The Independent, 29 September 2003
http://independent-bangladesh.com/news/sep/29/29092003mt.htm#A1
Disillusioned tribesmen term JSS politically bankrupt
and Santu Larma Yasir Arafat
Audity Falguni, back from Khagrachhari
[This is the fifth part of a six-part series on the situation in Chittagong Hill Tracts following an incident at Mahalchhari on August 26]
Slow pace of implementation of the peace accord is making the common hill people annoyed at the leadership of Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS).
The general perception that JSS has failed to implement the accord in last six years and also failed to protect the hill people in post-accord ethnic violence. Most of them are disillusioned with the JSS. The JSSfs list of failure is long as they could not return the land and homes to their supporters. As a result, the popularity of the United Peoplefs Democratic Front (UPDF) is declining day by day.
The UPDF, the armed guerrilla organisation which was born to protest the peace accord in December, 1997, and now pressing for efull autonomy of the hill people,f is being seen as the voice of the tribal population. The latest Mahalchhari incident has given an additional boost to the organisation.
"We consider Santu Larma as part of the ruling section of the country who betrayed the long struggle of the hill people for his greed for power. Larma is a stooge of the establishment and the atrocity of Mahalchhari incident manifests that peace accord is nothing but a mere paperwork and it cannot protect the hill people anyway," said Dharmajyoti Chakma, District representatives of UPDF at his office in Khagrachhari Swanirbhar Bazar on last Sunday.
"UPDF does not understand Awami League or BNP or peace accord. Our only goal is to attain full autonomy of the hill people through movement," said Milton Chakma, another District representative of UPDF to The Independent.
Although the UPDF mentioned that it is committed to eregular and systematic movement,f the officials of Khagrachhari, preferring anonymity, said that the UPDF provides extensive armed training to its members and stockpiled huge arms and ammunition to carry on its movements.
"Popularity of UPDF is soaring. Two weeks ago, UPDF organised a demonstration where nearly 10,000 hill people attended whereas a simultaneous JSS meeting could not attained more than 1,000 supporters," the officials added.
The UPDF is also alleged to have been involved in the abduction of Bengali-speaking Hindu businessman Rupam Mahajan that subsequently sparked violence in Mahalchhari.
The UPDF leaders, however, denied the charge of abducting Rupam Mahajan or the allegation of kidnapping three foreign engineers in 2001.
They sharply criticised the government for the Mahalchhari incident saying it happened in presence of Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan MP, the DC and SP of the district.
"The government did not comply with any of our six-pointf demands made in our press conference on August 30. We demanded formation of an all-party Parliamentary Committee to probe the incident, removal of Mahalchhari Zone Commander and concerned officials, rehabilitation of the affected families and reconstruction of the Buddhist temples," said Dharmajyoti Chakma.
"We would launch a serious movement if the government continues to ignore our demands," he added.
The UPDF is organisationally divided into three units: UPDF, Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP), Hill Womenfs Federation (HWF).
The UPDF central committee consists of five members while Khagrachhari district unit consists of eight members and HWF central committee consists of 17 members. The Hill women are a major force behind the UPDF guerilla activities.