The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) has expressed deep concerns over the Home Ministry directives issued last month, including the one barring free talks with the indigenous people, and demanded the 11-point order be revoked immediately.
In a statement issued yesterday, the organisation described the orders as “unconstitutional, discriminatory and contradictory with the 1997 accord,” widely dubbed as the CHT peace accord.
It also criticised one of the orders that states the CHTC would have to replace “commission” in its name with some other word.
The statement was signed by three co-chairs of the commission – Lord Eric Avebury, Elsa Stamatapoulou, and Sultana Kamal.
The 11-point decisions, made on January 7 during a discussion at the Home Ministry, were finalised based on a report prepared by Border Guard Bangladesh. The issue arose in the media last week.
The CHTC claims that the directives are extreme and will create a huge impact on the implementation of the peace accord.
The decisions include ensuring the presence of a member of the local administration, BGB, or army when a Bangladeshi or foreigner speaks to an indigenous person, making the check-posts at the CHT entry points more active, and transferring former members of Shanti Bahini, now PCJSS – the other party of the accord, in police, and Ansar from the CHT.
Moreover, law enforcement agencies have been asked to ensure law and order in the CHT in collaboration with the army’s 24 Infantry Division.
Over a directive of conducting land acquisition after maintaining a friendly relationship with the local people, the CHTC alleges the BGB is acquiring land to establish its sector headquarters, battalion, and BOP only with permission of the deputy commissioner, while bypassing the Hill District Council, which is mandatory as per the peace accord.
“Although the BGB has been instructed to acquire land from the forest area, they are in fact acquiring the lands of the indigenous people ... ” the statement adds.
The CHTC alleges even though there are a number of check-posts in the CHT area, most communal attacks and torture incidents took place near those spots.
“Therefore, previous experience shows that instead of ensuring security for the indigenous people, [security personnel at] the check-post are doing harm to them,” the statement says.
The CHTC terms the order of transferring the indigenous people from the region to other places contradictory with the accord. “Such a decision will undoubtedly create mistrust among the indigenous people again.”
Regarding the order upon the UNDP to submit their reports for the $160m development project, carried out for 10 years in the CHT, the statement says: “The UNDP has been working around the country including in the CHT area. So evaluating their work only in the CHT will raise questions.”
On the order to change the name of the CHTC, the statement says: “The directive does not clearly mention under which regulation the word ‘commission’ cannot be included.” Mentioning two other organisations having the same word, the CHTC says the government did not take a similar step in those cases.
“By imposing such decisions in the name of improving law and order, there are huge possibilities the situation in the CHT will become more complicated, while such decisions will also attack the freedom of speech of all citizens in the country, including the indigenous people,” the statement adds.
