chtnews.com
News No. 134/2010, September 03, 2010
A conference of Headmen and Karbaris (village heads) of Rangamati district has called upon the government to declare the Chittagong Hill Tracts as an autonomous region.
The conference was held today, Friday, at Giriphul Shishu Sadan in Perachara under Khagrachari district with the slogan “Unite for the demand of constitutional recognition of the national minorities and autonomous status of CHT”.
Presided over by Amal Chakma, headman of Doluchari Mouza under Rangamati District, the conference was addressed among others by Kali Ratan Chakma, headman of Mubachari Mouza under Kaokhali Upazila, Sunik Joti Chakma, headman of Keronchari Mouza under Belaichari Upazila, Milon Shankar Chakma, headman of Midingachari under Barkal Upazila, Subol Chakma, Karbari of Toimedung Para under Rangamati Sadar Upazila, Chuithoai Prue Marma, Karbari of Dabua under Kaokhali Upazila, UPDF leaders Animesh Chakma and Dhrubo Joti Chakma.
The declaration and demands of the conference was read out by Rup Kumar Chakma, Karbari of Keronchari village under Barkal Upazila.
The speakers welcomed the institution of a special parliamentary committee headed by the Deputy Leader of the House Sayeda Sajeda Chowdhury to propose amendments to the constitution of Bangladesh, and urged the committee to incorporate the demands of the CHT people in its amendments.
“Although we are citizens of this country, our national identity is different; we are not Bengalees. We want this identity of ours recognized in the constitution.” Amal Chakma said in his address.
He said “We had to suffer so much in terms of military repression, land alienation and genocides and we still continue to do so because the framers of the constitution had refused to acknowledge our separate identity in it.”
“We don’t want it to be repeated this time around.” he added.
UPDF leader Animesh Chakma said, “The demand of autonomy is something that we all the Jummas hold dear to us. It was first raised in the national parliament in 1972 by M. N. Larma, the then MP from Chittagong Hill Tracts. But the demand fell on the deaf ears of the ruling elites of the country.”
He further said, “There are many countries in Europe and Asia — such as UK, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Greenland, Indonesia, Philippines, China, India to name a few – where the regions inhabited by national minorities have been granted autonomous status, and the people of these areas enjoy a wide range of powers.”
The government of Bangladesh should learn from these countries and let the people of CHT live the way they want, he added.
The conference unanimously endorsed a set of 11 point demands and the constitutional amendment proposals articulated by UPDF.
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