The Independent, 23 January 2003
Top Story
Nazimuddin Shyamol, Chittagong
Armed cadres of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PC JSS), United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) and a few other parties are now engaged in open confrontation resulting in serious deterioration of law and order in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
Reliable sources said several armed organisations have organised their workers in the CHT. One of them, Bengal Tiger Force (BTF) was formed in the region two years ago. Bangalees, Tribals, retired Ansars, VDP personnel and many hill people were included in the BTF as members.
BTF is carrying out arms training for its workers regularly in the interior areas of the CHT. One Bangalee leader is reportedly patronising the BTF. This new organisation with several hundred armed workers will fight for establishing socialism as well as the equal rights for tribal and Bangalee people in the CHT, sources added.
On the other hand several top leaders of PCJSS had left their organisational posts in the seventh congress of the organisation held in November last year. These leaders went underground and started to organise the armed wing of the party.
The PCJSS has adopted a 33-point political proposal which includes implementation of the peace agreement, review of the land law of CHT, formation of task force for refugees, election of the Hill District Council, and empowerment of the district commissioners for giving certificates to permanent residents, etc. Besides, the PCJSS took decision to destroy the UPDF and termed the UPDF as a terrorist organisation.
Sources said a section of hill people is trying to bring back King Tridiv Roy from Pakistan who was a collaborator of the Pakistan occupation forces in 1971. He had left the country after the liberation war. Several political leaders think that King Tridiv Roy can unite the rival groups of the hill people. But sources said King Tridiv Roy is not interested to come back home from Pakistan and join the hill politics. One leader of Pahari Chhatra Parishad said a section of political leaders is trying to bring back the old king to makeover their failure in the CHT politics and this type of initiative will make the situation complicated.
On the other hand, the UPDF has been demanding full autonomy of the CHT and clashed with the PCJSS resulting in the killings over the last four years. Prashit Bikas Khisha, former leader of the PCJSS formed the UPDF formally on December 26, 1998. He accused the PCJSS chief Santu Larma of deceiving the hill people through the peace agreement. The UPDF celebrated its anniversary where the front line leader Sachib Chakma alleged, the government and the media have wrongly termed the UPDF as a terrorist organisation.
"We have political rights, so we should be allowed to speak. Through UPDF we want to speak about our thinking and rights", he asserted.
But the PCJSS leaders complained that the UPDF had launched armed attacks on PCJSS strongholds in the area like Mahalcharri of Khagracharri, Naniarchhar of Rangamati.
Sources said the activities of the rival political parties in CHT had caused more than 250 gunfights in the last three years. At least 100 tribal people were killed and several hundred others injured in the encounters after the signing of the peace agreement. Moreover many incidents of abduction took place in the CHT including the kidnapping of three foreigners from Naniarchhar under Rangamati district on February 16, 2001.
The UPDF claimed that 30 of its workers had been killed by the PCJSS activists. On the other hand 60 workers of the PCJSS were killed by the terrorists of UPDF.
Sources said one Army Major was shot at in a gunfight between armed miscreants and army at Kalapahar area under Naniarchhar upazila in Rangamati on Sunday last. The injured Major Anisuzzaman was admitted to the CMH.
One activist of UPDF Shuva Purna Chakma (23) was killed and another activist Dema Chakma was injured in a brief gunfight at Naniarchar on January 4 this year.
A total of 15 people were abducted by the miscreants in the CHT this year and the abduction had increased last year.
Army recovered a huge number of arms including most sophisticated rifles from
CHT during the Operation Clean Heart.