Hill Voice, 10 August 2024, International Desk: Under the banner of Indigenous Community, the Indigenous Jumma peoples have celebrated the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York on August 9 to demand the ‘stop the conspiracy’ to cancel the ‘Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation-1900’ and to stop murders, enforced disappearances and massacres in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and to provide constitutional recognition to the indigenous Jumma peoples as Indigenous Peoples.

Activist Sushil Jibon Chakma gave a welcome speech at the event. He insisted on ensuring the rights of indigenous Jumma peoples in the CHT, Bangladesh.

Activist Mong A Prue Marma gave a speech at the program. He said, Kalpana Chakma was abducted in the hills in 1996, but no one knows where she is. Since the conflict started in the CHT, everyone knows what human rights have been violated on Jumma people. Even after the signing of the CHT Accord in 1997, the trend of human rights violations continues till now. But due to the pressure of the state forces, the news of human rights violation is not published in the national dailies and electronic media.

He also said that recently Hindus were attacked in Jessore and Khulna districts and their houses were ransacked. Protesting the government’s recent reduction in the quota of Adivasi jobs from 5% to 1%, he demanded reservation of 5% quota in jobs for Adivasi.

In her speech, Chanchana Chakma, the leader of women’s rights, said, the existence of indigenous Jumma peoples in the CHT is in a difficult state today. Jumma people have no rights, no security there. She protested against all kinds of misdeeds and abuses of the state. She said that the Bangladesh state never speaks for the indigenous Jumma peoples. Rather, they conspire how to undermine the rights of the indigenous peoples. She demanded the security of indigenous peoples and minorities in Bangladesh.

She said that CHT Accord was signed in 1997 to solve the CHT problem through political and peaceful means. But that agreement has not yet been properly implemented. She urged the United Nations to put pressure on the Bangladesh government to implement the CHT Accord.

Uchingmong Chowdhury conducted the programme. He raised demand for the constitutional recognition of all indigenous and their rights as per the theme for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on this year – “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact”.

The participants held up placards with various demands. The demands were- ‘Recognize Us as Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh’, ‘Implement the CHT Accord fully’, ‘Stop conspiracy for Abolition of 1900 CHT Regulation’, ‘Remove Military from CHT., ‘Function the Land Commission in CHT’, ‘Retain Quota Minimum 5% for IPs’ etc.

Special Guest – Supta Chakma Tatu concluded the program by delivering the closing speech.