'Army biggest violator of indigenous people's rights'
Dhaka, Dec 11 (bdnews24.com)—An indigenous people's organisation has
claimed that the army is most responsible for human rights violation
in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Kapaeeng Foundation made the allegation on the basis of two-year-long
findings contained in a human rights report unveiled at the National
Academy for Planning and Development auditorium in the capital's
Kataban on Saturday. Foundation advisor Mangal Kumar Chakma
highlighted the key findings.
"In 2009-2010, roughly five Jumma women were killed and around 14
others were raped and molested by the security forces and Bengali
settlers," the report said.
"The Parliament passed the National Human Rights Commission Act on
July 9 2009. However, probes into human rights violation of
indigenous/Adivasi and ethnic minorities by the military and law
enforcers were left out of the commission's jurisdiction," it added.
The report also pointed out that only a few of the 453 temporary
military camps in the hill tracts have been removed. It also alleged
that the government claim of their removal causing anarchy in the area
is only a cover-up for their unwillingness to do so.
It added that 511 indigenous homes were set on fire and 97 Jummas
injured, pointing out that the police arrested 10 indigenous people
over these incidents, but no settler.
The report also claimed that even the budgetary allocations are
discriminatory; even though indigenous people constitute 1.13 percent
of the total population, they have been allocated only 0.32 percent of
the Annual Development Programme allocations.
It also claimed that there are no set policies regarding admission
quota for indigenous people and said, "In some cases, it is totally
dependent on the whims of the concerned institution's authority."
The programme's chief guest retired justice Ghulam Rabbani pointed out
that the inequality is only possible as the constitution does not
ensure the rights of the indigenous communities. He added that it is
high time to preserve their rights through making constitutional
amendments, formulating new tenancy regulations for them and founding
indigenous academies.
Mangal said that the observation was carried out with the assistance
of Oxfam and that a similar report was published earlier in 2008.
English-language Daily Sun editor Syed Anwar Hossain urged the
government to determine the nationality and exact number of indigenous
people. At the same time, he urged the government to re-consider
referring to indigenous people as Upajati (sub-nation).
The programme was presided over by the organisation president
Rabindranath Saren. Among others, Oxfam resident representative Gareth
Price Jones and Dhaka University teacher Dalem Chandra Barman
addressed the programme.
http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=181343&cid=2
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