Usually vibrant with tourists during public holidays, the popular tourist destinations in the three hill districts now wear a desolate look after a recent directive by the authorities discouraging people from visiting the region. Tourism businesses in Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari are set to suffer huge losses as all bookings have been cancelled due to the restriction. District administrations asked people not to visit the hill districts from October 8 to31 citing “unavoidable reasons”, including safety concerns and the impact of recent natural disasters. Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan said the decision was made to ensure the safety of tourists, with hopes that the situation will normalise by the end of the month. “We have urged tourists not to visit Rangamati during this period. Later, travel can resume as usual,” he said. The travel restriction came at a particularly difficult time for the tourism sector. Hotel and resort operators had received advanced bookings for the Durga Puja holiday, the biggest religious festival of Hindus. Read: Government announces programs to mark World Tourism Day tomorrow However, he is optimistic that easing the restrictions could help the tourism sector recover from this crisis. “We are facing a major crisis,” said Ramzan Ali, a leaseholder at the boat dock operated by the Rangamati Parjatan Corporation. “The scenic Hanging Bridge was submerged due to recent rains and floods, and now we have this travel ban. We don't know how we will survive.” Md. Sultan, manager of Hotel Square Park, echoed similar concerns saying, “All the bookings have been canceled, and our hotels are empty. Normally, we are fully booked at this time of year,” he said. Local tourism associations have expressed deep concern over the economic impact of the travel ban. Ten organizations, including the Rangamati Resort Owners’ Association, the Houseboat Owners’ Association, and the Residential Hotel Owners’ Association, submitted a memorandum to the district administration calling for the government to lift the ban immediately. “We are facing severe uncertainty regarding our livelihoods. The ban sends a highly negative message to tourists and threatens to push the developing tourism sector in these regions to the brink of collapse,” they said in the memorandum. Read more: Sunamganj tourism suffers Tk 50 crore loss amid floods and ongoing situation Ten organizations, including the Rangamati Resort Owners’ Association, the Houseboat Owners’ Association, and the Hotel Owners’ Association, submitted a memorandum to the district administration calling for the government to lift the ban immediately. “We are facing severe uncertainty regarding our livelihoods. The ban sends a highly negative message to tourists and threatens to push the developing tourism sector in these regions to the brink of collapse,” they said in the memorandum. Adviser to Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Supradip Chakma recently said the ban would be lifted soon. “We are in talks with the Home Affairs adviser, and a decision will be announced shortly,” he said.

The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Commission have released a statement expressing deep concern over the “ongoing violence and attacks on the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts”. In a joint statement dated October 8, they said that recent deadly attacks by Bengali settlers in the presence of state forces in Khagrachari and Dighinala on September 19, and in Rangamati the next day, had resulted in the deaths of four Indigenous persons (one in Rangamati and three in Khagrachari) and widespread arson attacks on Indigenous houses, businesses, and Buddhist places of worship. They noted that these events were ostensibly sparked by the alleged mob killing of a settler who was attempting to steal a motorbike. The statement goes on to add the incident on October 1, when further violence erupted in Khagrachari after the alleged mob killing of Sohel Rana, an instructor at the Khagrachari Government Technical School and College, following allegations that he raped a 7th-grade Indigenous girl from the school. “Once again, settlers instigated a reign of terror against indigenous communities and their businesses, allegedly in response to the death of Sohel Rana. Witnesses testimony and live-streamed videos on social media show that, despite the local administration imposing restrictions on unlawful assemblies of four or more persons (Section 144, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898) at 3 PM, settlers continued their rampage of destruction until around 7:30 PM, in the presence of security forces,” the statement said. It goes on to describe the role of the security forces as “highly questionable, as they allowed these crimes to continue for several hours.” Pankhayapara, the area that suffered the worst atrocities, is located less than half a kilometre from the Khagrachari Cantonment (Garrison), yet no intervention occurred until later in the evening, the statement said. Read: CHT violence: Probe body visits affected areas in Khagrachhari Citing reports from the ground, the statement said the accused teacher, Sohel Rana, lured one of his teenage indigenous female students to the teacher’s quarters, where he allegedly raped her. The girl’s friends witnessed Rana leading her to his residence and quickly raised the alarm. The Officer-in-Charge of Khagrachari Police Station and five students rescued her, and she later testified to being raped by Rana, and a recent medical test found evidence of rape. Protests erupted, and while Rana was confined to the principal's office, a mob broke in and assaulted him. Rana fled but was injured in a vehicle collision and died at the hospital. It said the police and civil administration officials present failed to protect Rana from the mob. The statement also cites media reports that indicate that the mob’s anger toward Sohel Rana stemmed from his long history of sexual misconduct allegations at various institutions, including an attempted rape charge involving another Indigenous girl student at the same school in Khagrachari. While condemning mob violence as ‘unjustifiable’, the statement  says the incident underscores the “impunity surrounding violence against Indigenous women and girls in the CHT, fueling public outrage”. “Although the government has formed a seven-member investigation committee to examine the causes of the violence in Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Dighinala, we have little confidence that this committee will bring justice,” the statement goes on to say. It adds: “We have also received testimonies that Army personnel in Rangamati have been checking the cell phones of Indigenous Peoples and deleting footage of the settlers' attacks. If they find any such footage, they beat the Jummo individuals. Additionally, it is deeply concerning that many mainstream Bengalis are siding with the settlers, labeling the Jummo as secessionists and spreading false propaganda on mainstream and social media. Posts and videos filled with lies are being shared widely on social media, inciting nationwide hatred toward the Jummo, which is very alarming. The live videos posted by Jummo during the settlers’ attacks have been reported and removed from Facebook. Several Jummo bloggers and pages that shared videos of the attacks have also been targeted by cyber-attackers and had their accounts hacked.” It called upon Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, “as a Nobel Peace Laureate”, to take the following measures to ensure long-term peace in the CHT: The government should immediately invite the United Nations and mandate holders to conduct an independent investigation into the reasons behind the continued violence against Indigenous Peoples in the CHT, as it did when inviting a UN team to probe the human rights violations that took place between July 1 and August 15, 2024. Read more: Normalcy returning to Khagrachhari Pending such investigations by the UN, the government should establish an independent, impartial, and adequately mandated Commission of Inquiry in accordance with the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956. Such a commission would have all the powers of a civil court, including the authority to summon all concerned officials, enter all concerned premises, and peruse necessary documents, and facilitate criminal proceedings by Courts of Judicial Magistrates. The 7-member committee that the government has formed, headed by an Additional Divisional Commissioner of Chittagong, and including six other low-level civil administration and police officers has none of the powers mentioned above. Moreover, it is of too low a level to be regarded as independent, or neutral or adequately mandated. These committee members’ rank and status are far below that of the senior-most military officials posted in the hill region at region/brigade level, and therefore the committee is almost certain to be unable to summon the concerned officials and look into their conduct. Swift and transparent legal action must be taken against those responsible for the attacks. The government must take decisive steps to end the culture of impunity surrounding violence against Indigenous Peoples in the CHT. We also call for proper justice regarding the alleged mob killings. Ensure the safety of Indigenous women and girls by implementing stronger legal protections and holding perpetrators of gender-based violence accountable. Investigate the role of security forces in allowing violence to continue under Section 144 and hold those responsible accountable for failing to protect the lives and properties of the Jummo. The government should immediately revoke the executive order 'Operation Uttoron,' restoring civilian administration and a democratic environment in the CHT. All temporary military and security camps should be dismantled, with the exception of the six permanent military bases designated in the 1997 CHT Accord. Read more:Day 2 of 72hr blockade underway in Khagrachhari and Rangamati In the CHT, the security forces are composed entirely of personnel from the Bengali community, which often makes it difficult to maintain neutrality during communal clashes. To build trust and restore confidence among Indigenous communities, the government should establish an ethnically diverse police force in the region, incorporating both Indigenous Peoples and ethnic Bengalis, as expressly provided for in the Hill District Councils Acts of 1989 (Acts 19, 20 and 21 of 1989). Implementing this diverse police composition will help prevent discriminatory practices and reduce the risk of perceived or actual bias during conflicts between Indigenous and Bengali groups. We also ask the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Adviser Nahid Islam to ensure that media and social media platforms are not used to spread misinformation and hate speech that incites violence against Indigenous Peoples. Finally, it is clear that settlers continue to pose a significant obstacle to the full implementation of the CHT Accord, the resolution of land disputes, and the achievement of lasting peace in the region. The only viable solution is the dignified relocation of settlers outside the CHT. The government can relocate them outside the CHT while continuing to provide rations, food grains, and other support, as it has done since their relocation to the region.

Participatory election, overall election process and Chittagong Hill Tracts issues were briefly discussed at a meeting over lunch with US Assistant Secretary of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu held at Foreign Service Academy on Sunday. Awami League International Affairs Secretary Dr. Shammi Ahmed, Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed, Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, Dr. Delwar Hossain and Chief Executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) Syeda Rizwana Hasan, among others, were present. “They (US side) said, we don’t speak on behalf of any political party; we talk about certain processes and the rights of the people,” said Syeda Rizwana while talking to the reporters after the meeting. She said only participation of the BNP and other parties and the election process were discussed and there was no further discussion on any other aspects of the election scenario in Bangladesh. Also Read: Rab made ‘tremendous progress’ in ‘respecting rights’ while performing duties: Donald Lu observes She mentioned that no BNP leader was present at the meeting. According to a meeting source, two of the participants expressed optimism about the BNP’s participation in the next election.  “There was no conclusive discussion about human rights issues, but the Chittagong Hill Tracts issue was discussed during the meeting,” said Syeda Rizwana in response to another question. The US senior official is visiting Bangladesh to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relationships, expand economic engagement, and go over the labor and human rights situation. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen hosted the lunch in honour of Donald Lu and his delegation members.    

Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) Vice President and former lawmaker Ushatan Talukder said on Friday that there is no security of life of the people living in the hill tracts when he also demanded the full execution of the treaty.   He came up with the remarks while addressing as chief guest at a rally organised to mark the 25 years of ‘Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord’ at Rangamati Gymnasium Ground. PCJSS organised the rally. Urging all the ethnic minority groups to be united to realise their rights, he said the hill tracts accord is not an economic issue, rather it is a political issue, which will have to be faced politically in a peaceful manner.   “The government is heading towards a wrong path with the hilly regions, the government created KNF to stand against the PCJSS”, he said. Addressing the emergence of the militants in the hilly disrtricts, he alleged that the KNF is giving training to the militants who ultimately will hatch conspiracy against the country. Read: 25th anniversary of CHT Peace Accord : Militant activities new challenge after emergence of Kuki-Chin National Front The full implementation of the peace accord has been impeded due to bureaucratic complexities and other tactics despite passing of 25 years of the deal, he alleged.  The government lacks sincerity in implementing the deal inked with PCJSS, and for that the land commission is yet to start their works thoroughly, he said.  He urged the government to be more sincere to implement the longstanding accord for the betterment of the people in the region. With PCJSS Rangamati President Gongha Manik Chakma in the chair, Jubo Union Central President Khan Masuduzzaman, Chattogram Regional President of Bangladesh Adibasi Forum Prokriti Ranjan Chakma also spoke. Marking 25 years of the treaty, a colourful procession was brought out from Rangamati College premises. Brigadier General Imtiaz Uddin inaugurated the rally by releasing balloons and freeing pigeons at the college.     Alongside the Rangamati, the anniversary was also observed in Khargrachhari. Read: 25th anniversary of CHT Peace Treaty on Friday Different programmes were arranged in the three hilly districts on Friday marking the anniversary. A colourful rally, arranged by Khagrachhari Hill District Parishad, was brought out from the Zila Parishad premises following a discussion meeting on CHT treaty, peace and development. On December 2, 1997, the PCJSS signed the peace deal with the then Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina. Then Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah signed the agreement on behalf of the government while Jyotirindriyo Bodhipriyo Larma alias Shantu Larma signed on behalf of PCJSS.

