Violence in CHT: Protest rally held in front of UN HQ

The Daily Star, September 26, 2024

Amid growing tension, the indigenous diaspora from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) organised a protest rally in front of the UN headquarters where the United Nations General Assembly is being held on September 24.

The American Jummo Council and diasporic indigenous community organised the rally where 75 people, including indigenous and non-indigenous Bangladeshis, gathered in solidarity to demand justice and raise international awareness regarding the ongoing violence against indigenous communities in the CHT region, said a press release.

The protesters travelled from various US states, expressed their concern over the deteriorating security situation in the CHT, marginalisation, and human rights abuses.

They carried placards and banners calling for justice, highlighting the role of the state and law enforcement agencies in enabling such violence.

The event was facilitated by Uchimong Chowdhury, a New York-based Marma social activist.

Tapan Tanchangya, a member of the Tanchangya community, delivered inaugurating speech where he strongly demanded an end to torture, persecution, disappearances and killings of indigenous people in the hills.

Several other speakers echoed his sentiments, including Sushil Jiban Chakma, who called for enough compensation for the injured victims and whose generational properties were destroyed or looted in the attacks, and Mong A Prue, a Marma activist, who also pushed back against the narrative portraying indigenous peoples as anti-nationalist and separatists.

Among the attendees were also Bengali allies, including Dilip Barua, a member of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council's New York branch, who condemned the state's failure to protect indigenous communities and called for justice.

Manojitanjan Chakma, press secretary for the American Jummo Council, closed the protest rally by stressing the importance of international solidarity and continued advocacy for the rights of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh.

The rally attendees reiterated the recommendations of the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and the CHT Commission, urging the Bangladesh interim government to ensure the safety and protection of the indigenous people and remove all temporary military and security force camps in the CHT, except the six military bases outlined in the 1997 CHT Accord.

A similar protest was held in Camdrige, Massachusetts on September 22 at historical Harvard Square and in Montreal, Canada where members of the Bangladeshi and indigenous diaspora also gathered to demand immediate government intervention and international attention for UN-led inquiry committee on the ongoing persecution of indigenous communities in Bangladesh.