Hill Voice, 24 February 2025: In a report dated February 24, 2025, Kapaeeng Foundation informed that on the evening of Saturday, February 22, 2025, Ringrong Mro, a prominent leader of the land protection movement in Lama Upazila, Bandarban, was arrested by law enforcement officers in civilian clothes in Langkam Para, Sarai Union in Lama Upazila. Locals alleged that his arrest was based on a false case fabricated by Lama Rubber Industries Limited. Ringrong had been vocal in his resistance against the company’s illegal land grabbing activities, which have severely impacted the Mro and Tripura indigenous communities. His arrest is seen as a direct retaliation for his activism in protecting Indigenous lands.
According to Ringrong’s son, Johan Mro, the arrest is part of a broader crackdown against Indigenous land defenders, particularly those resisting the illegal occupation of 400 acres of ancestral land by the rubber company. Johan alleged that authorities have filed three false cases against his father due to his activism in land protection efforts. Despite repeated attempts, calls to the Lama police station were ignored, further fueling concerns about the police’s involvement in the corporate-backed land grab.
Lama Rubber Industries Ltd. has long been accused of carrying out violent acts such as land grabbing, evictions, arson, and physical attacks on local Indigenous communities. Notably, in April 2022, the company set fire to 400 acres of Jum land in Langkam Para, Rengyen Mro Karbari Para, and Joychandra Karbari Para. In January 2023, a violent attack on Rengyen Karbari Para resulted in the destruction of seven homes, leaving three completely burned down, and multiple locals were beaten. Allegations also include poisoning local water sources, further endangering the survival of the community. Despite these crimes, local authorities have not taken meaningful action against the perpetrators.
It is notable to mention that, after the arson attack on innocent villagers of Rengyen Karbaripara in 2023 the rights organization Kapaeeng Founation filled a complain to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking justice and security of the indigenous villagers of Lama. Accordingly, the NHRC formed a probe committee and the Chairman of the NHRC also visited the spot. The NHRC ordered to maintain status quo and ensure the security of the local Mro and Tripura communities. The NHRC also ordered the security forces not to harass the indigenous villagers.
Protest against the arrest of Ringrong Mro:
Several protest rallies have been organized against the arrest of land rights defender Ringrong Mro in different places of the country. In Bandarban sadar and Thanchi upazila the protest rallies brought out by the Mro Students’ Association, and indigenous students and Mass respectively. On the other hand, a protest rally was demonstrated at the Shahbag area in the capital Dhaka by the Dhaka Indigenous Student and Youth Organizations’. The speakers in the demonstration demanded withdraw of false cases filed against the innocent villagers by the Lama Rubber Industries including Ringrong Mro and immediate release of the arrestee.
