Latest from Sajek: merchandise seized

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Latest from Sajek: merchandise seized

chtnews.com
News No. 83/2008, May 13, 2008

The settlers in Sajek appear to have put an economic embargo on Jumma populated areas, with merchandise for village shops of two Jummas seized at Baghaihat bazaar.

Sources said, on 11 May, two elderly Jummas in their sixties, Leipeda Chakma and Gyana Ranjan Chakma, were ferrying goods from Karengatoli bazaar to their shops at Gangaram Mukh. When they reached Baghaihat, a settler named Nazimuddin seized the goods, apparently on orders of the army officers.

As the Jummas protested at the illegal seizure, Nazimuddin asked them to contact the zone commander, Lt. Col. Sajid Imtiaz, the mastermind behind the 20 April attack on 4 Jumma villages in Sajek.

Attempt at capture or effacement of evidence?
Since 10 May, settlers have been cleaning the ashes and charred beams of the burned houses of the Jummas. "They are doing it on orders of the army and it is not clear if it is an attempt to capture our land or to efface the telltale mark of the brutal attack or a purely generous help" said one villager, who spoke to chtnews.com from Sajek on special arrangement.

Army beats up five Jummas in Naniachar

chtnews.com
News No. 82/2008, May 13, 2008

On 6 May 2008, captain Shamim and Sebedar Abdul Kashem from Naniachar zone beat up five Jummas who came to Morachengi Government Primary School ground to get themselves registered as voters.

The incident occurred at around 9:30 am. The Jummas stood up in a long queue in the simmering summer heat. The unwelcome abusive language of the army personnel deployed there to help the voter registration officials seemed to have shot up the temperature level beyond any tolerable point.

Some of the Jummas protested at such rude behaviour of the army, but of no use. At one stage, some of them shouted at captain Shamim: "dhara, dhara" (catch him, catch him). The soldiers became furious and instantly singled out five Jummas to mete out retribution.

The victims have been identified as Bir Ranjan Chakma (30) s/o Jharbodhan Chakma, Shanti Ranjan Chakma (35) s/o Sur Sen Chakma and Maya Dhan Chakma (22) s/o Allo Chakma of village North Morachengi, Ms Kalabi Chakma (35) d/o Roghunath Chakma of village South Morachengi and Kalamua Chakma (28) s/o Ah-Mua Chakma of village Karallyachari.

After the beating, Subedar Abdul Kashem apologized to the victims, a rare gesture of any army officer in CHT.
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chtnews.com is an independent and voluntary online news service dedicated to projecting and analyzing the current events in the Chittagong Hill Tracts from the perspective of the Jumma people's struggle for right to self-determination. For further information please contact at: chtnewsonline@ gmail.com