[🇧🇩] Chittagong Hill Tracts----A Victim of Indian Intervention

[Saif]

Rhetoric cannot hide CHT accord failures

Will the government keep its promises to the indigenous communities of the CHT this time around?

www.thedailystar.net

Rhetoric cannot hide CHT accord failures
Absence of political will is the main impediment

It is truly disheartening that even after 26 years since the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was signed between the then Awami League government and the leaders of the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS), most of the key clauses have not been implemented. The government claims that they have fully implemented 65 of the 72 sections, while PCJSS says they have implemented only 25 sections, with 18 others being only partially implemented. So, what about the remaining 29 sections that have yet to see the light of day?

Over the last 26 years, the CHT has faced indiscriminate land grabbing, agricultural monoculture, devastating hill cutting, and stone extraction by private corporations as well as state bodies. The indigenous people face regular eviction with depleting land to grow food and live on. In addition, they face violence (including sexual violence against women and girls), with little or no legal recourse and the perpetrators enjoying impunity that is hardly challenged. Access to health and education is also very poor among these communities.

Recently, CHT civil society leaders and legal experts have been gravely concerned by legal proceedings to question the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation 1900, which provides for traditional indigenous institutions and upholds customary laws, conventions and practices relating to lands, territories, resources and the family laws of the indigenous communities. To invalidate the 1900 Regulation would be inconsistent with the spirit of the Accord.

Despite the partial implementation of certain clauses, such as the establishment of the CHT Affairs Ministry and regional councils, the fact is these bodies remain largely non-functional. The CHT Land Commission also remains non-operational as there are no regulations in line with the relevant act, with a draft of the rules formulated for the act still sitting with the concerned ministry. Other crucial steps that have yet to be taken for the Accord to be implemented include an exclusive voter list for permanent indigenous residents and enlisting members of the communities in the police force.

Despite multiple declarations in its manifestos, in the 15 years of the AL's rule, the Accord has remained largely unfulfilled. Will the government, which predictably will retain power after the upcoming elections, keep its promises to the indigenous communities of the CHT this time around?​

 

[Saif]

পার্বত্য জেলায় শান্তি স্থাপনে জাতীয় কনভেনশনের আহ্বান বিএনপির

পার্বত্য জেলাগুলোতে শান্তি স্থাপনের জন্য দেশের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ রাজনৈতিক দল, পার্বত্য জেলার সংশ্লিষ্ট নেতা ও অংশীজনদের নিয়ে একটি জাতীয় কনভেনশন ডাকতে অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারের প্রতি আহ্বান জানিয়েছে বিএনপি। সোমবার (২৩ সেপ্টেম্বর) রাতে বিএনপি’র গুলশান কার্যালয়ে জাতীয় স্থায়ী কমিটির সভায় উপস্থিত নেতা

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

পার্বত্য জেলায় শান্তি স্থাপনে জাতীয় কনভেনশনের আহ্বান বিএনপির
এফই অনলাইন ডেস্ক
Published :
Sep 26, 2024 23:06
Updated :
Sep 26, 2024 23:06

পার্বত্য জেলাগুলোতে শান্তি স্থাপনের জন্য দেশের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ রাজনৈতিক দল, পার্বত্য জেলার সংশ্লিষ্ট নেতা ও অংশীজনদের নিয়ে একটি জাতীয় কনভেনশন ডাকতে অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারের প্রতি আহ্বান জানিয়েছে বিএনপি।

সোমবার (২৩ সেপ্টেম্বর) রাতে বিএনপি’র গুলশান কার্যালয়ে জাতীয় স্থায়ী কমিটির সভায় উপস্থিত নেতাদের বক্তব্যে এ কথা জানানো হয়।

বৃহস্পতিবার (২৬ সেপ্টেম্বর) সন্ধ্যায় গণমাধ্যমে পাঠানো এক প্রেস বিজ্ঞপ্তিতে এ তথ্য জানানো হয়।

পার্বত্য জেলাগুলোতে উদ্ভূত সংঘাতের ঘটনাগুলোতে সভায় গভীর উদ্বেগ প্রকাশ করা হয়। সভা মনে করে, ফ্যাসিস্ট হাসিনা সরকারের পতনের পর অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারকে অস্থিতিশীল করার সুদূর প্রসারী চক্রান্তের অংশ হিসাবে এই ধরনের সংঘাতের সৃষ্টি করা হচ্ছে। যা সম্পূর্ণ রূপে রাজনৈতিক উদ্দেশ্যপ্রণোদিত। এই ঘটনা দেশের স্বাধীনতা, সার্বভৌমত্বের প্রতি হুমকি। এই ঘটনাগুলো হালকা করে দেখার সুযোগ নেই।

