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id: 195148
date: 3/4/2009 12:23
refid: 09DUSHANBE290
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 08DUSHANBE1490|08DUSHANBE1523
header:
VZCZCXRO9076
OO RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0290/01 0631223
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 041223Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0116
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0014
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0031
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0024
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0015
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0185
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000290
SIPDIS
STATE DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/4/2019
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KISL, TI
SUBJECT: TO WHOM DO TAJIKS LISTEN? MEETING THE IMAMS
REF: (A) 2008 DUSHANBE 1523, (B) 2008 DUSHANBE 1490
CLASSIFIED BY: TRACEY A. JACOBSON, AMBASSADOR, EXE, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) Summary: As the Government of Tajikistan’s credibility
deteriorates and economic conditions worsen, Tajikistan’s
independent imams are becoming increasingly popular. These
imams are attracting thousands of worshippers during Friday
prayers, expanding their mosques, and enjoying a degree of
popularity that no politician in the country can come close to
matching, primarily because they openly criticize the
government. The imams see themselves as protecting Tajik Islam
against both the government and foreign influences. The imams
tend to see the United States as hostile to Islam, their views
colored by the Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine issues. Post has
begun to identify and engage these imams in discussions about
religious freedom and perceptions of the United States,
including by sending some on International Visitors Programs
(IVLPs). End Summary.
WHO ARE TAJIKISTAN’S TRADITIONAL ISLAMIC LEADERS?
2. (C) The government’s policy of tightly controlling religious
activity is having the opposite of its intended effect (reftel
A). Government attempts to
control and restrict religious life
have hurt government credibility, and strengthened the influence
of traditional Islamic leaders.
To identify these Islamic
leaders, EmbOffs spoke to local experts, including Abdullo
Rahnamo, researcher at the Strategic Research Center; Muhiddin
Kabiri, the Head of the Islamic Revival Party; Hikmatullo
Saifullozoda, the head of a local NGO and an IRPT official;
Zafar Sufi, the editor of Asolat, a religious newspaper; and
Abdughaffor Jamolov, the news editor of the Persian-language TV
station Jahonnamo. The experts
generally agreed on the most
influential imams in the country, and we have started meeting
with those they identified.
3. (C) On February 27, we met with Domullo Murodali, imam-khatib
of the Ispechak mosque (Dushanbe); Rahim Nazarov (known as Mullo
Abdurahim), imam-khatib of the Qazoqon mosque (Dushanbe); Hoji
Abdurahmon, deputy imam of the Yakkachinor mosque (Dushanbe);
and Mahmudjon Turajonzoda, who is affiliated with the Turkobod
mosque (outside of Vahdat). On
March 2, EmbOffs met with Mirzo
Ibronov (known as Hoji Mirzo), the imam khatib of the Hiloli
Ahmar mosque in Kulyob. Each of
the mosques is a Friday praying
mosque. All but one of the imams are in their 40s; Turajonzoda
is 52. They generally received
their religious instruction in
Tajikistan, studying with well respected scholars. Domullo
Muradali spent one year in Iran; Hoji Mirzo studied for five
years in Pakistan.
MOSQUES BURSTING AT THE SEAMS
4. (C) Each of the imams attracts thousands during Friday
prayers. Mullo Abdurahim
estimated that attendance for his
sermons exceeds 3000; Hoji Abdurahmon and Hoji Mirzo attract
5-6000. Crowds at Turajonzoda’s
mosque are usually between 8000
and 12,000. The growth in
attendance in recent years at these
mosques has far exceeded the physical capacities. On Fridays,
crowds spill over into the streets surrounding all of the
mosques; the line of cars on the road to Turajonzoda’s mosque is
well over one kilometer long.
Mullo Abdurahim said the number
of people coming to his mosque on Fridays has tripled in the
last two years.
5. (C) In contrast, the number of Friday visitors to the mosque
most closely associated with the government — Dushanbe’s Central
Mosque — has steadily declined over the years. There are no
longer overflow crowds to hear the sermons of Qobiljon Boev, the
mosque’s imam-khatib and nephew of the Chairman of the Council
of Ulamo. Friday visitors are
estimated to be 3-4000, about the
same number who visit Mullo Abdurahim’s mosque.
DUSHANBE 00000290 002 OF 003
6. (C) All of the mosques are undergoing major expansions to
accommodate the crowds. Mullo
Abdurahim took us on a tour of
parts of his mosque that were under construction; the additions
(including construction of another story) will at least triple
the size of the mosque. Hoji
Abdurahmon showed us around his
newly renovated, three-story mosque with a colorful dome; he
then showed us the adjacent building — equal in size to the one
we were in — that also constitutes part of the mosque. Even
with all of this space, crowds flow out into the neighboring
streets; the mosque just bought the apartment building next door
so it could expand.
7. (C) The money for these rapid expansions comes from small
donations by mosque-goers and large donations by businesspeople.
None of the imams we spoke to
made any specific mention of
funds received from foreign countries.
