UJI Appeal to Foreign Minister of Australia



UNITED JUMMA INTERNATIONAL
P.O. Box. Q470, QVB Post Office, Sydney, NSW 1230, AUSTRALIA
Tel: 61-2-9518 1541; Mobile: 61-04 1747 3618
E-mail: bhante_international@yahoo.com.au

May 29, 2006,
Sydney, Australia


To
Hon. Alexander Downer
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Commonwealth Parliament House
Canberra ACT
AUSTRALIA.


Subject: An Appeal to save the Jumma Nation in the Chittangong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh.



Dear Hon’ble Foreign Minister,

The United Jumma International (UJI) draws your kind attention that the systematic Human Right Violation against the Indigenous Jumma Nation in CHT is continued even after the CHT Peace Accord in 1997.

On 3rd April 2006, five Jumma villages and an Orphanage school under the Maischari Union, Khagrachari Hill District CHT, were attacked by the Bengali Muslim settlers and Islamic Fundamentalists with full backing by the Bangladesh Army. As a result, 11 jummas was seriously injured, more than 50 minor injured including a Buddhist monk name Ven. Sumana Mahathera, Director of Orphanage School and 2 women were gang raped by the Islamic Fundamentalists. About 100 Jumma houses were burnt down, looted and destroyed including the Orphanage school.

The CHT is the south-eastern part of Bangladesh, which is the traditional Homeland of the Jumma Nation. Since creation of Pakistan in 14th August 1947, the Pakistani govt. had pursued hostile policy toward the Jumma people. Even after the Independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the same policy been accelerated to eradicate the Jumma people in CHT.

As a part of the said policy of the government of Bangladesh (GOB) patronized the program to migration of 6-7 millions Bengali Muslim to change the demographic position of Jumma population in CHT. On the other hand, the GOB set up military installations, Army, Para-military and police forces to commit massive atrocities including massacres against the Jumma people.

Since 1971, the government launched undeclared war against the Jumma people for their total extermination. As a consequence to it, approximately 35,000 jummas lost their life; 500, 000 jummas were internally displace and 80,000 jummas were compelled to take refugee in Tripura and Mizoram states in India. With an aim to uproot
the Jumma people from their ancestral land, a long series of massacres and genocide were perpetrated by the Bengali Muslim settlers with the direct help of army, Ansar, APBN (Armed Police Battalion) and VDP(Village Defense Party). As such it left a horrible legacy of violence, rape loot, murder, arson, abduction, religious persecution, and forcible occupation of jumma land and property as well as gross violation of human rights for more than two decades.

As per as reports, since 1971-97, more than 15 massacres and 10 communal riots had been committed in CHT by the Muslim Settlers with backing of Bangladesh army.

The UJI, aware of the humanitarian aspect of the aid given to Bangladesh by Australia Government’s aid plan in which it states; "support is needed to address the issues in CHT with the population of ethnic minorities".

Therefore, We on behalf of UJI would like to appeal you to stop further aid given to Bangladesh government unless the following conditions are meet:-

· Implement the CHT Peace Accord 1997 fully and properly;
· Rehabilitate Muslim settlers and Islamic Fundamentalists outside the CHT Region as per as Peace Accord;
· Demilitarize in the CHT Region and withdraw all "temporary Para-military camps" and de facto military rule ' Operation Uttaran', as per as Peace Accord;
· Rehabilitate all Jumma returnee refugees according to Peace Agreement.
· Rehabilitate the Jumma affected families in the recent communal attacked and give proper compensations; and
· Government of Bangladesh should bring all perpetrators to Justice.


Yours Sincerely,



(Ven. Pragya Jyoti) (Mr. Bishwa jit Chakma)
President General Secretary
United Jumma International United Jumma International
Sydney, Australia Sydney, Australia



Herewith enclosed the following documents:-
1. Photograph of Recent Jumma Victims
2. 35 pages of documents on Islamic Terrorist activities in Bangladesh


CC:

Chairman, Australia Human Rights Council, Australia.
Survival International, Australia
Amnesty International, Australia
Human Right Watch




Sources:
www.pcjss.org
www.angelfire.com/ab/jumma/
www.ohchr.org
www.jpnuk.org.uk
www.hrwuk.org
www.survival-international.org
Peace Campaign Group, India
Parbatya Bhikkhu Sangha, Bangladesh
www.ausaid.gov.au

Statement by Prajnalankar Bhikkhu:CHT Needs Imminent UN Intervention



United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues(UNPFII)5th Session, 15-26 May 2006, UN HQ, New York

Thank you, Madam Chairperson, for giving me the opportunity to speak on the agenda item.
Distinguished members of the UNPFII, government delegates, representatives of UN agencies and NGOs, and indigenous sisters and brothers!
Madam Chair, I am a Buddhist monk belonging to the Jumma indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
I am, by this time, supposed to be practicing meditation in a monastery, a solitary place, or in a deep forest in my country for Nirvana or salvation rather than sitting inside this UN building in busy New York City. Madam Chair, this is, however, not the case, because I cannot think of Nirvana when the land beneath my feet is taken away, when our monasteries are surrounded by, and threatened with, the Jihadi activities of Bangladeshi military and Al-Qaeda type Islamic fundamentalists and terrorist groups, when our forest and forest-resources are robbed and stolen, and when our mothers and sisters live every moment in constant threat of being kidnapped, raped and murdered.
Most of the worlds’ states are in the process of integrating the lessons learnt from the UN Permanent Forum (PF) into their national legislations, policies and programs to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples and to ensure the survival of their identity and culture. However, having observed the dealings of the Bangladesh government with the indigenous peoples back home, we are convinced that Bangladesh participates in the PF, not for sharing experiences and learning, but for gathering intelligence reports about the activities of Bangladeshi indigenous representatives at the PF. In this context, Madam Chair, I would like to remind you of the Bangladeshi action which blocked the participation of our leader Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Larma in this forum in 2004, and of how the government tried to summon the indigenous representatives and impose a ban on their foreign trip for making statements, that government stated are “anti-Bangladeshi propaganda”, at the PF in 2005. Such behaviors violate our fundamental right to freedom of speech and our right to participation.
Madam Chair, what the government is doing with the indigenous people in the CHT is a clear case of systematic ethnic-cleansing and genocide. The situation of the indigenous people is very complex and horrible. It demands Darfur-like UN intervention for protection and security of the indigenous people.
The Peace Campaign Group, therefore, thinks that the Future Work Plan of the PF should ask governments like that of Bangladesh to stop their genocide on indigenous peoples and initiate dialogue with them rather than resorting to rhetoric and lies and to mislead international forums like the PF on their policies and actions relating to indigenous peoples.
Thank you Madam Chair, for your kind attention!