chtnews.com
News No. 128/2010, August 29, 2010
THE United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) today held a rally in Chittagong to demand that the government declares Chittagong Hill Tracts as an Autonomous Region and provides recognition to the ethnic nationalities in the constitution of Bangladesh.
Held in front of the Press Club at Jamal Khan at 5pm, the rally was addressed by UPDF leader Mikel Chakma, DYF leader Arpan Chakma, Supreme Chakma and Jatiyo Mukti Council Chittagong – Chittagong Hill Tracts Chapter leader Advocate Bhulon Bhowmik.
The speakers said the refusal of the 1972 constitution to grant recognition to the ethnic minorities had led to two decades of bloodshed in CHT.
“If the constitutional committee formed to propose amendments to the constitution repeats the same mistake and refuses to accept the demand to declare CHT as an autonomous region, then the situation of the CHT may turn volatile once again.” they warned.
The speakers also demanded that the government immediately withdraw the military from CHT and puts an end to Operation Uttoran.
They said, “The government must rectify the undemocratic provisions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Act, and amend it in such a way that it proves equal to the task of solving the land problems in the CHT.”
Expressing his support for the proposed constitutional amendments formulated by UPDF, Advocate Bhulon Bhowmik said “The demands UPDF has made in the form of proposal are quite justified and we wholeheartedly support them.”
The rally was followed by procession which paraded the main city streets before ending at Shaheed Minar.
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