GENOCIDAL CRIMES IN CHT:

Action Alert calling for International Attention to the CHT Issue

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@vsnl.net, pcg88@hotmail.com

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.