GENOCIDAL CRIMES IN CHT: Indigenous people under threat in Bangladesh

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Photo: (Courtesy PCG): Seriously injured baby (11 months) Kampan Chakma (top),

The slain body of Ms. Subarna Chakma (bottom).

GENOCIDAL CRIMES IN CHT:

 

Action Alert calling for International Attention to the CHT Issue

 

 

 

Dated: 5 August 2004, New Delhi

 

Report submitted by: Peace Campaign Group (PCG)

 

Source: PCG

 

On 3 August 2004, Muslim Bengali settlers from Kalabanya of Aimachara Union

under Bakal sub-district slain an indigenous couple of Dhandachara village of

Bhushanchara Union under Barkal Thana in Rangamati hill district.

 

At around 11 p.m. over 50 Muslim Bengali settlers led by Shuhidul (30), Ibrahim

(37), Imdad (37) and Union Parishad member Tamir Ali committed a brutal attack

on Mr. Barun Kumar Chakma (33) s/o late Dina Mohan Chakma and his family members

with sharp knife and spear. Mr. Chakma died on the spot.

 

Next day on 4 August, around 11 a.m. Ms. Subarna Chakma and her son

were brought to Rangamati about 50 miles away from the victims’ village and

admitted to the Rangamati sadar hospital with serious injuries. After 4 hours of

their admission to the hospital, Ms. Subarna died, and Kampan Chakma was sent to

the Chittagong Medical College hospital.

 

Ms. Subarna Chakma was slain on her head, throat, back, legs and hands, while

her son was chopped of at his right leg.

 

Soon after the incident, some indigenous villagers informed the

authorities of the nearest Bumpy Land BDR camp off the tragedy. But the

authorities remained silent!

 

It is worth mentioning that Dina Mohan Chakma, father of the slain

Barun Kumar Chakma was also killed in a genocide committed by Muslim Bengali

settlers in cahoots with Bangladesh military in Bhushanchara in 1984. But no

perpetrators were brought to justice.

 

 

11 Indigenous People Tortured by Bangladesh Military:

 

On 2 August 2004 at 4.00 a.m. Bangladesh military led by Major Aziz from

Sindukchari camp under Guimara brigade conducted an operation in Natun Para

village of Lubramaram mouza under Guimara of Matiranga Thana in Khagrachari hill

district in the name searching “tribal terrorists”.

During the operation, the military arbitrarily arrested the following 11

innocent villagers and took them into the camp. In the camp, the military

brutally tortured them.

 

The victims are:

 

1. Mr. Aprue Mog s/o late Sui Thowai Mog

2. Mr. Mong Hla Prue Mog s/o late Sui Thowai Mog

3. Mr. U Thowai Ching Mog s/o Ruisau Mog

4. Mr. Mong Hla Ching Mog s/o Ruisau Mog

5. Mr. Dungfa Mog (50) s/o Kyau Prue Mog

6. Mr. Sui Prue Mog (25) s/o Mongtwa Mog

7. Mr. Moingshe Mog s/o Agana Mog

8. Mr. Apruek Mog (27) s/o Mongre Mog

9. Mr. U Thowai Ching Mog (30) s/o Ruisau Mog

10. Mr. Mongreshya Mog (27) s/o Apai Mog

11. Mr. Mong Thui Mog (32) s/o Lambaiya Mog

 

Mr. Dungfa Mog was handed over to the Guimara police station. A case was framed

against him on false charge of “terrorist activities”. The rest were released in

the evening, after about 14 hours.

 

During the operation, the army sexually harassed two indigenous women.

The victims are:

 

1. Ms. Khime Prue Mog (20) w/o Sui Prue Mog

2. Ms. Paikra Mog (22) w/o Gongbre Shwe Mog

 

The army robbed a pair jewellery and Taka 180 from Ms. Paikra Mog.

 

On the other hand, the army arrested the following indigenous people of Nakrai

Para village of Baraitali mouza under Guimara. They were also brutally tortured

and handed over to the Guimara police station. A false case was framed against

them on false charge of “terrorist activities”.

The victims are:

 

1. Mr. Ram Prue Mog s/o Aungya Mog

2. Mr. Mong Sajai Mog s/o Mong Mong Mog

 

 

Communal Attack By Muslim Bengali Settlers:

 

On 1 August 2004 at 11.00 a.m., a group of Muslim Bengali settlers from the

College Gate area of Rangamati municipality committed a violent communal attack

on indigenous people in the College Gate, TTC, Kalyanpur and

Bhedbhedi areas.

 

A quarrel between an indigenous student Mr. Tutul Chakma and a Muslim Bengali

student of Rangamati Government College over smoking in the college was the

reason that set the background of the attack.

 

Muslim Bengali settlers attacked the indigenous student with a knife resulting

in serious injuries his body.

 

After sometime of this violence, Muslim Bengali settlers aired an

unsubstantiated rumour that the indigenous people were attacking the villages of

Bengali Muslim settlers and started attacking indigenous people on roads with

iron rod and stick indiscriminately in the College Gate, TTC, Kalyanpur and

Bhedbhedi areas.

 

Bengali Muslim settlers attacked indigenous youths playing card at Kalyanpur

area. In this attack, Mr. Mintu Dewan (18) s/o Sunil Kanti Dewan was wounded

seriously.

 

Later indigenous youths tried to resist the attack resulting in a communal clash

between the indigenous people and Muslim Bengali settlers. In this clash, an

auto rickshaw driver was seriously wounded. He was sent to

the Chittagong Medical College hospital.

 

Police and army were deployed to control the situation.

 

Communal tension was looming large in Rangamati.

 

Comment:

 

No perpetrators of the above brutalities and human rights abuses have been

arrested yet!

 

The BNP-led four-party Islamic fundamentalist coalition government of Bangladesh

has stepped up state-sponsored crimes and violence against the indigenous people

of the Chittagong Hill Tracts resulting in the complete stalemate of the CHT

peace process started in 1997 with the signing of an agreement between the

former Awami League government of Bangladesh and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana

Samhati Samiti (PCJSS).

 

The government forces have been systematically committing genocidal crimes

against the indigenous people with complete impunity to settle and empower

Muslim Bengali settlers in the CHT region. It resulted in serious

threat to the 700,000 indigenous people of the CHT.

 

Action Required:

 

The state-sponsored violence in the CHT demands immediate international

response. International community should immediately intervene with the CHT

issue for security of the indigenous people.

 

[The end]

 

Peace Campaign Group (PCG)

RZ-I-91/211, West Sagarpur, New Delhi-110046, India

Telefax: + 91-11-2 539 4277

E-mail: pcgoffice, pcg88

 

Peace Campaign Group: A New Delhi-based human rights organization of the Jumma

indigenous people of the CHT. It has been working for democracy, human rights,

and peace in the CHT since 1994. There are more than 200,000 Jummas,

mostly Chakma in India. They migrated from the CHT to India due to political and

economic reasons in 1947 and in the early 1960s.

 

 

 

 

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