Bangladesh: Hundreds of Jumma houses torched by
settlers – as army and police stand by
Jumma villagers flee the
attack, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh.
© Anonymous At
least 250 houses belonging to Jumma
tribal people, the indigenous inhabitants of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, have been burnt to
the ground by Bengali settlers. An elderly woman, Guna
Mala Chakma, was trapped in her home and burned to
death.
The
arson attack happened on June 2, after the body of Nurul
Islam Nayon, a Bengali motorcycle driver, was found and
local people blamed Jummas for his death.
Eyewitnesses
say that army and police personnel stood by and did
nothing as settlers, protesting against Mr Nayon’s
death, went on the rampage, setting fire to Jumma houses
and shops in three different villages.
The
Bangladesh government has been moving Bengali settlers
onto the lands of the Jumma tribal people for more than
60 years. The Jummas have gone from being practically
the sole inhabitants of the Hill Tracts to now being
outnumbered by settlers.
Tensions
between the communities remain high, and violence
in one area can often trigger revenge attacks
elsewhere.
Settlers
have often been allowed to carry out such attacks with
impunity, with the security forces ignoring pleas for
help from the Jumma community. It has been reported that
on June 4, a peaceful protest against the arson attack
was violently dispersed by the police and army. Soldiers
punched Jumma protestors and beat them with sticks,
after demonstrators had called for the perpetrators of
the arson attack to be brought to justice.
Survival
International is calling for those responsible for the
arson attack, and for the death of Nurul Islam Nayon, to
be brought to justice. It’s also urging the Bangladesh
government to urgently investigate the role of the
security forces during the attack on the villages and
the subsequent peaceful protest.
Read
this online: http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11704
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