An investigative team to visit CHT 28 - 30 January

chtnews.com
News No. 12/2008, January 27, 2008

A 16-member strong team of intellectuals, writers, lawyers, human rights activists and journalists are due to visit Khagrachari and Rangamati districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts from 28 - 30 January, said one of the local organisers of the visit in Khagrachari.

"The team members will collect information primarily about human rights, land issue, CHT accord and the voter list and then make their findings public at a press conference in Dhaka on 31 January", he further said.

He said the team members will speak to all sections of people and visit some specific places in Khagrachari.

The team will spend two full days, 28 and 29 January, in Khagrachari on the first leg of their CHT visit, before moving on to Rangamati.

The team members include Pankaj Bhattachariya, a leader of Gono Forum, Said Abul Maksuk, a newspaper columnist, Maj. Gen. Amin Ahmed Chowdhury (Rd.) Kamal Lohani, writer, Barrister Z. I. Khan Panna, lawyer, Bangladesh Supreme Court, Barrister Sadia Arman, lawyer, Bangladesh Supreme Court, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Dr. M. M. Akash, professor of Economics, Dhaka University, Dr. Rashidi Mahabub, ex-pro Vice Chancellor, BSMR Medical University, Sourav Shikdar, Associate professor, Dhaka University, Pinaki Roy, The Daily Sar, Nazrul Islam Mithu, New Age, Kabita Papri, Ittefaq, Ayub Bhuiyan, Chief reporter, Bhorer Kagoj, Anwar Kabir a freelance journalist and a photo journalist from Janakantha.

The visit comes in the wake of allegations of massive human rights violations including forcible land grabbing and attack on Buddhist temples in CHT.

The visit is a big snub to the home ministry instructions "to discourage intellectuals and eminent personalities from attending functions organised by ethnic minority groups", a human rights activist commented.