chtnews.com
News No. 112/2010, June 09, 2010
Two members of the Democratic Youth Forum, a front organisation of the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), have been kidnapped from Rangamati town, DYF and other sources say.
According to sources, Prem Lal Chakma (27), Member Secretary of the DYF Belaichari unit, and Dipen Dewan (22), a member of DYF, were kidnapped from Tobolchari Boat Ghat in Rangamati town by a group of 10-12 armed terrorists led by Samar Chakma.
Samar Chakma is an active member of the Santu Larma faction of the Jana Samhati Samiti, which signed a peace deal with the government in 1997.
The kidnapped DYF members were on their way to Subholong from Belaichari to attend a meeting.
In a joint statement Shanti Dev Chakma, chief organiser of UPDF Rangamati unit, and Mithun Chakma, convenor of DYF, condemned the kidnapping of the two DYF activists and called for their unconditional release.
It said “The kidnappers called a female member of Kerongchari Union Council by a mobile phone and let her know their intention to release them on payment of ransom.”
However, the statement did not mention the amount of the ransom money that relatives of the victims must pay to secure their release.
The name of Prem Lal Chakma’s father is Tongiram Chakma, while Dipen Dewan is the son of Chondalal Dewan, former chairman of Kerongchari Union Council. Both of them hail from the village of Kerolchari in Belaichari.
The two leaders took the local administration to task and held it responsible for the unbridled terrorist activities of the Santu group.
They also accused it of implementing a policy of destroying the Jummas by pitting Santu Larma against them, and urged the government to take stern actions against Santu group to stem the growing violence.
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