Hoji Abdurahmon told us
about a Kulyobi businessman living in Dushanbe who gave the
mosque $300,000. His only
stipulation was that no one know his
identity; he did not want to get into any trouble with the
authorities, especially the tax inspectors.
WHO IS COMING? WHAT DO THEY HEAR?
8. (C) The crowds at the mosques are not limited to those living
in the city; people come in from surrounding districts on
Fridays to pray at the mosques.
The imams’ reputations have
grown by word of mouth, but also electronically. Many people
who attend Friday prayers record the sermons on their cell
phones and then send the files to their friends and family. All
of the imams told us that the vast majority of the crowds — as
much as 95-98% — are men under the age of 30.
9. (C) The imams attributed their popularity to the fact that
they are willing to «take risks» by addressing sensitive
issues
in their sermons. They
incorporate current issues into their
sermons, and they often criticize government officials. All
speak about corruption, and offer practical advice to those
deeply affected by it. Hoji
Abdurahmon said that he once
criticized the Prosecutor General’s Office in his sermon.
Prosecutors who were in attendance opened an investigation
against him the next week. In
another sermon, he criticized the
work of the Dushanbe Economic Court.
A judge on the court
immediately stood up and shouted back at the imam. By contrast,
the sermons of imams who are affiliated with the government
often follow the «talking points» that are distributed by the
Council of Ulamo, and focus more on the historical aspects of
religious figures, as opposed to the religious issues that they
raised.
A FINE LINE BETWEEN RELIGION AND POLITICS
10. (C) The imams were careful to not delve too deeply into
political issues. When pressed,
however, they admitted that
their duty to «tell the truth» had a political aspect. Mullo
Abdurahim said «Islam is politics.
To defend your rights is
politics. All imams who respect
themselves have a duty to speak
out.»
11. (C) The strength derived from growing numbers of followers
has allowed the imams to disregard government attempts to
control them. They mocked the
Council of Ulamo’s attempts to
«suggest» themes for sermons.
They all detailed instances when
security officials brought them in for questioning, or ordered
them to stop criticizing the government.
They simply ignored
these warnings, telling the security officials «if you don’t
like what I say, you should have me removed.»
DUSHANBE 00000290 003 OF 003
12. (C) The imams see themselves as the bulwarks of Tajik Islam
against both the government and foreign influences. For
example, Turajonzoda said that government attempts to prevent
the Salafis from gaining influence in Tajikistan (reftel B)
would be as unsuccessful as the rest of its religious policy.
The real reason why the Salafis would ultimately have little
influence in the country, he said, was because traditional imams
oppose them.
IMPRESSIONS OF THE UNITED STATES?
13. (C) Mullo Abdurahim was the most open about his feelings
toward the United States. His
opinion has been defined by
watching news reports about Iraq, Afghanistan and
Israel/Palestine on European and Arabic satellite channels. He
referred to the «Jewish oligarchy that guides U.S. foreign
policy.» While not all of
the imams used such direct language,
Hoji Mirzo commented that reporting on civilian deaths in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and the Palestinian Territories drowned out any
discussion of the United States as a champion of democracy or
protector of religious rights.
MORE WORK AHEAD
14. (C) Comment: The followings that these imams have are larger
than those of any politician in the country. Our visits
corroborate prior observations that Tajiks — particularly young
male Tajiks — are channeling their frustrations with the
economic and political situation into intensified religious
practice. The government will
likely continue its ill-guided
religious policy, and traditional Islamic leaders who oppose the
government will become more popular.
Neither we nor any of the
imams we spoke to thought that violence or instability would
occur in the near future.
However, they agreed that Tajikistan
cannot continue on its current path; government officials who
have limited ties to the religious community cannot continue to
implement a policy that restricts religious expression.
15. (C) Comment continued: Despite their negative comments about
U.S. foreign policy, we presented the imams with copies of our
Religious Freedom Report, and spoke to them about religious life
in the United States. Each of the
imams — with the exception of
Turajonzoda — will be traveling to the United States on an
International Visitor Leadership Program in May. We will
continue to engage these leaders as a part of our political and
public affairs work. End comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 196086
date: 3/10/2009 13:32
refid: 09DUSHANBE302
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO5124
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHSK RUEHVK
RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0302/01 0691332
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101332Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0129
INFO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0007
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0202
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000302
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (HUSHEK)
INL/AAE (BUHLER)
ISN/ECC (HARTSHORN)
DEFENSE FOR OSD/P
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, PGOV, AF, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN FINALLY TO TRAIN AFGHAN BORDER GUARDS
DUSHANBE 00000302 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary: After months of deliberation and several
public
and private pronouncements by President Rahmon, General Gafarov,
Deputy Chairman of the Committee for National Security, told
INL, EXBS and OSCE officers on March 2 that Tajikistan was
prepared to go forward with joint training of Afghan and Tajik
border guards but only at the U.S.-financed regional training
center in Khorog. He also said
Tajikistan welcomed the idea of
training counter-drug agents of both countries there. End
summary.
