Report on the Fourth Group Meeting Held Between the Sub-Committee of the Bangladesh Government Commission and the Jana Samhati Samiti - December 26, 1994
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DOCUMENT: JSSBANG4.TXT
REPORT ON THE FOURTH GROUP MEETING
HELD BETWEEN THE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE BANGLADESH
GOVERNMENT COMMISSION AND THE
JANA SAMHATI SAMITI
AT DHUDUKCHARA UNDER THE PANCHARI POLICE STATION
WITHIN KHAGRACHARI DISTRICT
ON DECEMBER 26, 1994,
(based on two letters written to me by the Jana Samhati
Samiti on 10 December, 1994, & 9 January, 1995).
A. BACKGROUND
At the Third Group Meeting, which took place on August
28, 1994, both the Sub-Committee of the Bangladesh
Government Commission (BGC) and the Jana Samhati Samiti
(JSS) agreed upon the following decisions: 1) The Fourth
Group Meeting between the Sub-Committee of the BGC and the
JSS would be held in the first week of November, 1994, & the
BGC would fix the date for the Meeting and inform the JSS of
the time-table in time; 2) The Ceasefire would be observed
for a further period till November 30, 1994; 3) The Sub-
Committee of the BGC would prepare a new set of proposals to
be discussed at the Fourth Group Meeting; and 4) The two
Members of the Shanti Bahini (SB) would be released by the
Bangladesh Government (BG) by September, 1994.
The BGC had postponed the Fourth Group Meeting, which
was due to be held in the first week of Nov., 1994, till
Dec. 12, 1994, on the pretext of an abnormal political
situation caused by the Ansar (Islamic Guards) revolt and
the Opposition Parties' demand for holding elections under a
neutral caretaker Government. Again, it rescheduled the
Meeting for 26 Dec., 1994, on the same excuses. At the same
time, the Bangladesh Military Forces in league with the
Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators have stepped up operations
against the SB camps and the Jumma villages, intensified
atrocities on the innocent Jummas, set up more check-posts &
camps, grabbed more Jumma lands, and brought more
Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators into the Chittagong Hill
Tracts (CHT) in violation of all terms and conditions of the
Cease-fire Agreement,
The BG did not release the two Members of the SB by
Sept., 1994, as promised by the Sub-Committee of the BGC. On
the other hand, it arrested five more SB Members in
contravention of the Cease-fire Agreement. In Nov., 1994,
the JSS wrote to the BG demanding their immediate release
but the latter has not yet released anyone of them.
The BG has not yet returned to the Jumma Refugee
Repatriates of the first two batches their ancestral
villages and agricultural lands. Still, it is trying to
repatriate the Third Batch of the Jumma Refugees against
their will.
The BG had imposed the three Hill District Councils on
the Jumma People (the People of the CHT) against their will.
On Jan. 5, 1995, the Bangladesh Radio had announced that the
BG had further extended the term of the Councils by two
years from 5 Jan., 1995, to 5 Jan., 1997.
B. THE DELEGATES TO THE FOURTH GROUP MEETING
a. The Delegates Of The Sub-Committee Of The BGC
1) Mr. Rashed Khan Menon, MP (Bangladesh Workers
Party), the Head of the Sub-Committee of the BGC & Chairman
of the Group Meeting; 2) Mr. Kalpa Ranjan Chakma, MP (Awami
League); 3) Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan, MP (Bangladesh
Nationalist Party); 4) Mr. Shahjahan Chowdhury, MP (Jamat-I-
Islami) was absent.
b. The Delegates Of The JSS
1) Mr. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, the President of
the JSS and Head of the JSS Delegation; 2) Mr. Goutam Kumar
Chakma, a Member of the Central Committee of the JSS; 3) Mr.
Rupayan Dewan, a Member of the JSS Central Committee; and 4)
Mr. Sudha Sindhu Khisa, a Member of the Central Committee of
the JSS.
c. The Delegates Of The Liaison or Coordination Committee
1) Mr. Hangsadhwaj Chakma, the Convenor of the Liaison
Committee; 2) Mr. Mohammad Safi, a Member of the Liaison
Committee.
d. The Bangladesh Government Delegates
1) Mr. M.A. Wadood Bhuiyan, the Director
(Administration) of the Special Affairs Division under the
Prime Minister's Office, Dhaka; 2) Mr. Abu Hena Mostafa
Kamal, an Officer of the Special Affairs Division; and 3)
Mr. Mohammad Ismail, the Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachari
District.
C. THE FOURTH GROUP MEETING
The Delegates of the Sub-Committee of the BGC (also
known as the Bangladesh Government Committee on the CHT or
briefly the CHT Committee) arrived at the venue at 11-15
a.m. and the Meeting began fifteen minutes later.
