The Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS - Santu Larma faction) has threatened to launch a non-cooperation movement from May 1, next year, if the government fails to take effective steps to implement the CHT Peace Accord 1997 by this time.
PCJSS Chairman Jyotirindria Bodhipriya Larma, known as Santu Larma, came up with the warning while addressing a press conference at a hotel in the capital yesterday.
The press conference was organised to mark the 17th anniversary of the CHT peace accord, which was signed on December 2, 1997.
Reading out a six page keynote paper, Santu Larma said the government was not taking proper initiative to implement the accord.
“We have decided to launch a non-cooperative movement against the government from May 1, 2015, if it fails to take concrete steps to ensure the full implementation of the CHT Peace Accord 1997 within April 30, 2015,” he said.
Terming the government’s claims regarding its success in implementing the clauses of the peace accord as a lie, he said: “The government’s claims over the success of implementing the deal is nothing but a sheer lie. It is giving false and confusing statements on the issue.”
He claimed that the government was violating the agreement by taking some anti-agreement initiatives and by enacting laws which are adversarial to the indigenous communities.
“Violating the agreement, the government amended three hill tracts district parishad law; enacted hill tracts development board law and also took initiative to establish a science and technology university as well as medical college in Rangamati upon their one sided decision,” Santu Larma said.
“Many administrators and ministers, including the Prime Minister, have been saying that some 48 clauses of total 72 of the peace accord have been implemented. Fifteen clauses have partly been implemented and nine clauses are on the way to be implemented, which are also not true,” he claimed.
The PCJSS chairman said: “The main issues of the accord have not been implemented.” Some two-third of total clauses in the accord are still unimplemented, he claimed.
The overall situation of the hill tracts are very poor as the accord have not been implemented fully, he said.
Santu Larma said: “Militant groups have recently increased their activities to foil the accord. They are attacking indigenous people one after another.”
“The incidents of grabbing lands of the indigenous people (Jumma) and evicting them from their lands are increasing day by day,” he claimed.
The PCJSS leader said: “A lots of indigenous family either have been forced to take shelter in new place or they are facing warning of eviction.”
“The main target the attacks is to uproot the indigenous people, and converting the non-Muslim dominated hill tracts into a Muslim dominated area,” he claimed.
Replying to a question, he said: “The non-cooperative movement could be violent. It depends on the situation.”
Pankaj Bhattacharya, president of Oikko Nap; Ushaton Talukder, parliament member and vice president of PCJSS; Noman Ahmed Khan, executive director of IEED; Robindronath Soren, president of Jatiyo Adibashi Porishod; and Advocate Nilufar Banu, a human rights activist, also were also present on the occasion.