Report on the Daylong Dialogue on 'Peace Building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts'

Transcription

1 Report on the Daylong Dialogue on 'Peace Building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts' Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), Centre for Alternatives (CA) and The Daily Star jointly organised a Daylong Dialogue on Peace Building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts on 10 July 2000 at the BIISS auditorium, Dhaka. The dialogue was participated by a cross-section of people - a minister, political leaders, intellectuals, academia, retired civil and military officers and journalists. The dialogue was divided into two sessions: the morning session and the afternoon session. Session I: Putting the Accord into Practise by Md. Abdul Mannan The sub-theme of the morning session was "Putting the Accord into Practice". Major General Jamil D. Ahsan, Director General, BIISS, and Mr. Syed Fahim Munaim, Managing Editor, The Daily Star, were the co-moderators in the morning session. Major General Jamil D. Ahsan, Director General, BIISS, gave the welcome address. Then, Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations, Dhaka University, presented his keynote paper. Participants in this session included Tajul Islam Hashmi of Independent University, Group Captain (rtd) Dastagir, retired teacher Shamsul Huq, Prof Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University, Mithun Chakma, a student of Dhaka University and member of Pahari Chatra Parishad, Major General (rtd) Z. A. Khan, Former Cabinet Secretary Mujibul Huq, retired civil servant Abdul Hannan, Dr. Mizanur Rahman Khan of BIISS, former ambassador and BNP leader Rezaul Karim, Major General (rtd) Ibrahim, Brigadier (rtd) Sakhawat, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury, JSD leader Hasanul Huq Inu and Chairman of the Task Force for Refugees in the CHT Dipankar Talukder MP. In his welcome address, Major General Jamil D. Ahsan said that the peace agreement between the central authority and the insurgents and the termination of war situation through the surrender of arms of the insurgents constitute a crucial achievement in the peace process. Nevertheless ensuring enduring peace still requires a long way to go through the hurdles of peace process. In his keynote presentation, Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed highlighted on the achievements, the limitations and the contentious issues in implementing the Peace Accord that included areas like return of refugees, surrender of arms, rehabilitation, issues of governance, land dispute, gender and women security, culture, identity etc. The following themes came up during the first session: Governance According to the CHT accord, the Regional Council and the Ministry of CHT Affairs are the two important institutions involved in the governance of the CHT. However, the functioning of the CHT Regional Council is one of the primary preconditions for any progress in the implementation of the accord. In September 1998 the government announced the formation of

2 2 the 22 members interim Regional Council with Shantu Larma as its chairman. Shantu Larma rejected the government announcement primarily accusing the government of excluding the names of three Bangladeshi representatives in the RC proposed by the PCJSS and instead appointing three new persons who are allegedly partisans of Awami League. The issue came up in the discussions. While the key note speaker held that the RC has been governmentalised, Dipankar Talukder dismissed his view saying that only 3 out of 22 members of the Regional Council have been appointed by the government. Shantu Larma appointed the rest 19 members. Thus he held that the Regional Council has not been governmentalised. Dr. Mizanur Rahman Khan of BIISS noted that powers of the new institutional structures are not specified and this is an obstacle to the functioning of the new institutional structures. Brig. (rtd.) Sakhawat Husain observed that clauses of the CHT Accord are almost similar to the 1988 District Council Bill except the provision of Regional Council and its power. He said that there are 13 tribes living in the CHT. He feared intra-tribal rivalry in the CHT due to the dominance of Chakmas in the Regional Council. Rehabilitation Rehabilitation of the PCJSS members, international refugees and internal refugees namely internally displaced persons (IDPs) is a very significant element of peace, as envisioned in the accord. One of the success areas is the return of 74,000 refugees from Tripura, India. Another success area is the surrender of arms by 2000 insurgents. It was however noted that the success and failure in the rehabilitation of the PCJSS members and refugees, both international and internal, have been mixed. It was noted that only the PCJSS members got Tk. 50,000 each to get rehabilitated. The Accord provided no fixed amount for the rehabilitation of the refugees and therefore they have not got anything. Mr. Rezaul Karim stated that some promises had been made for the rehabilitation of the refugees who came from India, but now they have been deceived as those promises were false. Gr. Capt. (rtd.) Dastagir opined that refugees must be looked after to contain their potential grievances. However, Dipankar Tulukder dismissed the allegation that the refugees were not given any thing. He said that refugees have been given many things under the 20 package deal. They have been given money and tin for building their houses. Those who are landless and have lands have been given cows and bullocks respectively. They have also been given Tk 15,000 in cash. In addition, they also got ration for 9 months which was later extended for another 9 months. Even 3,000 refugees who returned during the last government have been given these facilities. He also dismissed the allegation of some quarters that the Accord has favoured the hill people depriving the Bengalis. He held that the hill people had been deprived of basic rights and the Accord has restored those rights only. On the question of rehabilitation of the IDPs, Prof Mesbah Kamal noted that in the 1960s, 25% of the affected people caused by Kaptai dam were Bengalis. Bengalis from other parts of the country were settled there, but the Bengalis affected by the Kaptai dam, were not resettled along with the affected hill people. Mr. Rezaul Karim was sceptical about the definition of the IDPs and wanted to know if it included the Bengalis. Dipankar Tulukder held that IDPs are too scattered to be contacted easily and thus to be named in the list of the IDPs. He said that both Bengali and hill people affected by the Kaptai dam have been resettled without any discrimination. Stating that IDPs include both tribal families and non-tribal families, he said that a list of 1,28,364 IDP families comprising 90,208 tribal families and 38,156 non-permanent non-tribal families has been sent to the ministry as per the Accord for their rehabilitation.

