Hill Voice, 24 September 2024, International Desk: CHT* Indigenous Peoples’ Council of Canada (CHTIPCC) demanded to form a neutral committee and investigate the incidents thoroughly that took place in Dighinala, Khagrachari and Rangamati. This demand was made in the memorandum with signature of its President, Priti Chakma, submitted to the Chief Advisor of Interim Government of Bangladesh, Dr. Mohammand Yunus through the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Toronto on 23 September 2024.
Memorandum stated that yet the Adibasis (Indigenous peoples) of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) haven’t seen a democracy that can allow them to move freely, voice freely, participate in good action freely, etc. As a result, they are facing human rights devastation at this time instead of enjoying joyous celebration for democracy that the country achieved recently.
Following the death of a motorbike thief named Mamun on September 18, the settlers brought out a procession in Dighinala, Khagrachari district and later they set fire on at least 45 shops that belonged to the Adibasis and attacked them indiscriminately. As a result, 2 Adibasis got killed and 3 injured. The Bangladesh military were there when arson and attack were going on. They did nothing to stop the settlers’ arson and attack.
On the same night at around 9:00 pm, the Adibasi students from the surroundings of Khagrachari town protested against what was going on in Dighinala. The military tried to disperse the gathering and later their indiscriminate firing, 3 students got killed and at least 17 injured.
The settlers did not stop their heinous acts there. When the Adibasi students of Rangamati town brought out a procession to protest against the killing, arson and attack of Dighinala on September 20, 2024, the Bangladesh military escorted many settlers to attack the procession. They came out in groups to attack the Adibasis students and set fire on the Adibasis’ shops, Regional Council’s office, a clinic and at least 7 vehicles of the Regional Council and other offices. They also vandalized a Buddhist temple called Moitree Bihar. One student was killed and at least 54 injured by the settlers.
The memorandum further stated that this organization approaches you with a hope in solving the CHT issue through full implementation of the CHT Accord that can bring peace for all so that discrimination can be replaced by trust and friendly relation among all Bangladeshis including Adibasis and incidents like earlier mentioned ones that took place last week could be minimized for sure because the Accord has provision that the military has to be removed from the CHT, Police forces to be formed from among the Indigenous peoples, land issues to be solved and administration power to be handed over to the Regional and District Councils which are very vital in a sense for peace.
In addition to implementation of the Accord, we request your attention to our recommendations mentioned below as a new democratic interim government for everybody’s understanding and satisfaction:
(1) Form a neutral committee and investigate the incidents thoroughly that took place in Dighinala, Khagrachari and Rangamati
(2) Punish the guilty persons involved in the incidents
(3) Compensate or rehabilitate the victims or dead persons’ kins
The CHTIPCC also copied the memorandum to Foreign Minister of Canada, Ottawa, Canada; UN High Commission for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland and UN Peacekeeping Mission, NY, USA.
A separate memorandum was submitted to Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada on September 23. CHTIPCC urged the Prime Minister of Canada that your intervention in this havoc of the CHT by asking the Chief Advisor will highly be appreciated.