2. General Gafarov, Deputy
Chairman of the Committee for
National Security,, meeting at the MFA with INL, EXBS, and OSCE
officers on March 2 said that the Government of Tajikistan was
willing to go forward with joint training of Afghan and Tajik
border guards but only in Khorog, the capital of the
Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Area of Tajikistan. This is the
first concrete step by the Committee for National Security after
several public and private pronouncements by President Rahmom
stretching back over a year. The
KNB General said the Tajiks
were only prepared to invite limited numbers of Afghans with the
exact numbers to be worked out with the Afghan government. He
asserted that the border crossing points on the Afghan side were
staffed with only 20 soldiers so more than five absent on
training would be an unacceptable burden on operations. Gafarov
said the focus should be on how to improve coordination and
inspection skills to facilitate trade via bridges at Ishkashim,
Khorog, and Darvaz border crossing points.
3. Emboffs pressed for inclusion
of the Border Guard officers
and soldiers of the Nizhniy Pyanj/Sher Khan Bandar port of entry
but Gafarov pushed back, saying that the U.S.-built bridge was
too far from the Khorog training facility and that Nizhniy Pyanj
was a busy crossing point where joint training would disrupt the
work of the post. Pressed again,
he threw up his hands in
(false?) exasperation and agreed to train at/near the bridge but
only if donors built a regional training center there because
there were no suitable facilities available. He firmly stated
that Afghans were not going to be trained in Dushanbe.
4. We agreed to do the initial
phase of training at the Khorog
Regional Training Center but reserved the option to train those
in and near Nizhniy Pyanj in the following phase of the project,
after identifying a training facility closer to the bridge.
Previously Gafarov had told us that he was looking for a
dormitory in Dushanbe where he could lock up the Afghan trainees
at night otherwise they would «walk away and do business.»
5. The Khorog Border Guard
Training Center is an ongoing
INL-funded project implemented by the International Organization
for Migration which began in 2005.
During the $450,000 project
IOM renovated an existing building on the border guard base in
central Khorog to serve as a regional training facility. The
training center has a dormitory for 24, laundry, dining room,
and a small gym and library providing a self-contained location
for students from the Gorno-Badakshan area of eastern
Tajikistan. By the end of 2008,
in addition to renovating the
structure, IOM and the Border Guards had trained 210 employees
of border check-points. For 2009,
IOM plans to teach 24
students each into four three month-long courses. The
instructors teach conscripts and warrant officers
(praporshchiki) checkpoint operations, fraudulent document
detection, migration legislation, English and Persian languages,
and computer skills.
6. INL Dushanbe anticipates no
logistical problems co-locating
the Afghans at the training center.
The next steps are for the
Government of Tajikistan to contact counterparts in the Afghan
government to make the necessary invitations for training border
guards and drug agents.
7. Gafarov spoke about the
utility of including the agents of
DUSHANBE 00000302 002.2 OF 002
the Tajik Drug Control Agency and Afghan counterparts into the
joint training regime. On the
margins of the October 2007
Dushanbe Border Security Conference Drug Control Agency Director
Rustam Nazarov told INL Officer that he agreed to joint training
drug agent training with Afghan colleagues.
8. Comment: Because the Khorog
Training Center is already
operational we expect to be able to move forward quickly, or at
least as quickly as the conversation between the Tajik and
Afghan governments. Dushanbe will
work with Kabul colleagues to
facilitate the dialogue. End
comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 196085
date: 3/10/2009 13:32
refid: 09DUSHANBE301
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO5120
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0301/01 0691332
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101332Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0127
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0037
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0200
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000301
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID, PCUL, SOCI, EFIN, TBIO, TI
SUBJECT: BRINGING HOME NEW IDEAS -EXCHANGES IN ACTION
DUSHANBE 00000301 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary: City planners, loan managers, librarians and
hospital administrators — groups of each of these have visited
the United States in the last seven months under the
USAID-funded Community Connections program. This program for
mid-level professionals provides many benefits. Participants
get new ideas that help them tackle their job with new energy.
It helps create networks of professionals to support ideas and
share experiences, and it gives key people in Tajikistan a
better understanding of the United States. For a country as
remote and isolated as Tajikistan, it can literally open up new
worlds. End Summary.
A Range of Benefits
2. What do city planners, loan managers, librarians and hospital
administrators have in common? In
the last seven months the
USAID-funded Community Connections Program has sent a group of
ten of mid-level professionals from each specialty on a three
week visit to a mid-size U.S. city for professional cultural
program. While in the United States participants stay with an
American host family. The city planners visited Jackson
Mississippi, the loan managers Bluefield, West Virginia, the
librarians visited Lincoln, Nebraska and the hospital
administrators were in Charlotte, North Carolina. Participants
are drawn from around Tajikistan, and as a rule do not speak
English and have limited, if any, travel abroad.
Pre-Departure Nerves
3. Though pleased to have been chosen, before going many are
apprehensive about what they will experience in the U.S.