পতিত ফ্যাসিবাদী শক্তি ক্ষমতায় ফিরে আসার জন্য পরিকল্পিতভাবে দেশের বিভিন্ন জায়গায় মাজারে হামলা, ভাঙচুর ও ‘মব লিঞ্চিং’-এর মতো ঘটনা ঘটিয়ে শিল্পাঞ্চল, ধর্মীয় প্রতিষ্ঠানে ভীতিকর পরিস্থিতি সৃষ্টি করছে বলে সভায় মত উঠে আসে।

বিএনপি মহাসচিব মির্জা ফখরুল ইসলাম আলমগীর স্বাক্ষরিত প্রেস বিজ্ঞপ্তিতে জানানো হয়, সভায় সম্প্রতি ‘বাংলাদেশি অনুপ্রবেশকারীদের উল্টো করে ঝুলিয়ে সোজা করা হবে’ বলে ভারতের কেন্দ্রীয় স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী অমিত শাহ যে হুমকি দিয়েছেন তার তীব্র নিন্দা জানানো হয়। দুই দেশের জনগণের মধ্যে সুসম্পর্ক বজায় রাখার জন্য এই ধরনের মন্তব্য থেকে বিরত থাকার আহ্বান জানানো হয়। ইতোমধ্যে বাংলাদেশের পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয় থেকে এ মন্তব্যে কঠোর সমালোচনা এবং বিরত থাকার আহ্বান জানানোয় সন্তোষ প্রকাশ করা হয়।

তারেক রহমানের সভাপতিত্বে অনুষ্ঠিত সভায় আরও অংশ নেন- ড. খন্দকার মোশাররফ হোসেন, জমির উদ্দিন সরকার, মির্জা আব্বাস, গয়েশ্বর চন্দ্র রায়, ড. আব্দুল মঈন খান, নজরুল ইসলাম খান, মির্জা ফখরুল ইসলাম আলমগীর, আমির খসরু মাহমুদ চৌধুরী, সালাহ উদ্দিন আহমেদ, বেগম সেলিমা রহমান, ইকবাল হাসান মাহমুদ টুকু, মেজর (অব.) হাফিজ উদ্দিন আহমেদ ও অধ্যাপক ডা. এজেডএম জাহিদ হোসেন।​

 

[Bilal9]

Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh integral part of India: Chakma bodies of Tripura

Chakma National Council of India and Tripura Chakma Students Association, who have observed August 17 as ‘Black Day’ since 2016, held protests across 11 locations of Tripura.

indianexpress.com

Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh integral part of India: Chakma bodies of Tripura​

Chakma National Council of India and Tripura Chakma Students Association, who have observed August 17 as ‘Black Day’ since 2016, held protests across 11 locations of Tripura.​

Written by Debraj Deb
Agartala | Updated: August 17, 2019 22:08 IST


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Chakma National Council of India and Tripura Chakma Students Association have been observing ‘Black Day’ on August 17 for three years now.

After seven decades of independence, people of Chakma ethnic community living in Tripura have claimed Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to be ‘integral part’ of India and demanded justice from the International Court of Justice citing grounds of ethnic persecution.

Chakma National Council of India and Tripura Chakma Students Association, who have observed August 17 as ‘Black Day’ since 2016, held protests across 11 locations of Tripura including Agartala, Kanchanpur, Pecharthal, Kumarghat, Manu, Chailengta, Chowmanu, Gandacherra, Natunbazaar, Silachari and Birchandramanu this year.
​

Wah! These people now asking India to send troops to Bangladesh sovereign territory to "free it" for them.

They snuck in from Myanmar a few generations ago, now they want "Joomland".

If wishes could be horses....I want what these people are imbibing in the hookah, must be good.

 

[Bilal9]

Crisis deepens as meaningful negotiation eludes CHT

Tension deepened in the Chittagong Hill Tracts with authorities failing as of Sunday to initiate a meaningful negotiation between the national minorities and Bengalis and take proper legal step to...

www.newagebd.net

Crisis deepens as meaningful negotiation eludes CHT
Staff Correspondent 23 September, 2024, 00:34

View attachment 8785
Army personnel stand guard in Khagrachari district headquarters on Sunday amid road and waterways blockade enforced by national minority groups protesting at the deaths of their fellows in the recent violence. | New Age photo

Tension deepened in the Chittagong Hill Tracts with authorities failing as of Sunday to initiate a meaningful negotiation between the national minorities and Bengalis and take proper legal step to bring the perpetrators of the sectarian violence to book.

