Statement by Udvasan Chakma
Secretary for International Affairs, Hill Student Council (PCP)

Whenever we talk about overall human rights situation of any nation we need to remind ourselves of the inter-relationship between the right to self- determination, and land and resource rights. The indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts have had to go through a long period of conflict and militarization before it could conclude the CHT Accord that was signed on 2 December, 1997. This accord recognizes many of the rights, but many of its key provisions are still not being implemented by the Government of Bangladesh.

The situation of the indigenous peoples of the plains regions of Bangladesh is also very alarming. In many areas they are subjected to extreme discriminatory situations in offices, markets and public places. Lands of the different peoples, including the Rakhaing, Garo, Santal, Tanchangya, Oraon, Rajbangshi, and Khasi continue to be taken over by non-indigenous people. Such land alienation is forbidden by the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950, and the ILO Convention No. 107 (ratified by Bangladsh), but it nevertheless continues. The lands of Garo and Khasis have been arbitrarily included within so-called "Eco-Parks" and "National Parks" for the benefit of city-dwellers and foreign tourists. Last year, while peacefully leading a demonstration against the construction of a wall in Madhupur forest, indigenous activist Piren Snal was shot and killed by armed Forest guards. Health and education standards of indigenous areas are clearly among the lowest in the country. Indigenous languages are not allowed to be taught in schools, leading to weakening of these languages and very high primary school dropouts.

One of the worst developments in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was the transfer program of 1979-1985 whereby the Government of Bangladesh brought one hundred and fifty thousand Bengali Muslim people and re-settled them with the S S military, on lands owned or traditionally used and occupied by indigenous people.

Thus the Government of Bangladesh continues to artificially alter the demographic map of the CHT - like -ethnic cleansing - by helping the settlers through land grants credit and even food program support. In contrast, in 2003, the government stopped supplying rations to the those indigenous people who were earlier refugees who had to take shelter in India. We have demanded that such discriminatory practices be stopped and the Bengali Muslim settlers rehabilitated properly but not on our lands The European Parliament even adopted a budget line to help the repatriation of these settlers outside the CHT, but the Government of Bangladesh did not accept the proposal.

Until today, those indigenous people who were forcefully pushed out of their lands by the settlers have not been able to return to their own homes and lands. The government has formed a Task Force rehabilitate the displaced people, but the Task Force has not been able to do its work yet. According to the CHT Accord, a Land Commission was formed to resolve land disputes. However, the law that was passed in 2001 gives too much power to the chairperson of the commission and otherwise provides the Commission with less jurisdiction than was agreed in the Accord. This also demonstrates that the government is not interested in resolving the land disputes in accordance with the 1997 Accord. It is determined to continue to alter the demographic character of the CHT and make it a Bengali Muslim-majority area, where we will not be able to live with dignity as distinct peoples with our own languages, religions and cultures.

In all these struggles of the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh, we seek the support and solidarity of governments, peoples and organizations that believe in democracy and human rights.