The Chittagong Hill Tracts region hitherto starving of good news must have
woken up last morning to a rather musical note of an auspicious tiding. The
donors are set to resume development assistance to all but one of the 27 police
stations under Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari districts. Even though
Mahalchhari under Khagrachhari is going to be left out for the time being, due
to its risk potential, it won't be long before its susceptibility to trouble
evaporates. How other thanas gain from the massive development undertaking is
likely to have a positive demonstrative effect on Mahalchhari by way of improving
its security standing.
By hindsight, there has been a prolonged stoppage of development assistance
to Chittagong Hill Tracts since the abduction of three expatriate road engineers
from Rangamati on February 16 last year. The foreigners working on a DANIDA
project were waylaid and taken hostage. After month-long manhunt accompanied
by painstaking negotiations they could be rescued unharmed. In a sense that
was the furthest the outlawed elements could get in their extortionist forays
and yet remarkably, to the relief of everybody, it fell short of the spine-chilling
consequences of a few kidnapping incidents one has known in relation to some
other hot-spots.
After nearly one year and quarter long suspension of assistance to the CHT by
the development organisations and donor countries, the Government of Bangladesh
(GOB) and the UNDP felt the need for a re-assessment of the security situation
in the region. It was this common realisation that, in May this year, led to
the formation of a joint assessment committee comprising representatives of
the government and the donor agencies and its dispatch to the CHT region for
a review exercise.
The objective, modalities and speed with which the joint committee has delivered
its report merits commendation, let alone the very high quality of its outcome.
The whole range of safety and security concerns for the Bangladeshis and expatriates
who may visit or be stationed in the CHT for development work have been addressed.
The findings of the report sound positive with a tinge of pragmatism and also
highly comprehensive with the recommendations appended to it. The joint assessment
committee has reached the conclusion that the prevailing law and order situation
admitted of an immediate re-start of the suspended development activities. While
making such a recommendation, the committee has been duly cognizant of an incidence
of kidnapping and extortion of development workers, albeit on a reduced scale.
The crimes are put down to regional party conflicts and fund-raising through
illegal toll-collection. There is also a recognition of the fact that potential
for tension and conflict exists owing to tribal and non-tribal differences and
persistence of problems concerning land, election and law and order situation.
All the differences cannot be ironed out overnight but the common yearning for
development should act as a catalyst.
It's heartening to note the mission was primarily inspired by the knowledge
that while many development partners of Bangladesh were ready to resume socio-economic
assistance to the CHT, in some cases, they were even willing to raise the quantum
of it. It's imperative therefore that peace reigns supreme among the tribal
communities themselves and as between them and the settlers from plainland.
On the security front, the suggestion that the risk management capacity be enhanced
in the CHT merits immediate consideration. To this end, we need to set up monitoring
and reporting mechanism by a close networking between the local police and the
communities. The local police will have to be strengthened so as to make them
competent to run the camps which are now being operated by the army. The latter
would like to be in the garrison.
The best underpinnings to peace and stability can come from an all-round development
of the area. The economy has stagnated during the last 25 years of insurgency
and the society caught up in the whirlwind of poverty and low literacy levels.
The region needs massive investments to grow. Now that the risk to development
workers and equipment in the CHT is 'at an acceptable level', there should be
no dearth of FDI infusion alongside an ODA inflow. Our own private sector could
be enthused to invest if they receive equity support from banks. We should turn
our attention to the region that offers golden opportunities for a whole range
of processing, furniture, service and tourism industries to develop.