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.

Thirteen arson attacks have been reported across Bangladesh from 6 am on Wednesday (November 08, 2023) till 9 am today (November 09, 2023) during the ongoing 48-hour blockade. Read: 21 arson incidents reported in 38 hrs till Monday evening: Fire Service Of these, five arson attacks were reported in Dhaka City Corporation areas, three in Gazipur, one in Khagrachhari, one in Bogura, two in Barishal and Barguna, and one in Noakhali, said Talha Bin Jasim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense's media cell. A total of seven buses, four covered vans, and two trucks were burned during this period. Read: 7 incidents of arson occur Tuesday: Fire Service

The weekend melding with Christmas falling on Sunday this year, translating to a 'long weekend', has brought life to the country's tourism sectors including Sajek Valley. At the same time, it has also brought suffering to the tourists who have gone to enjoy the scenic beauty of Sajek valley. Thousands of holidaymakers of all ages have thronged to the hill district to enjoy the beauty of Sajek at Bagaichhori in Rangamati. Resorts are experiencing a room crunch as more tourists enter Sajek - already almost double its capacity! As a result, many tourists are forced to spend the night in cars or in mosques and local clubs. Sultan Mia, 28, who came with his family from Mymensingh and Ashraf Ali, a tourist from Netrakona, said that they had come because of their children's holidays. But there is no room vacant in any hotel due to the overflow of tourists, leaving them in great trouble. Alfred Lusai, the owner of two Sajek resorts (Neel Pahari and Morning Star), said that rooms were booked almost a month before Christmas. Today, many tourists can't get even a single room which is really sad, he added. Read more: Jhum fire destroying reserved forest in Sajek According to Sajek Resort Owners Association, almost 7,000 tourists entered Sajek on Saturday. The valley's 112 cottages can accommodate only 4,000. Many of the tourists who came here did not have advance bookings. As a result, many tourists returned in the afternoon due to lack of rooms for overnight stay, sources added. Those who stayed are passing the night by renting rooms on the verandas of various cottages and in the homes of local residents. Subrata Chakma, manager of Khasrang Hill Resort, said that the inflow of tourists started on Wednesday. No rooms are available at any resort currently, he added. Read more: Visit Sajek Valley: Amazing Hilltop Cottages, Resorts, to Spend Your Vacation

A 32-year-old woman and her eight-year-old daughter were electrocuted to death in Khagrachhari's Manikchhari Saturday. Kulsum Begum and her daughter Ishrat Jahan Koli were from the Shah Nagar area of Manikchhari. The mishap occurred in the evening as Kulsum and her daughter came into contact with a live wire of an electric pole while going to a nearby field to bring their cow back home, Manikchhari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shahnoor Alam said. Both the mother and daughter were rushed to Manikchhari Upazila Health Complex where they were declared dead on arrival, he added. Read more: Sixth-grader electrocuted in Kurigram  

A leader of a Chittagong Hill Tracts-based political group was shot dead allegedly by his rivals in Guimara upazila of Khagrachhari on Friday. The deceased was identified as Angthoi Marma alias Agun, 52, of the Guimara unit of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF). The crime occurred around 10am near the Dewan Para area of the upazila, said Md Rashid Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Guimara police station. Also read: Youth killed in gunfight between 2 UPDF factions in Khagrachhari According to locals, Marma was gunned down by a group of armed men while he was on his way to carry out the group's work. The body has been sent for an autopsy and the matter is under investigation, said OC Rashid. Also read: UPDF man shot dead in JSS-UPDF ‘gunfight’ in Rangamati

An indigenous youth was killed in a gunfight between two factions of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) in Matiranga upazila of Khagrachhari district Monday morning, said police. The deceased was identified as Uttam Kumar Tripura, 25, son of local headman Sunil Tripura. Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge (OC) of Matiranga police station, said activists of two regional armed groups- UPDF( Prosit) and UPDF Democratic exchanged gunfire around 5:30 am at Sukumar Karbaripara of Taindong union, leaving the youth dead on spot and two others injured. Read:4 killed in gunfight between unidentified groups in Bandarban: Police On information, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB-23) led by Jaminipara Zone Commander Lt. Col. Zahidul Karim recovered the body, 22 firearms and 13 bullets from the scene, said the OC. One of the injured is Chigon Chizi Chakma, 24, a worker of UPDF (Prosit Group) while another escaped the scene. Meanwhile, UPDF district unit organizer Angya Marma condemned the incident and claimed that some unidentified masked men killed Uttam Kumar.

