Free Jummaland (CHT) in line with East Timor
Bappi Chakma
Over two and one half decades, the indigenous people of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts, mostly Buddhists, Hindus and
Christians by faith, fought with Bangladesh for autonomy
and for protection of their distinct identity and culture
threatened with extinction for the latter's policy of
so-called national integration, locally called
'Islamization policy". The policy encourages systematic
demographic invasion or settlement of millions of majority
ethnic Bengalis, locally called "settlers", in the region
with state-fund and direct involvement of state-agencies
like military. It has virtually reduced the local people to
a minority (45% in 2001. Of the total population of the
CHT, Bengalis constituted 1.5% in 1941, 6.29% in 1951,
11.77% in 1961, 41% in 1981, 49% in 1991, and 65% in 2001)
with complete control over the local administration and
land and resources by Bengalis.
The 1997 peace agreement signed between indigenous leaders
and the government of Bangladesh provides provisions for,
among others, restoration of land right to indigenous
people, demilitarization of the CHT region and a local
government within the framework of a Regional Council and
three Hill District Councils.
The term of the Awami League government, the party to the
agreement, ended in 2001 without implementation of the key
provisions of the agreement. The Bangladesh Nationalist
Party, the then opposition, violated or manipulated it at
its sweet will. With the end of its term in 2007 a
Caretaker Government strongly back by the country military
took over the power and imposed Emergency and de facto
military rule in the country in the mid of this year. The
military cracked down all institutions and mechanisms
defending the agreement and the rights of the indigenous
people with force. Many indigenous political leaders,
including Satyabir Dewan, General Secretary of PCJSS, the
party to the peace agreement, and human rights defenders
were arrested as "terrorists" or persons involved in
"terrors" and jailed for 10-17 years. It has resulted in a
grinding halt to all activities of the indigenous people
and their organizations. The terrors unleashed by
Bangladeshi military forced the indigenous people to
accommodate with the state-policy of "islamization" without
any protest. It is breeding new problems in the CHT which
may drag Bangladesh into a vicious and long-standing cycle
of violence and instability. One of such problems is, as
developments suggest, regrouping of former guerrillas
coupled with new and hot bloods completely dedicated to a
new idea - Free CHT or Jummaland in line with East Timor.
For all this what responsible is Bangladeshi wrong policy
in the CHT.
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