back from Chattogram Hill tracts
Twenty-two years have elapsed since the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord was signed between the government and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) but PCJSS members are yet to surrender all of their arms.The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's strong political will led to the signing of the historic Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord 22 years ago.
December 2, 1997, became a red letter
day in the pages of history, as the Agreement was signed on the day between the government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS).
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs said 48 from a total of 72 provisions had been fully implemented.
"The government is making a serious effort to implement the CHT Peace Accord and the work in this regard is progressing quickly," according to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
"Among the 72 articles, 48 were fully and another 15 were partially implemented and the realization of nine more articles is in the pipeline," said the ministry source.
However, President of Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma at a press conference at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday said of the 72 articles of the accord only 24 had so far been implemented while 14 partially realized and the remaining 34 has remained totally unrealized.
At least 4000 sophisticated weapons like 144 LMG, 641 SMG/ AK-47 rifle, 323 7.62 MM rifle, 122 M-16 rifle, 59 G-3 rifle, 85 22 rifle, 5 Sniper rifle, 180 pistol, 40 mortar, 180 local pistol, 245 local guns, 1166 hand grenade and 54 rocket-launchers still belong to the four tribal regional groups, according to intelligence sources.
Four regional groups are Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) (JSS-Santu), its B team Jana Sanghati Samity (Reformists), C team the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) and D team United People's Democratic Front (Democrats) are operating in the three hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamai and Khagrachari.
There are about 10,000 members of four groups who are smuggling sophisticated weapons.
The agreement was signed to establish peace in the region but it is still to be reached due to illegal arms and conflicts among the regional groups which frequently claim lives in the area.
Santu Larma, however, at the press conference organized on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the agreement said his regional party was not involved in any armed polities in hill area.
He blamed other regional groups for such armed politics, he added.
Regarding allegations that internal conflicts among hilly people are hindering implementation of the peace accord, he said: "Such conflicts are also prevailing in plain land."
A high officials of an intelligence agency told The daily Observer, "Activists of these groups are using various sophisticated arms against each other to establish their supremacy in the hill tracts triggering panic among the residents who want peace."
He said the feuding groups keep pointing fingers at one another for the unrest.
A total of 56 people including 14 Bengali settlers have been killed in different parts of the hill tracts, bordering India and Myanmar, in the last several months until October this year.
At the same time, 23 tribal people and 33 Bengalis were injured and 28 tribal people and 13 Bengalis were abducted.
This year there has been 33 incidents of shootouts during which 192 tribal and 46 Bengalis were arrested. Weapons seized included 75 guns and 2,378 rounds of ammunition during the time.
Sources said two factions of PCJSS, one led by Shantu Larma and the other by MN Larma and Prasit Khisha-led UPDF are active in the three hill districts.
The simmering unrest in the hilly region came to light after PCJSS and UPDF armed cadres conducted several forays for collecting extortion money from the local people.
In Rangamati, widespread panic gripped the residents - both tribal people of Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) and inhabitants of the plains-after PCJSS gunmen killed several ruling party men in apparent targeted killings and a number of government officials and members of the Ansar were killed in premeditated army-style ambush in the last five years.
The families of the victims are yet to get justice.
On May 5, last year, just a day after the killing of Shaktiman Chakma, chairman of Naniarchar Upazila Parishad in Rangamati, another five people were shot dead in the hill district. The five, including a Bangalee driver, were travelling on a microbus on way to attend the funeral of Shaktiman.
Tapan Jyoti Chakma, 50, alias Borma, president of UPDF (Democratic), Sujon Chakma, 28, general secretary of Mohalchhari unit Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) and Pronok Chakma, 23, a member of Jubo Samiti, died on the spot.
Setu Chakma, 30, another member of Jubo Samiti, and driver Md Sajit, 32, died on their way to hospital.
UPDF (Democratic) is a breakaway faction of the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), a political party of hill people opposing the CHT Peace Accord of 1997.
PCJSS-MN Larma came into being after Santu Larma-led Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), which had signed the peace accord with the government, split during the past caretaker rule in 2007-08.
On December 2, 1997, under the leadership of MN Larma's younger brother Santu Larma, PCJSS signed the CHT Peace Accord that a large group of students of the hill districts refused to accept leading to the formation of UPDF.
