Daily Star, Tue. December 02, 2003

Shantu warns a volatile CHT
Non-implementation of pact

Staff Correspondent

Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Regional Council Jyotirindra
Bodhipriya Larma alias Shantu Larma warned that if the government does
not implement the peace accord, the situation in the region would turn
volatile again and the government would be responsible for that.
He said the government was not implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts
(CHT) Peace Accord -- due to lack of goodwill.
He said this while speaking at a roundtable on "CHT situation -- aren't
we heading towards a catastrophe?" The roundtable was held yesterday at
the CIRDAP auditorium. Justice Habibur Rahman, former chief advisor of
the caretaker government, was present as chief guest.
Habibur Rahman said that governments do not have faith in people and
generally violate agreements. But it was still good that the government
did not reject the accord as such, and was in the process of
implementing it. "If the government fulfils the hills people's demands
we will not lose anything.
Their interest and ours do not clash apparently," he said.
The former chief justice said that the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati
Samity (PCJSS) had shown lot of patience until this time and hopefully
it would show more. He expected the leaders would avoid any sort of
violence in the country.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum and Research and Development Collectives (RDC)
jointly organised the roundtable.
Besides the leaders of the PCJSS, researchers, media personnel,
politicians and members of the civil society attended the roundtable.
Rupayan Dewan, vice president of the PCJSS and Dr Mesbah Kamal presented
keynote papers at the meeting.
Shantu Larma accused the government of not implementing the peace pact.
He said that they have achieved the peace accord after 20 years of
struggle. There was a lot of bloodshed and sacrifice behind the peace
pact and that cannot be wasted in such a way, he said. The people of the
CHT region were divided, he said, due to the conspiracy of the party in
power.
Secretary General of the Bangladesh Awami League Abdul Jalil said that
they had the goodwill to implement the accord. But they could not do so
due to some obligations that were difficult to avoid at that time.
However, he said, now it should be made a national issue so that it
could be implemented.
The speakers urged to form a forum on CHT comprising members of the
civil society and politicians to monitor the situation and take
necessary steps. They said that CHT problem was not a regional one and
should be raised at the national level to resolve it.
Rupayan Dewan described the little progress and achievements of the
peace accord under the present government. He said that the government
was slowly vitiating the situation in the CHT owing to its lack of
goodwill in implementing the pact.
Bazlur Rahman, acting editor of The Sangbad, said that the present
government should make its stand on the peace accord clear.
The government has been pitting the Bangalees against the indigenous
people, observed Dr Mesbah Kamal.
Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Bangladesh Communist
Party, said the government should first decide whether all communities
of the country have the right to govern themselves or only powerful
communities would dominate others.
Worker's Party Chairman Rashed Khan Menon said that the government
should take the matter seriously and sincerely try to resolve it.
Prof Ajay Ray said that the army was administering the CHT region and
that should not continue any longer in any democratic country.
Dr Kazi Faruk Ahmed said that proper development was not possible in any
divided society as in the CHT region.
Drama acitivist Mamunur Rashid, Sumanalangkar Mahathero, Yusuf Islam, Dr
Sadeqa Halim, Neem Chandra Bhoumik, Nasrin Siraj, Santashito Chakma
Bakul also addressed the meeting. Prof HK Arefin delivered the welcome
address.