স্মারকলিপি: ১১ সেপ্টেম্বর ২০১৮: পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রামে সংঘটিত নারী ও শিশু নির্যাতন, ধর্ষণ ও ধর্ষণের পর হত্যার ঘটনায় জড়িতদের বিরুদ্ধে দ্রুত ব্যবস্থা গ্রহণের জন্য মহিলা ও শিশু বিষয়ক মন্ত্রণালয়ের মাননীয় প্রতিমন্ত্রীর প্রতি পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের আহবান।, স্মারকলিপি: ১১ সেপ্টেম্বর ২০১৮: পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রামে আইনশৃঙ্খলা পরিস্থিতির চরম অবনতিতে পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের গভীর উদ্বেগ প্রকাশ। এ সংঘাতময় পরিস্থিতি থেকে উত্তরণের জন্য দ্রুত ব্যবস্থা গ্রহণের আহবান জানিয়ে মাননীয় স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রীর প্রতি পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের আহবান।, স্মারকলিপি: ১১ সেপ্টেম্বর ২০১৮: পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রামের বর্তমান সংঘাতময় পরিস্থিতি থেকে উত্তরণের জন্য দ্রুত শান্তির উদ্যোগ গ্রহণের আহবান জানিয়ে পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম বিষয়ক মন্ত্রণালয়ের মাননীয় প্রতিমন্ত্রীর প্রতি পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের আহবান।, স্মারকলিপি: ১১ সেপ্টেম্বর ২০১৮: বান্দরবানের লামায় তিন বিজিবি সদস্যের বিরুদ্ধে দুই ত্রিপুরা কিশোরীকে ধর্ষণের অভিযোগ নিরপেক্ষ তদন্তের মাধ্যমে দোষীদের বিরুদ্ধে যথাযথ ব্যবস্থা গ্রহণের জন্য বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশ এর মহাপরিচালকের প্রতি পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের আহবান।, বিবৃতি: ১৯ আগস্ট ২০১৮: খাগড়াছড়িতে জনতার ওপর গুলিবর্ষণে পথচারীসহ ৬ জন নিহত হওয়ার ঘটনায় পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের তীব্র নিন্দা ও ক্ষোভ। অবিলম্বে জড়িতদের গ্রেপ্তার ও বিচারের দাবি।, একাদশ জাতীয় সংসদ নির্বাচনকে কেন্দ্র করে পার্বত্য তিন জেলায় বিরোধী ও স্বতন্ত্র প্রার্থীদের ওপর হামলা-মামলার ঘটনায় পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম কমিশনের গভীর উদ্বেগ প্রকাশ।. On the way to the falls, Habib stops to let me visit the restored 1873 Gotammuni Temple with its nearby gilded stupa and bust of Bhuvan Mohan Roy, a late raja or monarch of the Chakma tribe. It was in the 16th century that tribal people first fled repression in Arakan, a region that now forms Rakhine state in Myanmar, and settled in the Hill Tracts. In the years ensuing the 1971 Bangladesh independence war, Bengalis migrated en masse into the Hill Tracts where they settled and took possession of land. Such an irresponsible and uncivilized society offers grounds for rapists to thrive.

Not many foreigners visit this part of Bangladesh – according to Yasin most hail from neighbouring India, and it seems I’m currently the only westerner staying at the hotel, or maybe even in Rangamati proper. Allow for at least a week before your planned visit and note that permission is not always guaranteed.

Bangladesh has a long history of political violence. The rapists hail from diverse groups — from relatives, teachers, religious leaders, law enforcers, political leaders and activists to petty and hardened criminals. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, covering three hilly, forested districts, is a restive, heavily militarized region infamous for sectarian violence between ethnic communities and Bengali Muslim settlers. Bangladesh reflects those statistics. The last time I needed separate travel documents within a country was a couple of years ago when trekking in the Wakhan Valley on the border of Tajikistan with Afghanistan. The next day, leaving the Hill Tracts, my bus is stopped by the military to check my papers and I’m embarrassed about having to keep everyone waiting.

Clouds of dust enter through the windows which remain open for lack of air-conditioning, and plastic bags are handed out – too late for some as one passenger vomits over the bare feet of his neighbour who is clearly taking life quite stoically. With Kaptai Lake always somewhere in sight and rivers that cut deep into jungle, it feels like Bangladesh truly is a country of water, even in its highlands. A week before, nine Bengali men broke into a house of an ethnic Chakma family and brutally raped a mentally challenged girl after tying her parents with ropes in Khagrachhari district of Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeast Bangladesh. Even after the gang rape their alleged godfathers tried to settle the issue, but it was already beyond their control. Nearly half of the Adivasi people are from the Chakma tribe, while other major tribes include the Tripuri and the Marma. Please inform yourself of the latest situation before you go. Its plaque with barely visible, weather-battered letters reads proudly in both Bengali and English, “‘FATEH KHAN’. The humble establishment not only offers unparalleled views but also the most delicious of Adivasi cuisine – my belated lunch of rui river fish, fried bamboo, dhal and rice is polished off in no time. I reckon the authorities expect travellers to visit the usual highlights which include the Shuvalong Falls and a low suspension bridge creatively called ‘Hanging Bridge’. After Partition the Hill Tracts were awarded to East Pakistan who constructed a large hydroelectric dam resulting in the displacement of some 100,000 indigenous people without proper compensation. The Women and Child Repression (Prevention) Act 2000 introduced minimal protection such as not disclosing a victim’s identity as well as closed-door and immediate examination of rape victims, but it does little to address the root causes of rape. Chittagong Hill Tracts High Court Hearing on CHT Regulation, Chittagong Hill Tracts: WS on the Case of the Jumma Peoples, Chittagong Hill Tracts: The Peace Campaign Group - Meeting on Bangladesh, Chittagong Hill Tracts Issue and Post-Accord Situation, Chittagong Hill Tracts: Cruel Games with Peoples Human Rights, More Chittagong Hill Tracts publications », BANGLADESH: Opposition party officials tortured. Let the adventure begin. Loves trying out local brews, avoids noise. With its use of concrete, covered balconies and indirect sunlight that reminds me of Cambodia’s Khmer New Architecture, the 1978 building in itself is unusual. Bangladesh is a nominally moderate Muslim country with a largely conservative and patriarchal social system where sex is considered taboo and off limits for public discussion or education. Sexual violence is a global plague.

Soon, I show my passport and special permit at a military checkpoint where phone calls are made before I’m let through. Since the Bangladesh government suppressed an insurgency by indigenous rebels in the 1990s, hostilities periodically erupt and foreign visitors need special permission to enter. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come. It’s sprinkled with islands of all sizes, home to tribal villages and wild nature. Alternatively, and easier to do, is to apply via a local, established tour operator such as Nijhoom Tours. While he searches for a CNG driver, I go and check out the local museum. Tourism infrastructure is minimal and more importantly, travel is restricted. This illogical and unrealistic victim shaming leads to social ostracism and suicides of victims. The scourge of sexual violence Sexual violence is … In Pakistan, a rape occurs every hour and a gang rape every two hours, according to Human Rights Watch.

In Bangladesh, women and girls of all ages, from children to elderly, have been not been spared from sexual violence. Visitors must apply using a listed local operator and need to make sure that a local guide will be with him/her during the visit.

Shortlisted AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2018. I don’t know how you managed your permit, but it is not provided from the Divisional Commissioner’s Office in Chittagong any more, rather issued directly from the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the respected districts. For similar reasons, many victims don’t go to police to register a case as they are anxious to avoid intrusive police quizzing. Some believe that the death penalty and even extrajudicial killings would be strong deterrents against rape, but they would not be effective. This time an officer in an impeccable white uniform joins us inside the rickshaw to escort me. The arrival of a boat filled with local, selfie-snapping visitors from Dhaka and elsewhere confirms this is a popular tourist attraction. 24 October 2018: Press Statement: The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission expresses deep concern and condemns the destruction of the Buddha statue in Khagrachhari. These thriving Buddhist communities, the different physiognomy of the Adivasi people, their colourful tribal dress and the dramatically different landscape all make me feel as if I’ve wandered across the border into Myanmar.

And We provide on time transportation services for the entire Bangladesh specially Dhaka City. “I’d like to start a little shop but I don’t have enough savings,” Yasin tells me when I ask him about the future.

The area of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is about 13,184 sq km, which is approximately one-tenth of the total area of Bangladesh. When I ask Yasin whether it’s worth a visit he shrugs and says, “it’s a bridge.”.

A short walk down a dirt path I find an old canon pointed towards Rangamati. Thus, a rape is not a disgrace for the victim but a damning shame for the society. and Chatteswari Rd. A lone man is killing time smoking a large hilltribe pipe while his boat is slowly pulling a huge raft of freshly-cut bamboo. From the multi-coloured decorations at the nearby monastery it looks as if festivities have recently taken place. Once again we’re late for lunch and Kader, who doesn’t speak any English, gestures he knows a place. A faded picture of the latter hangs framed on a wall in the hotel and looks spectacularly unimpressive. Johan Smits visits Rangamati Bangladesh in the travel-restricted Chittagong Hill Tracts – the country’s highlands and home of the Jumma people. Hankering for some peace and quiet, I cut short my late morning walk through town and head towards what I came for – Bangladesh’s largest artificial lake called Kaptai. We drive through a vast military complex with sporting grounds and entertainment facilities, all spotless and set amongst lush gardens manicured with army discipline.

UNPO/TFD Conference Report: Prospects for Minority and Indigenous Rights in South East Asia Towards Regional Cooperation?

thanks for updating the information about how to obtain a permit. Parents in rural areas often hush up the rape of their daughters, fearing that reporting it would end her chances of a good marriage for losing her “topmost honor.”.