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PCJSS Wing Organisations:
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• Brief History and Struggle of the CHT
CHT Accord of 1997:
• • CHT Accord of 1997
• • 16-Point Package Facility Agreement of 1994
• • 20-Point Package Facility Agreement of 1997
• • Report on Implementation of CHT Accord 2010
CHT Acts & Laws:
• • CHT Regional Council Act 1998
• • Three Hill District Council Acts 1998
• • CHT Land Dispute Settlement Commission Act 2001
• • CHT Regulation of 1900
• • CHT Development Board Ordinance 1976
• • CHT Frontier Police Regulation 1881
• • CHT Land Acquisition Regulation 1958
• • CHT Loans Regulation 1938
• • Important Provisions on Land Management
• • Standing Order-Deputy Commissioner
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• • Kaptai Dam
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Statement of J.B. Larma (Santu Larma)
on the Report of
the Joint GoB/Donor Risk Assessment Mission on the Chittagong Hill Tracts

The GoB/Donor Risk Assessment Mission report was launched in Dhaka on 14th August 2002. Neither the UNDP nor the GoB (government of Bangladesh) has felt any necessity to make a copy of it available to me. After making a telephonic request Mr. Jorgen Lissner, the Resident Representative of the UNDP, Dhaka office made it available to me. Until August 13, I was not aware of the launching ceremony. Both the GoB and the UNDP (as representative of the donor community), unfortunately, have not felt any necessity to invite me or my representative from the CHT Regional Council, the apex body of the CHT institutions. Both the parties were aware that this apex body, chaired by me had the authority of supervision and co-ordination over law and order, civil administration and development and etc. as envisaged by the CHT Regional Council Act passed by the Bangladesh Parliament.
The CHT people are grateful to Mr. Jorgen Lissner, the UN Resident Co-ordinator and Resident Representative, UNDP office, Dhaka for mobilising the donor community and the GoB for resuming the development, which has been snapped due to the 16th February, 2001 abduction perpetrated by the UPDF (United Peoples Democratic Front). As a result the 16-member Joint GoB-UNDP Risk Assessment Mission was fielded by the GoB and the donors in June for assessing the security situation in the CHT region. It was surprising that the CHT Regional Council, the appropriate legal authority in the region was not invited to join the Mission where three Deputy Commissioners holding far low status then the Chairman of CHT Regional Council were incorporated as mission members. This is way, it has been proved that even the UN/UNDP or donors can undermine the status of the CHT Regional Council.
The GoB has ratified some UN convention and declarations relating to indigenous and tribal peoples but still their rights, as committed have not been recognised. The national political parties have not been seen to be supportive to the issues rather they have been deliberately opposing the rights of the indigenous peoples. The PCJSS (Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti /United People’s Party), key holder in the CHT Regional Council and the vocal organisation for establishing rights of the Jumma people (indigenous peoples of the CHT) and against the corruption is opposed by many of GoB machinaries/agencies. Many of the GoB policies and activities are racially discriminating. It is not a very easy matter to Mr. Michael Heyn, the Mission leader and Mr. J. W. Klassen, the security expert to understand the complexity of the CHT issues within a few days and for coming to an easy conclusion. As a result an anti PCJSS attitude has been reflected from composition of the mission to finalisation of the report.
The Some matters and comments passed in the report have drawn our attention, which have been found so serious for which it is important to come up with this statement to express our concern and unhappiness. More over, it is learnt that Mr. Kamal Pasha, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director General, UNDP for Asia- Pacific Region told to some in Johannesburg recently to release the report in the UN/UNDP website. Our comments are stated below with great concern and unhappiness:

Comments

1. The security part of the report has been prepared based on police and military information and data. Moreover, there has been excessive representation from the GoB keeping none from the CHT institutions like the CHT Regional Council. As a result a general attitude and aptitude of the report was against the PCJSS which, ultimately has been proved to be a piece of a biased report as far as the security issues are concerned. And this way it has damaged the sincere commitments of the donors towards the CHT indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, the report projected the PCJSS as an extorter, which tarnished the image of the PCJSS and challenged integrity of its leaders;
2. Though the Mission was aware on the legal competency of the CHT Regional Council still it has not made any room for the CHT Regional Council for being a mission member. On the other hand three Deputy Commissioners of the CHT region have been incorporated in the Mission as members. This way the authority of the CHT Regional Council has been undermined by both the GoB and the UNDP;
3. There was none from the CHT peoples to balance a Brigadier General, posted in Rangamati (a member of the Mission who represented the GOC, 24 Infantry Division) and a former Major General (hired by the UNDP) who was also a mission member;
4. It is surprising that the Mission has been completely silent on the “Operation Uttaran” which still allows the army personnel of about 500 camps militarise the CHT region and in recent weeks operations have been  accelerated resulting to gross human rights abuses victimising women and children;
5. Like the GoB agencies and national political parties the Mission has been proved to be very soft towards the UPDF which is responsible for armed activities in the CHT killing the PCJSS members and pro-CHT accord people. It is clear like day light that the UPDF abducted three foreign road engineers working for a Danish project (page 14). Though necessary paper cuttings and insight information have been made available to the mission still the mission has not brought even mildest accusation or allegation against the UPDF for the abduction on the other hand it has held the PCJSS responsible for the abduction of a MSF watchman (page 15). It has clearly made the mission especially the UNDP biased.
6. The Mission identified Mohalchari thana as the high risk zone where no development activity should currently take place. Mr. Sudhasindu Khisa, Member, CHT Regional Rouncil and PCJSS central committee and executive committee member has been identified as the PCJSS leader of this thana. The Mission cunningly pointed the finger towards Mr. Khisa giving an impression that he might be responsible for the armed activities (page 33) in this thana. No names have been mentioned in case of other 26 thanas. The Mission led by Mr. Heyn was so biased and hence, did not feel any necessity to know about the position of Mr. Khisa that he was a and a top shot of the PCJSS hierarchy but not a thana level leader. He was also a member of the CHT Regional Council and not entrusted for only Mohalchari thana. Though his native village falls under Mohalchari thana but he has been living at Khagrachari town since beginning of 1998 as his house was completely demolished by Bangladesh army personnel of Mohalchari army zone in April 1979. The materials of his demolished house were used in construction of the Mohalchari army camp. Since February 1998 he visited Mohalchari for only about five times, of course, every time taking police escort from Khagrachari;
7. It has been learnt from the UNDP source that the report was accepted by the government side with a few changes of some words and a comment on the Kaptai Lake (that the construction of Kaptai Lake led to the CHT movement). It has been learnt that Mr. Heyn and Mr. Clark wrote the security part of the report. We will not appreciate who trap the UNDP/donors or the GoB by providing false information with motivated interest of lack of sound knowledge on the CHT issues. Hence, we feel that it will be a risky job to involve Mr. Heyn, the mission leader in future assignments.

Appeal

To help develop the CHT situation through conflict prevention and conflict resolution and basic development measures I, on behalf of the PCJSS and the CHT Regional Council call upon the Mission to immediately:

1. bring changes in its attitude towards the PCJSS and the CHT regional council;
2. bring changes in some remarks on the PCJSS from the report and issue a statement on the matter;
3. withdraw the mission report from the UNDP website (if it has already been uploaded);
4. immediately take up these matters and development concerns with the CHT regional council and the PCJSS;
5. start development activities in the CHT at the earliest and not to employ any person who was responsible for the biased report.

Human Rights Incidents:
• • At A Glance (1998-2010)
• • Human Rights Incident 2010
• • Human Rights Incident 2009
• • Human Rights Incident 2008
• • Human Rights Incident 2007
• • Human Rights Incident 2006
• • Human Rights Incident 2005
• • Human Rights Incident 2004
• • Human Rights Incident 2003
• • Human Rights Incident 2002
• • Human Rights Incident 2001
• • Human Rights Incident 2000
• • Human Rights Incident 1999
• • Human Rights Incident 1998
Major Communal Attacks:
• • At A Glance (1999-2011)
• • Ramgarh-Manikchari Attack (17 April 2011 )
• • Longadu Attack (17 February 2011)
• • Baghaihat-Khagrachari Attack (19-23 Feb 2010)
• • Sajek Attack (20 April 2008)
• • Maischari Attack (3 April 2006 )
• • Mahalchari Attack (26 August 2003)
• • Bhuiyachara Attack (19 April 2003)
• • Rajvila Attack (10 October 2002)
• • Ramgarh Attack (25 June 2001)
• • Boalkhali-Merung Attack (18 May 2001)
• • Babuchara Attack (10 Oct 1999)
• • Baghaihat Attack (4 April 1999)
UN & International Conference:
• • UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
• • Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP)
• • Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP)
• • Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF)
Biography:
• • Manabendra Narayan Larma
• • Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma
• Relevant Articles
• Map