 US diplomatic cables, which it has released to several newspapers, including the Guardian.

In a cable dating from May 2009 published by the Guardian, the US ambassador to Dhaka, James Moriarty, writes: "The US and UK representatives reviewed our ongoing training to make the RAB a more transparent, accountable and human-rights compliant paramilitary force.

"The British have been training RAB for 18 months in areas such as investigative interviewing techniques and rules of engagement."

In another cable, Mr Moriarty notes it would be illegal for the US to offer anything other than human rights training to the RAB because of the force's alleged crimes.

He also notes that despite its record, the RAB had become Bangladesh's "most respected police unit".

However, Human Rights Watch says the force is a government death squad.

In a report last year, it said the paramilitary unit had an "operating culture" of extrajudicial killings, which its members perpetrated with impunity.

British High Commission officials in Dhaka told the BBC that the UK training programme for the RAB had begun in early 2008 and was due to finish in March 2011.

"The focus is on human rights. It concentrated on providing the RAB with the skill-set to conduct law enforcement duties in an ethical manner," said an official, who did not want to be named.

"The areas covered basically include basic human rights training, interview skills, investigation skills, basic scene of crime skills, inclusion on a range of legal and human rights focused events."

The official declined to comment on whether this training was part of any counter-terrorism effort in Bangladesh.

The Guardian reports that the UK's National Policing Improvement Agency provided training to the RAB on crime scene management and investigation, via officers from West Mercia Police and Humberside Police.
BBC News - UK training Bangladesh 'death squad'

 

[DesiGuy]

it's good news....i guess

 

[idune]

it's good news....i guess

According to you train a death squad is good? That goes without saying where BSF killing spree comes from.

 

[idune]

UK training Bangladesh 'death
squad'

British High Commission officials in Dhaka told the BBC that the UK training programme for the RAB had begun in early 2008 and was due to finish in March 2011.

BBC News - UK training Bangladesh 'death squad'

Important date - UK training started during interim entity Moeen U was running the country.

 

[DesiGuy]

According to you train a death squad is good? That goes without saying where BSF killing spree comes from.

"He also notes that despite its record, the RAB had become Bangladesh's "most respected police unit".

 

[TopCat]

I love RAB. They never bothered me neither they do to any good citizen.

 

[eastwatch]

RAB is the only Institution that truly acts against terrorism, hooliganism and also fanatism. RAB is one of the reasons that BD has not yet become a failed State. UK should be commended to train this force, when the USA declined to do so although it understands the need of this force in BD.

 

[saleen_s7]

RAB is the only Institution that truly acts against terrorism, hooliganism and also fanatism. RAB is one of the reasons that BD has not yet become a failed State. UK should be commended to train this force, when the USA declined to do so although it understands the need of this force in BD.

I beg to differ you on this one. the reason why the crime rate is so high is because of poverty. Its easy for you to say they are doing the good thing when you have a roof on top of your head and have 3 meals a day. you have to realize those people were born poor and they didn't have much choice. They according to international laws are also subjected to human rights.
If the govt were so desperate to deploy crime, they should take other types of measurements which will enable more jobs. Education, infrastracture... anything. Killing has never led to anything good. Even after the so called honest RAB were deployed, there has been little change in terms of corruption. It maybe a slow process, but a definite one. Once you are listed as the most corrupt country in the world, getting down on that list by killing has serious consequences. Personally, I believe the only reason Bangladesh is not still number 1 in terms of corruption is because other countries worsened due to war, poverty, etc.

 

[Skies]

I beg to differ you on this one. the reason why the crime rate is so high is because of poverty.

Personally, I believe the only reason Bangladesh is not still number 1 in terms of corruption is because other countries worsened due to war, poverty, etc.

1. Agreed but....

2. What do u think, which comes at first, corruption or poverty? Don't you think, though we have enough natural resources and opportunity, our policy makers are corrupted or have lack of intel, so we have poverty. Or we have poverty, so we are corrupted?

 

[saleen_s7]

policy makers are corrupt because of they can take advantage of the poor people. If the people were more literate and wel informed, we would be a better country. Poverty and crime goes in hand to hand. I promise you, get rid of poverty and you will see a decline in crime.

 

[eastwatch]

I do not think, RAB was established to find out bribe takers and kill them on the spot. Rather, RAB was established to stop organized hooliganism, chandabazi, blackmailing and stuff like these. RAB is now used to counter terrorism and fanatism. RAB has no function with regard to anti-poverty drive. Poverty and the related crimes are different matters completely outside the jurisdiction of RAB.

 

[saleen_s7]

I do not think, RAB was established to find out bribe takers and kill them on the spot. Rather, RAB was established to stop organized hooliganism, chandabazi, blackmailing and stuff like these. RAB is now used to counter terrorism and fanatism. RAB has no function with regard to anti-poverty drive. Poverty and the related crimes are different matters completely outside the jurisdiction of RAB.

Poverty and crime is directly correlated in third world countries.

 

[Maira La]

1. Agreed but....

2. What do u think, which comes at first, corruption or poverty? Don't you think, though we have enough natural resources and opportunity, our policy makers are corrupted or have lack of intel, so we have poverty. Or we have poverty, so we are corrupted?

Good question. A little off-topic, but, IMO, we have corruption because of poverty, and not the other way around. No law enforcement agency (or the army) can permanently eliminate corruption in BD unless the issue of poverty is tackled.
I can see only one way forward - changing the education system. Why do all the universities keep churning out only professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers and BBA/MBA graduates (the vast majority from low quality institutions)? What about vocational education? Education in the skilled trades? We can take full advantage of having a large young population if we focus more on vocational education and on turning the large number of unemployed MA/MSc/etc. people into skilled manpower. The economy booms and corruption bursts (well, not completely).

 

[idune]

For all RAB cheerleaders how many Chatra league, Jubo league and Awami league criminals and thugs were encountered by RAB?? Since, 2009 most of the crime, extortion, looting done by Awami League and its activists. There are pages of pictures and documents published in almost all Bangladesh newspapers.

 

[lonelyone]

I would just like to say, there is no 'justification' for crime at all. Just because a person is poor does not give him any right at all to commit a crime. Being poor does not give a judge any right to give a more lenient sentence to a convict. The law must be equal for all. (Ideally) Every single crime must be punished equally.