The Daily Star, Vol. 5 Num 58
Sat. July 24, 2004
Staff Correspondent
Indigenous people have been facing various forms of persecutions as they
did not get constitutional recognition of their rights, said Moni Swapan
Dewan, deputy minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, yesterday.
The ethnic communities will have to continue their struggle for
existence unless and until the majority people pay respect to their
culture and heritage, he said at the closing ceremony of a three-day
training workshop in the city.
The deputy minister said the existence of indigenous people are at stake
although they took part in the Liberation War.
Odhikar, a human rights organisation, arranged the training on capacity
building of the ethnic groups on human rights monitoring and
documentation.
A total of 16 representatives from seven indigenous communities took
part in the workshop.
Chaired by Odhikar Director Masud Alam Ragib, the closing ceremony was
also attended by Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, executive editor of the Daily
Sangbad, as special guest.
Later, the deputy minister gave away certificates among the
participants.