The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission is Deeply Concerned about the attack on Regional Council Chairperson and violence in Khagrachari involving the military

Dhaka, 30 March 2015: The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) condemns the attack on the convoy of Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council and also President of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) Mr. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma on 11 March 2015. The attack was allegedly carried out in the presence of police and other law enforcement authorities. A 72-hour strike was called in Bandarban in anticipation of the visit by Mr. Larma under the banner of Jago Parbattyabasi (Rise Hill Dwellers) and they may have been involved in this attack. PCJSS reports that at least 12 members of PCJSS and Pahari Chhatra Parishad (Hill Students Council) have been wounded. One car and two motorcycles, which were part of the convoy carrying Mr. Larmas was attacked when they reached Balaghata of Bandarban town. Some of the individuals involved in the attack were identified and CHTC has come to learn that they involved local politicians belonging to both the ruling party Awami League as well as members of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In recent times there have been a number of attacks in Rangamati and Bandarban by various Bengali settler groups on indigenous peoples, as well as those active in demanding implementation of the CHT Accord. This includes attacks on CHTC in Rangamati in July 2014 and CHTC officials in Bandarban in August 2014. The nature of these attacks has been very similar. The attacks have been carried out by members of Bengali settler groups with various names and the attacks are carried out in front of various law-enforcement authorities indicating collusion and patronization of law-enforcement authorities. This is an alarming trend in the CHT and we strongly condemn such attacks and demand that those who are involved be brought to justice immediately. CHTC also condemns the violence in Babuchara, Dighinala which allegedly left six indigenous persons and four army personnel injured on 15 March. According to media reports the Dighinala Bhumi Rakkha Committee brought out a procession to protest the setting up of BGB battalion offices in Babuchhara which led to the eviction of 21 indigenous families from the area. Law enforcement agencies put up barricades to halt this procession which prompted protestors to throw brickbats at the joint forces to remove the barricade. Police opened blank fire and started charging batons on the protestors which led to the injuries. Earlier the CHTC had expressed concern over the attack by 51 Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) on indigenous villagers in June 2014 and after an on-site visit of the Commission members in July 2014.

Many of the attacks on indigenous people in the CHT are related to land acquisition by settlers and by state forces. It has become vital for the government to make amendments to the CHT Land Commission Act to ensure that the Land Commission chairperson can settle the land disputes in the hills. It is also vital for the government to fully implement the 1997 CHT Accord without delay to prevent further clashes and violence in the CHT, a pledge that the government has been repeatedly making in its election manifesto but failing to uphold. On behalf of the CHT Commission,

Eric Avebury Sultana Kamal Elsa Stamatopoulou Co-chair of the Co-chair of the Co-chair of the CHT Commission CHT Commission CHT Commission Members: Shapan Adnan, Lars Anders Baer, Tone Bleie, Hurst Hannum, Yasmeen Haque, Sara Hossain, Zafar Iqbal, Myrna Cunningham Kain, Khushi Kabir, Michael van Walt van Praag, Iftekharuzzaman. Advisers: Jenneke Arens, Tom Eskildsen, Meghna Guhathakurta.