A Statement by Mr. Ushatan Talukder at the 14th Session of the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) held on 20
April - 01 May 2015 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York
Agenda Item 7: Human Rights
Madam Chairperson, distinguished delegates, indigenous brothers and sisters,
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings and hence we
Indigenous People are equally entitled to our human rights without
discrimination. However, the indigenous people of the globe, including
Bangladesh, continue to be subjected to various forms of human rights
violations.
The historic Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord was
one of the bold steps taken by the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led
government to establish peace and harmony in that conflicting region.
The CHT Accord of 1997 was expected to end militarization, systematic
human rights violations and a culture of impunity, and allow indigenous
people of the CHT to regain control over their lands, resources and
local administration. However, the failure to fully implement the CHT
Accord has led to widespread human rights violations and deprivation.
Bangladesh government implemented some provisions of the Accord.
However, main issues of the Accord, particularly devolution of political
authority, including general administration, law & order and
police, remain unimplemented. The government claims that 48 provisions
out of 72 provisions of the Accord have been implemented. This is
untrue, misleading and misconceived. PCJSS asserts that only 25
provisions out of the 72 have been implemented. It means that two-thirds
of the provisions of the Accord remain unimplemented until day.
Part D of the Accord deals with land disputes. The government claims two
out of three provisions of this part have been implemented while the
remaining has been partially implemented. Most importantly, resolution
of land disputes has not even been started, 17 years after signing the
Accord. Dozens of meetings have been held to draft amendments to the CHT
Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act 2001 based upon a 13-point
amendment proposal, including of the CHT Accord Implementation Committee
on 20 January of this year. We do not see any tangible result of the
aforesaid meetings and the numerous commitments of the government in
this regard.
Instead of implementing the unimplemented provisions
of the Accord, the government has, on the contrary, continuously
violated the Accord, totally disregarding the mandatory consultation
with CHT Regional Council on legislation concerning the CHT. The passage
of the CHT Development Board Act 2014 (on 1 July 2014) and the Hill
District Councils (Amendment) Acts 2014 are prime examples. The
establishment of the University of Science & Technology and Medical
College in Rangamati despite popular opposition are among other examples
of the government’s arbitrary acts.
Through directive of the
Ministry of Home Affairs on 7 January 2015, restrictions were imposed
upon indigenous people to meet national/foreign organizations and
individuals without the mandatory presence of local administration,
army/BGB (Border Guards). No such restrictions were placed upon
non-indigenous inhabitants of the CHT, thereby clearly demonstrating the
racist decision, which is contrary to the Constitution of Bangladesh
and the provisions of ICERD (International Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination), ratified by Bangladesh. These
directives were supplemented with a prohibition against foreigners
entering the CHT without the prior consent of the Home Ministry, to be
taken a month in advance.
At the same time, the government has
intensified its anti-accord and anti-Jumma programmes to evict the Jumma
peoples from their ancestral lands and homesteads by clandestinely
patronizing massive racist attacks on Jumma settlements, sponsoring
forcible occupation of hundreds of acres of lands by the outsiders,
declaring the swidden (Jum) and community lands as reserve forests,
expanding and establishing army/BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) camps and
establishing tourism centres run by the army.
Against this
backdrop, I, on behalf of CHT people, urge the Government of Bangladesh
to declare an outline (roadmap) with timeframe for proper and speedy
implementation of the CHT Accord. I also urge the Permanent Forum to
take initiative to implement its resolutions adopted at the 10th session
regarding implementation of CHT Accord.
May I also request the
Permanent Forum to adopt recommendations urging the government of
Bangladesh to declare a roadmap for proper implementation of CHT Accord.
