Staff Reporter :
Speakers from different walks of life at function on Friday said that some conspirators are trying to evacuate Bangalees from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The tribal people will be benefited without evacuating Bangalees from there by implementing the CHT land commission act, they said.
“No one has the right to evacuate Bangalees from their homes of hill tracts,” said Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury, the former Chairman of the commission while addressing as the chief guest a discussion on the CHT land commission issue at the National Press Club in the city.
Arranged by CHT Research Foundation, the programme was presided over by its chairman Mehadi Hassan Palash.
Kalyan Party Chairman and Defense Analyst Major General (rtd) Syed Muhmmad Ibarahim presented the key note paper while Coordinator of the organization Afrina Haque conducted the programme.
Firoja Begum Chinu MP, Professor Dr. Tarek Shamsur Rehman of Jahangirnagar University,
Barrister Sarwar Hossain, Parbatya Nagorik Odhikar Parishad Chairman Engineer Alkas Al Mamun, Sama Odhikar Andolon leader Jahangir Kamal, Kalyan Party leader Shahidur Rahman Tamanna and Journalist Syed Ibne Rahmat, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury said, the tribal people of the three hill districts could be benefited by implementing the CHT land commission act without evacuated the Bengalees from there.
Citing many cases of non-cooperation of the tribal leaders of CHT while he was trying to solve disputes as the chairman of the commission, he said, “If the chairman of CHT, Jotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Santu Larma) cooperated then the disputes might had been solved.”
Khademul Islam Chowdhury said, “According to our Constitution and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, there are no indigenous people in the hill tracts. There are some tribal people living there. So, the land disputes are never problems for the indigenous.”
He also said, “The land commission was formed to solve the land disputes. So, the commission could not do anything beyond the given responsibility.”
Stressing that there was no scope under the guideline of our Constitution to move Bangalees from the CHT, he said, “We must seek all of our salvations in the Constitution.”
Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said, “According to the article 3 (2) no Bangalees are allowed to be the member of the commission. According to the article 13, the secretary and other staffs of the commission must be taken from the tribal people. It is discriminatory. There are lots more discriminatory articles remain in the act.”
Firoza Begum Chinu said, “Santu Larma has no Bangladeshi Identity Card. He still did not become a voter of Bangladesh. We don’t know whether he is the citizen of Bangladesh or not.”
Dr. Tarek Shamsur Rehman said, “How dare Santu Larma told that the Bangalees to be removed from the CHT? Who is he? He is not an elected public representative too.”
The speakers asked the government to further amend the act to remove the discriminations.
Speakers from different walks of life at function on Friday said that some conspirators are trying to evacuate Bangalees from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The tribal people will be benefited without evacuating Bangalees from there by implementing the CHT land commission act, they said.
“No one has the right to evacuate Bangalees from their homes of hill tracts,” said Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury, the former Chairman of the commission while addressing as the chief guest a discussion on the CHT land commission issue at the National Press Club in the city.
Arranged by CHT Research Foundation, the programme was presided over by its chairman Mehadi Hassan Palash.
Kalyan Party Chairman and Defense Analyst Major General (rtd) Syed Muhmmad Ibarahim presented the key note paper while Coordinator of the organization Afrina Haque conducted the programme.
Firoja Begum Chinu MP, Professor Dr. Tarek Shamsur Rehman of Jahangirnagar University,
Barrister Sarwar Hossain, Parbatya Nagorik Odhikar Parishad Chairman Engineer Alkas Al Mamun, Sama Odhikar Andolon leader Jahangir Kamal, Kalyan Party leader Shahidur Rahman Tamanna and Journalist Syed Ibne Rahmat, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury said, the tribal people of the three hill districts could be benefited by implementing the CHT land commission act without evacuated the Bengalees from there.
Citing many cases of non-cooperation of the tribal leaders of CHT while he was trying to solve disputes as the chairman of the commission, he said, “If the chairman of CHT, Jotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Santu Larma) cooperated then the disputes might had been solved.”
Khademul Islam Chowdhury said, “According to our Constitution and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, there are no indigenous people in the hill tracts. There are some tribal people living there. So, the land disputes are never problems for the indigenous.”
He also said, “The land commission was formed to solve the land disputes. So, the commission could not do anything beyond the given responsibility.”
Stressing that there was no scope under the guideline of our Constitution to move Bangalees from the CHT, he said, “We must seek all of our salvations in the Constitution.”
Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said, “According to the article 3 (2) no Bangalees are allowed to be the member of the commission. According to the article 13, the secretary and other staffs of the commission must be taken from the tribal people. It is discriminatory. There are lots more discriminatory articles remain in the act.”
Firoza Begum Chinu said, “Santu Larma has no Bangladeshi Identity Card. He still did not become a voter of Bangladesh. We don’t know whether he is the citizen of Bangladesh or not.”
Dr. Tarek Shamsur Rehman said, “How dare Santu Larma told that the Bangalees to be removed from the CHT? Who is he? He is not an elected public representative too.”
The speakers asked the government to further amend the act to remove the discriminations.
