200 Mro families in fear of land-grabbers and terrorists in Bandarban

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200 Mro families in fear of land-grabbers and terrorists in Bandarban



chtnews.com
News No. 73/2009, June 25, 2009



About 200 ethnic Mro families in Ronjupara, Penaipara, Chakkoipara and Bhattyapara under Tonkaboti Union in Bandarban Sadar Upazila have been living in fear of land grabbers and terrorists, says Prothom Alo, a leading national Bengali daily.



In a news article today, 25 June, the daily says “Since the attack on a villager of Penaipara on 18 June, the residents of the area have been living in fear of further terrorist attacks on them.”



“The villagers spoke of their sense of insecurity at a press conference held at Bandarban press club on Sunday. The chairman and members of Tonkaboti Union Council and village chiefs at the press conference demanded that land-grabber Shaha Alam and his terrorist gang members are arrested and brought to justice.



“At the press conference Tonkaboti Union Council Chairman Purna Chandra Mro said: ‘Shah Alam, a resident of Choromba area under Lohagora Upazila in Chittagong, has occupied without legal documents hundreds of acres of land belonging to Mro people with the help of his Rohinga terrorist gang. As a result the Mro people of Ronjupara and Penaipara have been unable to cultivate Jum for the last three years, plagued by dire financial crisis and compelled to live a substandard life. Complaints have been lodged with the government administration but to no avail, and the lack of effective measures on the part of the government has been a shot in the arms of terrorist Shah Alam.’



“Expressing anger village chief of Ronjupara, Luring Mro said: ‘I can no longer enter the land where we have been cultivating Jum for generations.’ He said Shah Alam and his terrorists tortured Rengrao while he was working at Jum field. He is still undergoing treatment in Bandarban Sadar Hospital. A case has been filed against six persons including Shah Alam; however police has so far failed to arrest any of them.’



“UP member Majeda Begum and Ashraf Mian told the press conference that they have been living in peaceful co-existence with the Mro. As Shah Alam has illegally occupied the lands of Mro people, who are simple and peaceful, they cannot cultivate their Jum fields and have to live in starvation.



“Bandarban Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Anupam Barua said Shah Alam has no land in Tonkaboti Union. He is doing this defying an order not to occupy Jum lands belonging to Mro people.”

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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 the right to self-determination. For further information please contact at: chtnewsonline@gmail.com

BMSC forms human chain to protest Boroitali land grab attempts

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BMSC forms human chain to protest Boroitali land grab attempts



chtnews.com
News No. 61/2009, June 19, 2009



The Bangladesh Marma Students’ Council (BMSC) yesterday formed a human chain to protest attempts by a group of settlers to grab 300 acres of land belonging to Jumma people in Boroitali in Ramgarh. (Please see photo attached)



The leaders of the organisation also sent a memorandum to the State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs via Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachari.



At the human chain formed at Shapla Chattor in Khagrachari town, the Marma leaders expressed concern over the systematic way the Jumma people’s lands are being taken away by illegal settlers.



“We are observing with serious concern that the CHT situation is becoming unstable again. The settlers continue to build houses after grabbing lands of the innocent Jumma villagers. This has become a regular phenomenon.” said Upasing Marma, President of BMSC Khagrachari District Unit.



Mongshi Prue Marma, another BMSC leader, said the settlers had been constructing houses in Boroitali village under Hapcahri Union in Ramgarh after taking away Hill people’s lands.



Mr. Marma accused a certain state agency of instigating the settlers to go about grabbing other people’s lands.



Legal adviser of the BMSC, Upathoai Marma termed the settlers’ attempt to grab lands as violation of the constitution of Bangladesh and human rights law.



He condemned the use of the settlers as human shield and as a mean to destroy Jumma people’s age old tradition and culture.



Ming Prue Chai Marma of BMSC Chittagong Metropolitan Committee urged the authorities to stop instigating the settlers.



In the memo addressed to the state minister for CHT Affairs, the BMSC leaders made the following demands:



1. to take immediate steps to stop attempts by settlers to build houses on lands belonging to Jumma people in Boroitali;
2. to constitute a high level parliamentary committee to investigate the incidents taking place Boroitali area;
3. to settle land disputes through the CHT land commission with emphasis being laid on the traditional land use system of the Jumma people; and
4. to try all cases relating to human rights violations including illegal land grabbing, incidents of communal riots and rape of Jumma women in the CHT.



The memorandum was signed by the President and General Secretary of BMSC Khagrachari District unit.

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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 the right to self-determination. For further information please contact at: chtnewsonline@gmail.com

Boroitoli Villager's Demonstration against Land Grabbing

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Boroitali villagers stage demo against land grabbing



chtnews.com
News No. 59/2009, June 17, 2009



Jumma villagers have staged demonstrations in Khagrachari in protest at attempts by illegal settlers to grab land in Boroitali of Ramgarh Upazila.



They also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding that the government immediately stop settlers from occupying 300 acres of land belonging to the Jumma people.



Hundreds of people and villagers took part in the demonstration.



Before submitting the memo, the demonstrators took out a procession at 11:30am which paraded the city roads.



