The DailyStar, September 26, 2024

Amid growing tension, the indigenous diaspora from theChittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) organised a protest rally in front of the UNheadquarters where the United Nations General Assembly is being held onSeptember 24.

The American Jummo Council and diasporic indigenouscommunity organised the rally where 75 people, including indigenous andnon-indigenous Bangladeshis, gathered in solidarity to demand justice and raiseinternational awareness regarding the ongoing violence against indigenouscommunities in the CHT region, said a press release.

The protesters travelled from various US states, expressedtheir concern over the deteriorating security situation in the CHT,marginalisation, and human rights abuses.

They carried placards and banners calling for justice,highlighting the role of the state and law enforcement agencies in enablingsuch violence.

The event was facilitated by Uchimong Chowdhury, a NewYork-based Marma social activist.

Tapan Tanchangya, a member of the Tanchangya community,delivered inaugurating speech where he strongly demanded an end to torture,persecution, disappearances and killings of indigenous people in the hills.

Several other speakers echoed his sentiments, includingSushil Jiban Chakma, who called for enough compensation for the injured victimsand whose generational properties were destroyed or looted in the attacks, andMong A Prue, a Marma activist, who also pushed back against the narrativeportraying indigenous peoples as anti-nationalist and separatists.

Among the attendees were also Bengali allies, includingDilip Barua, a member of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council's New Yorkbranch, who condemned the state's failure to protect indigenous communities andcalled for justice.

Manojitanjan Chakma, press secretary for the American JummoCouncil, closed the protest rally by stressing the importance of internationalsolidarity and continued advocacy for the rights of indigenous peoples inBangladesh.

The rally attendees reiterated the recommendations of theInternational Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and the CHT Commission,urging the Bangladesh interim government to ensure the safety and protection ofthe indigenous people and remove all temporary military and security forcecamps in the CHT, except the six military bases outlined in the 1997 CHTAccord.

A similar protest was held in Camdrige, Massachusetts onSeptember 22 at historical Harvard Square and in Montreal, Canada where membersof the Bangladeshi and indigenous diaspora also gathered to demand immediategovernment intervention and international attention for UN-led inquirycommittee on the ongoing persecution of indigenous communities in Bangladesh.