Bangladesh: tens of thousands remain internally displaced and unassisted

Transcription

1 21 January 2005 Bangladesh: tens of thousands remain internally displaced and unassisted Internally displaced people in a communal IDP centre in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Photo: Parbatya Bouddha Mission 1

2 MAP OF BANGLADESH 2

3 Executive summary Large numbers of people have been internally displaced in Bangladesh due to conflict and religious persecution. In the south-eastern Chittagong Hill Tracts, tribal requests for autonomy in 1971 sparked off a 25-year armed conflict which displaced tens of thousands of people (estimates range between 60,000 and 500,000). As well as building up a massive military presence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the government countered requests for autonomy by forcibly settling Muslim Bengali populations from elsewhere in Bangladesh on land traditionally belonging to tribal groups, thus evicting them without compensation. In 1997, a peace agreement granted a higher degree of self-governance to the region, but serious issues remain to be addressed and implementation of the agreement is on hold. The peace agreement is contested from both the tribal and Bengali populations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, especially as the core question of land ownership has never been clarified. This issue still threatens to derail the peace process, made worse by the fact that neither a government-appointed task force on internal displacement nor a land commission have been able to start their work. The majority of the displaced have not been able to return to their former villages, including many refugees who returned from India upon the signing of the peace agreement. During the past few years, Bengali settlers, allegedly supported by the army which is still heavily present in the region, have been involved in attacks against the tribal population. In addition, tensions between tribal groups have also led to further displacement of the civil population on several occasions. The second main reason for displacement in Bangladesh has been persecution of religious minorities following the election of the right-wing Bangladesh National Party (BNP) in October The election triggered a wave of violence in which Islamic fundamentalist groups forced up to 200,000 Hindus and other minority groups to flee the country. The Hindu population in Bangladesh has steadily diminished since the partitioning of India in 1947; repressive policies have forced many people to leave after having been deprived of land, forests and other property. Violence against minorities has continued and in general, gone unpunished. Although several episodes of displacement during 2004 have been reported by a local NGO, there is no overview of the extent of the problem as information about people displaced by conflict in Bangladesh is virtually non-existent. There is no national strategy to address the problems and specific needs of the internally displaced by conflict and persecution in Bangladesh. On one occasion in which 2,200 people were displaced by violence during the autumn of 2003, the displaced received assistance; this was followed up also by international actors. A thorough survey is needed in order to establish an overview of the number of displaced and their living conditions throughout Bangladesh. The government, in cooperation with the UN, NGOs, and the donor community should therefore cooperate to monitor the situation in a more comprehensive manner. 3

4 Background of displacement Forced migration in Bangladesh must be seen in the context of the demographic profile of the country, which has experienced both strong population growth and a significant decrease of the minority populations. Also, several parts of Bangladesh are overpopulated and good land is scarce due to chronic flooding. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The population is overwhelmingly Muslim, with Hindus being the largest religious minority group. The minority population includes Hindus (10.5 per cent), Buddhists (0.6 per cent), Christians (0.3 per cent), and other religious minorities (0.3 per cent). The Buddhists are largely concentrated in the Chittagong area while the other communities are spread across the country. There are 27 ethnic minorities, accounting for 1.13 per cent of the population, concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and northern Bangladesh. Several analysts have argued that the population of ethnic minorities may be higher than the official figures. Since the partitioning of India in 1947, the Hindu share of Bangladesh's population has steadily diminished. Although the government has officially promoted religious freedom, the Hindu population has lived in a climate of repression since the partitioning, especially through the deprivation of land, forests and other property. Hindus lost a large part of their lands during the communal riots in 1947, and continued to do so as a result of land reforms while the territory formed part of Pakistan ( ). According to a local NGO, 30 per cent of Hindu households have been affected by a Vested Property Act which functioned as a tool to dispossess and displace Hindus and other minorities. The Act was only abolished under the former Awami League government. Millions of Hindus have emigrated or fled to India, some have been dispossessed while in India. According to a 1991 census, the Hindu population decreased from 25 per cent of the population in 1947 to an estimated 10.5 per cent in It is estimated that 5.3 million Hindus, or 535 people per day, left Bangladesh between 1964 and 1991 (HRF, 12 December 2001; Rehman, May 2003; SATP 2003, OneWorld, 14 June 2004). In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the indigenous proportion of the population dropped significantly after the early 1970s. The government, reacting to calls for autonomy from indigenous groups, started a campaign to gain control of the Hill Tracts by deploying a large number of troops and changing the ethnic composition of the region. Local indigenous populations were forcibly evicted from their land to make way for landless and poor peasant Muslim Bengalis from the delta region. The indigenous population decreased from 97 per cent of the population in 1947 to 51.5 per in During the same period, the Bengali population jumped from two per cent to 48.5 per cent (Rehman, May 2003). 4

