“Public representatives are not daring to visit rural areas for the want of security. If the public representatives failed to visit rural areas, how will they engage themselves in development activities of the area? And, neither the development workers nor the contractors including people of diverse professions are being able to do any work without paying extortion,” said Ka Saih La, Chairman of Bandarban Zila Parishad at a press conference.
Parbattya (Hill Tracts) District Council arranged press conference at the district council auditorium on Sunday morning.
Saih La said that the villagers are being forced to pay toll to the terrorists. Failure to paying toll to the terrorists, the villagers are being subjected to torture, abduction, forced disappearances and even murder. Due to such activities of the terrorists, rural people are turning unemployed and jobless.
In accordance to the allegations of the rural people, Ka Saih La in a written statement further said, there are several terrorists groups in the hills namely JSS, Mog Party, JSS Sansker, UPDF Democrary.
Members of those outlawed groups were realising Taka 10,000 to 20,000 toll from each family and Taka 500,000 to 1,000,000 from each village in the broad day light. He questioned whether it was possible to term the area' Potential' with the free movement and activities of the terrorists? The chairman further disclosed to the journalists that the air of confrontation and violence was once again blowing at the tranquil hills due to the conspiracy of the local and the foreign vested quarters. The implementation of the Peace Accord at the hills is being thwarted due to competition in expansion of supremacy, internal feuds and divisions among the regional parties at the hills which was leading to make this region to unstable once again. He further said, the devoted leaders and innocent people of the region are being assassinated.
Ajit Das, Ward Councillor-2 of Banderban said, extortion is in practice at the hills, people are dying, children of the victim families are turning orphans. Administration is fully aware of those but due to not exterminating those with strong hand, the development efforts of the government are being hindered. Even the innocent rural people are being forced to pay toll to the terrorists by selling their fruits, trees and cattle heads. Pai La Aung Marma, President of Sadar Upazila Awami League informed in the press conference that the Peace Accord at the hill tract was signed to end the year long violence. But, after signing the accord, the signatory parties at the hills have been divided in several parties and groups to engage themselves in extortion.
Ka Aung Pru, Chairman of Rajbila Union of Banderban sadar upazila informed, several incidents of murders occurred in the hills centering expansion of supremacy but due to setting up an army camp at the troubled spot, peace is prevailing in the area. Meanwhile, on October-17 last year, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in a special discussion session on law and order situation of three Hill tracts districts had assured the people of Chittagong Hill Tracts that no one would remain in panic of murder and extortion in CHT further. Still, there was no sign of abatement of extortion at the hills. Villagers of the hill districts informed, the armed groups at the hills were still engaged in extortion.