The members of Chakma ethnic community living in Delhi held a huge peaceful protest demonstration in front of Jantar Mantar, New Delhi from 11 AM to 3 PM on 25 February 2010 to protest against the attacks on Chakmas and other indigenous Jummas in CHT, Bangladesh.
Over 300 Chakmas including Buddhist monks, students, professionals, and housewives participated in the February 25th protest at Jantar Mantar.
The Chakma leaders submitted a Memorandum to the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh seeking his immediate intervention to:
- Make a public statement expressing concern about the attacks on the tribal peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and take all necessary measures to bring an end to the violence with full respect for the principles of equality and non-discrimination;
- Urge the government of Bangaldesh to fully implement the CHT Peace Accord; and
- Provide a package for implementation of the CHT Peace Accord to ensure that both the communities can live in harmony
Why the protest?
Over a dozen indigenous Jummas, mainly Chakmas have been killed.
Over 400 houses of Jummas (indigenous peoples in CHT) burnt down.
The illegal Bengali settlers and the Bangladesh Army personnel also attacked religious institutions and burnt down a Buddhist temple and a Church in CHT. In addition, a UNDP-managed health centre was razed to the ground.
Over 100 indigenous tribals have been arrested, some of them from government hospital where they went to receive treatment for bullet wounds.
UPDATE: UN’s silence is a "serious concern", says Asian Centre for Human Rights, New Delhi. Read: http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=51763&typeid=1
7 comments:
Highly Appreciate the efforts put together by all our ppl in Delhi...I seriously believe we shud channelise this brutal onslaught on our ppl to the highest possible level...UN...Lok Sabha...Rahul Gandhi etc etc...I also wonder highly respected n renowned figures like Mh. Yunus of grameen bank fame n Sheikh Hasina...shud seriuosly introspect their honest efforts to practice non-violence n justify their respective Peace prizes...quote Tagore...who relinquised Nobel as a mark of respect during India's freedon struggle...Lets all unite to showcase our might at the highest level...let me knw how can I contribute to this cause...I pray for all my ppl who are being subjected to inhumam treatment at this hour...Nama Buddha!
Thanks Delhi again. You did great.
I felt deeply enraged when I read this article on the internet. This kind of violent acts and atrocities have been going on in CHT on our Jumma people for several decades. These bastards, the Army and the muslim settlers have again done it. The Army should be held accountable for its involvement along with the settlers and the present Govt. as well for its part -not being able to guarantee peace and security to our Jumma people.
I am very thankful to those of you in India who have organized this rally for the cause of our Jumma in CHT.
I don't think we will get any justice from the current govt. ( e.g Bangladesh ) either. They are very much the same people -wear the same hat and flip it at will whenever they feel it convenient to do so. We always have to stand on guard and exercise our utmost caution whenever we deal with them. Whatever they say we have to take them with a grain of salt.
The main villains and the culprits here are the F****** Army and the Muslim settlers. They are both working in tandem to drive out the Chakmas and other tribal people from their lands. This is nothing new in CHT. The Army has been doing it since my time in CHT.
What are they doing there for ? What have they accomplished other than stealing, robing and plundering our hill people's lands and resources for their own use. There is nothing standing in the forest. They have taken it all. They are on a mission to drive our Jummas out of our land by hook or crook. Even it means butchering us. Are they any better ?
They have once again shown their true color by their dastardly acts:
torching Jumma villages, killing Jumma people, burning down their places of worship.
At my time they would routinely go on military operations to burn down our Jumma villages to flush the Shanti Bahani, which is merely an excuse and only to be later occupied the by the Muslim Bengali people from the plain districts.
I am utterly disgusted by their presence in CHT. They have not done anything good for anyone. All are thugs and dacus from the plain districts. When I was there I saw in my own eyes a military personnel taking fish away from one of our Jumma people without paying a dime. The poor fisherman who spent the whole night in water for his livelihood only to be robbed in the morning by this fellow. I was there when this incident took place. He asked the fisherman something in Bengali and the poor fellow did not understand just like many others as you know. In a fierce temper the Army Personnel gave him a blow on his cheek with such ferocity that it still stuck with me. In my sleep I still see my fellow Jumma's face. Such abject humiliation in front of so many others. He silently looked down in tearful eyes without uttering a word.
I am very grateful to my fellow Jumma people in India for holding this rally in Delhi. Make it known to everyone what they are doing to us in CHT.
What an outrage my fellow Jumma. The Army going after the Jumma people arresting them in mass for their part. Look at their ( Bangladesh Army ) conduct again. Shameless brutes. Expect anything better from them ? As if they don't know who has perpetrated it on our Jumma people.
How can you trust these people ? Who have butchered our people, threatened and beaten us daily in CHT for decades to drive us out of our land. How can you expect justice from these detestable creatures.
Was it not the always case in CHT. Jummas are to be blamed for everything whenever there is a clash or violence. The Army would go soon after our Jumma people to arrest them making it look like it is our fault and we initiated it. At my time, the Army made our Jumma people economically impoverished and destitute by burning down our Jummas houses, properties, not to mention other horrible crimes and abuses. I got pulled out several times at their stops from the buses.
Now the Army has raised a blockade in the area where they have committed this atrocious crime on our Jumma people. They are now all busy in pursuit of covering up our Jumma blood. Hideous villains.
We must call for international intervention demanding justice for our people. The Army and the muslim settlers who have perpetrated these heinous crimes on our Jumma people must be brought to Justice. We will never any see or have any peace in CHT so long as the Army stays there. We must demand their pull out from CHT.
dear brothers these people have been suffering for the last 50 years...no human rights organizations or even the UN are helping them
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php/index.php?id=41,9645,0,0,1,0
please watch youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzhPbXH42kg
plaese register your protests by mail or email
Ms. Shahara Khatun, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, BANGLADESH, Fax: +88-02-7160405, 88-02-7164788 (O), Tel:+88-02-7169069
email protests ----------------minister@mha.gov.bd-------------------
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