Rumblings of dissatisfaction over implementation of the
CHT Peace Accord are spreading in three hill districts
of Bangladesh, according to a research study
conducted by Arms Control, Disarmament and
International Security (ACDIS) Department of
University of Ilinoy, U.S.A. which is yet to be
published.

The decision of newly elected Prime Minister Khaleda
Zia to keep the portfolio of the CHT Ministry to herself
and suspension of distribution of tender on all
development projects and foodgrains in three hill
districts intensified the crisis in last few months,
according to the research study " Building Lasting
Peace: Issues of Implementation of Chittagong Hill
Tracts Accord," undertaken by ACDIS.

As the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board
(CHTDB) since 1976 and the hill district councils since
1989 have been in charge of different development
activities, this interruption is contrary to the existing
provisions under the law, says the study.

Both the pro-accord Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) and
anti-accord United Peoples' Democratic Front (UPDF)
and its allied organisations including Pahari Chhatra
Parisad (PCP) and Hill Women's Federation are
fomenting agitation in three hill districts demanding
full
autonomy.

Although the Ministry for the Chittagong Hill Tracts has
been established, the Advisory Committee has not been
formed in last four years since signing of the Accord
during the

Awami League regime. The BNP Government is just
five months old and it is not possible to unravel the
future trends and positions at this point of time,
according to political observers of home and abroad as
noted in the report.

A clause by clause examination of the implementation
process show that the post-accord grievances relate to
the government's failure to make the CHT a completely
demilitarised zone and lack of full implementation of
resettlement benefits of the returnee Jumma refugees,
according to Bushra Hasina Chowdhury, Lecturer of
International Relations (IR) Department of Dhaka
University who is conducting the research with ACDIS.

Besides there is dissatisfaction over the fact that the
internally displaced persons have not been fully
rehabilitated. As the complaints of Jumma Refugee
Welfare Committee go that almost 50% per cent of
12,222 refugee families with 64609 persons could not
return to their own homesteads and native villages.
Their rehabilitation under present circumstances has
become uncertain.

The study undertaken by ACDIS, University of Ilinoy
further reveals that formation of Land Commission, the
most vital point in the Peace Accord, for resolving
land-disputes between Jumma people and Bengali
settlers could not start functioning in last four years.

In utter violation of Section 64 of the Peace Accord,
the government had also allocated total 1,56,552 acres
of land including 9,560 acres of land for establishment
of Ruma Arm Forces Garrison in Banderban, 183
acres of land for expansion of Bandarban Brigade
Head, 30,446 acres of land for establishment of
Artillery Training Centre, 26,000 acres of land for
establishment of Air Force Training Centre, 72,000
acres of land for reserved forestation and 18,333 acres
of land as leased by District Commissioner without
consulting with the Regional Council.

Inclusion of non-permanent Bengali residents in voter
list of October election, leasing of fringe lands of
Kaptai
lake to Bengali settlers rather than to original tribal
owners, non-functioning of process of rehabilitation of
Internally Displaced Persons, further land allocation to
Bengali settlers by Deputy Commissioners of three hill
districts, lifting up of only 35 temporary army camps
and keeping in force of Military Administration Order
1973 are inciting frequent Bengali-Tribal riots,
incidents
of extortion and abduction by hill youths in the CHT
area.