Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, president of Bangladesh Indigenous People's Forum, yesterday urged the government to establish a society without discrimination by upholding rights of all communities including the indigenous people.
"If I impose 'Chakma' as the nationality of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will she agree?" Larma asked speaking at a seminar titled "Importance of Effective Land Commission in Enforcing Land and Human Rights of Indigenous People".
Leaders of the indigenous communities at the seminar demanded constitutional recognition as "indigenous" people and an effective land commission to establish their land rights.
They alleged the existing land commission has failed to resolve land disputes even 13 years after the signing of Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
The speakers also said settler Bangalees are still occupying indigenous people's land with the patronage of local administration.
The Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Bangladesh Indigenous People's Forum jointly organised the seminar at LGED-RDEC auditorium in Agargaon marking the International Day of the World's Indigenous People observed on August 9.
Santu Larma alleged that the government is not making the CHT Land Commission effective in order to make the hills a region with absolute Muslim majority. The government should ensure active participation of Jumma people in the land dispute solution process, he said.
He also demanded constitutional recognition to 54 indigenous communities living in Bangladesh.
Mangal Kumar Chakma, information and publicity secretary of Parbatya Chattagram Ancholik Parishad, and Sanjeev Drong, general secretary of Bangladesh Forum for the Indigenous People, presented the keynote papers.
In his paper, Mangal Chakma said 75,686 acres of hill land in Bandarban has been acquired for military purpose, while the Department of Forest declared about 2.18 lakh acres of land as reserve forest breaching the CHT accord.
"Disregarding the inherited rights of the indigenous people, about 40,000 acres of land in Bandarban has been given to settler Bangalees for rubber cultivation," he added.
Speaking as the chief guest, Prof Mizanur Rahman, chairman of National Human Rights Commission, said the government should implement the peace accord to solve the problems of the CHT people.
The seminar was also addressed, among others, by former adviser to a caretaker government Sultana Kamal, columnist Sayed Abul Maksud, noted rights activist Khushi Kabir, and Information Commissioner Prof Sadeka Halim.
Source : The Daily Star