5 Displacement due to religious persecution Displacement of minorities following October 2001 elections A growing tendency in Bangladesh politics has been the use of religion (Islam) for political ends and increasing support for extremist religious parties who want Bangladesh to be ruled by Islamic laws (CHR, 13 February 2001). National elections on 1 October 2001 brought a massive victory to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) which established a four-party coalition government including two Islamic parties. 1 In the aftermath of the elections, Islamist extremists started a wave of discrimination and harassment of Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities who traditionally have been supporters of the defeated government party, the Awami League, and other opposition parties. Reported episodes included systematic attacks, rape, looting and burning of houses, dispossession of property and evictions. Hindu communities were particularly targeted. The Human Rights Congress for Bangladeshi Minorities estimated that during a three-month period, dozens of people were killed, more than 1,000 women from minority groups were raped and several thousand people lost their land (Guardian Unlimited, 21 July 2003). The Hindu-dominated areas in the districts of Barisal, Bhola, Pirojpur, Satkhira, Jessore, Khulna, Kushtia, Jhenidah, Bagerhat, Feni, Tangail, Noakhali, Natore, Bogra, Sirajganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Gazipur and Chittagong were the worst hit. The violence displaced hundreds of thousands of Hindus. The US Committee for Refugees estimated at the time that up to 200,000 people had fled their homes and sought refuge in safe areas or crossed into India (USCR 2003). In many cases, rape of female family members made it impossible for the family to stay in their villages. Recent displacement: villages emptied of religious minorities There are frequent reports of human rights abuses against the Hindu population that sometimes lead to forced evictions and displacement. The Asia Legal Resource Centre reported in March 2003 that many continued to live in internal displacement after having been forced from their homes and that Hindus who chose to stay were forced to pay special taxes to live in their own homes (ALRC, 10 March 2003). In July 2003, a British source reported that serious attacks and persecution of religious minorities by Islamic fundamentalists was increasing and that many villages were now said to be empty of minorities (Guardian Unlimited, 21 July 2003). More recent anecdotal information about displacement of minority groups from villages, as well as reports of continued and systematic intimidation and human rights violations, suggest that minorities continue to be displaced. During 2004, the Human Rights Com- 1 In the 300-seat Parliament, religious minorities hold seven seats: four for the Awami League and three for the BNP. Six non-muslims hold deputy or state minister or equivalent positions in the government. 5

6 mittee for Bangladeshi Minorities published several reports documenting attacks, evictions and displacement of hundreds of minority families in both the Kalia and the Nowagaon districts. A common factor in the attacks has been the lack of protection of the minority population, as the local police have been reported to either be absent or making no effort to stop the violence (HRCBM, 16 July, 22 and 6 May 2004; SATP, Assessment 2003). While the Human Rights Committee for Bangladeshi Minorities has made several trips to document human rights abuses against minorities, no information has been found regarding assistance to those internally displaced due to post-election violence, either by national authorities, or by the international community. Another threatened minority is the Ahmadiyya community, an Islamist sect. This community has been regularly harassed by hostile extremist groups. Amnesty International issued a report documenting abuses during 2003 by anti-ahmadi groups including the killing of an Ahmadi preacher, the "excommunication" and illegal house arrest of Ahmadi villagers, a government ban on Ahmadiyya publications, street processions against Ahmadis and a rising wave of hate speech in public rallies which incite acts of violence against this group. The report concluded that the Ahmadiyya community has not been adequately protected by the government which has failed to bring to justice those committing human rights abuses against Ahmadis (AI, 22 April 2004). The international community has on several occasions raised concerns about the situation of this group. As with the Hindu population, no survey exists to verify whether members of the Ahmadiyya community have experienced displacement. Causes of displacement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict background and causes of displacement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Due to the high population density and scarcity of land in Bangladesh, conflict often erupts between Bengali settlers and tribal groups who claim the right to their ancestral homeland. The settlers issue has spawned numerous ethnic conflicts, most notably in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a region that covers around 10 per cent of the total land area of Bangladesh. This has long been a problematic region, firstly because of its strategic location between India and Burma and secondly because of its relative richness in natural resources, including fruit, bamboo, gas and oil (BBC, 8 August 2003; Feeny 2001; AI 2000). Despite its natural resources, the region is much poorer than the rest of the country. In 2000, the per capita income was 40 per cent lower than the national average. The literacy rate is also lower than in the rest of the country (ADB, 26 October 2000). Prior to the creation of Bangladesh as a state in 1971, the population in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was mainly composed of 13 different tribal groups, collectively known as the Jumma people, with the three largest groups being the Chakma, the Marma and the Tri- 6

7 pura. These people differ from the rest of Bangladesh s population with regard to religion, culture and social customs. Until the 1960s, they were subjected to little interference from the central government. The origin of the problems in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is believed to be the completion of a dam at Kaptai, near the regional capital of Rangamati between 1957 and 1963 when the area was administered by Pakistan. At least 54,000 acres (22,000 hectares), or 40 per cent, of settled cultivable land, mostly farmed by the Chakma tribe, were lost in 1957 when the government began the dam construction. The project submerged over 400 square miles (1,000 square km) of land and some 100,000 people lost their homes and prime agricultural lands. This created a wave of emigration to India; over 40,000 Chakma tribals crossed the border and the majority remain there today (AI, February 2000, section 2). Many were also resettled in areas that then turned out to be under water at the end of the project, thus being displaced a second time. The project greatly increased the pressure on remaining land resources, especially as a rapid population growth took place during the 1960s and 1970s in the entire area. Adding to the frustration and injustice felt by the tribal population was the fact that compensation for lost land was considered inadequate (The Independent, 30 April 2001). In December 1971, Bangladesh became independent after a nine-month civil war. The fact that some influential leaders among the tribal groups had taken the side of the Pakistani army contributed to a perception that the tribal population were against the independence of Bangladesh (AI 2000). In February 1972, a tribal delegation called on the then Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to accept autonomy for the Chittagong Hill Tracts. These demands were rejected, and the 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh made no provision for any special status for the Chittagong Hill Tracts. This became the start of an armed conflict that only ended with the signing of a peace agreement 25 years later. Tribal groups created an insurgent group called the PCJSS the Chittagong Hill Tracts People's Solidarity Association. The conflict spiralled as the go v- ernment started a campaign to gain control of the Chittagong Hill Tracts by deploying a large number of troops and changing its ethnic composition. Local indigenous populations were evicted from their land to make way for landless and poor peasant Muslim Bengalis from the delta region. During the mid-70s, the armed wing of PCJSS, Shanti Bahini, started attacking military and paramilitary personnel and their bases in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as well as nontribal settlers. The government responded by forcibly accelerating its strategy of "Bengalising" the Chittagong Hill Tracts. According to the 1991 census, the Bengali population amounted to 48.5 per cent of the population in the region, compared to two per cent in 1947 (Rehman, May 2003). At the height of the conflict, almost one third of the Bangladesh army was deployed in the region (Sen 1998, p140; AI February 2000 section 2). In addition to a fast- growing military presence in the region, Bengali settlers were also mobilised against the tribal population. 7

8 Forced evictions, the conflict itself, and the military atrocities which accompanied it, became a major cause of the displacement of tribal groups. The affected populations sought refuge in neighbouring villages, urban areas or areas of dense forest where they lived a nomadic existence (Chakma, 2000). After 1980, ten major massacres by Bengali settlers and the security forces led to an exodus of the tribal population to the neighbouring Indian state of Tripura (AI February 2000, section 2; Nietschmann 1986; SAFHR, April 2000; UN GA, August 2000, para. 69). Official figures indicate that more than 8,500 people were killed during two decades of insurgency, including some 2,500 civilians (AI, February 2000, section 2). Although humanitarian access to the Chittagong Hill Tracts was denied during the conflict, the international community was regularly informed of human rights abuses by international NGOs, such as the Anti-Slavery Society, Survival International, the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, the Minority Rights Group, and Amnesty International. In 1990 the international Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission carried out an independent investigation in the refugee camps in Tripura, India, and also ma n- aged to get into the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The ensuing report documented widespread human rights abuses and displacement of the indigenous population (Aarens and Chakma, 2000). After 25 years of conflict, a peace agreement came into effect in December 1997, signed by the then ruling Awami League and the main indigenous political party, PCJSS. As well as the creation of a regional council with some autonomy from Dhaka, the agreement provides for the rehabilitation of returning tribal refugees and internally displaced and creates a task force on internal displacement to implement these provisions. The agreement suggests a land survey in consultation with the regional council and the settling of land disputes by a land commission with a minimum tenure of three years to ''resolve the disputes in consonance with the law, custom and practice in force in the Chittagong Hill Tracts'' (AI, April 2000). While there were numerous complaints about the slow implementation of the peace agreement in the years after 1997, the national elections in October 2001 have created further insecurity because the victorious BNP is opposed to the agreement, which it sees as a loss of Bangladeshi sovereignty. The BNP has since halted implementation of the accord, prompting incidents of violence between tribal groups and security forces. Several groups are also openly rejecting the peace agreement. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bengali settlers have launched a movement called the Samadhikar Andolan against the peace agreement which they see as discriminatory, and favouring the tribal population (Daily Star 1 December 2004). The tribal United People s Democratic Front UPDF has also strongly opposed the agreement because it does not adequately protect the rights of the tribal population in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. 8

9 Number of internally displaced in the Chittagong Hill Tracts In 2000, the government task force on internal displacement compiled a list of 128,364 displaced families. The list included 90,208 tribal and 38,156 Bengali settler families (GoB-Task Force on the Hill Tracts Region, 2000). This would imply that at least 500, ,000 people were internally displaced that year. The list has been controversial as it included Bengali settlers who were displaced when the tribal population returned. Representatives of the tribal population strongly opposed the decision to include the settlers. PCJSS, for example, does not consider non-tribal people internally displaced and demands that they be relocated outside the Chittagong Hill Tracts (RAWOO, 2000). It should however be noted that no recent information exists about the number of displaced, nor are there any reports of reintegration or rehabilitation of the internally displaced population, although many might have integrated in their place of refuge since the time of the survey. Local groups still assume that more than 100,000 families are internally displaced (AITPN-ACHR Report, 2003, p.6). Return and reintegration: unresolved land issues perpetuate displacement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts The peace agreement paved the way for the return of some of the indigenous people who had sought refuge in India, but it did not resolve the problem of internal displacement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The land issue remains the key obstacle for the return of internally displaced who are waiting for their case to be solved by the land commission that was created as part of the peace agreement. While property rights of the tribal population have been regulated by local traditions and have not been registered in public records, the Bengali settlers obtained official documents certifying their ownership of the land. The main issue stopping the peace process continues therefore to be the return of land from Bengali settlers to the displaced tribal population. Administrative procedures to address the issue were extremely slow, and have today come to a complete halt. One of the key institutions for implementing the peace agreement, the Chittagong Hill Tract Regional Council, was not operational until May 1999 and the land commission, essential for the economic rehabilitation of returning refugees and internally displaced, was only established in April The land commission is still not functioning and its members have not even been formally appointed, although by May 2003, over 35,000 cases had reportedly been submitted for its consideration. In accordance with the peace accord, some Bengali settlers did loose their ownership rights to land belonging to returning tribal refugees. They were subsequently required to relocate several times, and in some cases made landless altogether. But many Bengali settlers, backed by the military and the then main opposition party in Bangladesh, refused to give up the land to the returning tribal people. More than fourty villages formerly inhabited by the tribal population are still occupied by Bengalis. 9

10 The land situation for many of the internally displaced has therefore not changed significantly since the civil war ended in It is estimated that at least half of the families returning from camps in India got their land back, but over 3,000 families have been unable to regain possession of their land (AITPN-ACHR Report, 2003, p.6). Thus, discontent persists in the region as the government has not implemented this core part of the agreement. Tribal groups have expressed frustration over the slow pace of its implementation and their negligible participation in the decision-making process, as well as distrust of the national government s strategies for developing the region. At the same time, there are reportedly ongoing cases of land deprivation as Bengali settlers continue to move into the region (ACHR, 26 August 2004). Land pressure is also increasing as the government has declared large areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts as reserved or state forests where agricultural practices and even collection of firewood is forbidden. This also means that the Hill District Council exerts no control over the land. During the first years after the peace agreement, some 2,000 people, mostly from the Khyang community, were evicted from their land without any compensation. Thousands more might be affected by existing plans to reserve forests as government land. The tribal population suspects that the government is planning to resettle Bengalis in these areas (CHTC 2000). Apart from the land question, other parts of the peace agreement remain to be implemented, the most serious being that most of the temporary army bases have not been closed down. Reportedly, only 31 military camps of the estimated 520 temporary camps at the time of the signing of the peace agreement have been withdrawn so far (ACHR, 26 August 2004). Episodes of displacement are still taking place There have been several episodes of displacement since the elections in 2001, the most serious occurring in August 2003 when violent clashes erupted between the indigenous population and Bengali settlers, reportedly displacing up to 2,200 tribal people (COE- DMHA, 5 September 2003; EC, 6 October 2003). The peace agreement has also divided the tribal population. Open disagreement has emerged between tribal factions that supported the peace agreement (primarily the PCJSS) and those that opposed it (particularly UPDF) (USCR 2003, SATP 2003). Over 500 people belonging to the two groups are said to have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in clashes and targeted attacks. Moreover about 1,000 people from the two groups have been kidnapped (Daily Star, 1 December 2004). Tension between PCJSS and UPDF supporters is especially felt in the districts of Ba n- darban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari. Violent attacks and abductions of political opponents have been reported on several occasions. The region is also witnessing a rise in extortion by local gangs backed by both the feuding groups. Since May 2004, several families in villages known to support the UPDF in the Lakshmichari and Kawkhali areas 10

11 of the Chittagong Hill Tracts have fled attacks by PCJSS supporters (Hill Watch Forum, 14 October 2004). In September 2004, at least 300 indigenous people were reportedly displaced after armed supporters of the UPDF attacked their villages in the Rangamati district. The displaced took refuge in a community centre, while there were also reports of up to 500 others hiding in the jungle (COE-DMHA, 21 September 2004). There is no information available about the situation for these displaced today, whether they have returned or are in need of assistance. Subsistence needs: internally displaced reported to lack food The little information available about the living conditions of internally displaced in the Chittagong Hill Tracts concerns mostly the 65,000 returning refugees who have been unable to recover their homes. The large majority of this group continues to live in camps or with relatives (Feeny, October 2001). A major issue creating further tension between the tribal population and Bengali settlers is the food distribution provided by the government. More than 28,000 Bengali families who live in areas where rice cultivation is difficult continue to receive 85 kilos of rice per month, some of them since they arrived in the Hill Tracts more than two decades ago. The tribal returnees allegedly used to receive less, while the remaining tribal population has never received any such assistance (AITPN/AHCHR 2003, p.5). During summer 2003, the government stopped food rations to the internally displaced altogether while continuing distribution to the Bengali families. The rice distribution was resumed again after a storm of protests from tribal organisations, but only half of the original amount which leaves them living below subsistence level (OneWorld, 20 October 2003; The Daily Star, 8 April 2004 and 23 October 2004). The internally displaced who fail to qualify for government aid have been reported to be starving and having little or no access to any kind of service (Feeny, October 2001). National and international assistance No information has been found about strategies to protect or assist people who have been displaced by conflict, threats or evictions in Bangladesh. Nearly 40 bilateral and multilateral donors are active in the country and give external assistance. Aid is largely focused on development and disaster response (ADB , p.28). As no particular organisation is mandated with assisting internally displaced in Bangladesh, the UN Resident Coordinator is responsible for ensuring and co-ordinating an adequate response among international actors. Bangladesh is said to have the largest and most active NGO community in the world, and its NGOs receive more external assistance than in any other country. In 1997, there were 848 registered NGOs, compared with only 45 in It has been estimated that NGOs operate in nearly 80 per cent of all Bangladeshi villages (Brazier, March 2001). 11

12 Assistance in the Chittagong Hill Tracts The improved security situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has allowed for the start-up of relief and development activities. However, aid programmes have been suspended on some occasions, notably in 2001 after abductions of aid workers and a generally deteriorating security climate after the elections. While donors made implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace agreement a condition for starting development programmes some years ago, many now fund projects, or envisage doing so in the near future. Several international NGOs are also present in the Hill Tracts; Médecins Sans Frontières has been active in the region since the year 2000 for example. UN activities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region include a food security programme by the World Food Programme, which started in 1998, and a multi-sectoral community building project by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Although not formally mandated, the refugee agency UNHCR monitored the return of refugees from camps in Tripura to the Hill Tracts after the signing of the peace agreement. Since 1997, larger Bangladeshi NGOs have started programmes in the fields of health, education, water and sanitation, as well as microcredit activities. National NGOs are also intervening in diverse areas such as agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fisheries, poultry farming, microcredit, education, women in development, income generation, the environment, and training and development in general (Aarens and Chakma, 2002). After the displacement of 2,200 people in August 2003, the government, the district administration, the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs and local and international NGOs provided food, cash grants, school books, family kits and medicine. International assistance was also required to cover the remaining needs of the displaced population. The government gave approval for the UN agencies in Bangladesh to carry out a common needs assessment mission to Mahalchari in October As a result, UNDP launched an appeal for one million Euros, largely funded by the European Commission's humanitarian aid department ECHO, covering food, health, water and sanitation, housing, agriculture, education, non-food items and rebuilding livelihoods for the displaced (EC, 6 October 2003). Apart from a local NGO which targets internally displaced in the Khagrachhari Hill District with clothes and water assistance, no other information has been found on assistance benefiting internally displaced (PBM, Project Information). However, internally displaced are likely to be among the beneficiaries of some of the ongoing projects. Need for more comprehensive monitoring of conflict-induced displacement There is no estimate of to what extent minorities were or are internally displaced due to religious persecution in Bangladesh. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, available information 12

13 indicates that those who returned from India only to be displaced again, are especially vulnerable and in need of assistance. But little is known about the remaining internally displaced population: to what extent they have reintegrated and restarted a livelihood, or whether they have special needs for material or legal assistance. Collecting information about internal displacement is also complicated by the fact that media and human rights organisations are increasingly victims of criminal actions. Although local media reports human rights violations, journalists are vulnerable to repression, intimidation, brutal attacks, torture and even murder (IFJ ). There have also been incidents where human rights workers have been jailed and reportedly mistreated. The government of Bangladesh has so far done little to assess and respond to the rights and needs of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict. In cooperation with the government, the international community in Bangladesh should therefore initiate an assessment of the degree of vulnerability and the risk of displacement/eviction faced by these groups. This would be a first important step towards creating an adequate response to the human rights abuses faced by the minority population. Also, there is a need to raise awareness of the phenomenon of conflict-induced displacement in Bangladesh among aid actors. Forced displacement is, for example, not mentioned in any of the main donor strategy documents and in general information about people displaced by conflict in Bangladesh is virtually non-existent. The specific protection needs of the internally displaced can only be properly addressed if the government, UN, NGOs, and the donor community in Bangladesh start to monitor IDP situations in a more comprehensive manner in the future. Note: For more detailed information on the internal displacement situation in Bangladesh, please visit the Bangladesh country page on the Global IDP Project s online IDP database. For further information about displacement due to natural disasters, consult Reliefweb at On forced evictions, see the web site of COHRE: or the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR): On displacement due to development projects, see the web site of the World Commission on Dams: The full text of the peace agreement for the Chittagong Hill Tracts is available at the Bangladesh government internet site 13

