Shantu Larma and Abul Hasnat Abdullah signing the CHT Accord in December 1997.
This day 12 years ago the historic CHT Accord was signed between Shanti Bahini leader Shantu Larma and the government of Bangladesh which ended an almost two-decade long armed struggle for autonomy for the region. The main areas of understanding which led to the signing of the Accord were the following:
(i) land rights to the indigenous people;
(ii) revival of the cultural identities of indigenous people;
(ii) rehabilitation of internally displaced people and repatriated refugees;
(iii) withdrawal of temporary military camps from the CHT; and
(iv) self-government through regional and district councils.
True to its election manifesto (“The 1997 Chittagong Hill Tract Peace Accord will be fully implemented. More efforts will be directed toward the development of underdeveloped tribal areas, and special programmes on priority basis will be taken to secure their rights and to preserve their language, literature, culture, and unique lifestyles”), the Government has taken important measures to implement the CHT Accord. These include specifically the setting up of the National Committee for Implementation of the CHT Accord, re-establishment of the Land Commission and the Task Force on Rehabilitation of Returnee Jumma Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and the cancellation of some plantation leases that have not been properly developed.
Unfortunately, it remains unclear how and when the various provisions will be implemented. No steps have been taken to develop a time-bound action plan in consultation with indigenous peoples in the CHT to ensure that all the provisions in the Accord are implemented and in an appropriate sequence.
Unfortunately there have been reports of renewed hostilities between the different internal groupings in the CHT. And although a Land Commission is in place with a retired judge as chairperson appointed on July 19, 2009, he has not declared the operational procedure he is going to undertake to resolve the long-standing disputes in all three districts of the hill tracts.
Indigenous peoples in the CHT continue to face human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, torture, rape, attacks, harassment, religious persecution, political harassment, and lack of access to socio-economic rights or to freedom of expression including with respect to cultural activities. A vast majority of cases remain without proper investigation, prosecution and punishment. The Government is yet to allow human rights and other NGOs free access to travel within the CHT and monitor human rights violations.*
* Excerpts taken from CHT Commission’s August 2009 Report (For full report, check out the website)
Here is a compilation of how some of the main newspapers of the country have written about 12 years of signing of the CHT Accord.
Still no Roadmap
Peace lies in roadmap
Military rule
Land conflicts
Menon on implementation
Shafique Ahmed on implementation
Hills vanishing fast
Repressive lawsuits
Shantir khoje
JSS on the state of implementation
12 year anniversary
12 years of Treaty
