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Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Mr. Chairperson, honourable indigenous brothers and sisters. The Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh are one of the most deprived groups in many aspects of economic, social, cultural and political rights mainly due to their status of ethnic minority. Evidences show that the indigenous people of the country have very limited access to basic human rights including right to basic public services. As per verdict of Supreme Court, very recently Awami League-led present grand alliance government amended constitution of Bangladesh by passing Fifteen Constitution (Amendment) Bill on 30 June 2011. But the government did not provide constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples as indigenous peoples (Adivasi); rather, termed tribals, small nationalities, ethnic group and communities. These terminologies are not accepted by the indigenous peoples. Fifteen Amendment provides that the People of Bangladesh shall be known as Bengali as a nation and the citizens of Bangladesh shall be known as Bangladeshis. Indigenous peoples rejected this provision saying that they are Bangladeshi as citizens, but they are not “Bengali” as a nation. They all are a separate nation possessing separate identity, culture, customs, language and society apart from Bengalis. Indigenous peoples rejected the Fifteen Amendment of Constitution saying that it undermined the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. State machineries continue to violate the civil and political rights and collective rights of indigenous peoples with impunity and there is no effective mechanism available for redress in addressing these violations. Numerous cases of human rights violations committed by State Forces are contrary to its national laws and its international human rights obligations. Further, the government being a member of the Human Rights Council should make itself more transparent and accountable to its international human rights obligations. Since signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord between the Government of Bangladesh and the PCJSS in 1997, only a little of the Accord was implemented during last 13 years. Though present government took few steps to have initiative about implementation of the Accord after assuming state power in January 2009, but these were basically reconstitution of some committees and appointment of some posts. Despite commitment to implement the CHT Accord during national election 2008, almost two and half years have passed after assuming state power, the effective measures are yet to be taken for implementation of the main provisions of the Accord. The lands of the indigenous peoples are still forcibly being taken away basically for establishment of eco-park and national parks, protected and reserved forest, mining, settlement of government-sponsored non-indigenous migrants and establishment of military bases and training centres, and development projects. In plain lands around 2,000 indigenous families in 10 districts in the border regions in the northwest (Rajshahi-Dinajpur) have so far lost their 1,748 acres of ancestral land. On the other, 216 families of indigenous peoples in plain lands have been attacked and their houses have been looted and destroyed by the influential groups of mainstream population with the intention to grab ancestral land of adivasis in 2009-2010. In these attacks, 4 indigenous persons have been killed. I, on behalf of indigenous peoples of Bangladesh, appeal to international community to influence Government of Bangladesh to provide due constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples as per our demands, to take effective and speedy initiative for implementation of CHT Accord and to recognise the rights to control over land, territory and natural resources of indigenous peoples in accordance with international human rights conventions. Thank you Mr. Chairperson. |
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