DPA
Wellington
New Zealand took a lead role in surveillance in Bangladesh, supplying intelligence to the international community and Bangladeshi authorities, but also spying on local security agencies, a news report has said.
New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has been the lead spy agency in Bangladesh since 2004, according to a classified document dated April 2013, leaked by fugitive US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, the New Zealand Herald said on Thursday.
The GCSB “provided unique intelligence leads that have enabled successful (counter terrorism) operations by the Bangladesh State Intelligence Service, (US Central Intelligence Agency) and India.”
Another document from 2009 said the GCSB used a special collection site in Dhaka to intercept local mobile phone calls.
The documents show the GCSB was providing information to Bangladesh security agencies as well as monitoring the internal communications of one of them, the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister John Key told the Herald the Snowden documents were old, out of date and could be fakes.
Previous Snowden documents released to the New Zealand Herald show that the GCSB used electronic surveillance on New Zealand’s Pacific Island neighbours, and on candidates for director-general of the World Trade Organisation in 2013.
New Zealand candidate Tim Groser was shortlisted for the job, but lost out to Mexico’s Roberto Carvalho de Azevedo.
