Hill Voice, 12th January 2024, Special Correspondent: The news, destruction of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) bunker on January 11, 2024 by Bangladesh army at the place named Balu Pahar (hill) beside the Ruma-Rowangchari road in Bandarban hill district, published in various media was wholly a showy show- said reliable sources.

As the sources said, before the charge of the deserted bunker, the army hinted the KNF terrorists and let them move out of the bunker to a safe place.

The sources further added, the KNF terrorist activities have been intensified after the latest meeting between KNF and peace committee instrumented by the army and DGFI.

In particular, recently, due to rise of extortion, mugging, increase of terrorist activities including beating of villagers by KNF armed terrorists right at the army’s very nose- the Bawm, Lusai and Pankhua community including others Jumma people are in miserable conditions resulting mass fear and anger among the them.

According to the sources, the army carried out the so-called attack on the abandoned bunker of the KNF to cover up the KNF and take its credit.

A rights activist of Bawm community, who did not wish to be named, said that for the past 3 months, an armed group of 14-15 KNF terrorists had been staying at the government primary school in Jurforong Bawm Para in Paindu Union under Ruma Upazila. For this, the students and teachers of the school were forced to stop their class activities. Moreover, the local residents used to be forced to pay regular money as extortion to those KNF armed terrorists.

He said, the people of Juforong Para and its adjacent Bathel Bawm Para are virtually in confined state. He added, the people of these village neither say anything, nor tolerate them.

He also said, a section of KNF terrorists from Jurforong Bawm Para KNF terrorist group frequently stay at that bunker and run extortion including other terrorist activities. Yesterday, a group of army conducted the so called attack on that bunker at Balu Pahar (hill).

According to several local sources, in the middle of last December, an armed group of KNF started extorting and looting in the adjacent areas including Ruma-Rwangchari road after taking position in Balu Pahar. They carried out terrorist acts one after another before the security forces’ very eyes.

The sources further added, on January 9, 2024, a group of army itself went to Balu Pahar, and talking to KNF, they guarded the KNF armed terrorists to move away to Jurforong Bawm Para. The next day (January 10), around between 9am-10am, an army team intermittently fired several blank rounds from Tabil Pahar, between Ronin Para and Painkhyang Para. This caused panic among the residents of the surrounding areas.

Just after the day, the army began propagating -they had destroyed the KNF bunker in Balu Pahar.

A Bawm community elderly person, who did not want to be named, said that these actions of the army are ridiculous and nothing but staging drama.