Ex-Law Minister Maudud admits they made mistakes with regard to CHT

chtnews.com
News No. 76/2009, June 28, 2009
Former Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Maudud Ahmed has admitted that their government (2001 – 2006) had made mistakes with regard to the Chittagong Hill Tracts and said the present government can rectify them.

He was speaking at a round table conference on ‘UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture’ at CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka yesterday, Saturday, organised jointly by Odhikar, a human rights organisation, and RCT Denmark.

During question and answer session Democratic Youth Forum General Secretary, Mithun Chakma questioned the legality and justifiability of the continuing military rule in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the name of “Operation Dabanol” and Operation Uttoron”.

Maudud Ahmed asked Mithun Chakma whether the military rule was still continuing during the rule of the present AL government. When Mithun replied in the positive, he said “we made mistakes, and for this the people (of CHT) have punished us by voting us out.”

He continued: “the present government can rectify the mistake, if it so wishes.”

The conference was presided over by Dr. C. R. Abrar Chowdhury, President of Odhikar, and moderated by its Secretary Advocate Adilur Rahman Khan.

Dr. Salimullah Khan, Chief Academic Adviser, Department of Law, Stamford University, presented the keynote paper on torture.

The conference was also addressed among others by Asafuddollah, ex-secretary and incumbent Executive Director of private TV channel Bangla Vision; Maudud Ahmed, former Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs; Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir MP; Mahmudur Rahman, Chairman, Amar Desh Publications; Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP, Organising Secretary, Bangladesh Awami League; Advocate Sigma Huda, Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, Editor, Manob Jamin; and Saiful Haq, leader of Biplobi Workers Party.

Participants to the conference from Chittagong Hill Tracts were UPDF member Ripon Chakma, General Secretary of Democratic Youth Forum Mithun Chakma and Information and Publicity Secretary Alakesh Chakma.