Rights & Demands of the Indigenous People : Perspective from Bangladesh.

Muhammed Kamal Uddin, ARBAN, Bangladesh. Email: arbn@dhaka.agni.com Web: www.arban.org Abstract `Freedom for indigenous people wherever they live in America and the world.* It is a hard reality that the rights of the indigenous people throughout the globe are violated in many ways. They survive through perpetual struggles. To survive with security, honour & dignity the indigenous people have rights enshrined in all the International covenants and documents including the United Nations-UN. Moreover, the indigenous people have formulated their rights and demands to protect them from the alleged aggressions, attacks and assaults of the majority people. They uphold and promote them for their survival. They placed their demands to their respective governments, regional & global bodies including the UN for realisation. Unfortunately, their voices for survival, justice, peace and harmony are not heard, their demands are not met & they are not respected. They are exploited, marginalized and excluded. The indigenous people are the most excluded of the excludes as they were indigenous & minority as well. Their knowledge, beliefs, cultures, practices, love and regards for nature are treasures for the whole world to protect our mother earth and to advance it for all the human being to live in peace, harmony, equity and justice in a sustained way. The situation of the indigenous people of both hill & plain areas of Bangladesh are not different from the scenario of the indigenous people of the world. The indigenous people of Bangladesh are conditioned to live in continuous fear, pains, panics, deprivations, evictions and indignity. Although a peace accord was signed between the Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh-GOB & the Parbttaya Chattagram (Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT) Jana Samhati Samiti-JSS ( United Peoples Party of the indigenous hill people) on 2nd of December, 1997 yet peace does not exist & prevail in the hill areas of Bangladesh. The paper titled Rights & Demands of the Indigenous People : Perspective from Bangladesh attempts to look at the rights & demands of the indigenous people at the global level and responses of the global bodies including the UN to their rights & demands. It will focus largely on the situation of the indigenous people of Bangladesh to try to understand the basic problems of the indigenous people in general and the problems of the indigenous hill people in particular following the non-implementation of Peace Accord signed between the GOB & the JSS people 10 years ago. Non-implementation of the current Peace Accord which was lauded, recognized and respected both nationally, regionally & internationally remains a vital obstacles to long-term peace and stability in the Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT region in particular & the South-Asian Region in General. The accord was signed following a bilateral negotiation without third party involvement. Therefore, the agreement was in deed a great achievement for the GOB & as well as for other Govts of the conflict ridden

region to follow & implement it as a model for conflict resolution through negotiation, non-violent & peaceful way. The Peace Accord of 2nd December 1977 in CHT seeks to provide a valid base for reestablishing peace and justice for the indigenous people in general & CHT people in particular. This paper will also seek support and cooperation from non-violent peace advocates, peace researchers, activists institutions & organisations to support the process of full implementation of the accord. *Rigoberta Menchu Tum, recipient of the nobel prize for peace, 1992. Paper presented at the biennial conference of IPRA at its commisions for the rights of indigenous people held in the University of Leuven, Belgium from 14-19 July, 2008.

Rights & Demands of the Indigenous People : Perspective from Bangladesh.

Introduction: I want to begin my paper on Rights & Demands of the Indigenous People : Perspective from Bangladesh by quoting Marco Viannello-Chiodo to present a comprehensive view of the Indigenous Peoples of the world. Marco Viannello-Chiodo says,When I was young , I loved to watch films and read stories about what were then called Red Indians. They wore feathers in their hair and carried bows and arrows tipped with poison. Riding powerful horses, they would come and attack the white people, trying to take land away from them. As the two sides fought, the Indians, who had very few guns, died in dozens. Later, when I grew up and read history books, I learned that in fact the Indians were no different from other people. Perhaps they wore different clothing or led a lifestyle that seemed different to many people, but that did not make them strange. They did not take over other peoples land, either, rather, their land was taken over by others. Like most people, they loved music, told stories to their children, worked on farms and, in general, led peaceful lives. I also learned that Indians are called indigenous people. They are Indigenous or native because they are among the oldest peoples on Earth. In fact, they are often called the first peoples. Indians are not the only indigenous people. At one time, first peoples lived all over the world. But today, as a result of wars, disease and discrimination, their very existence is threat ened. Some 300 million indigenous people now live in moe than 70 countries, from the Arctic regions to the Amazon and Australia. Besides being the oldest of peoples, there are a few things common to most of them. They are often poor, they live in remote or inhospitable lands, many of them cannot read or write and they generally suffer from racial discrimination. Other peoples, who think they are beter and more civilized, continue to impose their own culture and ways of life on indigenous peoples. Recently, I read a statement by Chief Dan George of Vancouver, Canada, which in a way summed up the condition of all indigenous peoples. He said: In the long hundred years since the white man came, I have seen my freedom disappear like the salmon going mysteriously out to the sea. The white mans strange customs, which I could not understand, pressed down on me until I could no longer breathe. And when I fought to protect my land and home, I was called a savage. When I neither understood nor welcomed the white mans way of life, I was called lazy. When I tried to lead my people, I was stripped of my authority. A few hundred years ago, when indigenous peoples still controlled their own lives, many created great civilizations. Some had beautiful cities, their architecture was world-class, their knowledge of science advanced and their art beautiful. They also lived in harmony with nature and knew how to preserve it for themselves and for their children. Dont be surprised if I tell you that indigenous people discovered many fo the vegetables and other staple foods we now eat. Long before Christopher Coolumbus arrived in the Americas, the Indians were growing corn, potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, sun-flowers and rice. They also grew coffee vanilla and cacao (from which we get chocolate and cocoa). 3

They had very efficient irrigation systems, and their planting mathods were friendly to the environment. After hundreds of years of observation and use, they knew a great deal about medicine. As you know, scientis use many plants for preparing life-saving drugs. Two-thirds of such plants were discovered and first used for medicinal purposes by indigenous peoples. Many scientists believe that drugs for cancer or AIDS could one day be made from plants known to indigenous people. Despite these enormous contributions, modern people have not treated indigenous people well. Indigenous people have been attacked, killed or turned into slaves. They have been deprived of their political rights, such as the right to vote. Their lands continue to be taken over, often by force. Their children grow up in poverty and often die from malnutrition and disease. Indigenous children have sometimes been bought from thier parents and sold in cities to work as prostitutes. In some countries, they are not allowed to speak their own languages in public or study them in schools. Too often they can not find good jobs, and are paid much less than others for the same work done. When they protest they face the possibility of arrest or torture. Indigenous people are like unwelcome foreign guests living in their own lands. It is only recently that the world has become fully aware of the injustices done to indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples themselves have become more organized and are now demanding equal rights. They have found a friend in the United Nations, which, together with many Governments, has been working to give indigenous people a real voice. You may have heard about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN adopted this historic document in 1948. It says that nobody can be discriminated against on the basis of his or her race, colour or ethnic background. Many other international agreements put together by the UN also support equal rights for indigenous peoples. Because of its concern for the rights of in digenous peoples, the United Nations declared 1993 the International Year of the Worlds indigenous people. The Year offers an opportunity to all people, both young and old, to learn about their indigenous neighbours and help them in their struggle for equal rights. For generations, indigenous peoples have enriched us with their knowledge of the environment. They consider land a source of the life, not just an economic resource. Today, pollution and waste are choking our Earth. By learning more about they way indigenous peoples live in partnership with nature, we may actually better protect our environment. I know you will agree with me that it is time all people learned to respect the worlds indigenous peoples as their equal partners and to honour and promote their basic rights and freedoms.i In 1993, the International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People raised global awareness of the difficult circumstances in which the worlds 300 million indigenous people live. But creating International sympathy for the situation of the First Peoples was not the only aim of this Year. The International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People told the world of the special knowledge of indigenous peoples, about their unique traditions and values and about their contributions towards solutions for some of the problems of the modern age. The positive response to the International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People led the General Assembly to proclaim an International Decade of the Worlds Indigenous People. To

