CHT polls atmosphere not congenial for hill people

News Age
Different organisations campaigning for rights to national minorities in Chittagong Hill Tracts on Wednesday said the election atmosphere in the CHT is not congenial for the hill people for voting or engaging in election activities. At a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital, they said alongside the obstacles created by the contesting candidates, the state institutions including the security agencies are obstacles against the hill people for electing their supported candidates.
‘Election brings festivity all over Bangladesh, but the festivity is not for the indigenous people in CHT,’ said rights activist Sultana Kamal, co-chair of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission.
‘There is completely different situation in the hill tracts. Life is not easy there for indigenous people as special force control everything there,’ she said.
‘As usual obstacles created by opponent candidates in election, the state institutions including the special force are obstacle against the indigenous people for fair vote,’ she said.
Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission, Chittagong Hill Tracts Citizens’ Committee and Association for Land Reform and Development jointly organised the press conference.
Reading out a written statement, Chittagong Hill Tracts Citizens’ Committee leader Gautam Dewan said, ‘The wind of election everywhere all over the country, but the situation in hill tracts is not congenial for hill people to vote and to engage in election activities without fear and with safety.’
He pointed to the pervasive law and order situation in the hill districts, where he said dozens of hill people were being killed and their women and girls were being raped one after another without any visible actions by the administration and the government.
‘The law and order situation is gravely worrisome in the hill districts and grisly fear among the indigenous people centering election is prevailing,’ he said.
Gautam said the last union council election in CHT witnessed attempt to discourage national minority voters to vote by setting up security check posts of police and army and the voters avoided to turning to polling centres out of fear.
He demanded assurance from the Election Commission and state institutions so that the national minorities can vote freely and they face no repression before or during or after elections.
Jurist Sara Hossain demanded special monitoring and availability of independent election observers in CHT during election.
The organisations placed six-point demands including assurance of free, fair and peaceful elections and stop of regulations that discourage voters to vote, allowing to vote to hill refugees who returned from India and commitment from political parties in election manifestos about implementation of CHT Accord.
Rights activists Khushi Kabir and Shamsul Huda, among others, spoke.