Army prevents temple uplift work in Maischari

Military personnel, yesterday, asked the Jumma villagers to stopuplift work of a Buddhist temple in Maischari under Khagracharidistrict.

A group of ten army personnel from Bizitola camp arrived at SarnathArannyo Kuthir temple at about 1:30 p.m. and ordered the devotees tostop the uplift work they had been doing for the last two months.

They also briefly detained Aungjyo Karbari, the village head ofKorngjyo Karbari Para and interrogated him about the temple work.

About 50 Jumma men and women from Choudhury Para village were workingwhen the army personnel came there.

Earlier in the morning, another group of army men from Kiang-ghat camphad visited the temple but said nothing to the devotees.

Hundreds of Buddhist devotees from nearby villages such asKarallyachari, Jadugonala, Rangapanichara, Mubachari, Sabgujya,Manikchari, Bolipara, Bachchupara, Magistrate Para and Choudhury parahave been working daily for the uplift of the temple. The workconsists mainly of leveling the ground, constructing a dining hall andliving rooms for the monks.

The army said such activities cannot be carried out without priorpermission of the Mahalchari Thana administration.

HARASSMENT
As we prepare this report, the HWHRF representative stationed in thearea informed that the army personnel from Kiang-ghat camp reappearedat the temple in the morning today and briefly detained four Jummateenagers who had stayed in the temple last night to perform theirshare of the temple duties - mainly to prepare breakfast for the monksearly in the morning.

The soldiers ordered them to sit on a bench for a group photograph,but the boys felt offended and refused to comply.

This enraged the soldiers who held them there and refused to allowthem to go back to their homes.

Later, groups of women and their guardians came to the temple and tookthem out ignoring army's order.

The teenagers have been identified as 1. Bablu Chakma s/o Samal Chakma, student of class nine in Buddha Shishu Ghar School; 2. MitonChakma (14) a student of class nine in Naniachari school; 3. EltuChakma (16) s/o Ulong Chakma, a candidate for Secondary School Certificate; and 4. Nandan Chakma (14) s/o Jibo Moy Chakma.

Meanwhile, despite military presence, groups of Jumma villagers keptcoming to the temple. But the army ordered them not to carry on theuplift work.

The soldiers asked them whether they came there under UPDF'sinstruction. They replied they came to work in the temple of their ownvolition. Nobody forced them to do that.

The soldiers interrogated one Iner Bap (father of Ina) fromKorollyachari village, who also came to the temple to complete his ownshare of the work.Army personnel have continued their presence at the temple area tillthe writing of this report at 4:30 p.m.

Some Bengali settlers accompanied the army to the temple today. Theyare believed to have surveyed the area nearby the temple forencroachment.

One and a half months ago, the settlers from Maischari, Noonchari andKiang-ghat cluster villages made attempts to capture these lands.

The settlers have already taken away hundreds of acres of landbelonging to the Jumma people in Maischari and its nearby areas withdirect assistance from the army.

Hill Watch Human Rights Forum, NEWS No. 01/2008, January 04, 2008