be launched on 10th December 1994, the Decade will provide momentum for stronger links between the United Nations and Indigenous peoples in all parts of the world. In 1953, the International Labor Organization published a study on indigenous people. In 1957, it adopted the first international legal instruments specifically created to protect the rights of peoples whose ways of life and existence were threatened by dominant cultures. My own involvement and commitment to these issues go back to my election as a member of the Committee of Experts of the ILO Convention. ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (1989) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, when it is proclaimed by the General Assembly, will serve as foundations of a new and just relationship between States and indigenous peoplesii. The voices of the indigenous people whose ways of lives are under thret, are being silenced by forces in many countries of the world. They can not tell others about their grivences and compelled to live through centuries of racism, domination and human rights violations. The values and cultures of the indigenous people have been under attacks. Fredom of the indigenous people has to be guaranteed for their existence. We believe in the wisdom of our elders and sages, from whom we have inherited strength and learned the art of speech. This has enabled us to reaffirm the validity of our thousandyear history which, as indigenous peoples, we have in recent decades broken new ground. The result of this will be the honorable and peaceful renewal of contact between our cultures and the societies in which we live. The International struggle of Indigenous peoples has been of vital importance, especially during the past decade, by virtue of the space opened up for the issue within the United Nations system. Indigenous peoples and the Member States of the United Nations have faced challenges in tackling the issue of the rights of indigenous peoples. Struggles behind the creation of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues-UNPFII: 1923 The first indigenous ambassador to formally approach the international community was Cayuga Chief Deskaheh, who set out for the League of Nations in 1923 as the representative of the Six Nations of the iroquois. In the time he spent in Geneva over a year working for recognition by the League of Nations, his cause came under serious consideration by some of the dilegations, but in the end the League would not hear his case. Still determined, he made an eloquent address to the Swiss public and continued to fight for the rights of his people until his death in 1925. His tenacity and courage continue to inspire and nourish younger generations. 1924 To protest the breaking of the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand, 1840), which guaranteed the indigenous Maori ownership of their lands, T.W. Ratana, a Maori religious leader, travelled to London with a large delegation to petition King George for help, but he was denied access. He then sent part of his delegation to Geneva to approach the League of Nations, where they received similar treatment. The folowing year, 1925, Ratana himself traveled to Geneva, but he, too, was denied access.

When indigenous peoples were denied access or recognition, they had no recourse when legal agreements with them were broken or disregarded. The International Labour Organization (ILO) began investigations into forced labour using native populations. 1957 The ILO adopted the first intrnational legal instrument concerning indigenous peoples and their rights, which was replaced by the indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (No. 169) in 1989. 1970-71 In response to reports of human rights violations, in 1970 the United Nations SubCommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities recommended that there be a comprehensive study on the situation of indigenous peoples, and in 1971 it appointed Special Rapporteur Jose Martinez Cobo to undetake the work. 1977 As Special Rapporteur Martinez Cobo made progress reports to the Sub-Commission, the situation of indigenous people began to draw attention. Nearly 200 indigenous delegates from around the world went to Geneva to attend a conference of non-governmental organizaitons (NGOs) on discrimination against indigenous people. Initially, many of them were not allowed entry, because they did not fit into any established category of organization. Special arrangements were quickly made by the United Nations to accommodate them, and similar arrangements have been maintained until today. 1981-84 The Martinez Cobo study, consisting of live volumes submitted from 1981 to 1984, proved to be a watershed. It appealed eloquently to the international community to act decisively on behalf of indigenous peoples. 1982 The Working Group of Indigenous Populations (WGIP) was established by Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to be a subsidiary body of the Sub-Commission with a mandate to review developments pertaining to the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous populations, giving special attention to the evolution of standards concerning those rights. Shortly after its establishment, arrangements were made that are unique within the UN system to allow indigenous participation in the sessions of the Working Group. 1993 The United Nations proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People to strengthen international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous communities in areas such as human rights, the environment, development, education and health. At the World Conference on Human Rights (Vienna), a permanent forum for indigenous people was first called for.

1994 The International Decade of the Worlds indigenous People (1995-2004) was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, and the establishment of a permanent forum for indigenous people was included as one of two major goals in its programme of activities. All told, it took 80 years, almost the entire history of the League of Nations and the United Nations together, for indigenous voices to arrive on the podium of an official United Nations meeting. Finally they are speaking in their own voices.vi United Nations permanent forum on Indigenous Issues-UNPFII was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), by its resolution 2000/22 on 28th July 2000. In this resolution, UNPFII was given a mandate to Discuss indigenous issues within the Councils mandate, including economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights; Provide expert advice and recommendations to the Council and to programmes, funds and agencies of the United Nations; and Raise awareness about indigenous issues, and help to integrate and coordinate activities in the UN system; and prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues;

The Forum is made up of 16th independent experts, functioning in their personal capacities, with eight of the members nominated by indigenous peoples and eight nominated by Governments. Governments may nominate indigenous experts. The Forum meets for 10 days each year, in New York or Geneva, or a location to be chosen by the Forum. Because of actions at local ,national, regional and global levels by the indigenous peoples , the year 1993 was observed as the International Year of the Indigenous Peoples and 9th of August has been declared as the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples. And since 1994, 9th of August is being celebrated throughout the globe as the Day of the Indigenous Peoples. All systems of the United Nations has been activated to respond to the needs of the Indigenous Peoples. Accordingly, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation- FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development-IFAD,Intrnational Labour Organisation-ILO,United Nations Childrens Fund-UNICEF,United Nations International Drug Control Programme-UNDCP,United Nations Highcommissioner for Refugees-UNHCR and World Food Programme-WFP including World Bank have been putting in their efforts to redress the sufferings of the Indigenous Peoples. Despite all attempts made by Govt. Non-govt. Organisations,National, Regional and Global Bodsies including the UN Systems to protect, promote and uphold the interest, demands and rights of the indigenous peoples, the achievements for the advancement of the indigenous peoples were marked insignificant throughout the world today.It is widely recognized that indigenous peoples are among the most disadvantaged and vulnarable. It is estimated that there are 300 to 500 milion indigenous people in more thant 70 countries around the world, representing over 5,000 languages and cultures on every continent. Indigenous peoples, in their closely dependent relationship to their environment, often state that they have guardianship of the earth- their terrestrial mother, the giver of all life. Expressed another way, they feel they are the spiritual landlords of the nations, while governing or political landlords are usually not indigenous. Today, many indigenous peoples of different continent are engaged in a struggle to remain on their lands and retain the right to their natural resources. Other indigenous peoples have long since been removed from their lands, denied their languages and traditional ways, and consequently been left

impoverished and marginalised. Dominent societies and cultures already overshadowed and eliminated cultures, languages , ways and means of lives and livlihoods of the indigenous people. Strong political will and comitment of the governing and political landlords can reclaim the languages and cultures of the indigenous peoples throughout the globe. Indigenous people want climate talks inclusion in the Group- 8 Summit: The processes of exclusions of the indigenous peoples by more than 70 governments including the G-8 consisting of Britain,Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and United States of the world from decision making bodies made the indigenous communities and their leaders from around the world to be assertive further to push forward their concerns and issues for survival at various forums.They urged G8 rich nations on Firday the 6th of July,08 to help them participate in global climate change talks, saying they contributed least to but are most affected by global waemings. 26 representatives of the indigenous peoples from various countries including the United States, Canada, and Japan, along with some 400 students, activists, and academics, met on Japans northern Island of Hokaido,the venue of the July 7-9 Group of Eight summit and home to the indigenous Ainu ethnic group.At the meeting, members of indigenous communities blamed the market-oriented economic model of the G8 nations as the main cause for climate change, a food crisis, and high oil prices. These are issues high on the discussions agenda at the G8 summit. As we all know, the G8 is composed of the most powerful and richest governments in the world. The G8 is the one which makes decisions that have direct impact on us, said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. As far as I am concerned... we have seen that many of these problems are actually caused by the G8 themselves, added Tauli-Corpuz, also a representative of the Igorot people of the Philippines. A declaration issued at the meetings end said the G8 leaders should pave the way for indigenous people to be included in global climate change talks led by the United Nations. Indigenous peoples need to be included at all levels of climate change negotiations, because they are the most affected, but also because they have the most to contribute, said Ben Powless, a Mohawk from Canad The United Nations has estimated 370 million indigenous people were already exposed on the front line of climate change to more frequent floods, droughts, descrification, disease and rising seas. At the meeting, indigenous communities highlighted the troubles they were also facing from the effects of measures intended to mitigate climate change.For example, Tauli-Corpuz said people had been displaced when biofuel plantations were expanded in the Philippines and when forests were used as carbon sinks in Uganda. We are really pleading to the governments to ensure that in the process of undertaking programmes, they will not further (marginalize) and violate the basic rights of the indigenous peoples, she told Reuters in an interview. In their declaration, representatives also called for the governments of Canada, the United States and Russia to adopt the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The United States and Canada voted against the non-binding declaration, while Russia abstained. Australia and New Zealand also voted against it, but it was passed overwhelmingly in the General Assembly in September 2007. Representatives welcomed the move by the Japanese government last month to reconnize Ainu as indigenous people, but called fro an official apology for mistreatment of the Ainu and concreate steps, as well as including more Ainu representatives in an experts committee. Only one Ainu was named to the eight-member committee formed by Japans government this month. The declaration from the meeting will be handed over on Firday, the 4th of July,08 to Japanese lawmakers, who will pass it to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda before the summit, begins for 3 days from 7th July,08. Appeal of Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to the leaders of G8 summit Ignored: The Group of Eight industrialised powers warpped up three days of summit talks in Japan on 9th July,2008 ignoring completely the appeals of Victoria Tauli-Corpuz , about inclusions of Indigenous people in the Group- 8 Summit. The key points of the agreements of the G8, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. Climate Change: G8 leaders agreed on the need for the world to cut carbon emissions blamed for global warming by at least 50 percent by 2050 and for each nation to set its own target for a nearer term. The statement is a step forward from last years call to consider seriously such long-term cuts. But environmentalists and developing countries denounced the deal as toothless. African Development: G8 leaders set a five-year deadline to commit 60 billion dollars in funding to help the continent fight disease, including pledging 100 million mosquito nets by 2010 which officials hoped would prevent thousands of deaths from malaria. The nations renewed a commitment made three years ago to double aid for Africa to 25 billion dollars by 2010 and to look to further assistance after 2010. Food Price Crisis: G8 leaders expressed serious concern about rising food prices. They called on nations with sufficient food stocks to release some of them to help others cope with soaring prices and said it was imperative, to remove export restrictions. Oil: G8 leaders called for an increase in oil production and refining capacities to help rein in soaring crude prices. WTO Trade Talks: The G8 vowed to resist protectionist pressures and expressed srong will to work toward a breakthrough in free trade talks. Zimbabwe: G8 leades voiced grave concern about the violence-marred re-election last month of President Robert Mugabe. They warned of further action including financial measures against individuals behind the violence and recommendaded a UN special envoy.