After opening the Meeting, Mr. Rashed Khan Menon
explained that the Fourth Group Meeting could not be held on
Dec. 12, 1994, due to the ongoing political unrest in
Bangladesh. As per the decisions made at the Third Group
Meeting, he wrote to the BGC about drafting a new set of
proposals to be presented at the Fourth Group Meeting. In
response, the BGC held a meeting to discuss the following
points: 1) The future constitutional position of the CHT, 2)
The Administrative structure of the CHT, and 3) The Jumma
Refugee rehabilitation programme. It decided that the
Government would take decision on those points. The BGC had
discussed some of the CHT issues as shown below: 1)
Constitutional recognition of Ethnic Entities and also the
Administrative Status of the CHT, 2) Formation of a Hill
Council or Apex Body for the CHT, 3) Land Right of the Jumma
People, and 4) Withdrawal of the Bangladeshi settlers from
the CHT. Mr. Menon stressed that the first two issues were
most important because their resolution would require the
consent of both the Government and the Opposition Parties.
Mr. Menon had disclosed that on 24 Dec., 1994, those
issues were raised at the Cabinet meeting but the Cabinet
could not discuss them in depth as it had to discuss some
other burning issues of Bangladesh. He also disclosed that
he tried to persuade the BGC to solve the constitutional
problem first because without solving this issue the other
issue the formation of a Hill Council or Apex Body for the
CHT - could not be resolved. In this connection, he reminded
the BGC that the Sub-Committee of the BGC was promise-bound
to present a draft of new proposals at the next Fourth Group
Meeting. Responding to the reminder, the BGC Chief, Col. Oli
Ahmed shrugged off the Sub-Committee's commitment to the JSS
by making an evasive remark - "The JSS ought to understand
the present political situation in Bangladesh''. However, he
advised Mr. Menon to tell the JSS that the peace process
would continue and that the discussion would be held at
higher political level.
Then, Mr. Larma wanted to know the meaning of "higher
political level". In reply, Mr. Menon explained that
whatever might be the political contusion at the national
level in Bangladesh the Dialogue on the CHT issue would be
continued at political level and that the present Members of
the BGC and of its Sub-Committee might be inducted into a
political body created for the CHT Dialogue even if the
Opposition Parties' MPs resigned. Despite the prevailing
political uncertainty, which might last for another three
months or 90, he assured the JSS of the help of all Members
of the BGC and of its Sub-Committee.
Mr. Larma also wanted to hear the opinion of the ruling
Bangladesh Nationalist Party's MP, Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan,
on this point. In response, the latter said that Col. Ahmed
and the Cabinet had been too busy with the current political
unrest to deal with the CHT question seriously and that the
BGC Chief had requested the JSS to continue the talks.
After that, Mr. Menon invited Mr. Larma to speak. Mr.
Larma stressed that the continuation of the peace process
needed a conducive atmosphere by strictly observing the
Cease-fire and by sincerely trying to make substantive
progress in the talks. Regrettably, he said, the Bangladesh
Government had neither adhered to the Cease-fire Agreement
nor did anything to find a political solution to the CHT
crisis. Although the JSS abided by the truce, he further
said, the Bangladesh Military Forces continued to attack the
SB camps and Jumma villages, apprehend the SB (or JSS)
Members and innocent Jumma People, rape the Jumma girls and
women, and torture & murder them in blatant breach of all
terms & conditions of the Cease-fire Agreement. For example,
on Oct. 8, 1994, the soldiers of the 42 East Bengal Regiment
from the Bamer Longadu Army camp under the Longadu Military
Zone gang-raped & killed a young Jumma girl, Miss Bhanumati
Chakma, the daughter of Mr. Adeydhan Chakma of Ranachara
village in Longadu Mouza under Longadu Police Station within
Rangamati District. Mr. Larma accused the Bangladesh
Government of violating the Cease-fire Agreement by creating
more Military encampments & checkposts and by bringing in
more Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators who grabbed more and
more Jumma lands. He also blamed the Sub-Committee Members
particularly Mr. Shahjahan, who represented the ruling
Bangladesh Nationalist Party, for failing to get the release
of the SB Members despite their commitment to do so. At that
stage, Mr. Hangsadhwaj Chakma the Convenor of the Liaison
Committee, testified that he had gone to Dhaka four times
to take the matter up with Col. Oli Ahmed and also the
Director of the Special Affairs Division but he did not hear
anything from them indicating clearly that the Bangladesh
Government was not willing to honour the promises of the
Sub-Committee made at the Group Meetings. Then, Mr. Larma
forcefully declared that the Peace Process could not be
continued indefinitely if the Bangladesh Government did not
stop the Cease-fire violations, release the SB Members
unconditionally, and make progress in the talks by
implementing the commitments given to the JSS. He also
complained that the Radio Bangladesh indulged in launching
false propaganda against the JSS by distorting and
fabricating facts & figures. For instance, Mr. Larma pointed
out, at the Third Group Meeting both the Sub-Committee of
the BGC and the JSS had agreed upon the extension of the
Cease-fire till the end of Nov., 1994 but the Radio
Bangladesh reported this information on 28 Aug., 1994, by
announcing - "General Amnesty has been extended by the next
two months at the request of the Jana Samhati Samiti".
