Chakma body to hold a conference on December 2 to press for full implementation of peace accord signed by Bangladesh government

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, November 18, 2025

With help from the government of India the then Bangladesh government headed by Sheikh Hasina as prime minister had signed a peace accord with the leaders of the Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samity (PCJSS), apex tribal political organization, on December 2 1997 to secure repatriation of more than 35 thousand Chakma refugees from six south Tripura district camps. Having spent more than a decade (1986-1997) in the camps the refugees returned home on the basis of the assurances given by the Bangladesh government. But the Bangladesh government has not fully honoured the promises made to the leaders of the PCJSS and the fate of Chakma and nine other groups of tribals in the Chittagong hill-tracts of Bangladesh still hangs in the balance.

“Nothing has really changed as terms of the accord have not been honoured by successive Bangladesh governments ; a hill district has been granted but its power is very limited; no step has been taken to restore tribal land forcibly taken over by government for resettlement of plainland Muslims, even the rehabilitation package has been lying in limbo; invasion of hill-tracts by Muslims from plainland continues to the detriment of tribal interest, still there has been no demilitarisation of the hill-tracts and violent attacks on tribals, rapes and other heinous crimes are committed by the Muslim resettlers with impunity at regular intervals” said Niranjan Chakma, a leader of the community and a former official of the ICA department.

Niranjan who is the president of the newly formed Chakma socio-cultural outfit “Campaign for Humanity Protection” said that his outfit will organize a daylong conference in Agartala Press Club on December 2 to discuss the existential crisis being faced by the Chakma and other tribal communities in the Chittagong Hill-tracts of Bangladesh. The critical issues arising from non-implementation of the accord over the past twenty eight years by the successive Bangladesh governments will also be discussed in the daylong conference on December 2. “Things are back to square one because there is no goodwill on the part of Bangladesh governments dominated by Islamists to implement the accord and recognize the basic human rights of Chakmas and other tribal groups of Chittagong hill-tracts to live with honour and dignity; our discussion on December 2 will focus on these issues and urge upon national and international communities to find a solution so that the tribals of Chittagong hill-tracts can live peacefully with honour and dignity in their traditional homeland for more than two thousand years” said Niranjan.

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