Press Release by Jumma Peoples Network-Japan
Press Release by Jumma Peoples Network-Japan
10 July, 2005,Tokyo
Jumma Peoples Network-Japan(JPNJ) is a non-profit organization consisted of a group of Indigenous peoples known as”Jumma”, from Chittagong hill tracts(CHT) region of Bangladesh. we raise the issue of Human rights violation by the government of Bangladesh on the Indigenous Jummas.
It is alleged that Bangladesh government had adopted a policy of Genocide on the Jummas, comprised of 12 distinctive ethnic minorities. They live in a distinctive land witheen Bangladesh with a distinctive History, culture, religion, language and food habbits to the Majority Bengalis.
Reports of all forms of Human rights violation including massacre, unlawfull killing, rape, torture, detention without trial,destroy and burning villages, Militarization, land-grabbing, forcible eviction etc, continiued unabated.
During the 80’s the government sponsored some 4,00000 non-indigenous Bengalis into the CHT region By uprooting the Villages belong to Jummas. This politicaly motivated migrant peoples known as”Settlers”, who are used by the government as “human shield” and alleged to perpitrate more than dozens of massacre to Jummas in cooperation with the security forces.
More pathetic side with this inland migration policy was ODA, Foreign aid and various international assistance was received in the name of developement of this so-called “backwarded peoples”, but later was expanded to settle large number of Bengalis instead. it was a policy sounds like destroying the Jummas with the money collected for them. As a result Jummas became minority in their own land as population dropped from 97% in 1949 to 50% this days.
A controversial “Peace Accord” was signed 1997 between the government and the main faction of the insurgent organization of the Jummas, known as JSS. Although, the accord propmised to demilitarize the region and returning the grabbed land to the Jummas, but the reality is far from. Public anger, dissatisfaction, distrust and fresh opposition movement emerging rapidly among the Jummas. The region remainded country’s most unstable and ethnicaly tensed area.
In this situation, the government started fresh move of settling another 4,00000 Bengalis in to remote “Sajek” region bordering India of CHT. Mobilization of armed forces in purpose of providing security to the settlers, aquisition of land from Jummas for building large military faciltities, construction of paved road through reserved forest for transporting the vehical load settlers, eviction of jummas from their villages to make accomodation for settlers are frequently reported in the recent days. Jummas opposition to the government plan and reppression by the armed forces also reported widely.
We are also surprised by a descision of Japanese government grant of ODA(Official developement assistance) to Bangladesh, including CHT. This is a matter of grave concern that much of the ODA for CHT will be benefited Bengalis and expanded for fresh settlement into the region, a unpopular practice of past which ultimately fuel already imbalanced ethnic tension and destruction of the Indigenous Jummas.
Therefore, we would like to urge the following (also attached by file herewith) appeal to the japan government to take just action before granting ODA to bangladesh upon a forthcoming Visit to Japan By Bangladesh Premier Khaleda Zia on July 12-15, 2005.
We like to call and urge to all our well-wishers and journalist to come to support to submit our appeal to Ministry of Foreign affairs on 13 July, 2005.
We remain The 10 July, 2005
Chichikko Chakma
President-Jumma peoples Network Japan
Support organization: Jumma Ayumukai
Date of Appeal: 13 July,2005
Place of appeal: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, east entrance
Time of Appeal: 11am
Time of gethering: 10.45 am
Please contact in English: 090 6303 5873 in Japanese:090 3145 7559 or 090 3805 7067
Mail in English: jpnj1@hotmail.co.jp in Japanese;Osada@ihope.jp
