Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) see it as positive Initiative

The Government, as a part of implementing the CHT Accord of 1997, has decided to withdraw a brigade of troops including three infantry battalions from the Chittagong Hill Tracts by September this year. The main condition for the implementation of the Accord signed in 1997 was withdrawal of the military. But even after a decade of the Accord the volume of military withdrawal remained insignificant. This is the first time; such a large number of forces are going to be withdrawn. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) hails this decision, but at the same time urges the government to immediately take other necessary steps to ensure the full implementation of the Accord.

A Peace Accord Implementation Committee has been formed with Deputy Leader of the Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury as the convener to monitor and implement the Accord. But they have not formed the full committee yet.  Again, though a taskforce for the rehabilitation of the returnee Jumma refugees and internally displaced Jumma people has been established with Joutindra Laal Tripura MP as the chairman, the taskforce has not started any work to rehabilitate the Jumma refugees so far.

Another important condition of the Accord was to form a District council for each of the three districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Though the Government has formed two District Councils consisting of 5 members for Rangamati & Bandarban, initiatives have not been taken to form such councils for Khagrachari District. According to the CHT Accord, these District councils are supposed to have 31 members. The other condition of the Accord was to form a Regional Council, which would monitor & coordinate the activities of District Councils. But the Regional Council dos not seem to play an effective role here. Besides,  the District Councils have not yet been activated in full swing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Though in the Peace Accord there are clear guidelines given for the functioning of the District Councils, these have not been given enough power according to those guidelines. . As if the Councils are there only for the sake of it. It is therefore needed to reconstitute the Regional and District Councils without further delay and have elections to make these truly representative of the people. At the same time it is urgently needed to formulate regulations defining the power and the functions of these councils.

The Most important condition of the implementation of the Accord is the Land Commission. Government has re-organized the land –commission with retired Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury as the chairman. This initiative is praiseworthy. But even though the Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act for the Chittagong Hill Tracts has been passed in 2001, no rule has been drafted yet to implement the law. Nor any effective land survey has been started. Immediate legal steps, therefore, should be taken to strengthen the commission so that it can start working effectively. Rehabilitation of Bengalis in the CHT should also be stopped.

Again it is necessary to ensure proper punishment through proper investigation for all the violence inflicted upon the indigenous people by the law enforcing authorities or by others with the help of the law enforcement agencies in the CHT. Proper & impartial investigation must be done and investigation reports should be published on all human rights violations including the recent incidents of Sajek in 2008, murder of Ladu Moni Chakma, arrest of Ranglai Mro etc.

CHT Accord was signed in 1997 while the party of the present Government was in power. Therefore people’s expectation from the existing Government on the implementation of peace accord is high. The Government has already taken some initiatives and various commitments for the full implementation of the Accord have been declared from different quarters of the Government. It was also one of the main commitments made by this government in their election manifesto. Thus we hope, Government will take necessary steps immediately to protect the Jumma People’s right to their ancestral land, rights of using natural resources and for the recognition of their language and incorporating the policy of giving education in their mother tongue. Above all, Government will take all and necessary and effective measures to ensure the full implementation of CHT Peace Accord.