3 3 Withdrawal of Military Camps The keynote speaker noted that the CHT Accord provided for the withdrawal of temporary army camps from the CHT. As per this Accord, only 50 camps out of more than 500 have so far been withdrawn. Dipankar Talukder pointed out that 62 military camps have been withdrawn till 12 May of this year. Eight more camps are expected to be withdrawn by this June. In fact, these statistics indicate that implementation of the accord in this particular area is not satisfactory. But at the same time one must appreciate that demilitarisation is taking place. Participants identified some problems in withdrawing these camps. Mr. Abul Hasan Chowdhury, the honourable State Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that the army in the CHT is for the security of the hill people. Maj. Gen. (rtd.) Ibrahim also held the same view. Fahim Munaim and Mithun Chakma said that no time frame has been given in the Accord for the withdrawal of army camps. Mr. Abdul Hannan pointed out that it would be too early to withdraw the army camps, because there are problems in the CHT which the police alone cannot resolve. Mr. Rezaul Karim observed that there are cross-border intrusions in the area that threatens state sovereignty. It is a conflict-prone area and tensions among different groups are always there. Therefore, army camps should remain there but the role of the army would be defined in a way so that they would not use force against the local people. Dipankar Talukder said that there are some strategic camps whose withdrawal would deteriorate the law and order situation. Therefore, no time frame has been given to withdraw the army camps, rather it will be done gradually. He said that as camps are being withdrawn, police is being strengthened. Land Land is considered to be the most important problem in CHT. In fact, loss of lands due to state-sponsored development projects and the policy of Bengali settlement were important factors that fuelled the feeling of alienation among the hill people and ultimately shifted their loyalty from the central authority. The CHT accord provides that no land including leasable "khas" land in hill districts can be leased out, sold, purchased or transferred. The Accord also stipulates that a Land Commission headed by a retired Judge as the Chairman will be formed for the settlement of disputed land. But it is reported that no significant progress has yet been achieved in the settlement of land disputes. With the death of Justice Anwarul Haq, the Chairman of the Commission, it is not functioning. Hasanul Huq Inu suggested that the Land Commission should be reactivated. It was observed that hill people lack proper documentation which the Bengali settlers have. Regarding hill people s lack of proper documentation about land, Dr. Mizanur Rahman Khan gave a historical analysis of the problem. He said that the CHT Manual of 1900 and the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 restricted private property rights of tribal people. A tribal was not able to sell his land to a non-tribal. So unlike the plain land s people, even private property rights were restricted within the tribal community. The main problem is that after independence, the state conception of property rights conflicted with the communal system of property rights. In fact, due to the communal system of property rights, the hill people did not have documentation for centuries. Prof Mesbah Kamal said that land is being leased in the CHT which is contrary to the CHT Accord. Although the district administrations of Rangamati and Khagrachari are not doing this, the district administration of Bandarban is particularly responsible for this. Even land that is being leased out is often not used for the given

4 4 purposes. Mr. Fahim Munaim said that government has promised to provide at least 2 acres of land, upon availability, to each of the landless Pahari families and also to those having less than 2 acres. But progress is yet to be made. Deepankar Talukder said that three chiefs of three circles of the CHT are important members of the land commission. Except the chief of the Chakma circle, the rest two are still disputed. There are cases in the court against the appointments of Aungsha Puri as the Mong Chief in Bandarban and Prialapho Chowdhury as the Mong Chief in Manakchari. So until the court gives the decision, the Land Commission cannot work. In addition, dismissing the allegation that afforestation program has been reducing the amount of cultivable land in the CHT, he said that participatory afforestation is being done in those lands which had been deforested earlier. Parties to the Problem Tajul Islam Hashmi observed that there are many versions of the CHT problem. Certain versions are allowed at certain periods while others are not. This has been the biggest problem in resolving the issue. He talked of several versions like Bengali version, tribal version, Awami League version, anti-awami League versions, versions of the vested interest groups. However an objective neutral version is needed for the resolution of the problem. Mr. Rezaul Karim said that four parties needed to be involved in peace initiative: government, opposition, tribal and Bengalis. Maj. Gen. (rtd.) Ibrahim noted that, mainly two parties had been involved in the problem. On one side is government and on the other side is the insurgent group. The conflict between these two parties made the Tribals and the Bengalis sandwiched. He said that all the concerned parties have to pay price for peace. Mr. Mujibul Huq observed that the CHT Accord cannot be completely implemented in isolation due to the ethnic problems in the seven sisters of India and its potential impact in the CHT. In this regard, he mentioned India as a party and said that any friendly or unfriendly government in Bangladesh vis-à-vis India and similarly any friendly or unfriendly Indian government vis-à-vis Bangladesh is a factor in implementing the accord. Nature of the Problem Participants also raised some points regarding the nature of the CHT problem and the nature of the demands of the hill people. Maj. Gen. (rtd.) Z. A. Khan said that the approach in the resolution of this problem would depend upon as to how the problem is addressed: either as a problem of minority or as a tribal problem. Regarding the demand of the hill people over the years, Mr. Shamsul Huq and Mr. Rezaul Karim said that the concept of autonomy in the literature of Political Science is very vague. Mr. Shamsul Huq sought answers to the question: Is it (the CHT accord) autonomy? If not autonomy, then what this accord has given to the people of CHT? The answers were not available. However, Mr. Mithun Chakma said that his party rejects the CHT accord and wants full autonomy, although he did not explain what full autonomy means. Bengali Settlers Partial views were found on the issue of the status of the Bengali settlers. Mithun Chakma said that Bengalis had been politically pushed in the CHT. They should be withdrawn to

5 5 another place. Mr. Rezaul Karim said that Bengalis were not forced to go to the CHT, they were just offered some facilities and they went there voluntarily. Maj. Gen. (rtd.) Z. A. Khan, Gr. Capt. (rtd.) Dastagir, Maj. Gen. (rtd.) Ibrahim suggested that Bengalis should be assimilated in the CHT. The people of CHT should live in harmony with Bengalis. Confidence Building Measures It is important to build confidence among the different parties. The government of Bangladesh has won the confidence of the insurgents through signing the CHT Accord. But the problem is mainstream opposition political parties and some Pahari groups have opposed the CHT Accord. Even there are disputes between the government and Shantu Larma on some issues in the implementing of the Accord. In this backdrop Mr. Mujibul Huq suggested the adoption of a national approach for implementing the Accord. This would include all the mainstream political parties and all the Pahari groups. The main task here involves confidence building among all the parties concerned. Mr. Abul Hasan Chowdhury said confidence building measures are far more powerful than inter-continental ballistic missiles and noted that for the success of the CHT accord, a change in mindset is needed. It was also noted that a constitutional guarantee to the Accord is needed to create trust among the tribal people so that nobody can repeal the Accord with the change of government. There was also the suggestion that there should be constitutional recognition of the identity and culture of the tribal people. However, such constitutional measures need two-thirds majority which the government does not have in the parliament. In this context, participants stressed on the need for consensus among the political parties. Development Mr. Mujibul Huq stressed on development activities as a bridge between the Bengalis and non-bengalis. Hasanul Haq Inu emphaised on alternative development approach that would not be simply dependent on agriculture. However, Dr. Mizanur Rahman Khan opined that there should be cautious development activities. The development of industries in the CHT may lead to more Bengali settlement there and as a result, hill people may not be benefited from development. It was observed that transitional time is required for the implementation of the CHT Accord. The author is a Research Associate, BIISS.

6 6 Session II: Vision for a Sustainable Peace by Sharif Atiqur Rahman Peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) remains a tremendous challenge. After a prolonged armed conflict, the Peace Accord was signed on 2nd December, But it will not be wise to think that the Accord has brought peace in the CHT, rather it has only started the process. Peace matures through a long and tortuous path. Culture of peace needs to be nurtured before we can achieve the final stage of peace. It needs vision for a sustainable peace. And this was the theme of the second session of the Daylong Dialogue on Peace Building in the CHT. Dr. Syed Anwar Hossain, Director General of Bangla Academy, moderated the session while Prof. Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Executive Director of Centre for Alternatives was the co-moderator. The keynote paper on "Vision for a Sustainable Peace" was presented by Mr. A. K. M. Sabur, Senior Research Fellow of BIISS. He conceptualised peace building in its broadest term as the initiatives which foster and support sustainable structures and processes strengthening the prospects of peaceful coexistence. Moderator of the session observed that the CHT problem was not unidimensional, rather multidimensional. In this context we do need multi-pronged peace offensive to achieve the final peace. Participants at the dialogue came up with some highly imaginative and visionary thinking to sustain peace in the CHT. The comments, remarks, proposals and suggestions voiced by the participants in the dialogue can broadly be divided into three categories - (a) vision for institutional and administrative reconstruction, (b) vision for development, and (c) vision for peaceful coexistence. (a) Vision for institutional and administrative reconstruction: Visionary planning: It was pointed out that the approach adopted for CHT, from the beginning was neither imaginative nor visionary. Actions were taken on an ad hoc basis. What would be the ultimate result of today's action after 30 or 50 years had never ever been conceptualised. The vision for sustainable development must have a life span of years, else our posterity will pay for it. Ms. Masuda Chowdhury, a Ph. D. researcher on the CHT, also opined that conflict broke out in the CHT due to unplanned rehabilitation of Bengali settlers in the CHT. We should not commit the same mistakes by advancing with peace implementation process without a well thought out plan. Reconstructing the administrative structure: Mr. Sabur stressed the need for institutional reconstruction to accommodate the minorities. Prof. Imtiaz observed that the present parliament of 300 members for 120 million people has become unworkable in terms of proper representation. A wide gap has been created between the voters and the person who is voted for, resulting in the emergence of a powerful group of "middlemen" who are in most cases political mastans. Within 20 to 25 years of time, Bangladesh population will reach 200 million. It is high time to rethink about making the parliament sensible, effective and transparent in terms of demography. He proposed divisional parliaments for all divisional headquarters for the proper representation of the mass in the law

7 7 formulating body of the country. When such a divisional body will be formulated, it will ensure the proper representation of the mass and will result in the eradication of public grievances which will ultimately support the efforts for sustainable development. Depoliticisation of local government bodies: For the CHT, District Council Acts have been amended and bodies like Regional Council, Advisory Committee, Land Commission have been formed. The Secretary of the Ministry of the CHT Affairs also pointed out that the Regional Council, the Task Force, the CHT Development Board and the Ministry of CHT Affairs - all are headed by persons from the hill area and with the designation of Minister in different categories. But it was pointed out that all these bodies can be accused of being politicised as the government unilaterally, not by means of democratically accepted norms of election, has appointed these bodies. Depoliticisation of local government bodies is a must to ensure sustainable peace in the CHT. Formulation of specific regulations: Mr. Hasanul Haque Inu, General Secretary of JSD, asked for immediate eradication of existing inconsistencies in the laws for the successful implementation of the Peace Accord. Though local government bodies have been formed, necessary legal and logistic support has not yet been provided which is urgent for the smooth functioning of these administrative structures. Prof. Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University pointed out that there is CHTDB, Regional Council and the DC with the Hill District Manual of 1900 at the same time. But there is no governmental regulation regarding the authoritative power. Again, contradicting the Peace Accord of 1997, Bandarban District Administration is giving lease of lands citing the provisions of Hill District Manual of Government should formulate specific regulations for the newly formed local government institutions to stop violation of the Peace Accord by its own organs. Prof. Mesbah strongly rejected the idea of having two separate voter lists - one for the regional council and the other for parliamentary elections. He termed it as "an attempt to build peace through expediency" as there is no provision for two separate voter lists for any other administrative unit of the country. Training institute for Local Government officials: As per the accord, some new local government bodies have already been formed. These bodies have provision for larger representation on the part of the hill people. Few qualified Hill persons appear to be there to perform these duties due to the long oppression which deprived them from having able representatives or efficient civil servants working under a truly democratic system. But at the same time we have to ensure efficient service on part of these bodies. In these circumstances, Mr. Hasanul Haque Inu proposed for the creation of an institute to train the hill people and to make them efficient for the smooth and uninterrupted functioning of the local government bodies. Reshaping the Ministry of the CHT Affairs:

8 8 Dr. Iftekharuzzaman of Bangladesh Freedom Foundation proposed the reconstruction of the Ministry of the CHT Affairs. This particular ministry is an establishment or an authority to look into the matters of ethnic diversity that exists in Bangladesh. So it is more reasonable to term it as the Ministry of Diversity Management or the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and expanding its field accordingly. Preservation and release of "notes" by Army: Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed said that the Bangladesh Army destroys its "notes" every five years. These are some rare documents compiled by the Army personnel almost every week or month and destroying these is a great loss for the researchers, academics and as well as for the policy makers. These are never available for public review despite its tremendous archive value. He suggested that these notes should be preserved, can be kept under lock and key for 10 to 15 years, but after a certain period those should be made public. By destroying these documents we loose some vital and authentic sources of information and then we have to rely on human memory when we need to take decisions by reviewing the situations of the past. Relying on human memory rather than printed documents is not meaningful when we are talking about vision for a sustainable development. Appropriate presence of army in the CHT: There was discord among the participants over the number of camps that should be removed from the CHT. Failure to have a time frame for the removal of army camps was termed as a major flaw of the Peace Accord. Secretary of the Ministry of CHT Affairs explained that due to the geographical realities of the CHT, such as borders with India and Myanmar, uneven terrain, remote and inaccessible areas, this place can turn into a haven for anti-social elements from Bangladesh, India or Myanmar. Besides, the presence of army is required there not to interfere in the civil administration, but in aid of the civil administration in situations that the law enforcing agencies find difficult to cope with, or in times of natural calamities. For these reasons the necessary presence of army cannot be ignored. According to the accord, some camps will be withdrawn in phases, but we cannot keep our eyes shut to hard realities. Mr. Hasanul Haque Inu pointed out that the number of army camps deployed in the CHT should not be the question; there might be more to safeguard our sovereignty or to patrol the border areas. What we need is to monitor whether they are involved in any type of atrocities or whether they are abusing their power as it was alleged in the past. Prof. Maniruzzaman Miah, ex-vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, rejected the provision of withdrawing army camps from the CHT as it can be done only by the unilateral decision on part of the government. He maintained that there cannot be any treaty on creating a demilitarised zone within a country. Insulation of peace in border areas: CHT is geographically located in an area which has borders with areas effected by insurgency. Insurgency has been and is at rise in the "seven sisters" of India as well as in Arakan of Myanmar - all the places bordering the CHT. For a sustainable peace in the CHT, Maj. Gen. (retd.) Ibrahim suggested initiating and insulating peace in regional levels, otherwise insurgency in the border areas will continue to hamper the peace process in the CHT.

