21 years of CHT peace accord

Efforts on to fully implement deal

It has been 21 years since the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord. But locals are still in the dark about the full implementation of the treaty. The local administration says it is trying to implement the peace treaty fully. It also says 48 out of a total of 72 points contained in the treaty have been implemented till now. Fifteen more points have been partly implemented, while the remaining nine are still undergoing implementation, it claims.

But Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) president Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, alias Santu Larma, recently claimed that only 25 out of 72 points of the treaty had so far been implemented. “The government is not implementing the peace accord fully. That’s why some groups in the hills have been committing crimes in the hilly region by using arms and weapon illegally,” he said. Regular conflicts among local political groups are leading to bloodshed in the hills.

Law enforcement agencies say these groups are yet to deposit all the arms and ammunition to the authorities concerned after the signing of the agreement. Local political leaders are involved in different criminal activities. They are also collecting tolls illegally from local businessmen. At present, there are four local political parties—Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS), PCJSS (reformist), the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) and UPDF (democratic)—in the region. They are now busy fighting each other for establishing supremacy in their respective areas.

Locals say that some leaders of these parties are creating barriers to fully implementing the peace treaty.  They also say the parties possess sophisticated weapons.

“We don’t want any intra-party feud, bloodshed and criminal activities. We want development, stability and peace in the hills,” a local told The Independent.

“We are urging the government to do everything for developing the areas by taking various projects,” he said. “The authorities concerned should identify the criminals and arrest them for sake of the hill people,” he added. Khagrachari district police super Azhar Uz Zaman said that the law and order situation in the hills improved considerably.

“The government has implemented a number of development projects here to improve the lifestyle of the hill people. Many young people, who were members of local armed groups, are now doing business to lead a better life,” he added. He claimed that a number of foreign-made sophisticated arms had been recovered from local terrorists.

A number of sophisticated weapons, such as MG, AK-22 automatic rifles, G-3 rifles, MK-11 rifles, AK-47, AK-56, and M-16 rifles, had been recovered by law enforcement agencies from the possession of local political party members, he added. “We have already started a special operation to recover illegal arms so that the next polls could be held in a peaceful manner,” he said.

“ We have already increased the degree of monitoring to avoid any untoward incident before the national polls,” he added.

 It is alleged that sections of the four local parties of Chittagong Hill Tract are involved in arms smuggling.  The Khagrachori district deputy commissioner told this correspondent that they tookup many development projects in the hills.

 “The three hill districts have huge potential for tourism and various plantation businesses. The government and local community leaders should welcome investors to establish various industries in these areas,” he added.

 He also said that the local district council and the military organised some programmes to celebrate the 21th anniversary of the signing of the peace accord.

 “Local people want peace in the area. They want the implementation of all the 72 points of the peace accord,” he also said. Locals believe that if the Awami League returns to power, it would fully implement the treaty, he added.

 When contacted, UPDF spokesperson Niran Chakma told The Independent that they did not know why the authorities concerned were delaying in implementing the peace accord. “Some organisations of the government are against full implementation of the accord,” he said.  About the possession of arms and ammunition, the UPDF leader said that they had no arms in their possessions.

He alleged that the law enforcement agencies always blamed them for no reason. “Temporary military camps are mushrooming in the area. Military men are harassing the hill people,” he said.

 However, government officials said that they recently withdrew 240 Army camps in the hills.  Kujendra Lal Tripura, lawmaker of Khagrachhari, told this correspondent that the hilly people received many favours from the government after signing the peace treaty.

 “ Now, we need to implement the other points of the agreement,” he said.

“Locals believe that the Sheikh Hasina-led government, if elected again, will implement all the points of the accord,” he added.

 The Chittagong Hill Tracts, spread over 5,093 square miles, covers Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts. The region is flanked by two international borders—on the southeast by Myanmar and on the north by India. The region is heavily populated by Jumma and other tribes including the Chakmas, Marmas, Garos, Mizos and Tripuras.

 In 1973, the Shanti Bahini, the armed wing of Jana Shanghati Samiti, had hatched a plan to establish a ‘Chamatri’ state (Chakma, Marma, Tripura state). The plan to establish a ‘Chamatri’ state was later shelved in the face of extreme opposition in the 1980s.