The 25th anniversary of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord will be observed on Friday. Different programmes have been arranged in the three hilly districts, marking the anniversary of the peace treaty. Read more: 25 Years of CHT Peace Accord: Eminent citizens say expectation remains unfulfilled President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday issued separate messages marking the completion of 25 years of the significant treaty. President Abdul Hamid in his massage said Chittagong Hill Tracts is rich with natural resources and a place of potentials. The Peace Accord is speeding up the socio-economic and cultural development of Chittagong Hill Tracts, he said. He urged all to work unitedly for the development of the hill region. In her message, the Prime Minister said the Awami League government has been working tirelessly for the overall development of the hilly region in the light of the peace treaty. Various schemes are being implemented for the development of all sectors including education, health, electricity, communication, infrastructure and mobile network in the region, she added.  “We are committed to maintain peace all over the country including Chittagong Hill Tracts,” said the PM. “I hope we will be able to build a peaceful, happy Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through the socio-economic development of the Hill Tracts people with united efforts of all.” Read more: PM is very sincere to CHT people: Ushwe Sing She sought cooperation from all to fully implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. On December 2, 1997, Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) signed the peace deal with the then Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina. Then Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah signed the agreement on behalf of the government while Joritindra Bodhipriyo Larma (Santu Larma) on behalf of PCJSS.

Prominent citizens of the country have demanded full implementation of all the commitments in line with the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord by removing all obstacles, noting that expectation still remains unfulfilled. On December 2, 1997, the government of Bangladesh and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti signed this historic agreement in an effort to find a political solution to the problems in the CHT. Forty-one eminent citizens placed an eight-point demand mentioning that the implementation of the peace accord has not advanced as anticipated. “It is a matter of great regret that in the 25 years of the agreement, no progress has been made as expected in the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts agreement though several clauses of the agreement have been implemented,” reads a joint statement signed by Shamsul Huda, Executive Director of Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD). Read more: Celebrating the Peace Accord in Hill Tracts In particular, the eminent citizens said that it is very sad that no effective initiative has been taken to advance the process of implementing the agreement though the Awami League government that signed the agreement has been in power for the third consecutive term. “We are deeply concerned about the ineffectiveness and inaction of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Commission. Recently, their regular meetings had to be adjourned several times due to interference from vested interests. The silence of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs or the government in this regard is very sad,” they said in the statement. Specific demands from the civil society include full implementation of all commitments proposed in the agreement, necessary budget, manpower and visible support of the highest level of government for the proper functioning of the land dispute resolution commission. Rights activist Sultana Kamal, ALRD Chairperson and Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, eminent economist and researcher Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Research Initiative Bangladesh (RIB) Executive Director Dr Meghna Guhathakurta, General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Rana Dasgupta, Executive Director of TIB Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Dr. Abul Barkat, Prof Mesbah Kamal and Shaheen Anam are among the 41 signatories of the statement. Read more: CHT Peace Treaty: A chase of an illusion! Recently, a high-level delegation of the United Nations in Bangladesh and key development partners visited the Chittagong Hill Tracts to see first-hand the development initiatives in the area. The week-long visit from November 13 to November 17 covered the hill districts of Khagrachhari and Rangamati. The delegation included UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, EU Ambassador Charles Whiteley, UK High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson and Norway Ambassador Espen Rikter-Svendsen. UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller, UNFPA Country Representative Kristine Blokhus, FAO Country Representative Robert Simpson and UNICEF Country Representative Sheldon Yett were also in the delegation. Read More: 25th anniversary of CHT Peace Treaty on Friday UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis said development work in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has been hugely successful, but lack of access and remoteness of many communities remains an ongoing challenge. "The indigenous communities in the CHT have led impressive efforts to preserve and rehabilitate forests and their natural habitat. Climate change has made their work even more vital,” Lewis said on Thursday. Lewis also said that the visit provided her with a scope to familiarise herself with the region, listen to the concerns of women and adolescents and visit a range of different programmes. “UN and Partners’ support in CHT must be inclusive and in line with Agenda 2030’s promise of leaving no one behind to achieve a concerted, effective and sustainable development of the Chittagong Hill Tracts,” she added. Read More: Issues in implementing CHT Peace Accord should be identified, resolved: Bir Bahadur

Agriculture Secretary Md Sayedul Islam on Friday stressed the need to highlight the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) as the orchard of Bangladesh. “Cold storages need to be built to preserve the fruits grown in the CHT. Besides, the number of collection centres needs to be increased to collect and store fruits coming from the remote parts of the region,” Sayedul said. He made the remarks during a views-exchange meeting with agricultural scientists from Chattogram and the three hill districts that comprise the CHT region, at the conference room of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Bandarban. Speaking as the chief guest, Sayedul pointed out various measures that need to be taken in order to boost fruit production in the CHT. “The agricultural loan at 4 percent interest rate announced by the government needs to be ensured. State-of-the-art technologies must be used to enhance the irrigation system. Most importantly, participation of educated people is necessary for a technology and knowledge-based agricultural system,” Sayedul said. Read: Govt will do everything to stop bloodshed in CHT: Home Minister The secretary claimed that no other country in the world provides as much subsidy as Bangladesh in the agricultural sector. “The government provides subsidies worth Tk 30,000 crore every year to the agricultural sector, an amount equal to the total cost of the Padma Bridge. The government is doing it for the sake of making the nation food-sufficient,” Sayedul added. Sayedul also said that focus should be given on fruit production rather than rice production in the CHT. “Rice is produced in most parts of the country, so we need to use CHT to grow various fruits that we have to import from other countries. The fruits grown in the CHT have the potential for export. That’s why our concern has to be ramping up fruit production in this area,” Sayedul said.

Police recovered the throat-slit body of an indigenous female school teacher from her  own house in Longdu upazila in Rangamati on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Pensy Chakma, 35, teacher of a school run by UNICEF and daughter of Debdash Chakma, said Ariful Amin, Officer-in-Charge of Longdu police station The body was recovered from her home at Ultachari hilly area at Atarakchara ward-8 in the upazila Babu Ajay Mitra Chakma, chairman of Atarakchara Union Parishad, said Pensy used to work as a local community worker for UNICEF and used to live alone. Read: Trader stabbed to death in Lalmonirhat “On Sunday morning some children went to get tuition in her house they found the body and locals later called police,” said the UP chairman.   “The matter is under investigation and the culprits will be identified soon,” said OC Ariful Amin.

A five-day fair began in Rangamati on Monday ahead of the traditional New Year festival of different ethnic communities living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, known as ‘Boisabi’. The word 'Boisabi' is a combination of the Bengali acronyms for various indigenous festivals like Boishuk of the Tripura community, Sangrai of the Marma community and Biju of the Chakma community. The festival, jointly arranged by the Rangamati district administration and Khudro Nrigosthi Sangskritik Institute in Khagrachari, was inaugurated by Dipankar Talukdar, Member of Parliament from Rangamati constituency and president of the parliamentary standing committee on ministry of food on the Institute premises

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Ministry on Tuesday recommended recruiting teachers  in 1,585 vacant posts in the primary schools in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) areas. It also suggested nationalising 142 primary schools under special consideration in the CHT areas under a project that was taken to establish 1000 primary schools in the villages where there is no school. The parliamentary standing committee came up with the recommendations at its 9th meeting held in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban with its chairman Alhaj Md Dabirul Islam in the chair. The parliamentary watchdog also asked the government to shift the responsibility of recruiting Doptori (employee) of primary schools to District Councils from the District Administrators (Deputy Commissioners) as per the rules and policy formulated in line with the CHT Peace Accord. Read: Cabinet body okays proposal for setting up 42,500 solar systems in 3 hill districts In the meeting, it was said that a total of 1048 head teachers and 6789 assistant teachers are teaching in the primary schools in three CHT districts. Committee members CHT Affairs Minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing (Bandarban), Dipankar Talukdar (Rangamati), A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury (Chattogram-6), Kujendra Lal Tripura, Mir Mushtaque Ahmed Robi (Satkhira-2) and Basanti Chakma (Women Seat-9) attended the meeting. The CHT Affairs Secretary and other officials from the ministry and the parliament secretariat were present at the meeting, said a Jatiya Sangsad handout.