Over a thousand members of the Mro community on Sunday brought out a long march from Chimbuk Hill to Bandarban town, to protest the construction of a five-star hotel on Chimbuk Hill in Bandarban’s Thanchi upazila.
The protesters marched 30km from 9am till 2:30pm, while holding various banners calling for the construction to be stopped.
The construction of the hotel will harm the Mro community and lead to their eviction from the land, protestors claimed.
Also Read- Mro people at risk of displacement as Sikdar Group constructs five star hotel in Bandarban
They also said the hotel construction would damage the natural beauty of the area.
After the march, protestors gathered at Rajar Maath in the town and continued the demonstration.
The five-star hotel is set to be constructed on Chimbuk Hill by R&R Holdings Ltd, a concern of Sikder Group.
According to sources, Sikder Group has been trying to grab about 1,000 acres of jhum land from Kapru Para Bazar to Jiban Nagar area under the pretext of constructing a hotel and creating a tourist spot. The group has already installed many signboards claiming the land.
Also Read- ‘Stop exploiting indigenous people in the name of tourism’
Members of the Mro community claim the hotel project would directly affect six villages and indirectly affect another 70-116 villages.
They also said the project would displace around 11,000 jhum cultivators from their ancestral land.