Iran: G8 leaders urged Iran to end its uranium enrichment activities in line with UN Security Council resolutions and called on Tehran to respond positively to international mediation. North Korea: G8 leaders urged North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons and cooperate in the verification of its dossier of nuclear programmes. In a key concern for Japan, the G8 leaders also urged progress in a row over North Koreas abductions of Japanese civilians in the 1970s and 1980s. It was indeed a shameful and very unfortunate incident that the G8 leaders turned down the appeal of Victoria Tauli-Corpuz about inclusions of Indigenous people in the Group- 8 Summit though they expressed serious concerns about climate change. Even they failed to mention the enormous contributions of the indigenous peoples in protecting and conserving nature and environment. In the light of the above explicit global scenario and the cruel realities that challanges and threatens the existence of the indigenous peoples of the world,the following presentations will concentrate mostly on exploring the ground situations of the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh .It will also focus on remedial measures and responsibilities to be taken to amplify the voices of the indigenous peoples at loca, national, regional and global levels. Indigenous peoples of Bangladesh: An Overview: Bangladesh is a low-lying reverine land, emerged in the world map as an independent Repulic on the 26th of March, 1971. Almost 75 million people comprising of Muslims,Hindus, Chritians, Buddists and Animists fought against the Pakistani occupying armed forces for nine months and achieved victory on 16th of December, 1971. Duringing the war of liberation of 1971, begining from 26th of March and ending on the day of surrender of the Pakistani army on the 16th December,1971, they killed about 3 million people and mollested more than 400, 000 women of Bangladesh.Morethan 12 million people took shelter as refugees in India and about 15 million people were displaced and becam internal refugees to save them from the atrocities of the Pakistani army. Moreover, they destroyed and devastated all forms of infrastructures, communication networks and the economy. Bangladesh is almost entirely surrounded by India, except for a 283 km border with Myanmmar (Burma) in the far south-east. To the south lies the Bay of Bengal, with its everchanging coastline, into which feed the great river systems of the Ganges-Padma, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna , the Meghna, the Karnafuli and the Sangu. Most of Bangladesh is barely above sea-level and about 30% of the land goes under water during a normal rainy season, lasting from June to October. The only hills are in the south-east in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh is now 37 years old. Bangladesh has a population estimated at 150 million people in an area of 144,000 sq. km (55,598 sq. miles). The population density is over 900 per sq. km the greatest of any independent state of the world. Bangladesh is overwhelmingly an agricultural country. Morethan 80% people live in the rural areas of whom 65% are landless, agricultural workers, share croppers and marginalised professionals.They are the poorest of the poor in the rural areas.Among the 20 percent of urban and peri- urban population, 40 percent are day labourers, construction workers,vendors, rickshaw, (tri-cycle) pullers, van drivers, transport workers,scavangers,sweepers,cleaners, garment workers,guards, drivers,domestic workers and labourers of the countrys formal and informal economy. They are also conditioned to live in the slums and shanties without any basic amenities for survival in hazardous conditions although they keep the urban and peri- urban areas of Bangladesh

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liveable for the urban elites.The slum and shanti dwellers are the most disadvantaged section of the urban population of Bangladesh. The engine and the wheel of the ruralurban economy of Bangladesh are the landless , labourers, share croppers, small farmers, impoverished professionals and the slum dwellers.But unfortunately, they are conditioned to live in perpetrual poverty, hunger, debt , deprivation, inequlity ,injustice and exploitation. They are the worst victims of flood,cyclone,tidal charge,drought, river erosion , landslide, sea level high, climate change, corruption,misrule, mal-governance/no-governance,military rule, absence of democracy,rule of law,transparency and accuntability and tsunami of price spiral of all essential commodities including food and fuel that are needed for mere suvival of the poor and the powerless people of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is ranked as one of the poorest and least developed and most corrupt country of the world with an estmated per-capita income of about 450/ US dollar although it has fertile soil to grow crops round the year, hard working and resilient peasants, workers and labourers in the rural- urban areas. Bangladesh is also rich in minerals,gas and fisheries. Moreover, Bangladesh earns about 10 billion US dollar per annum by exporting ready made garments,jute,tea, leather, and receives about another 7 billion US dollar from the remittance of the countrys laborious and patriotic citizens living and working in the overseas countries in difficult circumstances . Root causes of poverty in Bangladesh are misrule and corruption of the elite minority, no matter whether military backed govt rules the Republic or the elected govt. rules, who controls political,economic and social structures of Bangladesh for protecting their own interests. The Peoples of Bangladesh: About 98% people of Bangladesh are Bangalees (Bengalis) yet it is not only the mother land of the Bangla (Bengali) speaking people alone. The people of Bangladesh is composed of Bangalees and non-Bangla speaking indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT and the indigenous peoples who live on the plain lands.In Bangladesh, most Bangalees(Bangladeshis) are Muslims who constitute about 86.6% of the population, Hindus12.1% and the other 1.2% are Christians, Buddists, animists and indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples of Bangladesh: The indigenous peoples of Bangladesh,both in the hill and in the plain areas,prefer to be addressed as divashi(original inhabitant).Most of the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh are not confined by natural or political borders. They are organically part of a much larger indigenous peoples living in the Indian sub- continent like the Bangla speaking population of Bangladesh. There were confusions about the different tribes of indigenous peoples and their numbers as well. Some would say that there were more than 49 indigenous communities live both in the hills and in the plains of Bangladesh. Others would say that there were 27 to 36 tribes live in Bangladesh.European ethnographer,C.Maloney stated that there were 36 tribes live in Bangladesh. According to Father R.W.Timm, such confusion was the result of sub-tribes being classified by ethnographers as separate tribes under diffrent names. These tribes inhabit the border areas of the north-west, north-east and the Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT. But it is very difficult to give an accurate figure and name of the communities of the indigenous peoples as there were no detail socio-economic-cultural and ethnogrphical census of the indigenous people was conducted yet by the Government of the Peples Republic of Bangladesh-GOB. According to the GOB estimation,the total number of indigenous population of Bangladesh was 897,828 . Of these, 43.7% were estimated to be Buddist, 24.1% Hindu,13.2Christian and 19% classified as other. The total number of indigenous peple given by the GOB above was far below the reality.Many,including the

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indigenous peoples do not agree with the figure . They feel that in order to ignore and dismiss the legitimate rights and demands of the indigenous peoples, to evict them from their land and forests and also to exclude them from developmental programmes, the GOB did it with ulterior motives. According to many competent organisations of the indigenous people representing the hill and the plain areas, research organisations and professionals, the approximate number of the indigenous people of Bangladesh would be more than 2 million.

Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh : District Wise Habitation Sl. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Indigenous Community Garo Khiang Mro/Murong Bom Chakma Chak Pankhu/Pankhua Lusai Marma/Mog Tripura District Mymensingh, Tangail, Sherpur, Netrokona, Gazipur, Rangpur, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Bogra, Dhaka Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Chittagong Bandarban, Cox's Bazar, Bogra, Rangamati, Khagrachhari Bandarban, Rangamati Bandarban, Rangamati, Moulvibazar, Khagrachhar Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Patuakhali, Mymensingh, Sylhet Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Sylhet, Rajbari, Chandpur, Comilla, Chittagong, Moulvibazar, Feni Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Cox's Bazar Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Cox's Bazar, Patuakhali, Barisal Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Habiganj Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Habiganj Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Moulvibazar Bandarban, Khagrachhari Dhaka Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari Mymensingh, Sherpur, Netrokona, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Bogra Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Sherpur, Tangail, Netrokona, Sylhet, Gazipur, Rangpur, Bogra Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Sylhet, Bogra

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Tonchonga Rakhain Khashia Monipuri Kuki Ushai Lauua Khumi Hajong Banai Koch Dalu

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Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh : District Wise Habitation Sl. No. 23 Indigenous Community Shantal District Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Chapai Nawabganj, Rangpur, Panchagar, Natore, Thakurgaon, Sylhet, Joypurhat, Moulvibazar Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Bogra, Chapai Nawabganj, Rangpur, Panchagar, Natore, Thakurgaon, Pabna Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Bogra, Chapai Nawabganj, Rangpur, Panchagar, Natore, Thakurgaon, Sylhet, Joypurhat, Moulvibazar, Khulna Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogra, Joypurhat Pabna Sylhet Sylhet Rangamati Rajshahi, Sirajganj Rajshahi Rajshahi, Dinajpur Sylhet, Mymensingh, Bogra, Sirajganj Sylhet, Mymensingh, Dinajpur Sylhet Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Sirajganj Sirajganj, Chapai Nawabganj Kushtia, Natore, Jhenaidah, Khulna, Jessore Rajshahi, Sylhet Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Gazipur, Tangail, Khulna, Jessore, Faridpur, Kushtia, Dhaka, Sherpur, Bogra, Sylhet

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Paharia Munda

26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

Mahato Shing Kharia Khondo Gorkha/Gurkha Pahan Rajuyar Mushar Hodi Palia Mikir Rai Bedia/Bede Bogdi Kol Rajbongshi

42 43 44 45 46 47

Patro Muriar Turi Mahali Malo Khatria Barman

Sylhet Rajshahi, Dinajpur Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Sirajganj Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Bogra, Sirajganj Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Bogra, Chapai Nawabganj, Rangpur, Panchagar, Natore, Thakurgaon, Pabna, Joypurhat Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Thakurgaon, Sirajganj

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Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh : District Wise Habitation Sl. No. 48 49 Indigenous Community Gondo Kachhari Rajshahi, Dinajpur Sylhet District

Language, Religion and Origin of the indigenous peoples: Many of the indigenous communities of Bangladesh have their own language.Like almost all citizens of Bangladesh including many indigenous peoples ,speak Bangla. Those indigenous people who have been formally educated through the school system can speak and write Bangla than the illiterate indigenous peoples. The indigenous peoples of Bangladesh belong to six linguistic categories. These were,Indo-Aryan; Dravidian(Paharia and Oraon tribes); Austro-Asiatic or Mon-Khmer, including the Khashi and Munda languages; and Tibeto - Burmese,including the Kubi_Chin and Bara(Bodo)languages. By ethnic origin, the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh are Proto-Austroloid and Mongoloid.By religion, the indigenous peoples of the CHT are mainly Buddist, while the Khasi and Mandi are pre dominantly Christian. The other indigenous peoples have retained their original religion animism or have affiliated with Hinduism,especially the Hajong, while the Rajbansi are either Hinduized or have converted to Sunni Muslim. The most populous indigenous peoples of Bangladesh are the Santal numbering about 200,000,Chakma 194,949, Marma 65,889 and Mandi 60,000. The Mandi community is considered to be most educated and aware of all indigenous peoples of Bangladesh. It is also evident that educated , aware and conscious indigenous peoples are far more vocal, assertive and advanced than those who were excluded to remain unaware, ignorant, fatalist and illiterate. Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT: The Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT is situated in the South-east of Bangladesh. The Hill tracts remained remote & isolated for centuries from the contacts of the outside world. The Chittagong Hill Tracts consisted of three districts called Rangamati, Bandorban & Khagrachari with a geographical area of 5,095 square miles. It accounts for 10 per cent of the surface area of Bangladesh. The boundaries of these districts are shaped by the Indian state of Tripura in the north and Mizoram in the east, by Myanmar (Burma) in the south and east and, in the west by the Chittagong district of Bangladesh. The Hill Tracts are made up of several valleys formed by the rivers Feni, Chengi, Myani, Kassalong, Sangu, Matamuhari and Karnafuli. It is largely inaccessible land of hills, ravines, bushes and creeper jungles. Its ridges reach heights of 3,000 feet, are covered by the forests and run in a north-west & south-east direction. Geographically, the districts of Hill Tracts contrast greatly with the alluvial, moonsoon flooded plains of the rest of Bangladesh. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, until the 1970s were inhabited by people numbering only 0.7 per cent of the total population. These 600,000 or so indigenous peoples, have traditionally made their homes in the tracts, identify themselves with pride as hillmen and historically kept distance between themselves and the majority population of Bangladesh, the

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Bangalees. Anthropologically, they are of Sino-Tibetan descent. They have a distinctive Burmese appearance and they are short in stature. In physique, in religion, in lifestyle and in some cases, in languages, the people of the Hill Tracts are closely identified with their neighbours in north-east India and Myanmar. The indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts contrast greatly with most of the people in the rest of Bangladesh. Composition of Indigenous Hill People: The hill people are composed of 13 main tribes. The Chakmas form the largest number of the hill population. They mostly occupy the central and northern parts of Rangamati district. The Marmas compose the second largest population in the Hill Tracts and they mostly live in the Bandorban district. The third largest population of the Hill Tracts belong to Tripura tribe and they live mostly in the Khagrachori district of the Hill Tracts. Together these three tribes make up about 87 per cent of the hill peoples. The other tribes live largely in the south of the hill tracts occupying the forest hill ridges. They include the Tanchangya, Ryang, Murung, Chak, Khumi, Mro, Khyang, Bonjugi Pankhu and Lushai peoples. The latter two tribes speak a language belonging to the Tibeto-Burmese group. The following table shows the tribes, religion and number of the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts :
Sl. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Tribes Chakmas Marmas Tripuras Mros Tanchangyas Ryangs Khumis Chaks Murungs Khyangs Bonjugis Pankhus Lushais religion Buddhist Hindus Animist Buddhist Christian Total Number 350,000 140,000 60,000 5,000

35,000

590,000

Migration of the Bengali to the Chittagong Hill Tracts: Bengali began to migrate in small number into the tracts during the 17th centuries. In the 1850s and 1860s the Chakma Raja, Dharam Bux Khan, and later his successor Rani Kalindi, on the advice of the British , brought Bengali cultivators to work on the Rajas land and to teach low land farming to the Chakmas in general. During the 19th Century only tribal chiefs were permitted to own land and the Bengali immigrants became sharecroppers. It was only later that some of them purchased land. Nevertheless, the Bengali population remained small and amounted to only about 2 per cent during the partition of India in 1947. The following table shows the sudden rise of the Bengali people in the Hill Tracts during the Pakistan period : 1947 1951 1961 : Less than 2 per cent : 9.1 per cent : 17.7 per cent

After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, Bengali immigration in the Hill Tracts increased rapidly. By 1980 the percentage of Bengali people rose to 27.5 per cent. By 2000

