October20,2013 TheHonourablePrimeMinister,SheikhHasina GovernmentofthePeoplesRepublicofBangladesh PrimeMinistersOffice Tejgaon,Dhaka. Subject:AcalltopasstheCHTLandDisputeResolutionCommission(Amendment)Act2013. HonourablePrimeMinister, GreetingsfromtheInternationalChittagongHillTractsCommission(CHTC).

TC). The CHTC calls upon the Government to pass the Bill on the amendment of the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act 2001 during the ongoing nineteenth session of the 9th national Parliament which ends on October 24, 2013. We particularly call upon you to ensure thatallthirteenpointsproposedbytheChittagongHillTractsRegionalCouncilandtheMinistry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs which were approved by the CHT Accord Implementation Committeeandadoptedbytheinterministerialcommitteearefullyandaccuratelyincludedin the Bill. As you are aware, the proposals were approved by the Cabinet on June 3, 2013 and placedintheHouseonJune16,2013. With the upcoming national general elections, the passing of this Act with the inclusion of all thirteen amendments will be an example of your Governments fulfilling a pledge made to the people during the 2008 election. It will also facilitate implementation of the 1997 CHT Accord signed under your leadership. Kindly recall that the Awami League in its Election Manifesto of 2008hadexpresslycommittedtoimplementingtheAccordinfull. WefurthercalluponyourGovernmenttotakespecificmeasurestoappointacapable,credible and impartial Chairperson of the CHT Land Commission acceptable to all stakeholders so that the Commission can begin the important task of resolving land disputes in the CHT, which is crucialtotheimplementationoftheAccord. The CHTC is deeply concerned that whilst the Land Commission remains nonfunctioning, conflicts related to landgrabbing continue to take place in the CHT. To give only a few recent examples: Homes of indigenous peoples in Taindong union, Matiranga upazila of Khagrachhari districtwereattackedonAugust3,2013duringwhich30homesofindigenouspeoples were burnt down in an attempt to grab their lands with alleged tacit support of a section of the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) who were present in that area during theattacks;

A BGB battalion headqua arter is alleg gedly being set s up on 30 0 acres of la ands in Dighinala upazila of Khagrachchari district, which will caus se theevictio on of50 ind digenous fam milies n Dighinala. This, as you u are aware, is against the 1997 CHT T Accord that committe ed to in dismantling of o all tempo orary militar ry camps, and a banned the setting up of any new amps for th he security forces f witho out the proper authorization of th he CHT Regional ca Council. r that t Mro familie es from Lam ma upazila of Bandarban n are CHTC has also received reports abbedbyset ttlers. beingintimidatedandtheirlandsgra

nd other allegations of o land grab bbing of indigenous peoples lands can only y be These an addresse ed once the Land Comm mission starts s functioning g fully and e effectively.We W therefore e call upon you ur Government to suppo ort the pass sage of the amended a bill as law with hout any fur rther delay. We W reiterate that t all the thirteen poi ints propose ed by CHT Regional R Cou uncil and already approved dbytheGov vernmentattheappropriatelevelsmust m beinco orporatedin ntotheamen nded law. Failure to do so s will leave the credibility of you ur Governm ments comm mitment to fully oquestion. implementthe1997Accordinto lfoftheCHT TCommissio on Onbehal

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CCto:(Notinorderofprecedence) 1. Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, MP, Honorable Deputy Leader of the House & Chairperson, National Committee for Implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord. 2. Dr.DipuMoni,MP,HonourableMinister,MinistryofForeignAffairs,Governmentof thePeoplesRepublicofBangladesh,Dhaka. 3. Barrister Shafique Ahmed, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Law, Justice and ParliamentaryAffairs,GovernmentofthePeoplesRepublicofBangladesh,Dhaka. 4. Mr. Rezaul Karim Hira, MP, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Land, Government of thePeoplesRepublicofBangladesh,Dhaka. 5. Mr. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, Honourable Chairman, CHT Regional Council, Rangamati. 6. Mr. Dipankar Talukdar MP, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of CHT Affairs, GovernmentofthePeoplesRepublicofBangladesh,Dhaka. 7. Mohammad Shah Alam, MP and Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee, MinistryofCHTAffairs,GovernmentofthePeoplesRepublicofBangladesh,Dhaka. 8. Mr. Jatindra Lal Tripura, MP and Chairman, CHT Task Force on Returnee Refugees and Internally Displaced People, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh,Khagrachari. 9. Mr. Bir Bahadur, MP and Chairman, CHT Development Board, Government of the PeoplesRepublicofBangladesh,Rangamati. 10. MizanurRahman,ChairmanofNationalHumanRightsCommission(NHRC).