Replying to these questions, Mr. Menon disclosed that
the Bangladesh Security Forces had also alleged the
violation of the Cease-fire by the SB. Then he opined that
there should not be any objections to the collection of
taxes & donations by the JSS or SB but the question of
maintaining law & order arose when anybody was kidnapped to
force him or her to pay taxes. He also opined that the
attack of the Bangladesh Security Forces on the camps of the
SB could not be justified at all. However, Mr. Menon
promised to raise this issue again with the General Officer
Commanding of the Chittagong Division of the Bangladesh
Army. it that point, Mr. Mohammad Ismail pointed out that
the SB Members had recently removed some planks from a
wooden bridge at Babuchara under Dighinala Police Station in
Khagrachari District. Mr. Larma dismissed this allegation as
untrue. In this connection, Mr. Kalpa Ranjan Chakma said
that he also heard about the incident. He was told that some
SB Members had removed the planks from the said bridge
because the drivers of vehicles did not pay taxes to the SB.
Then, Mr. Hangsadhwaj Chakma testified that he had
personally investigated the matter and found that some
Bangladeshi Muslim drivers of some passenger jeeps
misbehaved with some local Chakma youths, who in protest
removed the wooden planks to disrupt the journey of the
arrogant and bigoted Bangladeshi Muslim drivers. In addition
to this false allegation of the Government against the SB,
he also testified that the Bangladesh Security Forces had
already re-established nine checkposts on a twenty-four mile
stretch of the Mahalchari-Manikchari Road in Nov., 1994, in
contravention of the Cease-fire Agreement. Regarding the
Radio Bangladesh's distorted and fabricated reporting, both
Mr. Menon and Mr. Shahjahan admitted that the Radio
Bangladesh's version of the Cease-fire extension was not
true as both sides unanimously extended the Cease-fire.
Then, Mr. Larma vigorously demanded the release of the
SB Members within one month. In reply, Mr. Menon said that
he would try his best to set them free. However, he thought,
it might take longer than one month. Thereafter, he proposed
to extend the Cease-fire up to March 31, 1995. On this
proposal, Mr. Larma adamantly reiterated his stand on the
issues of the Cease-fire violations and the arrest of the SB
Members by the Bangladesh Security Forces and said that he
would accept the proposal only on condition that the
Bangladesh Government would abide by the terms and
conditions of the Cease-fire Agreement and release the SB
Members unconditionally and without further delay. He also
forcefully argued that if the Government wished, then the
Members of the SB could be released within 24 hours. On
behalf of the Sub-Committee, Mr. Shahjahan assured Mr. Larma
of his utmost help in getting the SB Personnel released.
After that, the Sub-Committee unanimously decided that the
SB Members should be set free by the Government by March 15,
1995.
Mr. Larma also pointed out that the Sub-Committee had
not yet been able to make any progress towards a negotiated
political solution despite the JSS's compliance with the
framework of the Unitary Bangladesh Constitution. Then, Mr.
K.R. Chakma suggested that the Sub-Committee could bring
some proposals in writing from the Government for discussion
at the Fifth Group Meeting. On this suggestion, Mr. Menon
feared that the Government might not give anything in
writing to the JSS at this stage in case the written
commitments became troublesome to the Government at a later
stage. Then, Mr. Larma suggested that the Government could
make a new set of proposals in the name of the Sub-
Committee. This suggestion was found acceptable to the Sub-
Committee Members. It was decided that the Sub-Committee
would send the draft proposals to the JSS by 15 March, 1995,
and the JSS would send its opinion on the draft proposals to
the Sub-Committee as soon as possible (within a few days).
Finally, both the Sub-Committee of the BGC and the JSS
reached the following agreements:
1. The period of the Cease-fire was extended up to
March 31, 1995, by both sides.
2. The Sub-Committee would send a new set of proposals,
drafted in consultation with the Government, to the
JSS on or before March 15, 1995, for the opinion of
the JSS.
3. The apprehended Members of the JSS would be released
at the earliest moment.
4. The next Meeting (Fifth Group Meeting) would be
fixed with the consent of both sides through
communications.
These agreements were put down on a paper, which was
signed by Mr. Menon on behalf of the Sub-Committee of the
BGC, by Mr. Larma on behalf of the JSS, and by Mr.
Hangsadhwaj Chakma on behalf of the Liaison Committee, in
order to prevent the Bangladesh Government reporting any
motivated, distorted and fabricated information about the
talks through the State-controlled Press and Radio &
Television.
The Fourth Group Meeting between the Sub-Committee of
the BGC and the JSS had ended at 1-30 p.m.
********************
This report has been written by Ramendu Shekhar Dewan,
a Spokesman of the Jana Samhati Samiti in Europe,
on 24 February 1995
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