PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
The Daily Star
May 20, 2006




Mrinalini Chakma, a middle-aged indigenous lady of Meghla in Sadar upazila, had just fetched a pot of water from a stream more than one kilometre off her house. By evening, she has to go to the stream five or six times with the pot to bring water for drinking and other household work for the night and the next day. She has to do the arduous task, as there is no water source like tube wells, ring wells, or rainwater harvesting system near her house on the hilly land. There are such facilities installed by the government or non-government organisations at some 'suitable' places of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Only a small portion of the hill people have access to such water sources while a great number of those are dysfunctional. Like Mrinalini Chakma, most of the hill people who use stream water for drinking are not aware that water from such sources should be boiled and cooled before drinking. "I don't feel like boiling the stream water, as it is clear like any tube well water," Mrinalini told this correspondent visiting the hill district.

Hlu Ching Murma, a youth leader of Thuaingo Para, a village in the other part of the same upazila, said in the village there are three functional ring wells -- two installed by the NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation and one by the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE). People of the village, which has relatively good communications for the government authorities or NGOs, are more fortunate than those of the other areas of CHT -- at least in terms of having access to drinking water, he said. But four other such wells in the village are dysfunctional, as those were installed in improper places where digging at deeper levels is needed to get water, he said, adding, "These four ring wells, installed by the DPHE in association with some NGOs, have not been repaired for long."

"Many of the people in the area had to suffer from diarrhoeal diseases and some even died due to lack of pure drinking water before setting up ring wells in the village," said Ching Murma. NGO Forum officials visiting the water and sanitation projects in Bandarban quoted the DPHE officials of Rangamati as saying that around 75 percent of the water sources like ring wells, rain water harvesting system, deep set pumps, gravity flow system, and infiltration gallery, which are installed by the DPHE in assistance with NGOs, are not functional.

On the other hand, Executive Engineer of Bandarban DPHE Mohammad Mostafa said of the 6,158 water sources installed in Bandarban, 5,004 are functional. The executive engineer, however, admitted that there are fund constraints for repairing the dysfunctional water sources in the hilly districts while parts of many water sources installed in the public places were stolen due to lack of maintenance. Besides, some areas of the hill districts are so remote that it is very hard for us to reach and install or repair the installed water sources, he said.

Putting aside the debate over the number of functional or dysfunctional water sources, the important matter to consider is that majority of the CHT people are deprived of pure drinking water and sanitation facilities, making them suffer from diarrhoeal diseases. Sanitation and hygiene are deeply linked to access of pure drinking water, SMA Rashid, executive director of NGO Forum said, adding that his organisation initiated a 3-year project in 2004 for installing suitable water sources and sanitary latrines in the 72 villages in the three hill districts. Twelve local NGOs are implementing the project funded by the European Commission (EC). A three-member EC team during their May 14 visit to Bandarban appreciated the NGO Forum's style of work that includes installing water sources and creating mass awareness on sanitation.

Education, especially for the children, is the key to creating awareness among the hills people, Dr Stefan Lock, second secretary to the delegation of the EC to Bangladesh, said, adding, "Once they are informed of their basic needs, they will be aware of those and try to achieve qualities to meet the demands."

Indigenous people's leaders strongly condemns against the discriminatory circular of Bangladesh Government




The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh has issued a letter on 19 April 2006 to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA) in ordering not to use the term 'Adivasi' (indigenous) to the official documents and to use the term 'Upazati' (tribal), which is very humiliative and discriminatory to the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh. The Foreign Ministry letter mentioned that ' … in India, China could not say adivasi of the tribal peoples. So why we will use adivasi term."

Indigenous people's leaders of Bangladesh have strongly condemned the order of the government circulated by the Foreign Ministry. "They don't have right for any decision about us for using the term and to identification ourselves," one of the top indigenous peoples leader in the country expressed his concern.

It is notable that the indigenous peoples of the country are not constitutionally recognize but the successive government has recognized and already been using the terms as indigenous peoples (Adivasi) on various official documents such as 1900 Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation Act, 1984 Income Tax Amendment, Circular of the quota for employment and PRSP.

On 20 February 2002, the Prime Minister Office used the term 'Adivasi' (Indigenous) in the policy of project programming. The Establishment Ministry of Bangladesh recognizes CHT indigenous peoples as 'Adivasi (Indigenous)' during an issuing official letter (Memo no- Rule 1, Branch 143) on 13 February 1991. The present Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and Chief Opposition Leader & former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina use "Adivasi' term on her greetings message last 2003 of the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum journal "Solidarity Souvenir" on the occasion of world indigenous peoples day celebration.

