Wed 29 Aug 2007
Court Rules Towards Dismantling CHT Peace Treaty
Posted by Eyshob_Dinratri under Army , CHT , Ethnic Minority
Asian Centre for Human Rights reports on the spiralling crisis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, including the new High Court Ruling that seeks to dismantle the 1997 CHT Peace Treaty that brought an end to the 30 year guerilla war for autonomy in that region.
The direction of the High Court on 27 August 2007 to the government of Bangladesh to explain as to why the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord of 1997 signed with the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) should not be declared “illegal” has come as a shot in the arms of the military. The two-judge bench comprising Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury has already set aside certain provision of the Accord by directing the authorities to allow the illegal plain settlers who were implanted into the Chittagong Hill Tracts to register themselves in the voters’ list.
Full report here:
http://www.achrweb.org/Review/2007/182-07.htm
August 30th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Has there been any newspaper coverage of the two deaths of tribal people in custody during the last few months mentioned in the report? It’s disgraceful:
“At least two indigenous persons have been extrajudicially killed in the custody of the Bangladesh security forces in CHTs since the declaration of Emergency.
On 5 August 2007, Rasel Chakma, son of Paritosh Chakma of Dewan Para village under Naniarchar sub-district in Rangamati district was arrested by the security forces and killed in custody. The security forces claimed that he died of heart attack but the body reportedly bore injury marks.
Earlier On 3 March 2007, a group of army personnel from Ghilachari camp under Naniachar Thana arrested Suresh Mohan Chakma, son of Phedera Chakma at Choichari village in Rangamati district without any warrant or reason. The victim was tortured at Ghilachari army camp in Rangamati district and he died on 7 March 2007, a day after being released.”
August 31st, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Appears that most people seem rather apathetic to this issue.
Those who propound the usual arguments about CHT being part of Bangladesh just like any where else seem to be ignorant of the historical context completely–the Chakma Raja agreed for CHT to be part of Pakistan in 1947 after the Pakistan government pledged to confer special status to CHT in view of its separate ethnic and religious identity. As a successor state, we are bound by the spirit of the same agreement. Instead a place which was populated by 98% Chakma and other indigenous tribes in 1947 finds itself overwhelmed by Bengali settlers; people who opted to join the Bengalis to be part of a nation now find themselves in danger of being largely disenfranchised and now our high court gives this ruling. Where is the sense of fairness ?
August 31st, 2007 at 1:46 pm
To get more of the historical context, here is a powerpoint presentation created by Amnesty rep.
http://www.acharya03.org/cht.ppt