UNPO Calls for End to Discriminatory Policies against the Chittagong Hill Tracts
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) condemns racist and discriminatory regulations imposed by the Bangladeshi Government in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. New restrictions from the Ministry of Home Affairs on foreign access to the area for individuals and organisations have been branded as a breach of the Bangladeshi Constitution and further exacerbate the grievance felt by members of the CHT community at their mistreatment at the hands of the Government.
On 7 January 2015, the State Minister for Home Affairs declared that “if any individual or organization of national or international origin intends to [meet] with the tribal peoples of CHT region, the presence of local authorities and [military personnel] shall have to be ensured and in case of the foreign nationals intending to pay a visit in CHT, permission must be obtained at least one month prior to the visit”. The CHT community have declared that this is a discriminatory regulation as no such permission is required to travel throughout the rest of Bangladesh.
UNPO is disheartened by the continued refusal of the Bangladeshi Government to provide equal rights and fair treatment of the Chittagong Hill Tracts community. The implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, which peacefully resolved decades of conflict between the CHT people and the Bangladeshi Government, has been mired with delays and lack of political will. Of the 72 directives outline in the treaty, only one-third have been effectively realized. The legal provision of land rights, political participation and degrees of autonomy for the CHT community that are guaranteed in the CHT Accord have faced political opposition, and their incomplete implementation leaves the CHT community vulnerable to government abuse.
Against this worrisome background, UNPO calls on the Bangladeshi Government to formulate a clear time-frame for the full implementation of the CHT Accord which can enjoy the bilateral agreement between the government and the CHT community. We also call for amendments to discriminatory directives such as the Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act of 2001 and the cessation of de facto martial law in the region.
Please click here to read UNPO's press release.
