Integrate indigenous people into mainstream

Mangal Kumar Chakma speaks at a roundtable at the Cirdap auditorium in the city yesterday. On his left are Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Larma alias Shantu Larma and Walliur Rehman. PHOTO: STAR

Continuous repression on and eviction of ethnic people from their land have left them marginalised, they said, adding that no governments took steps to protect them, their language and culture.

They also called for integrating the indigenous people into the mainstream society.

Bangladesh Adivasi Odhikar Andolan and ActionAid Bangladesh jointly organised the roundtable titled 'International decade of the world's indigenous people's attainments and expectations' at Cirdap auditorium in the city.

Speaking as the chief guest, Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Larma alias Shantu Larma said torture, repression and communal violence has put the existence of country's 20 lakh indigenous people at risk.

The rights of ethnic people would not be established until a progressive, democratic and secular government is installed in the country, said Shantu Larma, also president of PCJSS.

He also called for ensuring participation of indigenous people in the development activities of the government.

Bangladesh Bar Council Vice-Chairman Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud said, "The culture of indigenous people is part of our culture and we must protect it."

They not only are deprived of their rights to land, but also face discrimination in employment, he said, adding that indigenous people are hardly found in government services and private organisations.

He called for enactment of a law protecting their land and culture.

Mesbah Kamal, convenor of Bangladesh Adivasi Odhikar Andolan, said the International Indigenous People's Day has been observed across the world since 1995, but the Bangladesh government did not observe the day officially.

Presenting a keynote paper in the first session, Mangal Kumar Chakma, information and publicity secretary of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), said the first international indigenous people's decade, declared by the United Nations, ended on December 31, 2004, while the second decade began in 2005.

Secretary of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum Sanjib Drong presented another keynote paper in the second session. He called for changing the attitude towards indigenous people, and urged the media to play an important role in this regard.

Walliur Rehman, director of Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA), Numan Ahmed Khan, executive director of Institute for Environment and Development (IED), Prof Dr Niaz Zaman of Dhaka University, Barrister Sadia Arman, and Shoaib Siddique of ActionAid Bangladesh, also spoke.

Executive Editor of the daily Sangbad Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul and TI M Zahid Hossain of ActionAid Bangladesh moderated the sessions.