Thereafter, they held a brief rally in the town which was addressed by Niong Karbari, the Head of the village, and Mong Chai Aungyo Marma, another villager.



Mr. Karbari said “since 7 June, the settlers have been attempting to grab 300 acres of land in our village which we have been using for generations. On 14 June, the settlers began constructing houses there, and when we tried to prevent them, they attacked us.”



He urged the government to take immediate steps to stop land grabbing and ensure safety and security of his village people.



After the rally, Mong Chai Aungyo Marma submitted a memorandum to the DC on behalf of the villagers.



Democratic Youth Forum leader Remin Chakma and Hill Students’ Council leaders Batayon Chakma and Niko Chakma helped Mr. Marma submitting the memo.

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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 the right to self-determination. For further information please contact at: chtnewsonline@gmail.com

Attemp to Grab Jumma Land in Ramgarh

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Attempt at land grabbing in Ramgarh



chtnews.com
News No. 50/2009, June 12, 2009



A settler attempt to steal about 300 acres of land belonging to Jumma people in Ramgarh has been failed, according to independent sources.



Sources said a group of illegal Bengali settlers had begun cutting jungles to capture the land in Boroitali under Hapchari Union (No. 3) on 7 June and erected a house structure with bamboos.



The army provided support to the settlers in their attempt to capture the land. They were present at the site when the settlers worked.



Because of the presence of the army the Jummas could not protest openly but destroyed the structure overnight after the settlers had left, sources said.



The next morning the settlers came back along with the army to see the demolished structure, however, they refrained from showing any reaction.



The Jummas use the said land as common property. Previously when it was covered with forests, it provided them with food, medicines and household materials.



In 1981-82, during the rule of dictator general Hussain Muhammad Ershad the army for the first time made an attempt to settle newly-arrived Bengali infiltrators on that patch of land, but the attempt failed when the Jummas put up a fiery resistance.



The second attempt was made in 2004 but again frustrated when the Jumma villagers protested.

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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 the right to self-determination. For further information please contact at: chtnewsonline@gmail.com

Conspiracy to capture Sadhana Bana Vihara continues

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Conspiracy to capture Sadhana Bana Vihara continues

chtnews.com
News No. 16/2009, March 20, 2009

Conspiracy to capture 300 acres of land belonging to Sadhana Bana
Vihara in Babuchara is still continuing as the army refuses to allow
house building materials into areas north of Babuchara army check
post. The army suspects that the materials will be used to construct a
Buddhist temple there.

Forcible grabbing of Jumma people’s land had become rampant after the
declaration of a state of emergency in the country in January 2007.
Even lands belonging to religious institutions were not spared.

At that time, the army and settlers also made numerous attempts to
capture Sadhana Bana Vihara’s land by force. But when the Jumma people
of the area put up an organised resistance, they retreated but
continued their efforts by changing their strategy.

The settlers filed a number of false cases against the Jummas, but in
the end of the day the Jummas came out victorius.

On 18 February 2009, two Bengali settlers filed another law suit with
the Khagrachari district judge’s court, and the court issued an
injunction ordering parties to maintain status quo.

After obtaining the court order, the army imposed an embargo on house
building materials such as brick, cement, iron rod, corrugated iron
sheet and sand to be carried beyond Babuchara army check post in the
direction of Sadhana Baba Vihar area.

This resulted in immense suffering of the common people who are not
being able to build new houses or repair old ones before the onset of
the rainy season which is not far off.

One Juboraj Chakma, who resides near the office of Babuchara Union
Council office, sought to import in corrugated iron sheets for the
reparation of his house. But the army and Village Defense Party
members prevented him from doing so. Like him, many other Jummas have
faced similar experience.

Apart from the embargo, the army regularly checks vehicles carrying
Jummas and holds them back for hours on end, for reasons best known to
it.

On 12 March, an ambulance carrying the dead body of a Jumma was halted
at the check post for 4 hours. On the same day, a jeep of a wedding
party was also halted and held back for three hours.

“But the army never checks or halts the vehicles of the Bengali
people”, alleged a Jumma villager of the area.

“This is awfully discriminatory, and we are really sick of it”, he further said.

Apparently to check out if the court order was being complied with,
soldiers from Babuchara sub-zone regularly visit Sadhana Bana Vihara.

On 7 March, they entered the dining hall of the Vihar with their boots
on and showered insults on Ven. Buddha Bongsha Bhikkhu, the chief
priest of the temple. He and other monks were taking their pre-midday
meal at the time.

On another occasion, the army ordered the chief priest to remove the
bricks, iron rods and other house building materials from the Vihar
area. But the monk told the army point blank that “that is not
possible”.

While there is smoldering resentment against the unlawful embargo
imposed by the army, the Jummas are also showing resilience. “We will
no more take such injustices lying down. We will fight the legal
battle, and do whatever we can to save Sadhana Bana Vihar.” said a
villager echoing the general sentiment of his fellow Jummas in
Babuchara.
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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 the right to self-determination. For further information
please contact at: chtnewsonline@gmail.com