Full implementation of CHT treaty demanded

Leaders of different political and socio-cultural organisations on Tuesday demanded constitutional recognition of ethnic minority people as ‘indigenous’ and full implementation of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Treaty for establishing their rights.
They recalled the contribution of the Jumma nationalist movement leader Manabendra Narayan Larma known as MN Larma and said he joined all democratic movements, including the country’s independence, and struggled to constitutionally establish the rights of the ethnic minorities.
Addressing a memorial meeting, they said the dream of MN Larma was yet to be materialised even 44 years after the country’s independence due to the indifference of the successive governments towards the rights of ethnic minority people.
National committee for observation of MN Larma’s 32nd death anniversary organised the memorial meeting on Swoparjita Swadhinata premises of Dhaka University.
On November 10, 1983, MN Larma was assassinated along with his eight fellows in Khagrachari.
MN Larma, who initiated a unified movement of ethnic minorities in the CHT, founded Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti on February 15, 1972 to realise their demands for the recognition of their identity and rights. He was born in Rangamati on September 15, 1939.
President of Workers Party of Bangladesh Rashed Khan Menon, also civil aviation and tourism minister, said during his lifetime, MN Larma fought for establishing basic rights of the ethnic minority people living in the CHT.
‘It is unfortunate that we could not constitutionally establish the rights of indigenous people. Instead, the government has given them recognition as ethnic minorities,’ he said.
Menon said the government could not ensure the ethnic minorities’ right to land in the CHT till date that caused frustration among them and a fear of losing lands to the grabbers.
Executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra Sultana Kamal demanded full implementation of the CHT Peace Treaty for showing tributes to MN Larma’s struggle for establishing the rights of ethnic minorities living in the CHT.
Former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Anwar Hossain said the historic CHT peace accord signed between the government and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti on December 2, 1997 was an outcome of MN Larma’s struggle.
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud said the Awami League government signed the CHT peace accord but it could not ensure its full implementation.
He demanded formation of a high-powered committee to find out the obstacles to the implementation of the accord.
Manzurul Ahsan Khan, adviser of Communist Party of Bangladesh, said a Chakma community is not a Bengali community but the governments in independent Bangladesh tried to impose the Bengali identity on the ethnic minorities.
Oikya NAP president Pankaj Bhattacharya, presiding over the meeting, strongly protested at the government’s circular imposing restriction on holding meeting and rallies using the word ‘indigenous’.
In the three hill districts — Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban — local units of PCJSS organised different programmes including bringing out mourning procession and placing wreaths at the portrait of MN Larma to observe his death anniversary.
In Khagrachhari, local unit of PCJSS organised a press conference to protest against the restriction on holding rallies using ‘indigenous’ and demanded withdrawal of the restriction.

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