Hill Voice, 1 July 2022, Special Correspondent: It has been alleged that army and Islamic Militant-backed Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), widely known as Bawm Party, has started to evict various Tanchangya and Tripura villages under Barthali Union of Bilaichari upazila and Rowangchari upazila of Bandarban district, after killing three innocent Tripura villagers and injuring two children in the gun attack at Saizam Para of Barthali union.
According to local sources, KNF terrorists are now raiding various Tanchangya villages under Barthali Union in the Rainkyong Valley and Rowangchhari and have been ordering Tanchangya villagers to leave the village.
According to local sources, 22 families of Tanchangya community from Bilpara in Barthali Union have left the village on Wednesday (June 29) as a result of threats from Bawm Party terrorists.
On the same day (June 29) morning, six armed terrorists of the Kuki-Chin Party carried out raid at Prabhat Chandra Karbari Para (Thangpuri Para) of Alekshyang Union in Rowangchari and ordered the villagers to leave the village. As a result, out of 6 families of the village, 5 families have taken shelter at Rowangchhari Sadar and the remaining 1 family has taken refuge in Shankhamani Para of Alekshyang Union of same upazila.
Earlier, on June 26-27, six families of Tripura community from Mitingyachari in Barthali Union and six families of Tanchangya villagers from Hingyochara left the village and took refuge elsewhere.
Many villagers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Kuki-Chin terrorists have long been threatening to evict people from the Chakma, Marma, Tripura and Tanchangya communities from their (Bawm Party’s) proposed Kuki-Chin state in 9 upazilas of Bandarban and Rangamati districts. He believes there is secret support from the army and Islamist militants behind this.
Under the pretext of “protecting the lives and property of the people”, the KNF posted a status on its Facebook on June 23, 2022, threatening that “if necessary, the Kuki-Chin National Army’s Dangerous Commando Team ‘Ferrous Wild Bore (FWB) Team’ will be forced to carry out more operation in every corner of these areas.”
As part of that blueprint, Kuki-Chin terrorists carried out an armed attack on June 21 in Saizam Para of Barthali Union in Bilachari Upazila, killing three innocent Tripura villagers including the father and son of the same family, and injuring two innocent children. The two injured are the children of Subhash Chandra Tripura who was killed in the incident. Subhash Chandra Tripura’s wife managed to escape with her two children who were shot to injury.
Wife of the killed Subhash Chandra Tripura said, on that day, a group of 25-30 terrorists of Kuki Chin Party suddenly entered the village and interrogated them in Hindi, Bengali and English. They shot and killed villagers including her husband after cutting off his throat and beheading him, even though she said they were an ordinary Jum farmer and hardworking persons. There are no armed group personnel in their village. But even after saying that, the terrorists shot and killed villagers, said the victim’s wife (Maiphang Tipra’s Facebook status, June 26, 2022).
After this brutal massacre, there was a storm of protests against the Kuki-Chin terrorists in different parts of the country including the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and wide news were published in various media. So, to cover up their misdeeds, the Bawm Party terrorists tried to label the killed as JSS terrorists and claimed that they had rescued and treated the two injured children, which was completely fabricated and baseless, said the mother of the two injured children.
Protesting on social media and by Tripura Kalyan Sangsad and the Tripura Student Forum, KNF terrorists have been publicly posting threatening messages on their Facebook. They stormed to the Tanchangya and Tripura villages around the Reinkhyang area and Rowangchari at gun point and instructed the villagers to leave the village and move elsewhere.
The terrorists also threatened to set fire to the houses of the villagers and shoot at them if they did not leave the village. Meanwhile, local sources have confirmed that the Tanchangya and Tripura villagers of 4 villages of Barathali Union of Bilaichari and 2 villages of Alekshyang Union of Rowangchhari have taken refuge elsewhere, leaving their respective villages.
Thus, after carrying out a kind of brutal massacre in Saizam Para, the terrorists of Bawm Party have now started to implement the blueprint for the eviction of Tanchangya and Tripura villages. It is learnt that no action has been taken by the administration in this regard yet. As a result, extreme panic is now prevailing in the Tanchangya and Tripura neighborhoods.
Military provide security for Kuki-Chin terrorists carrying essential goods:
Local sources further said that on Thursday (June 30), 4/5 terrorists of the Kuki-Chin Party went to the Bandarban headquarters and bought daily necessities. Among the items were 15 sacks of rice, one sack of onion, one sack of garlic, one sack of pulses, two sacks of sidol and two sacks of potatoes. The vehicle in which the Bawm Party terrorists carried the goods was identified as Bandarban Serial Lot No. 26 B Seventy.
Sources further said that 50/60 army personnel were actively patrolling around Durnibar Bawm Para and Pankheyang Bawm Para areas of Rowangchari while taking the said goods to provide security to the Kuki-Chin terrorists.
The army actively patrolled till the goods supplied from Bandarban Sadar reached Ronin Para through Durnibar Bawm Para and Pankheyang Bawm Para. It is learnt that the soldiers left areas for the camp after completing the security patrol, soon after the truck carrying the goods returned after delivering the goods.
