Bangladesh: Extremist Bengali Muslim Settlers Attack Nine Indigenous Villages In CHT 500 hundred houses burnt down, 6 killed, dozens injured, several missing

3 August 2013— Primary reports from the local sources said hundreds of extremist Bengali Muslim settlers carried out arson attacks on nine villages of indigenous people in Taidong area under Matiranga Sub-district of Chittagong Hill Tracts. 500 houses of indigenous people were burnt to ashes. Six indigenous people were killed and dozens of indigenous people were injured in these attacks. Several indigenous people, especially women and children, were reportedly missing.

The villages attacked are: Sarveshwarpara, Vagapara, Manadaspara, Tanimong Mogpara/Achlong Marmapara, Krishna Dayal Karbaripara, Tanga Mahajanpara, Rambabu Dhebapara, Turabaripara and Vishwamemberpara.
Tanimong Mogpara/Achlong Marmapara mostly populated by Marma Buddhists was reported to be the worst affected. No details were available by the time of compiling this report. Settlers looted valuables and house-belongings of indigenous people.

Six indigenous people killed are:

1. Bhupati Mohan Chakma
2. Arun Mohan Chakma
3. Vanabhojan Chakma
4. Suresh Chakma
5. Revati Chakma
6. Danguri Chakma.

Some 2000 indigenous people have gone homeless and fled to Indian border for shelter as refugee. Asian Center for Human Rights in its press release issued today urged New Delhi to direct Indian border security forces to provide shelter to the fleeing indigenous refugees from Bangladesh until the situation improves for their return and the Government of Bangladesh to take immediate measures to ensure safety and security of the affected indigenous peoples.

11 village leaders of the affected indigenous people, including an elected member of Union Council, were taken under the custody of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel. They were reportedly tortured instead of providing them with security and safety.

Political parties of the indigenous people -- PCJSS and UPDF -- in their press releases issued today condemned the communal violence and demanded appropriate punishment of the persons involved in the violence and proper compensation and rehabilitation of the indigenous people affected in the violence.

UPDF has called a strike in Khagrachari on 5 August to protest the attacks.

Some victims of attacks said hundreds of settlers backed by patrols of BGB personnel set fire on the houses of indigenous people.

Islamic religious groups backed by a vested group of Bangladeshi military are being blamed for these attacks. Their “aim” is to “grab lands” of indigenous people, said the press release of Asian Centre for Human Rights.
According to a news-report published in the CHT News Bangla on 1 August, hundreds of extremist Bengali Muslim settlers of Taidong, Matiranga tried to fuel communal violence against indigenous people in the area forcing over 250 indigenous families of five villages to flee to jungles near Indian border in panic for shelter.

They gathered at Taidong bazaar on 31 July at about 11 p.m. with axe, sharp knife and other fighting tools and loudspeakers announcing “terrorists have come... terrorists have come” (i.e. armed groups of indigenous people have come—a pretext to organize themselves against indigenous people). On 1 August at about 1 pm they organized themselves and marched towards the fives nearby indigenous villages -- Headmanpara, Bogapara, Pomangpara, Tanakkapara and no 3 Kalindra Karbaripara --shouting racist slogans against the indigenous villagers. Out of 250 indigenous families, 127 families were reported to have returned to their homes today morning on assurance of security and safety given by BGB personnel. 130 indigenous families did not return to their homes yet. Communal tension was looming large in the area.

It may be mentioned settlers imposed two CHT-wide strikes and blockades on 10-12 June 2013 and on 28 June 2013 to oppose the CHT Land-disputes Resolution Commission Act to be passed in the Parliament for resolution of land-disputes between indigenous people and settlers as agreed upon in the 1997 CHT Accord. Over a half million settlers were moved from various plain areas of Bangladesh into CHT under a stated sponsored population transfer program in the 1980s. It caused eviction of hundreds of thousands indigenous people from their lands and thus it gave rise to land-disputes between the two communities. Such communal violence forced 70,000 indigenous people to cross over to Indian State of Tripura as refugees in the late 1980s. They were repatriated to CHT in 1998 under a package agreement reached between the refugee leaders and the Government of Bangladesh.