Location of Chittagong Hill Tracts

Human Rights Concerns
There have been massive and systematic human rights violations against the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), also known as Jumma, committed by the Bangladeshi security forces and government sponsored armed mob group of settlers. The Indigenous people have been murdered, crippled, raped, tortured, imprisoned and deprived of their homes and means of livelihood. Their tribal villages were brutally attacked, their places of worship were burnt down, and their homes were torched fire. Since 1980, the Bangladesh military and the armed mob of settlers had committed at least 13 massacres in the CHT. These massacres were executed by secret systematic planning of the Bangladesh military, often in collaboration with the armed Bengali settlers to wipe out the Indigenous people from their homeland and to make room for over half-a-million Bengali Muslim settlers. As a result of this State terrorism, tens of thousands of indigenous people had to flee to India to save their lives. International organizations strongly condemned these atrocities in several reports including the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, the European Commission, United States Congress, the Amnesty International, the Refugee International, etc. Over the last four decades, the indigenous people of CHT have suffered systematic destruction of their land, their livelihood, and their lives. In December 1997, the indigenous leaders signed a peace treaty with the Bangladesh government with a hope to bring peace into the region. However, since the signing of the peace treaty, the indigenous people experienced serious human rights violations all over the CHT. Bangladesh government refuses to implement the accord. The following incidents indicate that the peace treaty has become a curtain under which more human rights violation continues today.

Bangladesh Army in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Massive Military Presence in Violation of the 1997 Treaty:
According to the Peace Treaty of 1997, Bangladesh government will withdraw all military camps and security forces, except the Police and border security, from the CHT. But in 2003, CHT and all the tribal people in it are still under full military occupation. A mere 29 camps out of about 500 military camps in the CHT have reportedly been withdrawn. One-third of the entire Bangladesh Army are deployed in the CHT, an area which accounts for one-tenth of the total territory of the country and where indigenous people account for less than 1% of the entire population of Bangladesh. One of the most obvious features of the CHT is the all-encompassing presence of military and para-military forces. Army garrisons, numerous base camps and check posts are visible everywhere. Military camps are on almost every hill tops along the main roads in the CHT. Over the last two decades, these security forces have deliberately massacred innocent Indigenous Jumma people. Yet the military has been given total control of the CHT and they are the pervasive authority in the entire region. More importantly, Bangladesh government have granted blanket impunity to the military for such flagrant human rights abuses in the CHT. Impunity has been the single most important factor encouraging human rights abuses in the region. In the name of security and stability, gross violations of human rights have been committed on a regular basis by the military.

Refugees and Internally Displaced Indigenous People in the CHT :
In the 1980s and 1990s over 500,000 Bengali Muslim settlers were brought into the CHT through a Bangladesh government sponsored secret plan. They were settled in the lands and homes of the indigenous people who fled to India and other parts of the country for fear of their lives. After signing of the peace treaty around 43,000 Jumma refugees have returned from India. But more than 50% of the returnee Jumma refugees did not get back their lands and homesteads. A large majority of the refugees continue to live in the makeshift camps or in the houses of relatives. In addition, About 65,000 Jummas have been internally displaced when the army forcibly resettled them into the strategic hamlets after burning their villages. Also there are thousands of internally displaced Jummas who fled their homes to escape brutal military operations. They could not get back to their lands as they are under the occupation of the settlers and security forces. Bangladesh government, in gross violation of the peace treaty, refused to return lands to the Jumma refugees and internally displaced people of CHT.

Villagers in Lemuchhari stand around the remains of burnt-out houses after Bangalee settlers set fire to them on Aug. 26, 2003.

Rape, Torture, and Extrajudicial Killing of Indigenous People Continues in the CHT :
Bangladesh government also armed Bengali Muslim settlers and created mob groups such as Village Defense Party (VDP) and the Mukosh Bahini, literally meaning "Masked Force". They terrorize the indigenous villages at will under the protection of the army. Armed mob groups of settlers have aimed ruthless violence directly at the civilian indigenous communities, especially in remote areas. Rape is frequently used as a weapon against the Indigenous women and many such cases have been vastly under-reported.. Villages throughout the CHT have been attacked, their inhabitants killed, beaten or driven out of their homes and their land. Moreover documented atrocities such as mass killings, rapes, kidnapping, and forced relocations were left uninvestigated and unpunished. Those who spoke out against injustices were labeled as enemies of state, and they were harassed, intimidated, attacked, and in many instances were killed or disappeared.

Cry of Mahalchari, August 26, 2003:
One such terrorizing event took place most recently on August 26, 2003 in 10 villages of Mahalchari in the district of Khagrachari. First the soldiers opened fire to scare the Jumma villagers. Then thousands of Bengali Muslim settlers, armed with machetes, spears, axes, and kerosene, swooped down on the indigenous Jummas. They severely beat up Binod Bihari Khisha, a community elder, and then handed him over to armymen, who in turn tortured him to death. Then the mob of armed settlers, accompanied by the Bangladesh army, went on a rampage. They burnt down more than 360 homesteads in 10 villages of Mahalchari. It is reported that 79 houses of Babupara, 70 houses of Lemuchari, 12 of Noa Para, 38 of SawMill Para, one house of Thali Para, 37 houses of Pahartali, 96 of Basanta Para and Kerengyanal villages, 4 of Durpajyanal and 22 of Ramesu Karbari Para of Mahalchari sub-district, Khagrachhari, were burnt down. Apart from arson, two persons were killed, nine men were injured, three Buddhist temples were destroyed and at least 10 women were gang-raped. One Jumma women told to reporters that she was gang raped by seven thugs one after another. Shai Nu Pru Chowdhury, the Chairman of the Sindukchari union, was severely beaten.His home, along with their relatives' homes, all were set ablaze by the marauding settlers. All Jummas fled their villages and they are hiding in jungles and other places. Soon after the attack, army cordoned off the area and prevented pictures and interviews with journalists and newsmen. Few days later, when Jummas went back to their villages to salvage what left of their burned homes, the settlers filed charges against them and police arrested 43 Jummas. To avoid police arrest, the Jummas fled again for the second time within a few days. This has been one of many shrewd strategies, executed times and again, in collaboration with the settlers and police and the security personnel, to keep the Jummas from coming back to their own homes so that the Muslim settlers can permanently grab their lands and their properties.

As the Indigenous people of CHT struggle for justice, the Bangladesh government needs to withdraw military forces from the CHT, end the culture of impunity, return lands to the indigenous people, assure indigenous people's access to the full spectrum of human rights, and deliver on the promises of the peace accord. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) said in a news release on 14 May 2003, "Amnesty International calls on governments around the world to uphold their obligations under international laws to respect and promote the full spectrum of human rights accorded Indigenous peoples."

For up to date news and published reports you can visit http://www.bbchr.org. You can also contact Mr. Maung Nyeu, a human rights activist from the CHT. He was born in CHT, Bangladesh. His own uncle was gunned down by the Bangladesh Military. He grew up experiencing military atrocities against indigenous people. He gave public speeches, wrote articles, published documents and managed a website which opposes and exposes and organizes campaigns against human rights violations in the CHT of Bangladesh. You can contact Mr. Maung Nyeu at (949) 510-3763, or email to mnyeu@bbchr.org. He is the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Center for Human Rights, a US-based human rights organization.

If you have any questions, please contact the AIUSA Irvine Office, Mr. Jacques Kilchoër at (714) 557-8427, or email to jacquesrk@earthlink.net.