Cancel Illegal lease, protect Mro and Tripura villagers

CHT Desk

Speakers in a roundtable demanded cancellation of the illegal lease of Lama Rubber Industries and the protection of 400 acres of Jhum land of Mro and Tripura villagers in remote Bandarban’s Lama upazila.

The meeting was organised by Lama Sarai Bhumi Raksha Sangram Committee held at Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah hall room in Dhaka National Press Club yesterday.

The participants were Prof Anu Muhammad, a retired teacher of economics at Jahangirnagar University, researcher and former professor of Dhaka University Meghna Guhathakurta, professor of international relations at Dhaka University Tanjim Uddin Khan, member secretary of public health rights protection Committee Dr. Sushanta Barua, Hasibur Rahman, president of Bangladesh writers’ camp, secretary of national liberation council Dr. Faizul Hakim (Lala), eminent doctor Harunur Rashid, general secretary of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Basad) Bazlur Rashid Firoz, co-coordinator of Bangladesh communist movement Subhranshu Chakraborty, president of naya ganotantrik ganamorcha Zafar Hossain, and president of Bangladesh nari mukti kendra Seema Dutta among others.

Professor Anu Muhammad said, “The ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have not been recognized as a race yet. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the entire region has been militarized to oppress and expropriate property and land. In the 1980s, more than 400,000 settlers were infiltrated from the plains. They are being used as a political baton”.

He said that the rubber industries are occupying illegally in violation of the conditions. But the law and order forces of there are maintaining silence favoring the company. Attempts have been made to kill by poisoning the water. Rubber Industries is responsible for this and those involved in this incident must be brought to justice.

Lama Sarai Bhumi Raksha Sangam Committee convener Rangdhajan Tripura said, “Lama Rubber Industries is not only involved in the crime of land grabbing and eviction of the Paharis, but this company is also responsible for destroying the natural environment and biodiversity.”

“Last April 26, when Lama Rubber Industries burnt our Jhum land, the entire natural forest was destroyed, many lives were lost and the water of the Chara and Jiri were poisoned”, he said.

“It becomes very difficult now to get clean drinking water in our area. The government and the administration are not taking any action against them who were involved in such heinous crimes”, he said.

“On the other hand, those of us who have suffered losses, are now forced to living like outsiders in their own land, false cases are being filed against them, and they are being attacked. We the three villagers now live in fear and terror of arrest, attack and eviction”, he added.

In the round table meeting, the speakers demanded the cancellation of the illegal lease of Lama Rubber Industries and the identification and exemplary punishment of those who tried to kill the villagers of Rengyen Mro Para by poisoning the water source of Kalaiya Jhiri.

The speakers also demands that sufficient amount of compensation should be given to the affected Mro and Tripura villagers, Kamal Uddin, Moazzem Hossain, Zahirul Islam who were involved in the destruction of the natural environment and biodiversity by cutting and burning the Jhum land, the attack on the Ashoka Buddhist Vihara, vandalism and looting of the Buddha statue, poisoning of the Kalaiya Jhiri water and the attack on Rangdhajan Tripura, should be arrested and punished, all false cases filed against Bhumi Raksha Committee leaders and villagers by the company should be withdrawn and all land leases given to various individuals and organizations including Lama Rubber Industries Limited for the purpose of creating rubber and other gardens or tourism development in Bandarban should be cancelled.

46 thousand 952 acres of land in 1 thousand 871 plots have been leased for 1 thousand 407 rubber plantations and 464 horticulture in Bandarban. Out of this, 1,600 acres of land has been given to a company called Lama Rubber Industries Limited in Bandarban. The people of Mro and Tripura used to cultivate jhum farming in these lands for generations, said the speakers

Bangladesh Communist League central member Shamim Imam, writer and researcher Altaf Parvez, Hill Women’s Federation former general secretary and human rights activist Ilira Dewan, CHT Commission coordinator Anmoy Chakma, Pahari Chhatra Parishad central organizing secretary Amal Tripura, Democratic Youth Forum Central General Secretary Jiko Tripura, Hill Women’s Federation Central Committee member Dayasona Chakma also expressed solidarity in the round table meeting.

Earlier, Kamal Uddin, project director of Lama Rubber Industries, said they didn’t grab any Jhum land and the allegations against them were false.