Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Research in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Issues In Promoting Peace and Harmony Among the Indigenous Communities of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh
Venerable Dishon Chakma
ABSTRACT:
Chittagong Hill Tracts is one of the largest divisions in Bangladesh rich with natural and cultural resources, which is also an inhabitant of majority minority groups i.e., Chakma, Marma, Tanchangya, are said to have migrated from India and Mongolia few centuries ago. Most of the indigenous groups are followers of Buddhism having their own Buddhist identities. But in modern days the life of these tribes is at stake and they are struggling to survive and safeguard themselves from an increasing threats and attacks from radicalized Muslim groups. There are frequent records of genocides, land-grabbing, raping and sexual abuses on indigenous women. Most of these occasional attacks are being carried out by the illegal settlers who had settled to Hill Tracts illegally after snatching lands from indigenous people by force. In order to alleviate all these issues, the Jano Samhati Samiti (JSS) a party representing the inhabitants of Chittagong Hill Tracts, had signed a peace accord in 1997 with the Govt. of Bangladesh with an objective to elevate political, social, cultural, educational and financial rights and to expedite socio-economic development process of all citizens in CHT. Somehow, fully implementation and recognition of the rights of CHT has been a political conspiracy today.
keywords: Indigenous-community, CHT Peace-accord, violence, human-rights