 Later, a movement was launched to establish ‘Jhumma Land’. The issue has still not been resolved. There are 13 ethnic minorities in the CHT, with Chakmas constituting 24.72 per cent of their total population.

21 years of CHT peace accord

Efforts on to fully implement deal

It has been 21 years since the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord. But locals are still in the dark about the full implementation of the treaty. The local administration says it is trying to implement the peace treaty fully. It also says 48 out of a total of 72 points contained in the treaty have been implemented till now. Fifteen more points have been partly implemented, while the remaining nine are still undergoing implementation, it claims. But Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) president Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, alias Santu Larma, recently claimed that only 25 out of 72 points of the treaty had so far been implemented. The government is not implementing the peace accord fully. Thats why some groups in the hills have been committing crimes in the hilly region by using arms and weapon illegally, he said. Regular conflicts among local political groups are leading to bloodshed in the hills. Law enforcement agencies say these groups are yet to deposit all the arms and ammunition to the authorities concerned after the signing of the agreement. Local political leaders are involved in different criminal activities. They are also collecting tolls illegally from local businessmen. At present, there are four local political partiesParbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS), PCJSS (reformist), the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) and UPDF (democratic)in the region. They are now busy fighting each other for establishing supremacy in their respective areas. Locals say that some leaders of these parties are creating barriers to fully implementing the peace treaty. They also say the parties possess sophisticated weapons. We dont want any intra-party feud, bloodshed and criminal activities. We want development, stability and peace in the hills, a local told The Independent. We are urging the government to do everything for developing the areas by taking various projects, he said. The authorities concerned should identify the criminals and arrest them for sake of the hill people, he added. Khagrachari district police super Azhar Uz Zaman said that the law and order situation in the hills improved considerably. The government has implemented a number of development projects here to improve the lifestyle of the hill people. Many young people, who were members of local armed groups, are now doing business to lead a better life, he added. He claimed that a number of foreign-made sophisticated arms had been recovered from local terrorists. A number of sophisticated weapons, such as MG, AK-22 automatic rifles, G-3 rifles, MK-11 rifles, AK-47, AK-56, and M-16 rifles, had been recovered by law enforcement agencies from the possession of local political party members, he added. We have already started a special operation to recover illegal arms so that the next polls could be held in a peaceful manner, he said. We have already increased the degree of monitoring to avoid any untoward incident before the national polls, he added. It is alleged that sections of the four local parties of Chittagong Hill Tract are involved in arms smuggling. The Khagrachori district deputy commissioner told this correspondent that they tookup many development projects in the hills. The three hill districts have huge potential for tourism and various plantation businesses. The government and local community leaders should welcome investors to establish various industries in these areas, he added. He also said that the local district council and the military organised some programmes to celebrate the 21th anniversary of the signing of the peace accord. Local people want peace in the area. They want the implementation of all the 72 points of the peace accord, he also said. Locals believe that if the Awami League returns to power, it would fully implement the treaty, he added. When contacted, UPDF spokesperson Niran Chakma told The Independent that they did not know why the authorities concerned were delaying in implementing the peace accord. Some organisations of the government are against full implementation of the accord, he said. About the possession of arms and ammunition, the UPDF leader said that they had no arms in their possessions. He alleged that the law enforcement agencies always blamed them for no reason. Temporary military camps are mushrooming in the area. Military men are harassing the hill people, he said. However, government officials said that they recently withdrew 240 Army camps in the hills. Kujendra Lal Tripura, lawmaker of Khagrachhari, told this correspondent that the hilly people received many favours from the government after signing the peace treaty. Now, we need to implement the other points of the agreement, he said. Locals believe that the Sheikh Hasina-led government, if elected again, will implement all the points of the accord, he added. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, spread over 5,093 square miles, covers Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts. The region is flanked by two international borderson the southeast by Myanmar and on the north by India. The region is heavily populated by Jumma and other tribes including the Chakmas, Marmas, Garos, Mizos and Tripuras. In 1973, the Shanti Bahini, the armed wing of Jana Shanghati Samiti, had hatched a plan to establish a Chamatri state (Chakma, Marma, Tripura state). The plan to establish a Chamatri state was later shelved in the face of extreme opposition in the 1980s. Later, a movement was launched to establish Jhumma Land. The issue has still not been resolved. There are 13 ethnic minorities in the CHT, with Chakmas constituting 24.72 per cent of their total population.