War And Peace In The Chittagong Hill Tracts PDF Download

CHT is a region of green hills, blue sky and ethnic diversity located in the south eastern corner, covering an area of 13,295 km2, about 11% of the land area of Bangladesh, home to 11 different small ethnic communities viz, Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Mru, Tongchongya, Bawm, Lushai, Khumi, Kheyang, Pankho, Chak and also Bengali speaking mainstream people, numbering nearly 1.6 million. One fourth of the region is Reserve Forest, about 322,331 hectares or 8,21,207 acres. South Asia’s largest man-made lake, Kaptai Lake, is located here. The main rivers are Karnaphuli, Chengi, Maini, Sangu, Kachalong, Matamuhuri and Feni. The CHT became part of the modern nation-state system in late 19th century when it was declared a district within Bengal in 1860. The Bengal Government divided CHT into three circles on 1 September 1881- the Chakma, the Bohmong and the Mong circle. Now CHT consists of three hill districts – Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban, 26 sub-districts, 7 municipalities, 121 unions, 375 mouzas and 4,811 paras or villages.The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs was formed on 15 July, 1998 as the direct outcome of the Peace Accord. Among the Ministries/ Divisions of Government of Bangladesh it is the only Ministry which is territorial in nature. The principal mandate of this Ministry is to oversee and coordinate all administrative and development programs in three hill districts. Recently the ‘vision’ of the ministry has been articulated as “Peaceful and Prosperous Chittagong Hill Tracts” while the ‘mission’ is to “ensure political, social, educational and economic rights of the people living in Chittagong Hill Tracts region through implementation of welfare oriented programs.” The implementation of Peace Accord through a process also comes under the purview of this ministry. With ups and downs, hopes and despair the bloody insurgency that started in Chittagong Hill Tracts after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975 continued for about twenty one years. After prolonged efforts by all concerned and series of negotiations by successive governments, finally an accord was signed in Dhaka on 2 December, 1997 raising the hope of much coveted peace in the hills. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political wisdom and farsightedness paid dividends. Even before coming to power in 1996, she indicated a desire to reverse the chain of injustice done to the hill people. Unlike others she realized from the very beginning that such conflict cannot be resolved by military force, rather a political solution is needed to be approached to end the armed conflict. Since the end of the Cold War, hundreds of agreements, including about 40 comprehensive peace accords, have been signed by combatants engaged in armed conflicts around the world. Many have since collapsed into violent confrontation; some have been followed by stalemate, economic struggle and crime while others have resulted in lasting peace. A UN study shows that 6 out of 10 conflict situations have a tendency to relapse to conflict because of the failure of the peace process. Peace building seeks to prevent future conflict and to address the root causes of conflict which is a complex process that takes place, over a long time, following the formal end of the conflict. Furthermore, peace building is the product of initiatives and undertakings by a range of stakeholders who play roles in the process of consolidating peace. Peace building takes place from the grass-roots level to the highest level of government and requires efforts and actions by internal and external actors providing support to the peace building processes. The then UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in his famous report, An Agenda for Peace, introduced the concept of ‘post-conflict peace building.’ Boutros Ghali defines ‘post-conflict peace building’ as “action to identify and support structures which will tend to strengthen and solidify peace in order to avoid a relapse into conflict”. In case of CHT the first two phases of the peace process, negotiation and cessation of hostilities, are over. It is now in the second stage where peace building moves from a transition phase to a consolidation phase. The status of CHT Peace Accord is in the final phase i.e. in the consolidation phase. We have successfully completed the previous stages and the phases. Now the main task is to consolidate the peace building. Despite occasional threats and bullies by some regional parties there is virtually no chance to relapse to conflict in CHT. The CHT Peace Accord is unique in the sense that it was concluded and also being implemented without any international intervention. Bangladesh is perhaps the only country in the world that managed to solve the complicated internal conflict without intervention by a third party. Implementation of any such accord is a long-term political process, dependent on parallel political, economic and social reconstruction. Peace building is a holistic process inseparable from sustained democratization, security and socio-economic development. The whole process may take long time, even a generation. Parties to the agreements have to have patience and fortitude. On 10 February, 2016 hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while answering to a question of Mr. Ushaton Talukder, MP gave a statement in the Parliament which has been translated into English in this booklet with annexures that gives a clear picture of the status of implementation of the Peace Accord and government’s efforts for the overall development of CHT. It may be mentioned here that on 10 February, 1998 the members of Shanti Bahini, armed wing of PCJSS, surrendered their arms at Khagrachari Stadium. Mr. J.B. Larma alias Shantu Larma, the leader of PCJSS, surrendered his arms to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It was a turning point in the annals of the history of Chittagong Hill Tracts. The speech delivered by Prime Minister on 10 February, 1998 at Khagrachari Stadium has been appended here as Appendix -I. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been awarded UNESCO’s Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize for 1998, for her instrumental role and remarkable contribution to bringing peace through ending the decades-long conflict in Chittagong Hill Tracts with political courage and statesmanship. Throughout her life Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been a strong proponent of peace, freedom and democracy . She had been greatly influenced by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s intense patriotism, political idealism and deep concern for the people particularly those who are backward and in distress. She received prestigious ‘Pearl S. Buck Award 1999’ in recognition of her vision, courage, achievements in political, economic and humanitarian fields. The All India Peace Council awarded her ‘Mother Teresa Award’ in 1998. The Mahatma M K Gandhi Foundation of Oslo, Norway awarded Sheikh Hasina ‘M K Gandhi Award’ for her contribution towards promotion of communal understanding, non-violent religious harmony and growth of democracy in Bangladesh. Seizing the bright prospects and potentials that have been created for economic development as the aftermath of Peace Accord, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, through its institutions like CHT Regional Council, CHT Development Board, three Hill District Councils etc, have been implementing many schemes and projects all over the region which have already started generating impacts in the lives of hill people. A chapter on the development vision and goals of CHT has been incorporated in the 7th Five Year Plan FY-2016-FY 2020 .The chapter has been appended in this booklet (Appendix -II). Comprehensive strategies are required to promote faster and inclusive development of the CHT. ICIMOD, a regional intergovernmental organization focusing on mountain issues in the eight countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region(Afganistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan), has been working with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs. ICIMOD has organized jointly with the Planning Commission and MoCHTA a day long Consultation Meeting on 11 May 2015 to indentify challenges and opportunities and suggest approaches and strategies for accelerating socio-economic development of CHT. The relevant chapter of ICIMOD Working Paper 2015/3 on ‘Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development in the CHT’ is appended in the booklet (Appendix -III) as it matched with our vision and SDG goals. During her visit to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs on 4th September, 2014 hon’ble Prime Minister gave some directives for the speedy development and improvement of livelihood in CHT region. The Strategic Framework will help us in formulating development plans and programmes to implement PM’s directives. Bangladesh intervention at “World Conference on Indigenous Peoples” held at UN HQs, New York from 22 to 25 September, 2014 is appended herewith (Appendix - IV) where the stance of the Government of Bangladesh on the issue has been clarified: “The Government of Bangladesh actively supports the promotion and protection of the rights of minorities, including indigenous and tribal peoples, anywhere in the world. In keeping with our principled position, it is a priority for the Government and people of Bangladesh to preserve the land and resources of our ethnic minorities that form an integral part of the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious composition of our nation.” In her statement made in the Parliament Prime Minister mentioned about UNDP‘s expenditure of Tk 1200 crore for the implementation of different development projects only in CHT. She also mentioned about a new project proposal by UNDP for a period of 7 Years (2015-2022) amounting to Tk 2000 crore which is under process. The Programmatic Framework for Support to Chittagong Hill Tracts (2015-2022) jointly prepared by FAO, UNICEF, UNDP and other UN organizations is appended herewith as Appendix - V. The journey towards peace and development is often difficult and the road is not always strewn with roses, rather with spikes, but braving the odds under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina the country is marching ahead, Chittagong Hill Tracts will surely not lag behind. Progress has been made in all sectors but CHT still has a long way to go. Keeping in view the dynamics of culture and identity of the people, MoCHTA has been endeavoring to turn CHT into ‘a peaceful and prosperous’ region through sustainable development, a model of development to emulate. God willing, we will succeed. Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura