Santu Larma losing faith in implementation of CHT Accord

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord will never be fully implemented, according to the man who led the bloody, decades-long insurgency for years as a battlefield commander, before switching over to heed the call of peace, eventually being the one to sign the accord on behalf of his people. But real peace of the kind they envisioned at the time remains elusive in the hills.

Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, better known as Santu Larma, put his signature on the dotted line as the head of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), the political wing of the insurgency that negotiated the peace deal.

Disappointment writ large on his battle-hardened face, Santu Larma made the remark while addressing the award distribution ceremony of an essay competition on Friday as chief guest.

“It’s been 25 years since the agreement. I personally think this agreement will never be fully implemented. The implementation process has been halted,” he said.

“We must fight to make sure that this agreement is fully implemented. The agreement was signed with the then Awami League government amid turmoil and unrest. This is no ordinary document,” he added.

He urged the Jumma people, a catch-all term for the indigenous minority groups belonging to the hill tracts, to educate themselves in the matter, saying: “This is the certification of Jumma people’s rights. Most of the Jumma people are unaware of this treaty. Everyone needs to know about this.”

Besides, he urged all Jumma people -  including the Chakma, Arakanese (Rakhine), Marma, Tripuri, Tanchangya, Chak, Pankho, Mru, Bawm, Lushai, Khyang, and Khumi - to unite in the struggle to implement the agreement.

Jumma ("jum farmer") is derived from jum cultivation, or the slash-and-burn method used in rain forest and razed hill farming.

Addressing the leaders and activists of the Pahari Chhatra Parishad, Santu Larma also said, “The Jumma people of the hilly regions have been fighting for their rights. The situation that existed prior to the agreement remains unchanged. The Jumma people need to know more about the agreement.”

The program was organized by Pahari Chhatra Parishad, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord.

Convener of the essay competition, Jiko Chakma, President of Pahari Chhatra Parishad Central Committee, Shishir Kumar Chakma, former member of National Human Rights Commission, and renowned human rights activist  Nirupa Dewan, were present among others.

On December 2, 1997, the PCJSS signed the deal with the then Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.

Then Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah signed the agreement on behalf of the government of Bangladesh, while Santu Larma did so on behalf of the PCJSS. The accord has a preamble, four sections, and 72 articles that seek to address all the relevant aspects of the relationship envisioned between the two parties - i.e. the Bengali settlers and the indigenous minorities - in relation to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, an idyllic region comprising three hilly districts (Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari) in southeastern Bangladesh.

The two sides agree that out of the 72 articles in the accord, 48 have been fully implemented. Yet this cannot evade the accusation of the process stagnating, as that number has remained the same (48) for at least six years now, leading to the kind of frustration Santu Larma vented today., reports UNB