9 9 (b) Vision for development Ensuring harmonious sustainable development: The notion of development implies economic, social, political and cultural development in a balanced and integrated way embracing the diversity of social, ethnic and linguistic groups, religious communities and geographical. Some of the speakers suggested the need to flood the CHT area with various development activities. Both Prof. Mesbah and Prof. Imtiaz pointed out that these development initiatives need to be sustainable - not just simple development. The development activities applicable for any other part of Bangladesh may not be effective for the CHT as the area is different both in terms of geography and life-style. NGOs going there and pursuing their development models as like other areas of the country may result in development, but not sustainable development. Producing tobacco by reducing the supply of food grains and vegetables or making dairy farms instead of boars does not mean sustainable development for this particular area of the CHT. Participatory development programmes: Mr. Sabur feared that flooding the CHT with fund and resources might lead to multifarious conflicts between different social and interest groups unless there is active psychological and physical participation on the part of the hill people. Development for whom, by whom and of whom needs to be ensured to envision sustainable peace in the CHT. Mr. Selim Samad was critical of the role played by the CHTDB which was headed by army officials. He termed the previous development programs conducted by the direct supervision of army, as the "best examples of development without the participation of hill people". Maj. Gen. (retd.) Azizur Rahman, an ex GOC of Chittagong area, defended the position of army and pointed out that they took part in the development programmes of the CHT as they were directed to do so by the political decision of the previous governments. Besides, there was no other civil authority capable enough to perform the duties in the CHT at that time. On numerous occasions the army had proposed to dispose off the responsibility of the CHTDB. It was wrong to treat the army separately as it is not an independent organisation, rather a part of the government. Mr. Hasanul Haque Inu also concurred that it was the mistake of the political leadership; they had unnecessarily militarised a political crisis. However, Mr. Sabur opined that in normal democratic settings army may not be held responsible; but in times of martial law which was the case during most part of the conflicting years, army cannot avoid responsibility as their influence in the decision making process was the greatest in such circumstances. Balanced development for all ethnic groups: There is wide gap among the 13 nations/tribes that live in the CHT - some have literacy rate exceeding the average of Bangladesh, while some are yet to be brought to the 'modern' way of life. Mr. Sabur opined that when the Bengali-Tribal conflict is over, these groups will compete with each other to grab the limited resources and this may result in conflict situation due to the grievances generated by the backwardness of some groups. Prof. Moniruzzaman Miah also pointed out that there is the fear of only one or two already advanced communities enjoying the benefits of the Peace Accord depriving the other smaller and backward ethnic groups. So while

10 10 planning for sustainable peace in the CHT, policy makers should bring this division into consideration and emphasise on bringing all the groups to a similar development footing. Removing obstacles to investment and industrialisation: Dr. Masoom of Jahangirnagar University was criticised the provision of not allowing the purchase of land in the CHT without the permission of the Regional Council. For investment and industrialisation, which can form the real basis for development in the CHT where cultivable land is meagre, such a clause is a major obstacle. Any such obstacle towards industrialisation will weaken the foundation of sustainable development in the area. Intervention of the government in development programmes: Prof. Imtiaz opted for the least intervention on the part of the government in the development programs in the CHT. Our previous experience shows that when the government machinery is over involved in the development process, there is the fear of distortions due to the limitations of the governmental structures. Here Mr. Sabur however differed in the context of the CHT as affirmative action is necessary to undo the injustices and to bridge the gap between the Hill people and the Bengalis. As the Bengalis are dominating and the Hill people are lacking in the entrepreneur class, without affirmative action development process will harm the smaller ethnic groups of the CHT. Independent commission to monitor peace: Mr. Hasanul Haque Inu proposed the formation of an independent commission to monitor the implementation of peace accord according to its provisions. It may be composed of parliament members or of researchers, academics and intellectuals. The commission will review the peace building process every two/three months and will act as a supervisory body for the concerned officials - both for the bureaucrats and for the parliamentarians, and even for the ministers. Charismatic leadership: Lt. Col. (retd.) Manish Dewan stated that a charismatic leadership is required to sustain peace in the CHT. He/she may be a Tribal leader or a Bengali political leader, who will unite all the 13 tribes living in the area along with the mainstream Bengalis. Maj. Gen. (retd.) Ibrahim commented that it is not possible to impose charismatic leadership on one, one has to achieve it by rising above the Bengali-Tribal division. But at the same time, that prospective charismatic leader needs to be supported by the concerned parties. Rehabilitation of refugees and IDPs: Secretary of the Ministry of CHT Affairs informed the session that according to the Peace Accord, the Task Force has successfully identified members of 1,28,364 families as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and has sent the proposed plan of action for their rehabilitation to the

