by Aongay Marma The arson attack on three jumma neighbourhoods at Bogachari in Rangamati on December 16 has brought old issues to the fore. It has once again highlighted how vulnerable the jumma people have become to attacks by settlers. Land also continues to be at the centre of the conflicting situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Ever since the ... Read More »
The accord of 1997 may have ended the war between the Bangladesh army and the now-defunct Shanti Bahini guerrillas but that does not necessarily mean that peace has descended on the hills, writes Aongay Marma The one thing that the ruling Awami League-led government is good at is making and breaking promises. Over the years, it has perfected it into ... Read More »
Rabi Shankar Chakma The incident of violent attack on the hill people in Mahalchari is not the first of its kind. There have been many such attacks on them in the past. It follows the same pattern of violence that the hill people have been witnessing for the last two and a half decades. But what is unique about the ... Read More »
By Rabi Shankar Chakma Lately, increased concern is being raised from various quarters about the environment in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Almost all these concerns unanimously attribute the cause of environmental degradation to the system of Jum cultivation. But nobody seems to care to ponder as to why once a viable and sustainable method of cultivation in the CHT, the ... Read More »
Rabi Shankar Chakma At times, the best decision is not to make any decision. This is how a well-known proverb goes. The BNP-led alliance government seems to have been sticking to this adage ever since it came to power in 2001. Except for some routine changes such as appointment of deputy minister for CHT Affairs, appointment of the Chairman of ... Read More »
The Bangladesh constitution, which was adopted on the 4th of November 1972 and came into effect on16 December in the same year, begins with the Islamic words “BISMILLAH-AR-RAHAMAN-AR-RAHIM” (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful). This was inserted through the Proclamation (Amendment) Order, 1977 (Proclamation Order No. 1 of 1977). In fact, since its inception, the constitution has ... Read More »
No accord will be able to bring peace in the CHT unless the government recognizes the rights and identity of indigenous Jumma people and take effective measures for promotion and protection of their rights, writes Rabi Shankar Chakma Six years have elapsed since the signing of the much-vaunted CHT Accord of 2 December 1997. The accord was signed after a ... Read More »
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