The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission yesterday called on the interim government to urgently prioritise six critical reforms in the CHT.
In a press statement, the CHTC emphasised the need for full implementation of the CHT Accord, highlighting key provisions such as recognising the CHT as an Indigenous-inhabited region, establishing mechanisms for resolving land disputes, rehabilitating returnee refugees and internally displaced persons, and demilitarising the area.
The commission urged the government to withdraw “Operation Uttoron” and recommended that all temporary military camps be dismantled without delay, except for the six permanent cantonments and installations of border security forces as outlined in the CHT Accord of 1997.
The CHTC also called for the immediate location and release of missing Jumma activists, including Mayadhan Chakma, and the release of those detained on politically motivated charges.
Additionally, the commission demanded justice for Kalpana Chakma, pressing for action on the unresolved 1996 abduction case of the indigenous activist.
The CHTC further advocated for the retention of the CHT Regulation 1900, which is currently under legal scrutiny.
It also called for unrestricted access for national and international organisations to the region to ensure accountability and transparency.
The statement was signed by Sultana Kamal, Elsa Stamatopoulou, and Myrna Cunningham Kain, co-chairs of the CHT Commission.