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it rose to 49.5 per cent. In 1947 the indigenous people of the Hill Tracts constituted 97.5 per cent of the total population and the non-indigenous people constitute only 2.5 per cent. The percentage of the Bengali Muslim population at that period was only 1.5 per cent. Seeds of Conflict in CHT: After 61 years since 1947, the three hill districts has now 51.5 per cent indigenous population and the rest 49.5 per cent people are non-hill people and majority of them are Muslims from the plain lands. However, despite the increase, the population density in the hill tracts is one-tenth of the rest of Bangladesh. The hill people still live in widely scattered settlements. At present the indigenous people of Chittagong Hill Tracts number about 590,000 out of a total population of about 1100,000. The rapid increase of Bangalee immigration created serious tensions with the original inhabitants in the hill tracts. The CHTs people remained less disturbed by British rule than the majority Bangalee Community. In 1860, the British established a superintendent to police the area. They recognised three indigenous chiefs as king from Khagrachhori, Bandarbon & Rangamati districts of CHTs representing three major indigenous hill people. The king used to collect taxes for the British and for themselves & ruled the CHTs people on behalf of the British Government. The CHTs Frontier Police Regulation of 1881 authorized a police force drawn from the hill people. The most important legislation was formulated by the British for the self-rule of CHTs was the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation of 1900. This Regulations delineated categories of land, notably khas (State Owned) land and specifically excluded non-hill people from settling in the hill areas. After the partition of India in 1947, the Pakistani Government allowed Bangalee Muslims to move into the CHTs. For ulterior motives, hundreds & thousands of Bangalee Muslims from the plain lands were allowed to migrate & settle in the CHTs. It caused strong resentment & discontent among CHTs indigenous people. The Muslims, with patronization of the Government occupied lands & forests of CHTs. They started controlling trades, commerce & business establishments causing serious threats to the lives,livelihoods , property, ,economy, culture and privacy of the hill people. Consequently, many indigenous people left Bangladesh (the then East Pakistan) for India. As a result, the growth of non-indigenous people in the hill tracts increased enormously. The military rule of General Ayub Khan which was promulgated in Pakistan in 1958, allowed the non-hill people for settling in the CHTs. The special status of CHTs was also abolished by General Ayub Khan in 1964. The huge Kaptai Dam, built in the early 1960s for generating hydro-electricity for Bangladesh submerged more than 40 percent of the crop & cultivable land of the hill tracts. It displaced and destituted more than 100,000 indigenous people. Many become internal refugees in the CHTs and many, more than 60,000 hill people were compelled to leave Bangladesh for India. They now live in the state of Arunachal of India and became homeless & landless refugees there. The Indian Government have not yet granted citizenship to these large number of environmental refugees. Bangladesh Government also does not want to bring them back. So, they are stateless refugees languishing in utter frustrations & destitution for about 50 years. Establishment of the Karnafuli Paper Mills in Chandragona in Rangamati district in the early 60s also destroyed forests and displaced thousands of hill people. It did not provide employments to the hill people. Most of its labourers and employees were muslims, & brought from the plain lands. It also generated anger and resentment among the hill people. The first ever general election of Pakistan under the military dictator General Yahahia Khan took place in 1970 after 24 years of the creation of Pakistan in 1947. In this election three

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indigenous candidates, two independent candidates for the provincial assembly and one indigenous candidate for the national assembly of Pakistan were elected. None of the candidates fielded by one of the most popular & largest political party of the then Pakistan, called Awami League-AL could not win any seats from the CHTs. Yet, in this election the Awami League-AL won a land slide victory both in the provincial & national assembly of Pakistan. But the military dictator and his allies, the civil-military bureaucrats, the feudal lords of Sindh Punjab, the Jamaat-e-Islami-JI, Muslim League-ML, Nezame-Islami-NI, Peoples Party-PP etc. fundementlist & feudal parties of Pakistan could not respect the democratic verdict of the people. The Sindh & Punjabi Clique did not accept the results of the general election. Instead of handing over power to the victorious party i.e. AL, the Pakistani conspirators, enemy of democracy, human rights, peace & human dignity attempted to silence the dream of autonomy & independence of 75 million people of Bangladesh. The military cracked down on the unarmed people Bangladesh on the fateful night of 25th of March 1971. They killed more the 30,000 unarmed innocent people including police, border security personnel, university professors, officers, employees, students,youths and professionals in Dhaka alone. They torched thousands of houses and slums in Dhaka in a single night. It sparked resistance movement against the Pakistan army and led to the peoples, war which was participated by all 75 million people including indigenous people of hill tracts. Except for few collaborators, popularly known as razakars, al-badars, al-shams and members peace committees formed by the Pakistanis to capture & kill the freedom fighters, their associates and organizers, every one of Bangladesh valiantly fought in different form under different-banners against the Pakistanis. Victory was achieved on 16th December, 1971. Many indigenous people of CHTs also courageously fought together with the Bangalee Muslims, Hindus & Christians for liberation. Out of the three kings of the CHTs, one king known as Chakma Raja collaborated with the Pakistanis with insignificant number of his followers. Before the surrender of the Pakistani armies, he left Bangladesh. He now lives in Pakistan under the patronization & blessings of the Pakistani rulers. The New Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh-GOB, in 1972 also failed to restore the autonomy of the CHTs. Even the constitution of the new Republic failed to recognize constitutionally the existence of the indigenous people of the CHTs and plain lands, despite representations & petitions given to the GOB. Discontent and anger grew among the indigenous people of CHTs. The path of discussions & negotiations with the leaders of the CHTs for a peaceful solution to the problems was abandoned by the GOB. In order to resist actions of the Govt. against the interest of the people of CHTs, Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti-PCJSS was launched. In the meantime, after the assassination of the founding father Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman on 15th August 1975, military ruler, general Ziaur Rahman came to power. During his military rule, he wanted to solve the problem of the CHTs militarily by force shunning the path of peace. In order to out number the CHTs people, he brought more than 500,000 Bagnalee Muslims from the plain lands of different districts of Bangladesh & settled them in the CHTs. General Zia helped Bangalee Muslims settlers, the military, the police, the border security forcesBDR, personnel of civil bureaucracy and powerful elites to occupy lands, forests & other resources of the CHTs. As a result more than 100,000 hill people fled to India to evade rape, torture, killings and various other oppressions. The PCJSS was acting as the united peoples party of the hill people. In order to resist military atrocities of General Ziaur Rahman, they also launched their military wing called Shanti Bahani (Peace Force). Conflicts, clashes and guerrilla warfare escalated during General Zias rules. Two third of Bangladeshs army was deployed in CHTs to suppress & silence their legitimate rights as citizen as well as indigenous people of Bangladesh. After the killing of General Ziaur Rahman in 1981, General Ershad came to power through a military coup. He also followed the foot steps of his mentor

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General Zia and wanted to crush & quieten the legitimate demands of the CHTs people. The military, the civil bureaucracy and the muslim settlers looted & plundered all resources of the hill areas, forests & hill people, They denuded & deforested all hills in the CHTs and drove away the hill people to border of India and Burma. At one stage of General Ershad regime, attempts were made to solve the problems of the hill peoples through dialogue & discussions. But he could not succeed for lack of political commitment, will & honesty. In 1991 Begum Khaleda Zia came to power through a general election ending the military rule of General Zia & General Ershad for about 15 years. She also did not take interest in solving the CHTs problem. General Zia, General Ershad & Begum Khaleda Zia wanted perpetuating military rule in the hill tracts controlling its resources & people to reap benefits from the presence of military in the hill tracts. During their rule, the whole areas of CHTs became a whole sale market for smuggling of narcotics, arms, explosives and human trafficking. Insurgents from the eastern states of India & Burma found CHTs as a shelter to carry out insurgent activities in India & Burma. Both military, civil administration and the Muslims settlers built their fortunes by having been posted or by settling there. They also occupied almost the entire lands, forests, markets,businesses, trade and commerce, municipalities and local government bodies of the CHTs. In 1947, the entire hill areas were inhabited by more than 98 percent hill people. Now their number went down to less than 50 percent. The indigenous people of CHTs are now a minority in their own lands. The Peace Treaty : In October 1996 the Government of the Prime Minister of Sheikh Hasina formed a national committee of 12 members comprising of the members of parliament-MP from the ruling Awami League-AL opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP, Jatiya Party-JP, retired bureaucrats and other professionals headed by the Chief Whip of the ruling party-AL. After series of meetings & discussions between the Committee & Shanti Bahani delegates, the historic CHT Peace accord was signed on December 2, 1997. From February 10 to March 5, 1998 the Shanti Bahini member handed over arms & ammunitions to the GOB. Meanwhile, about 65,000 refugees from the state of Tripura, India return to the hill districts of Bangladesh. Under the framework of the constitution of Bangladesh and having fullest and firm confidence in the sovereignty and integrity of Bangladesh, the National Committee on CHT Affairs on behalf of the government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, and the Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, on behalf of the inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, with an objective to elevate political, social, cultural, educational and financial rights and to expedite socio-economic development process of all citizens in CHT, arrived on an agreement described in the following four part of the treaty. 1. 2. Both sides, considering CHT as Tribal Populated Region, recognized the necessity for protection of the character of this region and for overall development of it. Both sides, in accordance with the decisions and responsibilities stated in these paragraphs under this agreement, determined to make, change, amend and add concerned rules and procedures as per laws/rules. With an aim to observe the implementation process of this agreement an Implementation Committee shall be formed with the persons stated below:

3.

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a. A member to be nominated by the Prime Minister-Convenor b. Chairman of the Task Force formed under this agreement-Member c. President of the Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti-Member 4. This agreement shall be in force from the date of signing the agreement. This agreement shall remain in force until both sides complete all steps and measures according to this agreement.

HILL DISTRICT LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL/HILL DISTRICT COUNCILS: Both sides agreed to change, amend, add and repeal the Hill District Local Government Council Acts, 1939 (Rangamati Hill District Local Government Council Act, 1989, Bandarban Hill District Local Government Council Act, 1989 and Khagrachari Hill District local Government Council Act, 1989) and its various sections as described below: 1. 2. 3. 4. The term Upajati shall be in force. The name of the Hill District Local Government Council shall be Hill District Council. Who is not a tribal and possesses land legally on the Hill District and generally lives at a certain address in the Hill District shall be meant non-tribal permanent resident. a) There shall be 3 (three) seats for women in every Hill District Council. There shall be one-third of the said seats for non-tribal women. b) Sub-sections (1), (2), (3) and (4) of section 4 of the original rule shall exist. c) The words Deputy Commissioner and of the Deputy Commissioner placed in the second line of sub-section (5) of section 4 shall be replaced with the words Circle Chief and of the Circle Chief respectively. After a long battle for about 25 years, 1975 to 1997 a congenial atmosphere was created by the Govt. (1996-2001) of the Prime Minister and Awami League-AL president Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina was detained by the present military backed interim govt. for alleged corruptions and now lives in the USA for treatment on parole. As Prime Minister she with her political commitment found out means for peaceful solutions to the CHTs problems. From 1985 to 1997, 26 meetings took place between the military Govt. of Ershed & Civil Govt. of Shiekh Hasina. Finally, the Govt. of AL headed by Sheikh Hasina signed the peace treaty with PCJSS on 2nd December 1997. All democratic, secular, political parties, people & professional bodies and the indigenous people of Bangladesh hailed the treaty. The treaty was also acclaimed & appreciated by global communities. Unfortunately, the implementation of the treaty was not completed by the Govt. of Sheikh Hasina during her tenure partly due to her Govt.s lack of commitment. The then opposition leader, and former prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia now detained for alleged corruption charges & other fundamentalist forces of Bangladesh vehemently opposed the signing of the Peace treaty by agitating common people and taking advantage of their political ignorance. The coalition Govt. (2001-2006) of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami-JI and other rightist & fundamentalist parties led by Begum Khaleda Zia was not at all committed to solve the CHTs problem by implementing the Peace Treaty. Her Govt. was engaged in executing her designed programmes in the hill tracks completely ignoring the

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provisions of Peace treaty which further excluded , discriminated & dispossessed the hill people. The hill people are frustrated and the secular & democratic forces of Bangladesh are dismayed with the anti-peace treaty activities conducted by the Govt. of Begum Khaleda Zia. The right to lives,livelihoods and land of the indigenous people are being snatched away, their forests ,land and homestead for cultivation and living are being occupied by the Muslim settlers with the support of the military & civil administration in the hill tracts. Incidences of human rights violations of the hill people are taking place everyday including grabbing their lands, homesteads, torching their houses, homes and habitations, abduction & molesting girls & women. Buddhist & Hindu Temples and Christian Churches are being destroyed & damaged by Muslim settlers. Their customary rigts to land, forests and waterbodies have been violated . The law enforcing agencies hardly take actions against these intruders. Rather, they patronise , encourage and support these forces to grab lands & resources of the hill people. Law enforcing agencies and administration both civil and military work for the protection of the Muslim settlers. The law enforcers & settlers do not believe in democracy, human rights, rule of law and peace. The derogatory comments of the Deputy Commissioner-DC, head of civil administration of Khagrachhari district of CHTs in his booklet titled, Khagrachhori 2001-2005 published recently ignited discontent & displeasure among the hill people. In his booklet he termed the indigenous people as intruders, antiBangalees and uncivilized Jungle people. The D.C. also mentioned that CHTs peace accord is controversial and PCJS is engaged in killing, abduction and extortion. Parbatya Chattagram Janasanghati Samity-PCJS, United Peoples Democratic Front-UPDF and different other organisations of hill people protested the publication of the booklet and demanded ban & confiscation of all its copies. They claimed that the activities of the DC were communal and the publication of the booklet was politically motivated. The attitudes of most of the Bangalees towards the indigenous people is negative. They think that the indigenous peoples way of life , their religion and cultural are inferior. They are seen by the Bangalees as nomads having no permanent habitat. On the other hand the GOB does not recognize the existence of indigenous and minority people in Bangladesh. The Govt. often says, In Bangladesh, nobody is minority & no body is majority, all are equal. But unfortunately GOB adopted policies to discriminate, exclude, disintegrate & dispossess the indigenous people. Although the framers of the constitution of Bangladesh of 1972 did not recognise the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh yet in different forms there were mentions of the weak and backward classes of peoples and there were provisions to promote and protect their rights. Unfortunately, through 5th & 8th amendments to the costitution of 1972, the military rulers of General Zia and General Ershad curtailed the rights of the indigenous people. These changes made them second class citizen, disregarded & violated their constitutional rights and rights guranteed in all all the international documents, covenants, treatise and treaties of the UN & other regional and international organisations where Bangladesh is a signatory. Govt. of Bangladesh also does not celebrate the international day for indigenous people . It also did not take part in celebrating the indigenous people decades 1995-2004 announced by the UN. So, it could be easily understood the position and practices of the GOB in relation to the rights and demands of the indigenous peoples. Therefore, the perceptions, knowledge, attitudes,and mindsets of the Bangalees as well as people serving in the GOB civil and military bureaucracies have to be changed in order to ensuring peace, harmony and protection of the rights of the indigenous people in CHTs . At the same time full execution of the Peace Treaty is the crying need of the hour. There is no alternative to the execution and enforcement of the Peace Treaty. Peace Treaty is an invaluable document which came into existence with lot of sacrifices of the lives, properties, chestities of many indigenous people & Bangalees including the personnel of the armed