11 11 concerned ministry. Some speakers expressed their dissatisfaction over the slow progress in this field, but according to the Secretary, it needs some time as a huge financial involvement is required for the rehabilitation of such a large number of IDPs. Similarly Maj. Gen. (retd.) Ibrahim thought it would bess difficult to rehabilitate the IDPs from the CHT to other parts of Bangladesh as the IDPs are living there for about 20 years and already a second generation is there who were born and brought up there with a lot of emotional attachments. Rather, he suggested that all persons who had lived in the CHT prior to signing of the Peace Accord as the inhabitants of the CHT, and then freezing the number and conducting development initiatives for all of them. Prof. Imtiaz also found it very complex to identify the settlers or the original inhabitants from his appearance or dialect as there have been a lot of inter-marriages and then relatives migrating at later points. He suggested the need for extensive research in this complex area on part of the researchers. Research on the India factor: Mr. Hasanul Haque Inu asked transparency on part of the Indian government as they were involved in this conflict. Prof. Imtiaz pointed out that for sustainable peace in the CHT one must give proper importance to the India factor. He suggested that there should be research or policy studies on the sustainability of peace and development initiatives in the CHT effected by any regime change and similar situations in India. (c) Vision for peaceful coexistence: Healing the scars of conflict -Truth & Reconciliation Commission or White Paper on CHT: Due to past history of tension between the members of armed forces and the hill people, army is not popular among the hill people despite their involvement in many development sectors or in times of natural calamities. Prof. Imtiaz opined that the situation could not be changed overnight. They are still suspicious about a force in which the number of Hill people representation is only a few. Their memories in terms of oppression and atrocities against them are still very fresh. Similarly, there are memories of atrocities conducted by the members of the Shanti Bahini among the Bengalis and the hill people as well. According to Lt. Col. (retd.) Manish Dewan, there is not a single tribal family which has not suffered either by the army or by the Shanti Bahini. This has got a psychological social dimension and the memories, particularly of the victims persist far long and are transmitted from generation to generation. Both Mr. Sabur and Prof. Imtiaz observed that the Peace Accord has been signed, but there was no such effort to mediate these sort of mental agonies or grievances. Prof. Imtiaz suggested a Truth & Reconciliation Commission immediately to remove the psychological barriers of accepting the peace accord caused by past misdeeds. It is not necessary that such a commission has to be initiated by the government, even the civil society can take initiatives to start the process. Maj. Gen. (retd.) Azizur Rahman and Maj. Gen. (retd.) Ibrahim supported the idea of truth and reconciliation and proposed the publication of a white paper to evaluate the activities of both the Bangladesh Army and the Shanti Bahini. Controlling the demographic element:

12 12 Some speakers argued that the provision for the Bengalis to take permission before buying any land in the CHT is unconstitutional. In response Prof. Imtiaz cited the demographic shift in the CHT. In 1974 Bengalis were only 11% of the total CHT population that rose to 38% in 1981 and in 1991 it was 48.5%. This unnatural growth in the demography in the CHT needs to be controlled. Prof. Mesbah pointed out that besides rehabilitating the refugees, the government machinery should immediately stop the patronisation of the Bengali settlers in the CHT. There are many donor agencies who are ready to support and encourage those Bengali settlers who are willing to settle in any other part of the country. This will act as a confidence building measure among the hill people and they will start to believe in the true spirit of the Peace Accord. Mind set in favour of the peace accord: Secretary of the Ministry of CHT Affairs emphasised on adopting a unanimous approach in interpreting the Peace Accord. He opined that the accord has upheld the spirits of sovereignty, democracy and human rights. Though the accord was signed by two contracting parties, the responsibility to implement the accord and ultimately to restore peace in the region lies upon the entire nation - not only the government or the hill people or the Bengalis. It is time that the gains from the peace accord should be sustained, understood, well-comprehended and consolidated. As the entire nation owned the Language Movement or the Liberation War, similar support from the entire nation is required to implement peace in the CHT. There should be a sense of belonging and participation by all the communities concerned to the peace building initiatives in the CHT. Prof. Moniruzzaman Miah proposed the holding of similar dialogues at different levels all over the country to make people understand why peace was a necessity in the CHT and what this accord will bring for the country. There should be attempts to create a national consensus on the issue so that both the hill people and the Bengalis will have the feeling of ownership about the accord. He opined that such steps on discussing about the accord should have taken place before signing the treaty, but it is still not too late. Prof. Mesbah pointed out that political parties should put national interest over local political interests. It is alleged that as PCJSS is going to emerge as a strong political force in the CHT in future elections. Local political interests are becoming a major factor in implementing the provisions of the peace accord. It was suggested that all concerned groups, not only the political parties, but also the military and the bureaucracy should set their minds in believing in the Accord and act accordingly. Mr. Salahuddin pointed out that despite signing the Peace Accord, we have not yet succeeded to disabuse our mind. Tolerance for dissenters: Without dissent democracy can never be meaningful. Both Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed and Mr. Selim Samad proposed more tolerance on part of the government for those who dissent with them. To make the peace building measures credible and meaningful government organs should widen up their vision and allow local or international researchers or academics more freedom. Mr. Samad informed the session that similar to the previous regimes, even after the signing of

