Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Santu Larma) president of Jana Sanghati Samiti, said that the overall condition of Chattagram Hill Tracts is not good. He said that Chittagong Hill Tracts has become a big prison today.
He said the agreement was signed ending many speculations. .But today, after 24 years, the implementation of the agreement is very disappointing. The government that signed the agreement in the last 24 years has been in power most of the time till today. But the process of implementing the agreement has come to a complete halt. .
The hill problem is a political and national problem. Since this is a political issue, it needs to be resolved politically.
.He was speaking at a discussion jointly organized by the Chattogram Hill Tracts Jana Sanghati Samiti and the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum on the occasion of the completion of two decades of the Chattogram Hill Tracts Agreement at the Liberation War Museum auditorium at Agaogaon in the capital Dhaka on Thursday (December 2).
.Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma said that although the hill problem had been identified, it could not be resolved due to non-implementation of the agreement.
Today the question is, why did the government make an agreement? .To solve the mountain problem, or to speed up the process of destroying the existence of the Jumma people. The hill people were forced to join the movement to protect their land rights and existence. .He also claimed that if the people of the hills had any ulterior motives, the Jumma people of the hills would not have come to talks with the government.
.Mentioning that there is no language to describe the way Jumma people are being exploited, deprived and oppressed in the hilly areas today, he said, "Chattogram Hill Tracts has become a big prison today." There are two sides in the CHT today. .One side is the innocent people on the hill who want to implement the agreement. The other party is the government and the various parties associated with it. There is the authority and repression of the military and paramilitary forces of the government. He also thinks that it is indescribable.
.Claiming that the Chattogram Hill Tracts Jana Sanghati Samiti wants the implementation of the agreement, he said that the Jana Sanghati Samiti wants the implementation of the laws that have been made in the light of the agreement. .But today the government is identifying Jana Sanghati Samiti as a terrorist group and the leaders and activists in charge at different levels are being suppressed in various ways. He also claimed that many leaders and activists are being persecuted by filing lawsuits today. .The process of rehabilitation of the poor Bengalis who were taken abroad by Ziaur Rahman is still going on. They are established in different areas of the mountains today.
The Jumma people of the hills are being forced to abide by the so-called discipline, rules and regulations, it is like a kind of big prison. ."There is no right to speak, no right to live," he added. He also criticized the recent letter issued by the Ministry of Defense banning the indigenous people from cultivating zoom and ginger and turmeric in the hills. .The kind of military rule that is going on in the mountains is not found anywhere else in Bangladesh. The people of the hills are still waiting for peace. The government will establish peace in the hills by implementing the agreement. .If the agreement is not implemented, he thinks, the student youth of the hills will surely stand up. He also questioned whether the government was honest in the agreement that was made with faith and love.
.Rashed Khan Menon, President of the Workers Party of Bangladesh and Member of Parliament, said, "I don't think there is any excitement about the agreement after 24 years. .When Ziaur Rahman took the initiative to take the river eroded poor Bengalis to the Chattogram Hill Tracts, we as young MPs opposed it. When it came to the Hill Tracts Agreement, I highlighted two aspects. .One is to stop militarization in the hills and relocate the rehabilitated Bengalis.
Everyone was smiling at the signing of the agreement. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also received the UNESCO Peace Prize for this. .But today, military tactics may be replaced by other tactics. He also alleged that at least 20 camps had been set up during the Corona.