Negotiating the cultural and linguistics barriers of home stays
is of high concern. They tend believe that hostility towards
those from Muslim countries is high and expect to experience
some personal animosity. They are unsure that what they learn in
the United States will really be relevant to their life at home,
and their travelling companions are strangers.
The Big Change
4. When they return home they come straight from the airport
where they debrief USAID, Embassy and program staff as well as
local press about their trip. Though travel-worn and jet-lagged,
the change is palpable. They express great warmth for America
and have established what they expect to be enduring friendships
with host families and others in the host communities. They
have forged friendships and the basis of a network among
themselves, and they have gotten new ideas about how they can
improve their work and their service to communities. Almost
invariably, among the first questions that journalists ask is
how what they saw in the United States. can apply in Tajikistan,
but the participants are ready with answers. Often what may seem
commonplace to us, has struck them with the force of revelation.
Southern Hospitality for Planners
5. For the city planners, who visited Hattiesburg as well as
Jackson, perhaps the most striking aspect was community
engagement—the town hall meetings, the publications of notices
and periods for public comment, explanations by officials of the
rational behind planning decisions, and coverage by the press of
planning issues. One participant noted that a City Council
member had a meeting in his ward for voters to discuss a
proposed city project. They also were interested in how a
variety of issues are taken into account-traffic, noise, demand
of for additional city services, whether water and sewage or
police patrolling, environmental impact, revenue implications
and financing. Another interesting aspect was the close
collaboration between the private sector and city government.
Though Tajik law and practice is considerably different, most
participants felt they saw a number of things that could be
usefully adapted to in Tajikistan to make city planning more
inclusive and effective.
DUSHANBE 00000301 002.2 OF 002
Banking Crisis Backdrop
6. With the banking situation reaching a crisis point during
their October 2008 visit, the Americans involved with this trip
felt it was perhaps a bit ironic to be passing on our wisdom to
Tajiks at this point. The group, however, remained unfazed by
the events unfolding around their ears and participants were
mainly struck that Federal Reserve officials still took the time
to meet with them during a stop in Washington D.C., despite
attending to the crisis. They were interested in community
banking and project finance, and the thing that clearly made the
biggest impression was the concept of credit bureau that would
give banks better information about the credit history of
borrowers and allow them to more accurately judge creditworthy
and asses risk. A majority seemed
determined to work together
organize something similar in Tajikistan, judging it as the most
important next step to developing the banking sector. Ideas for
improved staff training were another area which yielded rich
results.
Librarians Shake off the Doldrums
7. The Program Coordinators said pre-departure the librarians
probably the most gloomy set of participants yet seen. The
post-Soviet years have not been kind to libraries and their
keepers as they fell to bottom of the resource chain and have
been neglected and ignored. In
contrast, since coming back they
have been one of the most active alumni groups, getting together
and sponsoring a seminar per month on various library issues.
Aside from the sea of red shirts at the annual Oklahoma/Nebraska
Football game, the librarians perhaps were struck most by
drive-by/night depository, where patrons could return books
without actually checking-in. In
fact, similar practices that
symbolize the level of trust in U.S. society are often some of
the most striking things to participants in all programs. They
also marveled at «community center» aspect of public
libraries-
with children’s programs, movies, music and software, and
accommodation for the homeless. Though highly taken with level
of technology in U.S. libraries, perhaps the most relevant
concept was treating patrons as customers rather than
supplicants.
Preventive Medicine Strikes a Chord
8. Like their colleagues from Mississippi, the hospital
administrators were pleased to get the chance to see the Ocean
and felt the warmth of Southern hospitality. Professionally
they seized on preventive medicine, and especially promoting a
healthy lifestyle to reduce the need for medical care, important
concepts to promote in Tajikistan.
Given the weak state of
health care in the country, they felt helping people avoid
illness and accident was even more urgent. Proper nutrition,
breast-feeding, potable water, anti-smoking campaigns,
occupational safety, anything that would reduce the chances that
people need medical treatment was worth looking at promoting in
Tajikistan. One doctor noted she
was surprised but pleased to
see that handwashing campaigns were a permanent ongoing feature
in high-tech U.S. medical facilities despite the high levels of
education among staff. This is
notable because, because Tajiks
often feel that donor handwashing campaigns are patronizing,
implying that Tajiks are too unsophisticated to know about such
a basic practice.
9. Comment: Although exchanges are mainly seen as long-term
investments, we can see visible results almost immediately from
these exchanges of mid-level professionals. They return to
Tajikistan which a much better understanding of and positive
feelings toward the United States and take these impressions
home with them. They have almost
always had their minds opened
to news possibilities that let them take a fresh look at how to
organize their work and interact with the community. They have
a built — in support network of professional contacts who share
their experience and understanding, and who can provide moral
and practical support if they try and implement change. The
program also provides support to program alumni to remain in
touch with each other and with U.S. contacts. For a country as
remote and isolated as Tajikistan, the program literally opens
up a new world.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 196105
date: 3/10/2009 14:14
refid: 09DUSHANBE306
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO5176
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0306/01 0691414
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101414Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0132
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0039
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0209
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000306
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, SENV, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONS FARMERS PRACTICE GRASS ROOTS
DEMOCRACY
DUSHANBE 00000306 001.2 OF 002
1. (U) Summary: Assistance Coordinator for Europe Dan Rosenblum
visited USAID-supported Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) during
a recent visit to Tajikistan. The WUAs are already known as
assistance success stories in Central Asia. They have organized
farmers to cooperate in meeting their irrigation and drinking
water needs; they have contributed to community development and
helped demonstrate democracy in action.