13 13 the peace accord government organs did not allow to conduct "peace audit" on the CHT in Bangladesh (which was ultimately done in Kathmandu) or to hold the Regional Conference on Minorities in South Asia. Unless we start believing in what we are doing, peace would remain a far cry for the CHT. Prof. Imtiaz opined that a dialogue would have contributed far more effectively if it had been done 10 years back or even prior to the signing of the Accord. Understanding and integrating the hill people: Dr. Iftikharuzzaman suggested the introduction of topics related to ethnic and minority studies in school curriculum. If we really want to change our mind-set we must inform our next generation about the true identity of the smaller ethnic groups living in the CHT or in any other part of the country. Prof. Imtiaz proposed that Bangla Academy could bring out a thematic dictionary on different languages like Bengali, Chakma, Marma, Tripura etc. Institute of Modern Language of Dhaka University conducts language courses on French, German, Japanese, but not on the languages of people living in the CHT. It is unfortunate that we do not have any idea about the languages of our neighbours living within this same geographical entity. Such a thematic dictionary will go a long way in understanding the hill people and their different life-styles. He also proposed that independent study and research on the languages of the ethnic groups within the structure of the Bangla Academy may be conducted; or renaming the Bangla Academy as Deshio Bhasha Academy or Language Academy. A department on indigenous studies in different universities of the country should be created immediately and the indigenous people can easily take the initiative. Prof. Imtiaz also clarified that the myth that the hill people were against the liberation war of 1971 is not true - the story has other side as well. It was the feudal leaders among the hill people who took decisions defying the overall opinion and general feeling of the tribal groups. Prof. Anwar Hossain (DG of Bangla Academy) informed the session that Bangla Academy is going to publish three volumes on the role of three hill districts in the liberation war of Bangladesh which will help in changing the mind-set about the hill people. Maj. Gen. (retd.) Ibrahim proposed more business and communication with Hill people. This will help them to think more as Bangladeshis and reduce the psychological barriers. Similarly, Prof. Maniruzzaman Mianh commented that the tribal communities needed to be integrated with the process of 'modernity'. Looking beyond extreme Bengali nationalism: Prof. Mesbah stressed on thinking beyond extreme Bengali nationalism. Though the liberation war of 1971 was fought with the spirit of Bengali nationalism, different ethnic groups living within this territory took active part in the war. Research showed that there are about 70 ethnic groups living in Bangladesh, but the constitution formed in 1972 totally ignored their rights and identity as separate ethnic groups and upheld the Bengali hegemonic nationalism. He opined that as Bangladesh is a "multinational state" and the Bengalis are the majority, their responsibility is much more. Unless we bring ourselves out of the extremities of hegemonic nationalism, permanent peace in the CHT would remain unachievable. Mr. Sabur disagreed on terming Bangladesh as a "multinational state" on the basis of numeric.

14 14 Dr. Iftekharuzzaman also agreed that we have a spontaneous Bengali hegemonic tendency amongst us. This needs to be changed so that we can show proper respect to the ethnic groups and create a space for them. He stressed on rethinking the concepts of nationalism, Bengali nationalism in particular, and the components or the founding pillars of the Bengali nationhood. Speakers at the dialogue pointed out several weaknesses of the Peace Accord signed. Still most of them termed the signing of the Peace Accord as historic, the very first right step towards the right direction. It was argued that it has created a golden opportunity before the nation to learn lessons from the past misdeeds and to build sustainable peace in the CHT. The author is a Research Internee, Centre for Alternatives.