chtnews.com
News No. 109/2009, August 20, 2009
There is a deep conspiracy to frustrate the government move to withdraw some of the temporary army camps from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, observers say.
“A vested interest group inside the army and the settlers is involved in the conspiracy” said Ujjal Smriti Chakma, a central leader of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF).
According to him, the so-called settler leaders and the army made huge profits by plundering food rations provided to the settlers by the government.
The Samakal, a national Bengali daily, ran a report by Samir Kumar Dey and Sotrong Chakma in its 19 August issue on development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
They said “the army is allocated thousands of tons of food grains and huge amounts of money under ‘Pacification Programme’ and ‘Operation Uttoron’; but the army don’t account for it.”
“Sama Odhikar Andolon leader Jahangir Kamal said the people of the country think that these money and food grains are provided to the Bengalee people in the Hill Tracts, but in reality the Bengalees don’t get anything. He said that there must be accountability for such food grains and funds provided to the army. He thinks that this was one of the factors contributing to the misunderstanding between the Pahari and Bengalee people.”
A section of the settlers have been opposing the troop withdrawal decision openly and a section of the army providing them support secretly.
“They are opposing the withdrawal of the army because that would mean that they will no longer be able to plunder public funds in the name of spurious programmes” commented Ujjal Smriti Chakma.
The interest groups are trying to foil the withdrawal process by destabilizing the situation in the CHT.
It has been learnt that a zone commander in Khagrachari district held a number of secret meetings with their Jumma agents in Manikchari and formed the so-called Chittagong Hill Tracts National Forum (CHTNF). The recent kidnappings in Bandarban might have been committed this group. There should be a serious investigation to ascertain the identity and motive of the kidnappers.
On 15 August, a Bengali settler named Shohel was murdered, and his dead body was found the following day near Sorbeshwar Para, a bordering Jumma village in Feni under Khagrachari district. A section of the settlers tried to create communal tensions by blaming the Jummas for his dead. But the police and the civil administration intervened immediately and arrested Taher, the perpetrator.
On 18 August, Nasima Begum’s dead body was found in the paddy field of Awal near a Jumma village in Panchari. Some settlers claim that she was killed by the Jumma villagers of Horigopal Para when she went to the jungle to collect firewood.
The Jummas vehemently denied the allegation and termed it a conspiracy to create communal tension and thereby justify their opposition to troop withdrawal.
One villager said it is unusual and unbelievable that Nasima Begum should go deep into the jungle all by herself.
“Secondly, it is also unthinkable that the Jummas should let her dead body lying in a paddy field or anywhere in the open if they had committed the crime.” he added.
Nonetheless, some settlers staged demonstrations in Panchari chanting communal slogans and are scheduled to observe hartal today.
“The vested interest groups desperately need issues to justify the presence of the army in CHT; and since there is none, they are creating issues artificially. The killing of Nasima is one of such issues, and it is horrible and disgusting.” Ujjal said.
“The government should immediately investigate her killing and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
He demanded that the government must take stern actions against those who are creating unrest and murdering innocent people to create communal tension and thereby justify their opposition to the decision of troop withdrawal.