Farmers in the
associations have seen their income increase and they have
gained the experience and confidence to tackle additional
community problems and to work with government. Women, too, are
playing their role. The associations’ success is now generating
broader interest among Tajiks in forming such associations.
Traditional democracy promotion is difficult in Central Asia,
which makes programs such as this with its powerful collateral
impact especially important. Success takes time, so sustained
support will be needed to continue to spread and grow the WUA
program. End Summary.
2. (U) During a recent visit to Tajikistan, Assistance
Coordinator for Europe Dan Rosenblum visited representatives
from ten water users associations formed along the length of the
Rohati canal. The visit
demonstrated why the water users
associations are a real success story in Central Asia. The five
associations from the more remote, downstream areas of the canal
were more experienced with association operations. When they
originally formed, the canal in their area was so deteriorated
that they received little or no water most of the year. When
advisors came and spoke to them about organizing to make canal
repairs and try to restore water supplies, the response was
enthusiastic and a village meeting drew high participation. With
the support of advisors, the groups were organized in a highly
participatory and transparent process that engendered confidence
and encouraged participation. The use of a secret ballot to
elect association officers was the key tactic that they credit
with ensuring that the right people were put in charge.
3. (U) Representatives described the many results of the work of
the association. Villagers have
now taken ownership of the
canal and irrigation system organizing themselves to do routine
maintenance, cleaning, and repairs. With increased awareness and
ownership, the water was kept cleaner and safer for drinking
purposes as well. They had an officially registered group
through which to address the government and as such were able to
get some official response. They were able to collect fees and
self-finance some operations, because with published budgets and
priorities set in group meeting, contributors knew what they
were getting for their money. Perhaps most importantly, the
increased availability of water improved harvests and on average
they said households of association members had doubled their
income.
4. (U) With farmers now organized, the associations did not
limit their activity only to irrigation and water issues. They
were engaging in joint procurement of seeds and fertilizer and
taking on other projects. The associations average about 15-20%
female membership and have active women’s committees. These
committees organized income generating activities like sewing
shops, taught courses on food preservation, and organized
village education and entertainment programs.
5. (U) Budget constraints early in the program prevented
outreach to the farmers on the foremost part of the canal who
were closer to the intake. Also, because these farmers generally
had better water supplies, they had less incentive to take on
the responsibilities of water users associations. The benefits
experienced by their less well placed neighbors nonetheless made
an impression. Some organized and asked for advice in forming
their own associations. This was
enthusiastically agreed to by
the existing associations, which can expect further benefits if
the neighbors also contribute to managing the canal. The older
associations have agreed to mentor the newer ones and offer
their experience with formal registration and other matters. All
have agreed to form a federation to increase cooperation among
the associations along the canal. Together, the 10 associations
will serve more than 3,400 hectares of irrigated land along the
53 kilometer canal, and although the actual association members
number just over 600, about 50,000 people are estimated to
benefit from their activity.
6. (U) Comment: At a meeting Rosenblum attended, representatives
of all ten associations were together for the first time, but
DUSHANBE 00000306 002.2 OF 002
among members from both old and new associations, there was a
palpable sense of empowerment—that they could work together to
solve some of the problems facing them. The agricultural
benefits in improvement to food security and income were clear,
but so was the support for basic democratic concepts of
transparency, inclusion, consensus and responsibility, and self
reliance. It has proven difficult to get clear results with
traditional democracy programs in Central Asia, but the water
users association model has shown how local grass roots
organizations directly focused on people’s daily practical
problems can introduce basic concepts of democracy in clear and
useful ways.
7. These programs are no by no means an overnight success, and
the active associations today are the result of five to eight
years of patient support through programs adjusted over time to
take into account lessons learn. They are now clearly bearing
fruit as interest grows in forming such associations in more and
more areas throughout Tajikistan and elsewhere in Central Asia.
