Claim of ex-ambassador Peter Haas using Dhaka airport lounge proven false
On August 5, 2025, a list claiming to show a number of users of the Dolonchapa VIP Lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) began circulating on Facebook. The list includes the name of former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter D. Haas. Social media posts claim that Haas was in Bangladesh on that day and departed the country using the lounge. However, a verification by Dismislab found at least five inconsistencies in the document being circulated, confirming that the list is fabricated.
Several Facebook users shared an image (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), claiming that Peter Haas was in Bangladesh on August 5 and concealed his whereabouts.
At the top of the image attached to the posts, the text “Bangladesh Private Aviation Authority” appears alongside the logo of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. On both sides, in both Bangla and English, it reads “Dolonchapa- VIP-2,” indicating that the document is a list of Dolonchapa VIP Lounge users. Among the listed travelers, the name and details of Peter Haas appear.
Dismislab has verified the information it contains and found several discrepancies.
Next to Peter Haas’s name on the list is Emirates Airlines flight number EK-583. According to FlightAware data, this flight was scheduled to depart at 10:15 a.m. on August 5, and after a delay, it left Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:52 a.m., arriving in Dubai nearly five hours later. However, the VIP lounge list records Haas’s presence at the lounge at 7:10 p.m. In other words, the claim that Haas used the lounge in the evening for a flight that departed in the morning is illogical.
Dismislab found that another Emirates flight, EK-587, was scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Dubai at 7:30 p.m.—a time closer to the lounge check-in listed for Peter Haas. However, the flight was delayed by 42 minutes and ultimately departed at 8:12 p.m. This means the former U.S. ambassador’s listed lounge usage time, the cited flight number, and the actual departure time are all contradictory.
Among the listed VIP lounge users is Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, identified as a Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping. However, verification shows that he left the Ministry of Shipping in 2022 to join the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives. He later served as Senior Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration and was designated as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in 2024.
Another individual named on the list, Md. Ruhul Alam Siddique, is identified as a Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, records show that he was appointed Acting Foreign Secretary on May 22, 2025, and went on post-retirement leave starting June 20.
The list features the name and signature of Shahriar Chowdhury as Assistant Director of the ID Permit Branch under Aviation Security (AVSEC). However, according to the official website of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, this position is currently held by Nasima Shaheen. This indicates yet another inconsistency in the document.
In addition, Peter Haas is labeled in English as “Embassador (Ex),” an incorrect spelling. Furthermore, the organization is referred to as the “Bangladesh Private Aviation Authority,” whereas its official name is the “Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority.”
All these discrepancies point to the conclusion that the VIP lounge usage list is fake.
Notably, on August 5—the first anniversary of the July uprising—five leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) traveled to Cox’s Bazar. Their visit sparked speculations, with rumors suggesting that they had gone to meet Peter Haas there. However, NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwary dismissed the claims in a statement to the media, saying, “We had no meeting with Peter Haas. It’s all rumors and propaganda. We came for a trip.”
Additionally, another news outlet, citing the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh, reported that Peter Haas is currently in Washington, D.C.—not in Cox’s Bazar. Citing the authorities of the hotel where the NCP leaders are staying, the report also said that there are no foreign guests in the hotel, let alone Peter Haas. There is no question of a meeting.
