Bangladesh: Evictions and land grabbing in the CHTs
Making the optimum (mis)use of the emergency rule, the government of Bangladesh has once again tried to forcibly evict the indigenous Jumma peoples and settle the illegal plain settlers on the ancestral lands of the indigenous Jumma peoples of Sadhana Tila under the Dighinala Police Station in Khagrachari district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
I. Attempts
to capture indigenous peoples' lands
On 13 August 2007, the illegal plain setters tried
to forcibly capture the lands of the Buddhist temple at Sadhana Tila which is
predominantly inhabited by the indigenous Buddhist Chakmas from time
immemorial. This ethnic cleansing programme, like any other previous attempts
of ethnic cleansing of the indigenous peoples, has been sponsored by the
Bangladesh army. Dighinala Zone Commander of the Bangladesh army, Major Qamrul
Hassan ordered the Buddhist monks of the temple and the indigenous people to
leave Sadhana Tila area in order to make way for socalled peaceful settlement
of over 800 illegal plain settlers' families. The Bangladesh army allegedly
announced an incentive grant of Taka 50,000 for each settler family who will be
willing to settle in the Sadhana Tila as well as Taka 1,000 as monthly allowance.
Those who refused to take over the lands of the indigenous Jummas were
allegedly threatened that free food ration supply would be cut off.
Inspired by new incentives and frightened by any
possible sanctions, hundreds of illegal plain setters started coming into the
Sadhana Tila and cutting the jungle around the Buddhist temple under the cover
of the military and the police. Whenever the indigenous peoples sought to
protect their lands, the illegal settlers erupted in a riotous mood.
On 23 August 2007 at about 5 pm, a group of illegal
settlers broke into the temple boundary and began cutting trees and shrubs
belonging to the temple. When the Jumma villagers protested, the army and the
police falsely accused the Buddhist monks of possessing arms and wanted to
search the temple. A violent confrontation between the Jummas and the illegal
settlers was narrowly prevented after the intervention of Union Council
Chairman, Mr Paritosh Chakma.
The visit of the Chief of Bangladesh Army General
Moeen U Ahmed, the defacto ruler of Bangladesh, to Dighinala on 28 August 2007
further fueled the conflict.
On 1 September 2007, a group of settlers led by Md.
Malek and Chand Mian pulled down the signboard of Sadhana Tila Vana Bihar
(temple) and smashed it. They also threatened the Buddhist monks to leave the
temple and destroyed a few houses of the indigenous Chakmas.
Again, on 2 September 2007, the illegal plain
settlers destroyed some of the houses of indigenous Jumma peoples around
Sadhana Tila Buddhist temple.
II.
Indigenous leaders under threats
The indigenous leaders who have been playing active
role to defend the rights of the indigenous peoples in Sadhana Tila have been
facing the music from the Bangladesh army and the police.
BAN ON CONSTRUCTION OF
BUDDHIST TEMPLES
Among others, the
Care-taker government of Bangladesh did not take over the lands at Sadhana Tila
because it would have meant destroying the Buddhist temple. Bad publicity!
Then came the dubious order. On 12 September 2007, Md. Abdul Matin, the Sub-District
Executive Officer of Mahalchari in Khagrachari district of the CHTs, Bangladesh
issued a public notice to prohibit "construction of new Mosque, Hindu
temple and Buddhist temple" in Mahalchari sub-division without prior
permission of the authorities concerned.
The order is not targeted
against the Muslims or Hindus but against indigenous Buddhists. Repression can
be perpetrated under different names!
III.
Temporary relief but fear lurks in their hearts
Again on 3 September 2007, the plain settlers
launched a failed attack on the indigenous peoples. Bangladesh army from the
Babuchara camp had to be deployed to avoid a major communal bloodshed as
hundreds of indigenous Jumma peoples came out of their houses to face the illegal
settlers and the army. The army commander of the Babuchara camp went to the
Buddhist temple to make peace and declared that "from tomorrow no settler
will come to Sadhana Tila", thereby showing who was the main instigator.
This has given a temporary relief for the
indigenous peoples of Sadhana Tila. Various indigenous organizations including
the Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network (AITPN) and indigenous Jumma
organizations around the world campaigned against the imminent eviction of
indigenous peoples from the Sadhana Tila area.
Although there has been an end to cutting of jungle
in Sadhana Tila area since 4 September 2007, the government has not formally
announced that it has put off the plan to settle the illegal plain settlers in
Sadhana Tila. This has kept the fear alive in the heart of every indigenous
peoples of Sadhana Tila.