The way associations work is a big change from traditional and
Soviet practice and continued advice and guidance will continue
to be needed to help the movement spread until a stronger base
of local knowledge is available to support new associations. End
Comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 196269
date: 3/11/2009 11:18
refid: 09DUSHANBE307
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO6263
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0307/01 0701118
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111118Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0134
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0009
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0019
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0041
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0002
INFO RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0211
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000307
SIPDIS
DEA HQS FOR OGE MONACO AND VASQUEZ
DEA HQS FOR SARI
STATE FOR INL AND G/TIP
ANKARA FOR DEA RD DESTITO
ISLAMABAD FOR DEA ARD DUDLEY
KABUL FOR DEA A/CA FITZGERALD
MOSCOW FOR DEA CA JONES
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: TWO TAJIK DCA OFFICERS SHOT AND KILLED IN THE
SHURABAD DISTRICT OF TAJIKISTAN INCIDENT TO AN UNDERCOVER MEETING
NEAR THE TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER ON FEBRUARY 27, 2009. GFUI-09-9322;
CCX: GFAN-05-8001
GFUI-09-9123
SYNOPSIS
—————————
1. (SBU) On March 10, 2009, the
acting head of the Tajik Drug
Control Agency’s (DCA) operational department provided a written
report to the DEA Dushanbe Country Office regarding the Tajik
DCA/Tajik Border Guard joint investigation and the events
occurring on February 27-28, 2009.
2. (SBU) The report related that
during the month of February
2009, DCA officers, assigned to the inter-regional section of
the Khatlon sub-office located in the Kulyab district, received
information that a group of four to six armed-Afghan narcotics
traffickers intended to sell significant amounts of illicit
drugs to unidentified Tajik nationals in the Shurabad District
of Tajikistan.
3. (SBU) Attempting to exploit
this information, the Tajik DCA
prepared a joint operational plan with the Tajik Border Guards
of the State Committee on National Security. An undercover DCA
officer was subsequently introduced as a purchaser of narcotics
to the Afghan traffickers, two of whom were partially identified
as «Said» LNU and «Juma» LNU.
4. (SBU) On February 27, 2009, at
approximately 11pm, between
the villages of Sarimargzor and Anjirob, Shurabad District (in
an area located approximately one kilometer north of the
Tajik-Afghan border), an undercover meeting took place. The
operation went awry, and a skirmish ensued between the armed
group of Afghan traffickers and six Tajik DCA officers and
Border Guards. Two Tajik DCA
officers were shot and killed.
They were identified as Captain Abdushukur Karimovich Olimov
(DOB: 04/09/1969) and Lieutenant Umedjon Sadulloevich Barotov
(DOB: 07/04/1976). Three Tajik
Border Guard officers were
severely wounded. They were
identified as Lieutenant Colonel
D.R. Mahmudov, Warrant Officer K.I. Manonov and Warrant Officer
R.H. Surhov. It is unknown if any
of the Afghan traffickers
were wounded.
5. (SBU) After the skirmish
ended, an inspection of the
surrounding area yielded approximately 52.5 kilograms of
marijuana and 12.773 kilograms of raw opium. Both drug
quantities were seized by the Tajik DCA.
6. (SBU) Information which was
previously provided by other
Tajik DCA sources indicated that the Afghan traffickers were
carrying AK-47’s and an RPG, and the Tajik DCA officers were
only armed with Makarov handguns.
7. (SBU) Other sources claimed
that the Tajiks were severely
outgunned with as many as thirty Afghan traffickers present, but
now it appears likely that this was an exaggeration initially
offered to serve as an explanation for the trouncing.
8. (SBU) This cable was prepared
by A/CA Paul Hackett in lieu
of a DEA-6, pursuant to section 6242.11 of the DEA Agent’s
DUSHANBE 00000307 002 OF 002
Manual. Please direct any
questions to A/CA Paul Hackett at
cellular telephone number 992-90-700-7095. Dushanbe is nine (9)
hours ahead of Eastern Time.
INDEXING SECTION
1. None
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 196271
date: 3/11/2009 11:20
refid: 09DUSHANBE308
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO6269
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0308/01 0701120
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111120Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0136
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0043
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0213
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000308
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID, TBIO, TI
SUBJECT: FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS CHANGING THE FACE OF MEDICINE
DUSHANBE 00000308 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary: The USAID-funded Zdrav-Plus program has been
promoting family medicine in Tajikistan through Centers of
Excellence, where family health practice is carried out and
where doctors from nearby areas can receive training and support
for practicing family medicine. There are four such centers in
Tajikistan, and demand is growing as the practice catches on.
Though initially resistant, doctors like the concept once they
use it, and they especially appreciate the training and
information resources provided by the program. A more
patient-centered approach is naturally welcomed by the patients,
too. Though there are still some philosophical differences with
the Tajik government over training issues, the practice of
family medicine is gaining ground more rapidly in Tajikistan
than elsewhere in central Asia. End Summary.
2. In recent months the DCM has visited three of the four
U.S.-funded Centers of Excellence implemented by the Zdrav-Plus
program in Tajikistan. In September, she visited the Istravshan
center which had been specifically requested by local
authorities. There she met with center administrators and a
group of local doctors being trained in family medicine. These
were perhaps the most grateful group of assistance recipients
she has encountered to date. In October, she visited the opening
of a center in Panjakent, where the basic but well equipped
center stood in sharp contrast to a shiny new clinic built by
the local government, where spacious rooms gleamed with tile but
lacked furniture, equipment, supplies or staff. In February she
visited the first pioneering center in Dushanbe, which launched
the concept and continues to add new innovations to serve
patients.