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forces, police, Border Securuity Forces ( BDR) & others. Therefore, all must respect,uphold enforce it fully. Simultaneously, the international conventions and covenants that promote and protect the rights of indigenous people have to be enforced as Bangladesh is a signatory to all those regional and global documents. Misrule of the Coalition government: The coalition government (2001 2006) led by Begum Khaleda Zia of BNP, a rightist party and Matiur Rahman Nizami of JI, an Islamic fundamentalist party has been successfully cleansing the minorities and the indigenous people of Bangladesh. It is also successful in extending corruption to every sectors & every nook and corner of Bangladesh. It strengthened the activities of the Islamic fundamentalists and enriched them financially as well as politically. It is known to all that the forces of Islamists fanatics and extremists are very active in Bangladesh having their regional & global networks & connections to turn Bangladesh into a theocratic state. The indigenous peoples, the minorities, democratic political parties & professionals who opposed govt. unbridled partisn politics, corruption,nepotism, oppressions, misrule,injustice, politicisations of civil and military bureacracy, politicisation of judiciary,public service commission, election commission and all other constitutional bodies, activities of the fundamentalists forces and injustices faced severe consequences including abductions, custodial deaths, tortures & severe human rights violations.Patriotic politicians, freedom fighters, progrssive and secular teachers, lecturers, professors, principals, journalists,cultural activists and , many secular humanists were were killed, tortured and crippled by the professional killing squads of the ruling coalition govt of Begum Khaleda Zia & its allies.Bangldaesh was ranked as the most corrupt country of the world cosequtively 5 times during the 5-year rule of Begum Khaleda Zia by the Transparency International based in Germany.Many women and girls were raped by the forces of the coalition govt. Even the journalists from home and abroad who raised their voices against human rights violation of the indigenous peoples and minorities were not spared. Through misrule, misgovernance and massive corruption and crime, the coalition govt.led by Khaleda Zia let loose its reign of terror on the indigenous people. So, their life and property are not safe & secure. The martyred intellectual and litterateur Prof. Humayun Azad of Bangla Department of Dhaka University in his article, Living in Bangladesh said The present government has been successful in cleansing the Hindus, the present government has been successful in extending corruption, the present government has been successful in making rape a cultural activity, and the present government has been successful in abducting, murdering & other fearful activities. The secular & democratic forces and peace loving people of Bangladesh can not contradict with Prof. Humayun Azad. The Interim Government: The Rule of Bureaucrats: The present government came to power through a bloodless coup on the 11th of January 2007 by imposing state of emergency with the help of the military bureaucrats of the armed forces of Bangladesh. Before this present military led and military control interim govt. came in power, another care taker government was formed and installed in power on the 28th October,2006 headed by the present President of Bangladesh himself by manipulating and maneuvering the ammended constitution of Bangladesh by the coalition govt. led by Begum Khaleda Zia, now detained for alleged corruption charges. Before stepping down from th power on the 27 October,2006, after looting and plundering the countrys wealth and resources through unprecedented corruptions and crimes, politicising and damaging its all institutions including the constitutional bodies with the help of both civil and military bureaucrats, the coalition gov. of Khaleda Zia formed the care taker government and the election commission. The care taker govt. and the election commission were consisted of persons most loyal to her party . Moreover, she fielded both civil and militay officials at every stair of administrations including the judiciary . In the face of strong and collective

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oppositions of the opposition political parties, civil society organisations and professional bodies , the puppet care taker govt. could not hold free,fair and credible election to the National Parliament within 90 days of its formation as per the constitutional provision and requirements. Moreover, the loyal election commission formed by Begum Khaleda Zia during her misrule of 2001 2006, could not also prepare a flawless and acceptable voter list for holding an acceptable election. The flawed voter list excluded hundreds and thousands of indigenous peoples, minoritities and opposition workers, leaders and voters from the list. But it included more than 13 million fake voters in the list to ensure victory of Khaleda Zia in the scheduled election to the parliament on the 22 nd of January, 2007. In the face of strong movements and united actions of all the oppositions grand allies consisting of the centrist democratic, secular, progressive and left political forces, the scheduled election on the 22nd January, 2007 could not be held.Taking advantage of this situation, the present govt. was put in power with a lofty slogan, wage war against corruption and salvage democracy and people from the misrulle of Khaleda Zia.. This slogan was chanted by the military dictators of General Ayub in 1958 in Pakistan and General Zia in 1975 and General Ershad in 1982 in Bangladesh. Imposition of EPR is a gross violation of the constitutional rights of the people of Bangladesh.It curtailed fundamental rights, rights tojustice, right to express opinions, form organisations for realising basic rights, protest injustices , life, liberty and livelihoods. The peasants, the marginalised professionals. the poor garment workers, the landless day labourers, self employed workers, domestic workers, the slum dwellers, rickshaw pullers, the indigenous peoples and the minorities who constitute more than 75% people of Bangladesh can not protests against sky rocketting price spiral of all food staffs, fuel, fertilisers, water, gas, elecricity,seeds and all other inputs needed for agricultural production. The victms of price spiral of food and fuel are not allowed to ventilate their,woes, pains, sorrows and sufferings publicly as state of emergency is in force. The garment workers, the land less labourers and the slum dwellers can not shout and raise slogans to tell the world that they are not given wages according to prices of all essential commodities including food. The poor farmers and the share croppers also can not express that they are not given agricultural input at fair price and fiar price for their products. The indigenous people and minorities also can not tell and express their grievances that the Muslims took away their lands, homested , crop lands, poultry and livestocks. They also are barred not to tell others that their mothers and sisters were raped. Their democratic rights and voices of protests are suppressed and silenced by emergency power rule EPR by the present military backed interim govt. Under this circumstance, the indigenous people are doubly exploited and oppressed. Firstly, becaues they are indigenous and secondly they are minority as well as poor and already excluded by the majority muslims. Their sufferings and sorrows do not find place in both print and electronic media as media is directly and indiretly controlled by the forces in power backed by the military. Since 1st to 30th January,2008, 23 journalists were injured and 13 were assaulted by the law enforcers of EPR. Moreover,16 incidents of verbal threats were given to the journalists. All these happened because they reported the truth for the enforcement of the rights of the people. Violence against women , in particular, incidents of rape remained high. In the last six months , 266 women and girls became victims of rape out of which 113 were women and 153 were children. On average,44 women were raped per month Out of these incidences 107 were gang raped. Out of the 113 women, 37 were killed after rape and 64 became victims of gang rape. On the other hand, out of 153 girls, 20 were raped and then killed, while 43 became victims of gang rape. Actual figures were likely to be much higher since all such violations are not reported because of social stigma and many other associated factors. Incidents of rape are also very high among the women and girls of the indigenous peoples because of the rule of the majority muslims . In some cases of rapes of the indigenous peoples, the law enforcers including the army were involved. Washington in its human rights reports on Bangladesh on 2nd May,2008, said that rape is a common form

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of anti minority violence, and incidents regarding Hidu Women were rported in 2007. The government commonly fails to punish the perpetrators of these acts against women, since the law enforcement and judicial systems, especially at the local levels, were vulnerable to corruptions, intimidation, and political interference. From this report , it could be easily understood the vulnerability of the indigenous women and girls of Bangladesh. It was also reported in many national and international documents and news papers that more than 300 people died in custody during the reign of the present govt.They were killed in the name of cross fireby the army, joint forces, police, rapid action battalian-RAB, Bangladesh navy, and Bangladesh rifles-BDR etc. On the other hand, the present govt. could not control the prices of essential commodities including food and fuel. Corruption went unbridlled . Because of the EPR, more than 30 million people were pushed to join with the already 70 million poverty stricken people during the corrupt and misrule of Begum Khaleda Zia. But inspite of her corruption and nongovernance, people could take to the street and shout slogans for redress though those protests were mercilessly suppressed.However, pro-people and pro-poor social scientists estimated that more than 120 million people of Bangladesh have been hard hit by the mismanagement and mis rule of the present govt. These people are not in a position to meet their basic needs as the prices of all essential commodities went very high beyond their purchasing capability. The utter failure of the present govt. to manage and immune the political economy of Bangladesh from the hegemony of globalisation, liberalisation, market forces and prescriptions and dictations of the world Bank-WB, International Monetary Fund-IMF,Asian Development Bank-ADB, World Trade Organisation-WTO,Global and regional Corporate bodies etc.. Govt. also failed to run the State Owned Enterprises, Banks and Financial institutions as well as creating jobs with fair wages for the excluded and disadvantaged.The policies pursued by the govt. caused mass starvation and deprivation for 120 million people.Consequently, they suffer from hunger and malnutritions. Famine persists in different regions of Bangladesh which is leading many to suffer from various diseases. In fact, Bangladesh bleeds which the media lords , Group-8, Group-5 or Group-8 can not see and feel though the present interim govt. backed by the military came to power on 11th January, 2007 in Bangladesh in a bloodless coup.However, the indigenous people of Bangladesh bleed much more profusedly than the majority Muslims because they were excluded indigenous people and minority as well. Indigenous Peoples: Rights and demands: Every year, August 9, is celebrated in different parts of Bangladeh. Many also gathered in Dhaka to take part in colourful rally and discussion sessions organized by the National Adivasi Forum(Indigenous Peoples Forum) of Bangladesh. They came to comemorate the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples. Dignatories from different professins of the mainstream f population participate such rallies and discussion session. UN Agencies and Government representatives were keeping noticeably distance from observing the day. We all know that the day was declared by the UN itself. From time immemorial the Indigenous Peoples numbering approximately about 2 million are living in different parts of Bangladesh and they are divided into 49 ethnic groups. Over the centuries there have been numerous conquests, movements, revolts and all of them have had direct affect on the very existence of the indigenous peoples. In the Liberation War of 1971 hundreds of people from the indigenous communities took part in the war of liberation. But they were gradually marginalised and they are least considered in national development planning and policy decisions. Some of the important rights and demands of the indigenous peoples are:

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Constitutional Recognition to indigenous peoples. Quick implementation of the Peace Treaty of the CHT of 2007. Ensuring and enforcement of constitutional rights including access of the indigenous peoples to justice, land ,forests , water bodies and other productive resources. Recognition of the indigenous peoples and minorities by the Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh-GOB. Ensuring easy access to education, water, health care and forest resources and employment opportunities. Distribution of khas lands ( State owned land) among indigenous peoples. End to the Repressions on the indigenous peoples. Ensure quotas for indigenous peoples in Government services, universities and colleges. Ensure scholarships for the students of indigenous families. Takeing necessary steps to send the youths of indigenous families to abroad for job. Primary education should be given in the mother languages of the indigenous peoples. Anual development programme of the Government must alocate more funds for the developments of the indigenous regions. The collective and common land rights of the indigenous peoples of Bangladsh which are based upon age-old custroms, traditions, practices and usage be formally recognised by law of the country; Adequate measures be taken to prevent the alleanation of indigenous peoples lands and terretories by such measures as the esablishment of special tribubals or commissions to deal with dispute over land; The customary and traditional righs of indigenous peoples over forest lands be recognised by law; Amendment of 1927 forest act and ensure participation of indigenous peoples in the process of drafting and implementing the proposed new Forest Act be ensured; Measures be taken to protect traditional farming, herding and forstry prctices and knowledge systems and intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples; Bringing reforms in the court systems so that the indigenous peoples get justice. Establishment of separate ministry for the indigenous peoples. Land commission for the indigenous people of the CHT has to be activited and and another land commission should be formed for the indigenous peoples of the plain lands. Amendent vested property act should be fully implemented. Establishing scular, democratic and progressive Governments for the protection and promotion of the rights and demands of the indigenous peoples. Enforcement of all national, regional and international conventions to uphold the rights of the indigenous peoples. UN Agencies in Bangladesh should monitor implementations of all the resolutions and conventions for the welrare of the indigenous peoples. The Government of Bangladesh should stand by the side of the indigenous peoples with genuine commitment and must observe with due solemnity the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous peoples on 9th of August every year.

Conclusion: The indigenous peoples of Bangladesh struggle for survival every moment & everyday. These people have glorious past, rich history, culture & civilization. Unfortunately, they do not have present and future. They pass their daily life through insecurity, uncertainty & agonies. They have been groaning in discontent. The rights of indigenous people and

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minorities to land, forest & future have been taken away by the ruling elites and their allies spreading over the capital down to the remote village at the foot of the hills. They face severe discriminations and violence from everywhere i.e. polices, courts, administrations & majority community. The govt. failed utterly to ensure justice & rule of law for them. Ownership & access of the indigenous peoples to land, forests and water resources are constantly denied. In order to ensure means of livelihood for the indigenous people, the govt. & the majority muslims community must stop stealing and grabbing their lands & forests. To stop stealing and grabbing land and to give back grabbed land to the indigenous peoples, a separate ministry for the indigenous and minority people should be formed. A land commission for protecting the lands & forests of the indigenous people in the plain lands should be formed. The land commission of CHTs should be activated to perform its responsibilities according to the Peace Treaty. In order to protect & promote the rights and dignities of the indigenous people and minorities of Bangladesh, all must abide by the constitution and other international covenants & conventions. The constitution of Bangladesh, the covenants & conventions determined roles & responsibilities for different actors at national, regional and global levels who are entrusted with upholding rule of law, justice and equality. The govt. of Bangladesh must enforce its constitutional obligations for all its people without discrimination. Article 27 of the constitution of Bangladesh is, All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law. Article 28 (1) says, The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. (2) Women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of Public life. (3) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth be subjected to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to access to any place of public entertainment or resort, or admission to any educational institution. (4) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making special provision in favour of women or children or for the advancement of any backward section of citizens. Article 29 (1) says, There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in respect of employment or office in the service of the Republic. (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office in the service of Republic. Unfortunately, the Governments failed utterly to respect the constitution of the republic and perform according to its provisions in protecting the rights of the indigenous people and minorities. The Government also do not have regards and respect for international conventions and covenants to which it is a signatory. It does not follow and enforce them in running the state apparatus. Article 27 of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says, In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic, minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language. United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in its Article 30 says, In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practice his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language. There are other international conventions and covenants i.e. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against women-

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CEDAW, ILO conventions and many other innumerable conventions where Bangladesh is a signatory committed to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples. So, it must enforce those for protection of the rights of the indigenous peoples including minorities. The regional and international bodies of the UN & its organs have also bigger role to play in the enforcement of these conventions at state, regional & global levels. They must device, design & develop monitoring tools & instruments to assess and evaluate performances of the member state in the areas of ts violations of human rights of the indigenous peoples. This monitoring process must include the indigenous peoples and minorities as issues of the minorities & indigenous people have,national, regional and global implications. Moreover, the golden rule of life found in all major religions should be practiced in order to build this world peaceful and livable. In Islam, golden rule is expressed in the following manner; No one of you is a believer until you desire for your neighbour that which you desire for yourself. Buddhism asks us to, Treat all creatures as you would like to be treated. Hinduism reiterates, This is the essence of morality: Do not do to others which if done to you would cause you pain. In Christianity it is said that. Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. Sikhism advises us, Do as you desire goodness for yourself as you can not expect tasty fruits if you sow thorny trees. Judaism puts it plainly, What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour that is the basic law, all the rest is commentary. In Bahai Faith it is stated, If your eyes be turned towards justice, choose for your neighbour that which you could choose for yourself. These golden rules of all faiths should be translated into practice in order to establish the rights of all peoples including the indigenous peoples of the world. Further more the establishment of humane society based on justice ,peace, progress and equality is impossible if the occupying forces at the national ,regional and global levels do not decolonise the habitats, forests ,waterbodies and other resources for the means of lives and livlihoods of the indigenous peoples. So in order to build a sustainable future for all living beings , all must preach and practice according to their beliefs & faiths mentioned in the golden rules of the major religions of the world . I want to conclude my paper and presentation before the learned and intellectual assemly of the IPRA global Conference 2008 with the following qutation: We call upon the Governments of the world to begin to meet with us as equals ... to create a new era, a new world where all people can live in harmony. Ovide Mercredi, Chief Assembly of First Nations, Canada. International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People

1993 Student Leaflet, United Nations, New York.

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Reference:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. Amnesty International, Unlawful killings and Torture in Chittagong Hill Tracts, London, 1986. Barakat Abul, Professor, The Status of Poverty in Bangladesh, Published in the Bangladesh Observer on 31.01.2001. Barakat Abul, Professor,Deprivation of Hindu Minority in Bangladesh, May, 2008. Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, Published & Unpublished Documents of the Council. BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI, Former UN Secretary General of the UN. Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission Report, Life is not ours : Land and Human Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, London, 1991. Constitution of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. Citizens Experiences from the visits to Chittagong Hill Tracts, Orao Manush January,2008. The Daily Shamakal, Editorial, Published on 8.1.2006. The Daily Star, Khagrachhari 2001-2005, Published on 08.06.2006. The Daily Star,March,2, 2008, 20 acres lands of Tribesmen land grabbed in Khagrachhari. The Daily New Age,6 July,2008. The Daily Star, 5 July,2008 The Daly Star, July,10,2008 The Economist, Inequality and the American Dream, Published on 17.06.2006. Father Timm R. W., The Adivasis of Bangladesh, Published in 1991. Haque Md. Aynal, History and Life Style of Tribes, 1994. Handbook for Participants, United Nations, New York,2007. International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People, 1993 Student Leaplet, United Nations, New York. Marco Viannello-Chiodo, A letter from the Assistant Secrtary General , Department of Public Information, United Nations. Proceedings of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, Volume-2, Number-3, Saturday 14.10.1972. Rigoberta Menchu Tum, recipient of the nobel prize for peace, 1992. Seeds of A New Partnership:Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations, United Nations, New York, 1994. Sanjeeb Drong 9 August 2000 International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples. Uddin Muhammed Kamal ,Coflict Resolution and Peace Treaty in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh : Lessons Learned,2003. United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,New York, 1993. UN publications. Washington, USA, USCIRF, On Bangladesh Issue, 2nd May, 2008

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