Reaction of Indigenous Peoples leaders;
Barrister Raja Devasish Roy
Circle Chief, Chakma Circle, CHT and Co-chairperson, WGDD of IPs

We are indigenous not tribal with the intention of the current legal status of the country. It has to change and to bringing a separate amendment for if the term "Upazati (tribal)" want to use and it will be create more debate and negative reaction to the indigenous peoples community and society. The terms of indigenous/aboriginal/ adivasi are legally entered to the official documents, national laws and remedies. As democracy state, Bangladesh should respect the term of 'indigenous (Adivasi)' and to denying is one of disrespect the democracy. I think Foreign Ministry should think again on regarding the term.
He added that the Foreign Ministry could not have right to say to use the term of 'Upazati' as replace of Adivasi. If so then need to adaptation an amendment through the national parliament. Because Bangladesh has been ratified the ILO Convention 107, while the convention adapted for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. The term of indigenous (Adivasi) used to the Chittagong Hill Tracts 1900 Regulation Act particularly the article 4. With the exception of this regulation for plain land indigenous peoples the 1950 State Tenancy Act recognize the term of 'aboriginal' while the term of 'indigenous (Adivasi)' make use of as the replacement and clearly specified by the article 97.
The government should respect their own identification wherever they want to introduce themselves. It is very narrowed attitude for government to grip the matter as marginalized community in the country. There is no argument to deny and debate the term using as of 'Adivasi'.
With connecting the issued letter he added that, in Philippines they use the term of 'indigenous' and partially use in Indonesia. In Nepal they use the term of 'Janajati' and India they used the term of Upazati (tribal) but they have special protection rights through national constitution as well as China but we don't have this. To comparison with other states to using the term is quite unacceptable.

He also added that, in accordance to the international human rights instruments for indigenous peoples has two important characteristics as I) a region while they are the first inhabitant nation among others, ii) and exclude from the colonial state and kingdom or the modern state forming process. The civil society and the high political leaders of the country constantly use the "indigenous (Adivasi)' term with respectively.

Moni Swapon Dewan MP
Deputy Minister, CHT Affairs

Deputy Minister added that 'last year some indigenous peoples delegates from CHT accused to the government for human rights violation to the UN Permanent Forum meeting in New York, and complain that the government not implementing CHT accord with speedy and properly". Later on the parliamentary committee of the CHT ministry looked a report on regarding the statements to the foreign ministry. The foreign ministry replied and mentioned that in CHT they have tribal peoples not indigenous peoples.

As a ruling party member, Deputy Minister of CHT Affairs Shree Moni Swapn Dewan upset this decision and looking to talk to the high official of the government. He added this circulation is against of government official documents that are previously use in officially as term.

Rupayan Dewan
Leader of PCJSS and Councilor of CHT Regional Council

The indigenous peoples political party Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) senior leader and Member of CHT Regional Council Rupayan Dewan added, "Indigenous peoples of the country identified their own identity. The government should not need to handling this matter."

The PCJSS leader and member of CHT Regional Council Rupayan Dewan strongly condemn and criticize to the government decision. He expressed that, " this is my matter and basic democracy rights as citizen what I want to be identify myself in the country. But unfortunately the government looking now to identify our identity and after few years back they will say that I will give your identification name."

Bangladesh Adivasi Forum

Bangladesh Adivasi Forum (A national Forum and organization for Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples) assumes that recently the indigenous peoples of the country are well organized and everywhere they are very aware in against the government atrocity to indigenous peoples. Forum has been protesting all kinds torture and oppression on IPs and celebrating the World Indigenous Peoples Day of 9 th August with very colorfully, while thousands and thousands indigenous peoples from different parts of the country attend and enjoy the day. Bangladesh Adivasi Forum strongly condemn to this unacceptable, disappointed and insulting decision by the government.

KAPAEENG (A human rights organization for indigenous peoples)

KAPAEENG strongly condemn the Foreign Ministry issuing letter as well as the government decision. KAPEENG assumes that it is a part of government conspiracy to destroy the indigenous peoples values and ancestral tradition. As a member of the new human rights council the government should respect the international laws and remedies as well as the domestic laws with respectively. The decision is quite discriminatory and against the basic democracy rights as the citizen of the democratic country. They also urged to the government to stop torture, oppression, extortion, eviction, land grabbing and attack on IPs and proper implementation the historical CHT accord of CHT indigenous peoples