3. At the centers, local patients are each assigned to a family
doctor who oversees all their needs.
In case a specialist is
needed, the family doctor arranges the referral. This contrasts
to the Soviet method of specialists only, which required that
patients see a different doctor for every ailment, and locate
their own specialist. One aspect of this is the entirely new
concept of reception/waiting room, where patients check in at
reception, their records are retrieved, and they wait to see
their doctor, or new patients are assigned a doctor. Under the
old system, patients entered the building, wandered the halls,
poked their heads into various rooms to locate an available
doctor who agreed to see them. This culture apparently has been
difficult to break and the first center reported that it took
nearly two years to eliminate the hall wandering custom entirely.
4. The doctors at the centers all receive six months of initial
training which includes both lectures and on-the-job practice
with visiting patients. Continuing education then is
incorporated into the routine.
Once set up, the doctors
assigned to the center become trainers as well, going through an
eleven month train-the-trainers course.
Other donors are also
sending doctors from their programs to these train-the-trainer
courses as this program is becoming the model for others.
Doctors from surrounding areas come for a similar program of
lectures and practical training, seeing patients along with
their trainers. Once completed, they can use the center as a
resource center and their trainers remain their mentors. The
centers all have medical libraries and internet access with
subscriptions to medical databases, allowing doctors to research
symptoms, disease and treatments as needed. While Zdrav-Plus
feels strongly that training is best done close to where the
doctors live and should incorporate actual practice, the
government advocates a central training school in Dushanbe,
where doctors would live away from their home for six months and
only attend lectures, without seeing patients.
5. The doctors who are trained also receive a medical bag with
basic equipment like stethoscopes. But one doctor pulled out the
ten inch thick doctor’s reference manual of symptoms and
treatment, declaring it worth more than everything else in the
bag together. Though supplies and medicines are often in short
supply, doctors feel the lack of information most keenly, making
the information resources some of the most coveted aspects of
training. They also lauded the emphasis on working with patients
to promote a healthy lifestyle, and the fact that by controlling
the overall care of the patient, they establish a relationship
with and knowledge of the patient that makes treatment more
effective.
6. The patients seem to like the changes too. Though as
Westerners we may see a doctor’s waiting room as one of the more
DUSHANBE 00000308 002.2 OF 002
frustrating places in the universe, for those forced to fend for
themselves in the halls of a strange clinic, an organized
reception/waiting area is bastion of calm and order. Patients
also like seeing the same doctor whom they come to know and
trust. While some initially want «the specialist» for whatever
perceived ailment they have, most eventually want no one but
their «own» doctor even when a specialist is recommended.
7. The first center is not resting on its laurels, but continues
to introduce new concepts for patient care. Last year they
launched a patient support group for diabetes sufferers where
the patients and their family members under the guidance of
doctor get information and share their experiences on how to
cope with the disease and organize their lives to best manage
it. This has been very popular
with the patients and their
families. The center intends to launch two more groups,
including one for those suffering from high-blood pressure.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 196541
date: 3/12/2009 13:52
refid: 09DUSHANBE316
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 09DUSHANBE245
header:
VZCZCXRO7589
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0316/01 0711352
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121352Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0148
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0046
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0021
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY 0006
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0227
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000316
SIPDIS
ALMATY FOR USAID
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID, ECON, EFIN, EAGR, TI
SUBJECT: FOOD DISTRIBUTION PEACEFUL BUT POVERTY STRIKING IN SOUTHERN
TAJIKISTAN
REF: DUSHANBE 245
DUSHANBE 00000316 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary: USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)
provided Tajikistan with $3.35 million for emergency winter food
distribution for the most vulnerable in Tajikistan. On March 5,
Ambassador Jacobson visited Vaksh village in Khatlon province in
Southern Tajikistan to see food being distributed by implementer
Save the Children. Although some
men were present at the event,
it was only a handful compared to the previous week’s
distribution in Hiloli village (reftel).
Further, the severity
of poverty in the community was clear, with over 50% of village
inhabitants receiving food. The
anger over perceived inequity
in food distribution witnessed during Assistance Coordinator Dan
Rosenblum’s visit was not evident this time. End Summary.
2. With over $3 million of funding from USAID’s OFDA, the USG,
through implementers Mercy Corps and Save the Children, is
distributing food to vulnerable families in some of the most
food-insecure rural areas of Tajikistan.
The funding buys
flour, cooking oil and lentils in the region. Implementers
worked with local governments to identify the most vulnerable
areas and the most vulnerable households in those areas.
Criteria for assessing vulnerability of households included
those headed by women, headed by pensioners, with children under
two, the homeless, and the disabled without a source of regular
income or major assets.
3. On March 6, Ambassador Jacobson attended a food distribution
in Vaksh village in the Khatlon province in southern Tajikistan.
Vaksh village is an area without
irrigation that depends on
rain for agricultural production and drinking water. Of 13,000
people living in the village, 50% are qualified as vulnerable
and eligible for food aid.
