CCD Activities:

Stopping Threat to the Indigenous During Election Demanded

Gaibandha, November 25:

Speakers demanded the caretaker government to take necessary initiative for stopping threat and harassment to be imposed upon the indigenous people of the northern region during the national election in the country.
It was demanded in the dialogue on Role of Journalists in Raising Indigenous People’s Voice held at the Gaibandha Public Library Auditorium on Saturday. With the support of WACC, mass communication oriented development organization CCD Bangladesh organized this dialogue. Speakers also said, different political parties offer various attractive allurements and sometimes threat to bag votes of the indigenous people for their candidates during election. As a result they cannot cast their votes freely with their own choice in the election.
Indigenous leaders with much anguish said, in the coming national election a number of indigenous candidates will vie for Member of Parliament in the northern region. Therefore, they demanded special security to the caretaker government for the indigenous people, so that no one can threaten or allure them during the national election.
The problems and potential of the indigenous people living in Gaibandha in respect to their economy, education, culture, politics and environment and the role of journalists to uphold these issues were chalked out in the dialogue.
Assistant Professor of Mass Communication Department of Rajshahi University Dulal Chandra Biswas facilitated the dialogue. Director of CCD Bangladesh G M Mourtoza, District Coordinator in Gaibandha Gobindo Lal Das, Networking Officer Abu Hena, Training Officer Swaran Sarker, Advocacy Officer Salah Uddin Ahmed Murad and representatives of local and national newspapers and delegates from indigenous communities and NGOs working for the welfare of the indigenous people actively took part in the dialogue.
News Article:

UPDF for new constitution: Says existing one fails to recognise ethnic minorities

Published in the Daily New Age, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 27 November:

By Staff Correspondent: The United People’s Democratic Front on Sunday said the existing constitution and governance system would not help resolve crises facing the people.
‘The constitution fails to give any solution to the political crisis. Many of the articles and sections of the discriminatory constitution are anti-people, and laws based on it often appear to be repressive and unjust,’ said the party chief, Prasit Bikash Khisha, at the first-ever congress since the party was launched in 1998.
‘This constitution neither ensures the rights of general people nor does it accept the existence of ethnic minorities,’ he said, adding formulation of a constitution that safeguards the interests and rights of all people of the country irrespective of class, profession, ethnicity, religion, colour and community has become a prime need.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts-based political outfit, which rejected the 1996 peace treaty, began its national congress Sunday at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
President of Jatiya Mukti Council, Badruddin Umar, scientist Jamal Nazrul Islam, language movement veteran Abdul Matin, Jatiya Gana Front coordinator Tipu Bishwas, anti-imperialist democratic unity president Shamsul Huq Sayem and Ganasanghati Andolan coordinator Jonayed Saki also spoke at the inaugural session. Journalist Faiz Ahmed and economist Anu Muhammad sent solidarity messages.
The inaugural session was followed by a procession that paraded different roads in Dhaka in the afternoon.
The congress is expected to elect a full-fledged executive committee, review the organisational activities and policy issues, and discuss the hill people’s interests in the upcoming general elections and their ideological stance on autonomy of the CHT.
Over 200 councillors will attend the closed-door session on Monday. About 1,200 representatives and observers from different ethnic minorities of the hills and plain land are also participating in the congress.
The congress will approve the constitution of the party, formulate its policy and programmes, and finalise its demands. Issues of participation in the next general elections and nomination of the candidates will also be discussed, party sources said.
[Source: http://www.newagebd.com/2006/nov/27/nat.html]

5,000 indigenous people receive medical treatment

Published in the Daily Independent, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 25th November:

By Rangamati Correspondent: The Army of Kaptai region arranged three free medical camps in the three upazilas of Bilaichhari, Kaptai and Zurachhari.
The medical camp was arranged at Bilaichhari on November 14, at Kaptai on November 18 and at Zurachhari on November 20.
A team of six army doctors led by Major Dr. Golam Kibria rendered free medical treatment to 5,000 ingenious poor people.
The indigenous people suffering from various diseases from remote areas gathered at the three camps and the physicians after diagnosing them gave medicines.
Kaptai Army region Commander Brigadier General Md. Badrul Billat Bhuiya PSC visited the three camps, talked to the patients and assured them of giving treatment.
The civil administration officials and the local elite were present on the occasion.
The correspondent during visit to the three medial camps found the patients happy as they had never got such medical treatment before.
The Kaptai Army Commander said that such kind of medical camps would be arranged occasionally to give modern medical facilities to the poor patients who can not afford to visit the hospital in the district headquarters.
He said that the army had a plan of arranging an eye camp at Kaptai in the first week of February, 2007, where only the ophthalmic patients would be treated and would undergo surgical
operation. Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex would extend its cooperation in this regard.
Leader of Belaichhari Upazila Jano Sanghati Samity (JSS) Shuvo Mongal Chakma expressed his gratitude to the Kaptai Army for their humanitarian services.
He mentioned that the government besides giving medical service could have changed the economic condition of the people of the three hill districts had it re-excavated a man made canal between two hills and undertaken pragmatic measures for the crop cultivation.
The local tribal headmen appreciating the initiatives by the army for the medical service for the indigenous people urged the army to continue such kind of humanitarian activities.
It is to be noted that the army taking the miserable health conditions of the indigenous people arranged the free medical camps.
[Source: http://www.theindependent-bd.com/archive.details.php?nd=2006-11-25&nid=19284]