chtnews.com
News No. 62/2010, March 18, 2010
The United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) in a statement today urged the government to enact legislations recognising the traditional land rights of the Jumma people and settle all land disputes in CHT on the basis of that law.”
Terming the invitation of applications for settlement of land disputes from the aggrieved persons as “putting the curt before the horse” UPDF president Prasit Khisha said, “the government must at first set the basis on which to settle the disputes. In other words, the laws or policy guides must be framed before adjudication of a lawsuit.”
He expressed fear that “many Jumma people will not be able to get their lands back if the land disputes are settled in accordance with existing laws of the country. This is because although they are the real owners of the land as per the customary laws prevalent in CHT, they lack title deeds issued by the government. Furthermore, during the autocratic rule of Ershad the settlers were given land documents in a wholesale manner, which may also create serious problems in settling lands disputes.”
Mr. Prasit said that provision in the CHT Accord that ‘the Land Commission will resolve disputes on the basis of existing laws, customs and systems of Chittagong Hill Tracts’ is not enough in restoring land rights of the Jumma people.
He urged the government to recognise the traditional land laws which the Jumma people have been practicing for ages and to settle disputes on the basis on this law.
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