4. As in most rural areas, nearly every family has had one or
more members migrate to Russia for work and to send back money.
Usually when visiting such villages, we see lots of women and
children and few older men.
Although the previous week’s visit
to a nearby village found a large crowd of men (reftel), the
Vaksh visit was similar to the usual experience. Around 200
people were waiting in line for their ration of wheat flour,
lentils, and oil. They were
predominantly women and older men
with perhaps 15 younger men. The
scene was active, with many
carts running this way and that, heavy with their loads of food.
The crowd seemed excited and
upbeat. There was no incident
similar to the small scuffle seen earlier (reftel).
5. Despite the happy scene at the distribution site, the visit
revealed clear signs of the increasing and crushing poverty of
rural Tajikistan. The local
Jamoat (sub-district government)
official estimated that half of the 11,000 migrant workers from
her area would not return to work in Russia in the spring, as
they have in the past.
Remittances from these workers in Russia
are an essential source of income for Tajik families, and their
decline will cause a sharp increase in the number of people who
require aid.
6. After visiting the distribution site, Ambassador Jacobson
toured a former technical high school dormitory converted into
housing for the poor, all of whom received food from the OFDA
program. Fifty families now live
in the facility, which has no
electricity, no water, and no glass in any windows. Those with
slightly more resources covered their windows with plastic
sheeting to provide some minimal protection from the elements.
One woman opened her door and invited the Ambassador in. The
apartment was home to the woman, her day-laborer husband, and
seven children. It consisted of
two small rooms and a hall —
all together they were smaller than an Embassy Dushanbe office.
The only heating came from a small wood-burning stove in the
smaller of the two rooms.
Residents of this dormitory were
particularly vulnerable to economic shocks because they lacked
gardens and could not grow any of their own food.
DUSHANBE 00000316 002.2 OF 002
6. Comment: The food security issues in Vaksh, just as those in
Hiloli, demonstrate the continued negative impact from last
year’s harsh winter. The
community was clearly worried about
the decline in remittances, and we will continue to monitor the
rates of remittances closely, particularly how many migrants
return to Russia this spring. The
visit was also a grim
reminder of the depth of poverty in Tajikistan, where villages
such as this one dot the countryside.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 197494
date: 3/18/2009 12:51
refid: 09DUSHANBE334
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO2694
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0334/01 0771251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181251Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0150
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0009
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0023
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0048
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0029
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0261
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000334
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN
ALSO FOR COUNSELOR CHERYL MILLS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID, PHUM, ECON, PGOV, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN FACING DIRE FOOD INSECURITY
DUSHANBE 00000334 001.2 OF 003
1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified — Not for Internet
Distribution.
2. (SBU) Summary: The food situation in Tajikistan remains
precarious. The challenges the
country has faced over the past
year read like the Old Testament: after the worst winter in
recent history, during which families faced acute shortages of
food and fuel, a summer drought and a plague of locusts resulted
in failed harvests. Then, just as
the autumn rains brought some
hope, the financial crisis hit, forcing layoffs of Tajik workers
in Russia and declines in the remittances the country relies on
to fund its imports. To top it
all off, poor relations with
Uzbekistan have held up critical energy imports, forcing most
Tajiks to spend another winter in the dark. As a result of four
successive seasons of misfortune, the country faces potentially
critical shortages of food. A
humanitarian crisis in
Tajikistan, sitting on Afghanistan’s northern border, could
easily become a security crisis in Central Asia. End summary.
A Series of Misfortunes
2. (SBU) The poorest of the former Soviet republics,
Tajikistan’s development indicators languish near the bottom of
international rankings. Its
1992-97 civil war slowed economic
and democratic development and gave rise to a leadership
obsessed with control and personal gain rather than economic
diversification and general growth.
A difficult situation has
been made worse by a series of misfortunes beginning in winter
of last year. With temperatures
twenty or even thirty degrees
below average, crops, stored food, and seeds were ruined. Many
families faced serious difficulties finding adequate food and
fuel. As prices for these
commodities rose, rural Tajiks (the
majority of the population) were forced to sell livestock and
tools, and spend their meager savings or borrow heavily in order
to survive. As a result, even
after temperatures rose, many
families remained acutely vulnerable because they had lost their
capacity to endure further crises.
3. (SBU) The disastrous winter has had lingering consequences
for agricultural production as well.
The cold temperatures
destroyed stocks of potatoes used for spring planting, resulting
in lower yields this year. Prices
of many commodities, such as
wheat and cooking oil, rose sharply in response to the scarcity,
and have not come down since. A
severe drought in the summer,
combined with a plague of locusts, further eroded Tajikistan’s
agricultural production, increasing food vulnerability.
4. (SBU) With only seven percent of its land arable, and the
government stuck in a Soviet planned economy mindset that forces
farmers to grow the USSR’s preferred crop — cotton — Tajikistan
has long been reliant on food imports.
Last year’s agricultural
difficulties only increased this reliance. These difficulties
were then further compounded by the onset of the world financial
crisis. More than any other
country in the world, Tajikista