The murder case, filed over the death of Mohammad Mamun, 35, on September 19, included three Bengalis as key accused, while mentioned previous enmity as the possible motive, indicating the involvement of a force that turned a rather regular crime into the subject of a violence that rocked the three hill districts.

The police failed to arrest any of the three key accused as of Sunday after failing to contain the violence in the first place though there were witnesses to Mamun’s murder, at least one of them being treated at hospital, according to the murder case.

‘Evidence is there on how the murder was committed and who might be behind it,’ said Kohinoor, Mamun’s sister-in-law, who talked on behalf of Mukta Akter, wife of Mamun who filed the case, as she was too sick to speak.

New Age correspondent in Khagrachari reported that the three key accused in Mamun’s murder are Jubo Dal leader Shakil Ahammad, 37, and two Awami League leaders Rafiqul Alam, 56, and Didarul Alam, 50. Rafiq is a former mayor of Khagrachhari municipality.

The case statement said that Shakil kidnapped Mamun acting on the order of Rafiq and Didar.

Mamun, who the police said stood accused in several criminal cases, was found dead on September 18. The next day several thousand Bengalis brought out a procession in Dighinala protesting at the murder, passing the blame on the national minorities and eventually launching an arson attack gutting nearly 100 shops and houses, mostly belonging to the minorities, and at least one Buddhist temple.

The arson attack forced hundreds of Buddhist families comprising over half of Dighinala’s population to flee for their lives to the forest. Most of them remained hiding in the forest as of Sunday evening at the time of filing of this report.

The Khagrachhari unrest saw three national minority people get killed on September 19 as it spread to Rangamati the next day where one more national minority man was killed and around 50 houses belonging to these communities were vandalised and set on fire.

The violence prompted authorities to impose Section 144 on Friday afternoon on Khagrachhari Sadar and Dighinala upazilas along with Rangamati municipality. The administration in Khagrachari withdrew Section 144 hours later the same day, while in Rangamati it was withdrawn at 11:00am on Sunday.

No cases were filed over the casualties in Khagrachhari until Sunday evening. At least two of the deaths, witnesses and independent human rights observers said, occurred after the military had opened fire on a gathering of the ethnic communities in Khagrachhari sadar.

‘My boy had gone to save a relative’s shop being informed that Bengalis were about to attack Swanirbhar Bazar,’ said Rupsa Chakma, mother of Junan Chakma, who had just turned 21, one of the three dead.

Junan’s family was given Tk 25,000 by the deputy commissioner’s office that promised a fair probe.

Rupsa said that they were yet to decide regarding filing a case over her son’s killing.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission, an independent watchdog, in a statement issued on September 21 said that the military opening fire on a gathering of ethnic minority people resulted in casualties.

Khagrachhari additional superintendent of police Tafiqul Alam said that they contacted families of the deceased who were yet to decide over filing of cases.

‘The police will file case over the incidents if the families don’t,’ said Tafiq without mentioning how long the police would wait for the families to complain.

No case was filed over the Dighinala arson as well.

The family of the fourth deceased, also a national minority youth, Anik Chakma, who died in Rangamati on September 20, said that they knew nothing about the murder case filed on September 21 over the death with the Kotwali police.

When contacted, Anik’s father, Adar Sen Chakma, said that he was not aware about a case filed over his son’s death.

‘We had high hopes for Anik. We sent him to Karnaphuli Degree College ignoring all our hardship,’ said Adar.

A case over the arson in Rangamati was filed on September 22 in which the police allegedly made every effort to keep the content of the case a secret.

‘A delicate crisis involving matters of mutual respect and trust cannot be solved like this,’ said Rahel Chakma, a resident of Dighinala.

Residents of Dighinala who left their houses out of fear had not returned as of Sunday evening.

Their hope of returning home faded after the meeting organised between ethnic minorities and Bengalis on Saturday afternoon over the arson attack in Dighinala ended amidst chaos with Bengalis reluctant to let ethnic leaders speak.

‘We were counting on the meeting to find a resolution to the problem through dialogue,’ said Chayan Bikash Chakma, chairman, Boalkhali union parishad, Dighinala.

