The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mamunur Rashid back from Sajack of Rangamati

The Sajack forest area of Rangamati appears to be a safe haven for members of Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) and the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), the rebel groups engaged in subversive activities.

Recently, members of both the groups burnt down 132 houses, including 89 belonging to Bengalis in the area. The inhabitants ran to surrounding forests during the attack in which few tribal people were also injured.

Bengali villagers, including women and children, were beaten up in the attack and their belongings looted, witnesses said.

Source said the JSS and UPDF launched the attack at 9:30 PM on April 20. About two thousand tribal people wearing black masks gathered in the area. With the blow of a whistle the militants set a fire to the houses. Within a short time the houses turned into ashes. As soon as the law enforcers rushed to the spot, the militant groups retreated. At least 2,500 affected people including

Bengalis and tribal people of Baghihat in Rangamati are now living under the open sky.

Sources said, the Bangladesh Army is constructing a 100-kilometer road from Khagrachhari to Sajack border for the economic development of this area.

If the road communication was good the rebel groups could not have continued their insurgencies from Sejeck, their safe haven.

The Government in 1997 signed CHT Peace Accord with the tribal people. According to the treaty the tribal people would occupy only 439 square kilometer of the hill districts.

However, unrest in the area continued as the JSS demanded 5,092km. Now they want to fallow the Hill Tracks Manual of 1900 violating the December 1997 treaty.

In the peace accord the Government promised regional councils and withdrawal of troops. Although councils were set up, the Samity is unhappy about the troops still in the region. Some 250 military camps have been removed, only a few remain, security sources say.

Despite the peace pact, scores of people have been killed in clashes, over possession of land between the Bengalis and the tribal people who are demanding more autonomy.

In the protracted conflict hundreds of law enforcers were killed by the insurgency.

After the peace treaty was signed the law enforcers arrested about 500 militants and recovered about one thousand sophisticated weapons and a huge quantity of explosives from the militant groups.

On Thursday the law enforcers arrested a tribal militant and recovered a pistol and explosive from in position.

Some 56 thousand Bengali families live in the Cluster Villages on five per cent area and the tribal people mainly the Chakmas occupy 95 per cent of the Hill districts.

A tribal member of Khagrachcari Council, who refuses to be identified, said the rebels were like militants of the Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh and deserved to be so punishment.