News source: Prothom-alo, a National Daily of Bangladesh. Date of publication: July 27, 2004
News link: http://www.prothom-alo.net/newhtmlnews1/category.php?CategoryID=5&Date=2004-07-27
News text: The indigenous Peoples' leaders of different countries and human
rights activists have appealed to thePrime Minister for implementation of the
CHT Peace Accord and also to conduct an impartial investigation on the incident
of communal violence in Mahalchari Upzila that happened about one year back.
This appeal was made on behalf of all the participants of the recently held
22nd UNConvention on Indigenous Peoples Forum at Geneva. This was informed yesterday,
in a press release of the Jana SamhatiSamiti.
In that appeal it was mentioned that:It has been observed with a deep regret
that though the CHT peace accord wassigned between the government and the Jana
Samhati Samiti in 1997 to end the long run conflict but someimportant articles
of the accord are yet to be implemented. It further mentionedthat in the last
few years the human rights condition as well as generalsituation of the CHT
deteriorated. The appeal called for formation of animpartial investigative committee
on the incident of communal violence ofMahalchari Upazila happened on 26th August
2003, withdrawal of allthe temporary camps of the army, ANSWAR, APBN & VDP,
withdrawal of themilitary operation named “Operation Uttaran”
and reinstitution ofthe land rights of the indigenous people in accordance of
the rules of LandCommission and rapid implementation of the all provisions of
the CHT Peace Accord.
Among the signatories of the appealwere Victoria Courpuge of UN Permanent Forum
on Indigenous People, LubimMacktinez of American UN Peoples Assembly, MatheiusAres
of Sweden Sami Council, Anne Fitz Patric and Hayato Lagamuba of UK, Tulia Lone
of Canada, Akiko Ando of Japan, Stifen J. Wasi of Germany, N. Paliama of Holland,
Permen Renaren of Spain etc.
In this context it can be mentionedthat like every year this year too the meeting
of UN working group on Indigenouspeople was held from 19th to 23rd July at Geneva.
In thismeeting more than one thousand representatives of the indigenous people
from differentpart of the world as well as from Bangladesh, representativesof
government and non governmental organization, human rights activists etc. participated.