Santu Larma’s demand for banning UPDF is a frustration of an old, unelected leader – DYF

chtnews.com
News No. 213/2009, December 09, 2009

The Democratic Youth Forum General Secretary Mithun Chakma, Hill Students’ Council President Ricoh Chakma and Hill Women’s President Sonali Chakma in a statement today, 9th December, termed the demand of Santu Larma to ban United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) as a frustration of an old man who has not been elected to serve the people but has been indulging in open corruption, says a press release.

Brushing aside his demand, the three Jumma leaders said “the point is not whether to ban UPDF or not, but whether Santu Larma, chief of the Jana Samhati Samiti’ Santu faction, has any legitimacy to serve as the Chair of the Regional Council considering that he has never been elected. He is a stooge irrespective of which ever government is in power in Dhaka and indulges in corruption. Even during emergency no action against his corruption has been taken.”

They alleged that Santu Larma uses the government funds allocated to the Regional Council to sustain his terrorist gangs and to procure arms and ammunition to kill his opponents including UPDF members and supporters.

They said UPDF is campaigning for full autonomy through peaceful and democratic means, and added that Santu Larma has killed more than two hundred members and supporters of the UPDF since 1998 when the party came into being. It is precisely because UPDF has participated in the elections while Santu Larma often boycotted under various pretext.

Referring to an interview of Santu Larma published in daily Jugantor in 2000 in which he had virtually ordered his men to lynch UPDF members and supporters, the three leaders said “terrorism is the motto of Jana Samhati Samiti (Santu faction).”

They further alleged that despite UPDF assurance that it would help any efforts to implement the CHT accord in full, the Santu faction of the JSS has continued its armed offensives against UPDF while the government has stepped up political repression.

The press release is signed by Thui Kyo Ching Marma, General Secretary, Hill Students’ Council, Dhaka Branch.