Govt to reactivate CHT Land Commission and 200 Mro families in fear of land-grabbers in Bandarban

New Age, Dhaka, 2 July 2009

Govt to reactivate CHT Land Commission

The government would soon reconstitute the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Commission to resolve land problem issues for all ethnic minorities in the hill districts, state minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Dipankar Talukder has said.

The state minister hoped that the Land Commission would start its works as soon as it is reconstituted.

About the provision of appointing a retired judge as the chairman of the Commission, he said, ‘We have to consider the physical and mental capability of the chairman… We have to see whether a judge after his retirement at the age of 67 years would be able to carry out the activities of the Commission as he would often require to visit the hilly region.’

Dipankar said the present government is working to create the atmosphere for the indigenous people in plain land and the hilly regions to live with honour and dignity.

He also said the government would allocate funds in the budget for the indigenous people and would expedite implementation of the CHT peace treaty.

Dipankar was addressing a workshop on ‘Livelihood Situation of Indigenous Communities in Plain Land and CHT of Bangladesh : The Constraints and Probable Solutions’.

ActionAid Bangladesh in collaboration with Alternative Movement for Resources and Freedom Society and PRA Promoters Society organized the workshop at the CIRDAP auditorium.

Discussants at the workshop earlier stressed the need for full implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) peace accord and immediate reactivation of the CHT Land Commission to solve the land problems faced by the indigenous people.

The workshop was moderated by ActionAid Bangladesh country director Farah Kabir and attended among others by former adviser to the caretaker government Sultana Kamal, writer Selina Hossain, Dhaka University professors Dr Dalem Chandra Barman and Dr Mesbah Kamal and leader of Garo ethnic community from Madhupur Maloti Nokrek.

Abu Naser, coordinator of PRA Promoters Society and Partha Hafaz Shaihk of ActionAid Bangladesh jointly presented a study report on Livelihood Situation of Indigenous Communities in CHT.

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200 Mro families in fear of land-grabbers and terrorists in Bandarban

chtnews.com

News No. 73/2009, June 25, 2009

About 200 ethnic Mro families in Ronjupara, Penaipara, Chakkoipara and Bhattyapara under Tonkaboti Union in Bandarban Sadar Upazila have been living in fear of land grabbers and terrorists, says Prothom Alo, a leading national Bengali daily.

In a news article today, 25 June, the daily says “Since the attack on a villager of Penaipara on 18 June, the residents of the area have been living in fear of further terrorist attacks on them.”

“The villagers spoke of their sense of insecurity at a press conference held at Bandarban press club on Sunday. The chairman and members of Tonkaboti Union Council and village chiefs at the press conference demanded that land-grabber Shaha Alam and his terrorist gang members are arrested and brought to justice.

“At the press conference Tonkaboti Union Council Chairman Purna Chandra Mro said: ‘Shah Alam, a resident of Choromba area under Lohagora Upazila in Chittagong, has occupied without legal documents hundreds of acres of land belonging to Mro people with the help of his Rohinga terrorist gang. As a result the Mro people of Ronjupara and Penaipara have been unable to cultivate Jum for the last three years, plagued by dire financial crisis and compelled to live a substandard life. Complaints have been lodged with the government administration but to no avail, and the lack of effective measures on the part of the government has been a shot in the arms of terrorist Shah Alam.’

“Expressing anger village chief of Ronjupara, Luring Mro said: ‘I can no longer enter the land where we have been cultivating Jum for generations.’ He said Shah Alam and his terrorists tortured Rengrao while he was working at Jum field. He is still undergoing treatment in Bandarban Sadar Hospital. A case has been filed against six persons including Shah Alam; however police has so far failed to arrest any of them.’

“UP member Majeda Begum and Ashraf Mian told the press conference that they have been living in peaceful co-existence with the Mro. As Shah Alam has illegally occupied the lands of Mro people, who are simple and peaceful, they cannot cultivate their Jum fields and have to live in starvation.

“Bandarban Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Anupam Barua said Shah Alam has no land in Tonkaboti Union. He is doing this defying an order not to occupy Jum lands belonging to Mro people.”

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The Daily Star, Dhaka, 2 July 2009

Stop encroachment of land of indigenous people

Speakers tell seminar

Indigenous people will continue to suffer land-related problems unless Bangalee settlers are withdrawn from the hilly region and camps of army, BDR, police and Ansar are removed, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.

They made the observation following a disclosure of findings of a research that the lands of ethnic communities are being encroached with the help of law enforcement agencies and even through secret government notification for rehabilitation of Bangalees in the region over the years.

It is unfortunate that even some NGOs are taking control of the land of indigenous people by any means supported by international donors, said Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon MP in his speech as the chief guest.

Association for Land Reform and Development organised the seminar on 'Real circumstances of Adivasi people losing land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Treaty perspective' at YWCA auditorium in the city.

"To build a peaceful society, we have to instil a sense of security in indigenous people so that they do not have the fear of losing their land," said columnist Syed Abul Maksud.

Researchers Shaktipada Tripura and Ilira Dewan presented separate papers on the findings of the research.

According to the papers, 1356 square miles of land were encroached in 1870 in the name of protecting the forest, and 54,000 acres land in between 1959 and 1962 for building the Kaptai dam, affecting the lifestyle of indigenous people and making them refugees.

In between 1979 and 1986, a total of 80,000 Bangalee families were rehabilitated in the hilly region on 920,000 acres of lands belonging to the ethnic communities, the researchers said.

"In 1992, around 2.18 lakh acres of land were declared as newly protected forest land while thousands of acres of land were leased out for industrialisation in the area on different occasions, affecting the livelihoods of indigenous people."

According to the paper, army camps were set up in 75,686 acres of land only in Bandarban while 40,077 acres of land were encroached by different companies, individuals and bureaucrats in the district.

"At present, indigenous people and permanent Bangalees in the hilly areas have 0.08 hectares of cultivable land per head compared to 0.20 hectares in other parts of the country."

The researchers also recommended putting an end to land encroachment in the hilly region, taking stern action against encroachers, making police and land administration more effective, implementing CHT Peace Accord, and giving constitutional recognition to indigenous people and ensuring their land rights.