Recent massacre in Sajek CHT, Bangladesh

Sajek news latest : a team of journalist,monk, peoples representative
went to sajek today(21february, 2010) at noon. One of them told that 'after seeing the vast area that is  burning
till now my heart is burning. Some victims in hajachara  in Sajek are in empty
stomach , now eating burnt green banana and like these. Victims screaming 
and saying what would happen of us? In previous attack the pagoda were
shelter ground now that pagoda also went to ashes. The attack occurred
by Army, the settlers only help them.  In Sajek arround 4/5-10 kilo of the two
side of the road of house burnt.

at 17.02GMT

I have made a speach with District Commissioner( DC) Md. Abdullah of
khagrachari at 5.02pm by mobile. He told the incident is clash between
pahari-bangali( he tried to portrait it as communal clash). I
opposed and told that mainly army is behind the attack. I phoned him to
tell about an incident that occurred about a few minutes ago in Zero
mile area of Khagrachari.  The PCP-DYF activist went to fly black flag
protesting Sajek attack in that area. At that time the Army Capt. Tarek threatened them and
instigated and made them fear saying them terrorist and threetening them tto arrest. I inform to DC.But  got
angry when DC  told about the clash  as pahari-bangali problem.

 As long as the
administration remain bias

As long as the administration remain bias and portrait the attack like
DC of khagrachari, the attack, killing, land grabbing,atrocities would
happen.

We urge all one to be conscious about CHT and give pressure on Government employee so that they remain unbias.

Mithun Chakma
“The situation is terrible”: Ricoh Chakma

chtnews.com
News No. 38/2010, February 21, 2010

Rioch Chakma, ex-president of Hill Students Council, has described the
present situation in Sajek as terrible.

He made this comment during an interview with chtnews.com after
visiting the area along with a group of Buddhist monks today.

The following is what he has to say:

About one hundred Jumma people gathered in Gangaram when we reached
there. We saw fire is still smoldering and smokes billowing. The trace
of brutality is everywhere. But the houses of the settlers are
completely unscathed.

Only one or two huts they had built in Gangaram on Jumma’s land have
been burnt; but the Jummas allege that the settlers themselves set
fire to them to make the whole incident look like a “Pahari-Bangalee
clash”.

Even the jungles have been burnt to ashes. People said at least three
hundred houses including three Buddhist temples and one church have
been completely burnt down.

The villagers are without food, clothes and drinking water. They need
these necessities on an urgent basis.

They are trying to survive on bananas burnt. Many said they did not
eat anything since the attack.

They said 10 – 12 are still missing in Guchchagram and a few more from
Gangaram shooting. No body knows exactly how many have been killed.

The people saw the settlers carrying away four dead bodies today. I
saw two dead bodies my self – that of Laxmipudi Chakma and Laxmi Bijoy
Chakma.

In Bongoltoli, where some of the victims have taken shelter, about
seven hundred people gathered when we reached there.

The victims handed over the dead body of Laxmi Bijoy to Dipankar
Talukder MP, who also visited the spot today.

His dead body was recovered today from a jungle near Guchchagram. A
bullet pierced his abdomen making a hole.

As we were coming back, some people told us that the army were chasing
Jumma villagers in Guchchagram. This happened at about 3:30pm.

We also heard that the UNO of Baghaichari had faced public anger at
Hajachara. The angry mob smashed the windowpane of his vehicle. This
took place at about 2:30pm.

The real picture is yet to emerge.
..............................
chtnews.com is an independent and voluntary online news service
dedicated to projecting and analyzing the current events in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts from the perspective of the Jumma people's
struggle for the right to self-determination. For further information
please contact at: chtnewsonline@gmail.com