A Khagrachhari court on Wednesday sentenced a madrasa teacher to life term imprisonment in a case filed over molesting  a 10-year-old boy in 2017. The lifer is Hafez Md Noman Mia alias Roman, a teacher of Choto Merung Al Iqra Hifzul Quran Madrasa at Dighinala of the district. Read:Ctg madrasha principal gets life term for violating female teacher Khagrachhari Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Md Abu Taher handed down the verdict. The court also ordered the lifer to give Tk 30,00,000 to the victim’s family as compensation. According to the case statement, Noman Mia molested the student of the madrasa and a case was filed at Dighinala Police Station in this regard on August 23 in 2017. On May 22 in 2018, charges were framed against Noman.

Army personnel conducted a drive in a den of United People Democratic Front (UPDF) and demolished its four barracks, two duty posts and a training centre at Jarulchhari in Khagrachhari early Saturday. Tipped off, some army members of Dighinala zone conducted the drive at 5am. They destroyed four barracks, two duty posts and a training centre, said Md Zahid Hasan, staff officer of Khagrachhari region of Bangladesh Army. READ: UPDF man held in Rangamati in Capt Gazi murder case The UPDF members established a temporary base for training and were harassing locals extorting money and committing other crimes, he said. Bullets were exchanged between the UPDF men and army men during the drive, he claimed. Army personnel recovered their training materials and documents from the camp, said the army officer. READ: 2 killed in JSS-UPDF gunfight in Rangamati

Two people were killed and two other people were injured in a road crash at Budong Para of Guimara upazila in Khagrachhari on Wednesday morning. The deceased were identified as trader Jibon Majumder, 55, and his son Ratif Majumder, 14, of the upazila. Read: Dinajpur road crash leaves 2 dead Police said the accident occurred when a cement-laden truck they were in lost control and crashed into a roadside hill on Khagrachhari-Chattogram road in Budong Para, leaving both  father and son dead on the spot. Meanwhile, driver Mehedi Prakash Lavlu and another injured were sent to Matiranga Upazila Health Complex, said Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Guimara Police Station. The bodies were sent to Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, the OC added.

State-run Bangladesh Television on Friday celebrated the 38th anniversary of its programme ‘Bonophul Theke Lok Lokaloye’, an initiative to preserve and develop the culture and heritage of the ethnic groups. The cultural organizers and artists of Khagrachhari district arranged a program in celebration of the popular show at the Khagrachhari Press Club. In this event, Bandarban artist and organizer Chathuipru Marma, Khagrachhari artist and organizer Amelie Dewan and Anchairi Marma, Painila Chowdhury Rangamati artist and organizer Trishna Tripura were honoured in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the development of the culture of small ethnic groups for 38 years. Read:Bangla Academy confers eminent personalities with Awards, Honorary Fellowship for 2021 The speakers expressed their gratitude to BTV and those associated with the program for preserving and developing the colourful culture, language, attire and heritage of the small ethnic groups of the country including Chittagong Hill Tracts through BTV's programme. Because of this program, the diverse culture and characteristics of the hill people have been protected. Besides, the artists, organizers urged for the continuation of the programme. Chowdhury Ataur Rahman, the organizer and presenter of ‘Bonophul Theke Lok Lokaloye’, educationist Dharmaraj Barua, eminent artist and organizer engineer Jeevan Royaja, former president of Khagrachhari Press Club Dilip Chowdhury, senior journalist Muhammad Abu Daud and joint-editor of Khagrachhari District Sports Association Azhar Hira spoke at the event.