Nat’l minorities seen through spectacle of security: rally [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Nat’l minorities seen through spectacle of security: rally

Local August 10, 2016

Politicians, national minority leaders and rights activists on Tuesday said that the national minorities were being deprived of their rights as they were being seen through the ‘spectacle of security.’
At a rally marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at the Central Shaheed Minar, they also said that the ruling classes were not ‘sympathetic’ to the national minorities.
Some 30 lakh people of national minority groups in Bangladesh celebrated the day with meetings, rallies, processions and cultural activities across the country demanding their rights to education, land and life.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum organised the rally at Central Shaheed Minar, where they renewed their call for constitutional recognition of national minorities as ‘indigenous people’, implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts accord, separate land commission for plain-land national minorities, promulgating Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, and ensuring primary education for the national minority children in their mother language.
Civil aviation and tourism minister Rashed Khan Menon, Oikya NAP president Pankaj Bhattacharya, Communist Party of Bangladesh president Mujahidul Islam Selim, former National Human Right Commission chairman Mizanur Rahman, rights activist Sultana Kamal and Khushi Kabir, academics Dalem Chandra Barman, Mesbah Kamal, Sadeka Halim and Robayet Ferdous, among others, addressed the rally.
Adivasi Forum president Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, popularly known as Santu Larma, also the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti president, presided over the rally.
Sultana Kamal inaugurated the rally releasing balloons in the air. Dhaka University teacher Robayet Ferdous recited the message of United Nation secretary Ban Ki-moon on the occasion of International Day of Indigenous Peoples translated into Bangla.
Addressing the rally, Menon, also the Workers Party of Bangladesh president, said that he was not clear about reason for not declaring the national minorities indigenous peoples. ‘But I can understand that we see the “indigenous people” through the “spectacle of security”.’
He said, ‘We have to implement some international laws once we recognise them as indigenous people, but I don’t see any matter of fear or shame in it.’
Menon said, ‘Denying declaring them indigenous people, we have not only detached them from us, but also raised anger among them. We have sent a message to the administration, so that they don’t take any step in favour of indigenous people.’
In his 16 minute speech, Santu Larma expressed his frustration over the ‘catastrophes’ on the social, cultural and political life of ethnic minorities.
‘Time passes away, but the life and livelihood of indigenous people are not progressing,’ he said.
‘We are 30 lakh people of 54 indigenous nations in Bangladesh and the catastrophes on our social, cultural and political life are not ending,’ Santu said.
He said that the ruling classes were not ‘sympathetic’ to the problems of the national minorities.
Santu said that he cannot imagine and believe the reality of the condition of implementation of CHT accord, although 18 years passed away after the accord.
‘We want to remind you, the indigenous peoples are also the citizens of this country, they have rights to live with their basic rights, and they have rights to contribute to the development of Bangladesh,’ Santu said.
New Age correspondent in Rangamati reports: the leaders of different ethnic minorities in Rangamati urged the government to ensure their constitutional recognition as ‘indigenous people.’
They said that after four decades of the independence of the country, the rights to political, economic and social rights of ethnic people were not established rather they had become refugees as their own lands had been grabbed.