‘They won’t even listen to us and we had to leave immediately after the meeting started,’ he said.

Several advisers visited the affected districts on Saturday to mollify the situation. At least one of the advisers was present in the Dighinala meeting that yielded no result, according to the ethnic leaders.

National minority people complained on Sunday facing obstacles from Bengalis during their movement.

The three hill districts, including Bandarban, remained detached from the rest of the country as the 72-hour road and waterways blockade that began on Saturday morning continued amidst an indefinite strike being enforced by the Rangamati’s bus and launch association.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Agreement Implementation Movement held a protest rally in front of the National Museum in the capital at around 3:30pm on Sunday, demanding fair investigation into the violence in the CHT by a committee comprising human rights activists and civil society representatives.

Their other demands included ensuring the security of the national minorities in the CHT, compensating the families of the deceased and those who lost their property, treatment of the injured, and full implementation of the 1997 CHT peace accord.

The students of Jagannath University also demonstrated in Dhaka protesting at the unrest in the CHT. The United People’s Democratic Front, regional political party based in the CHT, demanded a probe under the supervision of the United Nations.​

I see no recourse except ramping up the re-population of the Hill Tracts with Bengali settlers from the plains. And simultaneously increasing military logistics activity, recce and communications.

There is no 'indigenous' population in the Hill Tracts, as some of these Chakma and Marma people claim.

No country in the world will tolerate these kinds of 'illogical requests' by racist entities like these tribals, as few as they are in number. They are dragging in India to intervene in a sovereign country.

If you cannot live as free citizens of a free country in inclusive DEI fashion (and ask repeatedly for special status in a protected area), then there's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out.

 

[Bilal9]

Students call for restoration of peace in Chittagong Hill Tracts

A group of students has called for the restoration of peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Under the banner of 'Students Living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,' they held a protest rally at the base of Dhaka University's anti-terrorism Raju sculpture on Monday. During the public meeting, the studen

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Students call for restoration of peace in Chittagong Hill Tracts
DU CORRESPONDENT
Published :
Sep 23, 2024 21:11
Updated :
Sep 23, 2024 21:11

View attachment 8791

A group of students has called for the restoration of peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Under the banner of 'Students Living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,' they held a protest rally at the base of Dhaka University's anti-terrorism Raju sculpture on Monday.

During the public meeting, the students expressed concern over the oppression faced by native Bengalis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. They alleged that a faction seeks to take control of the region by removing military presence, aiming to separate Chatoogram from Bangladesh and create an independent Jummland. They warned that if not addressed, this could lead to the need for visas to access areas like Sajek, Rangamati, and Bandarban.

Rakibul Islam, a Dhaka University student, stated that there are plans to designate Chattogram as the "eighth sister" alongside the Seven Sisters of the Northeast. He asserted that efforts are being made to portray native Bengalis as settlers and pledged to combat any conspiracies aimed at separating the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The students called for the intervention of the army to restore peace in the area.

The protesters displayed placards with slogans such as 'No one is tribal, we are all Bangladeshis,' 'Abolish tribal quota,' and 'Tribal campaigns should be declared treason,' among others.

Later in the evening, they held a torch procession starting from the Raju Sculpture.​

Glad to see public opinion mobilizing, we are done with catering to these illegal interlopers like Hasina did, at the request of India.

We cater to Indian economy, and they do this to us with these tribals, enough is enough.

 

[Saif]

Wah! These people now asking India to send troops to Bangladesh sovereign territory to "free it" for them.

They snuck in from Myanmar a few generations ago, now they want "Joomland".

If wishes could be horses....I want what these people are imbibing in the hookah, must be good.

I think Bangladesh, China and Pakistan should join hands to separate seven sisters and Kashmir from India. If we fail to break India, they will surely make an attempt to take over Bangladesh and Pakistan to form their dream country--Akhand Bharat.

 

[Saif]

I see no recourse except ramping up the re-population of the Hill Tracts with Bengali settlers from the plains. And simultaneously increasing military logistics activity, recce and communications.

Bilal bhai, Bengalis in CHT are not settlers. The are the indigenous people of CHT. Tribal people in CHT are settlers because they have migrated from India and Myanmar.

 

[Saif]

আদিবাসী কনসেপ্টে বিশ্বাস করিনা !! পাহাড়িদের কড়া বার্তা ব্যারিস্টার ফুয়াদের