The Independent, 15 August 2002
by Staff Reporter
With the improvement of the overall situation in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a joint mission of the donors and the government has recommended resumption of development activities in the region.
In view of the improved law and order situation development assistance in a majority of areas in the Chittagong Hill Tract's region can be resumed, the Mission recommended.
UNDP Resident Representative Jorgen Lissner formally presented the report of the Joint Risk Assessment Mission to Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan at a ceremony held at the State Guest House Padma yesterday.
The report identified six priority areas like consolidation of peace initiatives, building of institutional capacity, focus on the poor, community participation and empowerment, small-scale projects, partnership and network.
The report also noted that the donors, as partners in development, are ready to provide financial and institutional support for economic and infrastructural development of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
According to the Mission report, a joint approach by the government and the donors should be initiated on the basis of a clear set of guidelines and agreed procedures for close collaboration in the field of development activities in CHT.
Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Reaz Rahman and Deputy Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Moni Swapon Dewan and Foreign Secretary Shamser Mobin Chowdhury were also present on the occasion.
Development activities in the CHT districts were stopped following the abduction of three road engineers of Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) in February 2001.
The donor community through the UNDP has recently shown interest to resume assistance for development activities in the area. The government of Bangladesh and the UNDP agreed in May to review and assess the safety and security of personnel, both Bangladeshi and foreigners, to be engaged in development of CHT and the possibilities for renewed development assistance.
The Mission led by Micheal Heyn, conducted the assessment from 1 to 10 June, 2002. During the visit to the Hill Tracts region, the Mission interacted with the people and the administration in all the three districts.
Calculating the risk factors, the Mission concluded that out of 27 Upazilas of three hill districts, 22 are at minimum risk for development activity. While four Upazilas and few disturbed localities offer moderate risk, the Mission felt.
Only one Upazila, Mahalchhari, in the remote terrains of Khagrachhari district was marked as "red" or high risk area due to political tension there. It has caused a "very unstable and insecure environment", the Mission noted.
Tension due to tribal and non-tribal feelings is high in Mahalchari where development work should not be attempted until the political situation improves, according to the Mission report.
The Mission suggested additional precautionary measures in the localities where security problems continued to remain a major concern.
Risk management of the CHT should be pursued at an enhanced rate through the establishment of risk management monitoring and reporting system, strengthening of local police, involvement of local communities and developing a mechanism to address long term issues, the Mission suggested.
BSS adds: Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan hailed "dramatic improvement" of law and order in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in the past year facilitating resumption of foreign aided development activities in the three hill districts as a positive development.
Receiving the report of Joint Risk Assessment Mission on CHT at the State Guest House Padma from UNDP Resident Representative Jorgen Lissner, the Foreign Minister praised the job done by the mission.
"But we have missed very valuable time in between," he said referring to the stoppage of development activities in the hill districts since three expatriate road engineers were abducted in February last year.
After the new government was elected in Bangladesh the donor community’s interest grew again in development in the area, he said.
The assessment of risk for Bangladeshi as well as expatriate personnel to be engaged in development activities began in June this year with the mission comprising Bangladesh government officials and the UNDP representing the donor community and the Asian Development Bank.
The minister described the area as a wonderful example of people of various faiths and ethnic groups living together for achieving common goals of progress, development and peace.
"But we have learnt an important lesson," he said, "when we work in isolation there can be a great mishap."
The foreign minister praised the Home Ministry, the law enforcement agencies as well as other government departments for working together in improving the law and order in the CHT.
"Law and order a year before, and today, how dramatically it has improved," he said.
Ultimately, he said, it was for the people of the area, the beneficiaries to judge the situation.
Jorgen Lissner described the mission as part of a longer process initiated by the international community and the government in restoring normalcy in the area.
Donors having interest in the area’s development including the EU, and the ADB, he said, came and "we all discussed it together."
He particularly called upon the media and the international press not to highlight the kidnappings of expatriates as Bangladeshis too were abducted.
Poverty reduction and social and economic development, he said, "formed the top of the agenda as the CHT did not enjoy development for many many years."
He stressed on confidence building measures to develop coexistence and inter-community harmony for which the international community was "truly hungry".
He said that the CHT could be an example of inter-community coexistence at a time when Kashmir and Palestine were on the news daily for the other reasons.
"It is easy to criticise," he said turning to the press, and added, "but you have to look for more constructive solution than destructive criticism."
Law and order in the CHT, Lissner said, allows resumption of development activities there.
Michael Heyn said his mission’s terms of reference included assessment of risk for development personnel, both Bangladeshi and expatriate, who were likely to work in the area and identification of development potentials of the area.
He said that the abducted DANIDA engineers were rescued unharmed, 30 persons were arrested for the offence and that the matter was now under investigation.
Heyn said that harmony "does exist" among different communities in the area on which a more positive future could be built.
The areas of CHT, he said, had been identified on the basis of high, medium and low crime zones.
The mission, he said, saw people of different communities, Bengalis and tribals, living together in harmony.
There is need for decentralised approach in development activities and paying attention to the land issue.
Pervasive poverty, food deficiency, 40 per cent unemployment, low income, low education, high dropout [50 percent), provided the context of development, he said.
CHT’s unique institutions, as no other area in Bangladesh have them, also provide opportunities to meet the challenges of development, he said.
But a lot of overlapping also need to be clarified to set the area on development
course, he said.