14 Sources Aarens, Jenneke; Chakma, Kirti Nishan, November 2002, Bangladesh: Indigenous Struggle in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Published in Searching for Peace in Central and South Asia, ed. Paul van Tongeren Amnesty International (AI), 23 April 2004, Bangladesh - The Ahmadiyya Community - their rights must be protected Amnesty International (AI), February 2000, Bangladesh - Human Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts - AI ref: ASA Amnesty International (AI), 2000, Annual Report 2000 Asian Centre for Human Rights, 25 August 2004, The Ravaged Hills of Bangladesh Asian Development Bank (ADB), December 2000, Country Assistance Plan Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network (AITPN), 17 March 2003, Written Statement to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2003/NGO/166) Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network (AITPN), June 2003, The Status of Indigenous & Minority Children in Bangladesh Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC), 10 March 2003, Written statement to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2003/NGO/92) BBC News, 8 December 2003, "Row over Bangladesh peace accord" Center of Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (COE-DMHA), 21 September 2004, "UN aid to Bangladesh's southeastern Chittagong region announced; 300 displaced by continued ethnic fighting" Center of Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (COE-DMHA), 4 September 2003, "Over 1,500 indigenous people displaced by ethnic violence in Bangladesh's southeastern Khagrachhari district", Asia-Pacific Daily Report Chakma, Mrinal Kanti, February 2000, "Empowering the Internally Displaced Peoples" Paper presented to The Regional Conference on Internal Displacement in Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, European Commission, 6 October 2003, Commission Decision concerning humanitarian aid in favor of the people of Chittagong Hill Tracts, BANGLADESH, victims of communal violence Feeny, Thomas, October 2001, The Fragility of Peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh - in Forced Migration Review Government of Bangladesh, 1998, Internet site on the peace agreement Government of Bangladesh Task Force on the Hill Tracts Region, May 2000, Statistics of Refugees in the greater Chittagong Hill Tracts - Translation Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), 16 July 2004, Islamic Militants Unleash terrors on minorities in Nowagaon, Bangladesh: Vicious attack on minorities: Habitats destroyed: Hundreds are displaced Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), 22 May 2004, "Rampage and 14

15 attacks have tormented and displaced hundreds of minority families at villages of Kalia Norail: An investigative report from HRCBM" Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), 6 May 2004, Ruling party cadres unleash terror on minorities in Kalicahar village, Bangladesh Human Rights Features (HRF), March 2002, Bangla Hindu influx has Northeast India on edge Human Rights Features (HRF), 21 December 2001, Attacks on Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 2004, The story behind the news, journalists and press freedom in South Asia, second annual IFJ press freedom report Neitschmann, Bernard, 1986, "Economic Development by Invasion of Indigenous Nations" paper written for the Center for World Indigenous Studies Netherlands Devlopment Assistance Research Council (RAWOO),, May 2000, "Mobilizing Knowledge for Post-Conflict Management and Development at the Local Level", Advisory report, Publication no. 19 New Internationalist, March 2001, Building up the poor or reinforcing inequality? by Chris Brazier, issue 332 One World South Asia, 14 June 2004, Minority Hindus deprived of land rights in Bangladesh - by Sharier Khan OneWorld.com, 20 October 2003, "Bangladesh Hills Rumble with Discontent" Parabatya Bouddha Mission, 2004, Project Information Rehman, I.E., 5 May 2003, Minorities in South Asia, for the Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Working Group on Minorities (E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2003/WP.13) Sen, Sumit, 1998, "Bangladesh", in Janie Hampton, ed., Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey, (London, Earthscan Publ) South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), April 2000, "Jumma People in Bangladesh", e- mail brief Volume 1 Issue 2 South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), November 2003, Bangladesh assessment 2003 The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission, 2000, 'Life Is Not Ours' - Land and Human Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh The Daily Star, December 2004, "Discontent still brews on slack implementation" The Daily Star, 8 April 2004, CHT refugees demand double ration The Daily Star, 23 October 2003, "Thousands in CHT living sans rations despite PM's order" The Guardian Unlimited, 21 July 2003, "Britain ignores Bangladeshi persecution" The Independent - Bangladesh, 30 April 2001, Founding Anniversary Special United Nations General Assembly (UN GA), 9 August 2000, Interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of 15

16 discrimination based on religion or belief, UN ref A/55/280/Add.2 U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR), June 2003, World Refugee Survey 2003, Bangladesh Note: All documents used in this profile summary are directly accessible on the List of Sources page of the Bangladesh country page. 16

17 About the Global IDP Project The Global IDP Project, established by the Norwegian Refugee Council in 1996, is the leading international body monitoring internal displacement worldwide. Through its work, the Geneva-based Project contributes to protecting and assisting the 25 million people around the globe, who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. At the request of the United Nations, the Global IDP Project runs an online database providing comprehensive and frequently updated information and analysis on internal displacement in over 50 countries. It also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people. In addition, the Project actively advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. For more information, visit the Global IDP Project website and the database at Media contact: Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer Database / Communication Coordinator Tel.: +41 (0) jens.eschenbaecher@nrc.ch Global IDP Project Norwegian Refugee Council Chemin de Balexert Geneva, Switzerland Tel: Fax: