“Many ethnic communities of Bangladesh are
constitutionally and statistically invisible”
—Says Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman at a seminar

Guests at the seminar (sitting from left) Prof. Rafiqul Islam, Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Leonard Zilstra, and Philippe JACQUES. Photo. Md. Saydur Rahman

Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) said that many of the ethnic communities of Bangladesh are invisible, both constitutionally and statistically. “This invisibility must be dispelled so that they can raise their voices and claim their rights,” he suggested in a day-long inception seminar on “Mapping and capacity building of tea workers and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” organized by The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) in Dhaka on 8 September 2013.

Information and insights about the condition of the tea plantation workers in ‘tied’ situation and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh were shared at the seminar.

Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman was present at the event as the chief guest. Chaired by Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, chairman of SEHD, the special guests and commentators were Philippe JACQUES, the head of cooperation, European Union Delegation to Bangladesh; Prof. Rafiqul Islam, professor emeritus, ULAB; Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC); and Leonard Zilstra, country representative, ICCO Cooperation, Bangladesh Office.

In his chief guest’s speech Justice Habibur Rahman said, “There are a good number of communities in Bangladesh who do not call themselves Bangalis; without knowing them, we cannot develop their communities. And without their development, Bangladesh cannot be developed.” He applauded SEHD’s initiative to make these ethnic communities known to the majority people.

Representatives of more than 40 ethnic communities pictured at the seminar. Photo. Philip Gain

Philippe JACQUES appreciated the initiative saying, “The project has an exciting approach as it combines action research and capacity building. All of us are going to learn a lot during the implementation.” He hoped that the living conditions of these deprived communities would become more humane as a result of this initiative.

In his welcome speech Philip Gain, general secretary of SEHD, said that a tea worker in neighboring Sri Lanka gets Rs 550 per day while their Bangladeshi counterparts receive only BDT 69. Three years back, the daily wage was a meager 32.50 BDT. He also described the miseries of little known-ethnic communities of Bangladesh as people of more than 50 communities are deprived of education and access to land. “To protect the rights, fundamental freedom and political representation, we have to raise consciousness of all,” he added.

Representatives from some 45 communities among others including academics, researchers, development activists and journalists participated in the seminar to share their reflections on how to develop useful tools for study and capacity building of communities and their organizations.

The tea plantation workers and their communities in “tied” situation in the labor lines of the tea gardens are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups of people of Bangladesh. Descendants of the indentured plantation labor force and isolated from the majority community they remain largely unrepresented in democratic and political processes. Among the ethnic communities living in the plains and even some in the CHT there are as many as 60 groups that are little-known or invisible to the majority community and also to the outside world. Capability deprivation of these communities makes their sufferings and the structural abuses generational.

A pattiwali (tealeaf picker). Photo. Philip Gain

“Mapping and capacity building of tea plantation workers and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” is a 3 years project supported by the European Union and ICCO Cooperation (Netherlands) that has started in May 2013 to clearly identity the tea workers and the little-known ethnic communities, raise their issues, and build their capacity.

http://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/?p=13577

“The government should not take any decision in haste allowing open-pit coal mining at Phulbari in Dinajpur. It should take decision on the issue only after due consideration of different aspects involved and in consultation with national and international experts,” urged Justice Habibur Rahman at the book launch and seminar organized by Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) at the National Press Club in Dhaka on 26 June 2013.

The two SEHD books launched are: “The Chittagong Hill Tracts: Man-Nature Nexus Torn” and “Energy Challenges and Phulbari Crisis,” edited by Philip Gain. Justice Habibur Rahman graced the event as the chief guest. Chaired by Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, chairman of SEHD, the special guests and commentators on the books were Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Raja Devasish Roy, Prof. Anu Muhammad, Goutam Kumar Chakma, Prof. Amena Mohsin, and Principal Khurshid Alam Moti.

“Human beings, in action to control nature, bring only misery. We all should, therefore, be caring about nurturing nature,” said Justice Habibur Rahman in reference to severe deforestation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. “Development should not take place in political or other interests. Common man should always be thought of in development efforts.”

On SEHD’s two books that have resulted from its years of investigations Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) said, “Both books have a common thread and that is to raise voice of the local people in order to strengthen democracy. SEHD’s investigative reports play an important role for inclusion of local people’s voices and judgment in development philosophy.”

“We are in dire need of energy resources, but it is not understandable why the government needs to develop energy contracts in secret. The government must consult all concerned in framing energy policy,” added Dr. Hossain. “The rulers, since the British era, have created problems for the CHT people as the latter’s views have always been neglected in the development discourse.”

Prof. Anu Muhammad, a front line leader in the resistance movement against open-cut mining in Bangladesh said, “The two books question the contemporary development philosophy at the core of which is privatization and profit.”

“If development is not sustainable, then how is it called real development?” questioned Muhammad. Militarization in the CHT for four decades, the resulting violence and high cost involved in it are rooted in the Kaptai Hydroelectricity Project intended for generation of electricity. Prof. Anu Muhammad asserted, “Huge sum of state money spent to handle violence in the CHT was sufficient to generate several thousands megawatt of electricity. The Kaptai Hydroelectricity Project fails to fulfill the targeted generation of 250 megawatt electricity today.”

Muhammad also informed that the government is setting electricity production plant near the Sundarbans, the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Such plant [in Rampal, a coastal area in Bagerhat district] poses a serious threat to the Sundarbans. The idea of development is taking place without taking into account the man-nature nexus and sustainability. “In Phulbari, the company sees only coal; it does not see the people, agricultural land, and other resources. The government also does not see the people when it looks through the company’s eyes,” observed Muhammad.

Raja Devashish Roy, Chakma circle chief referred to the dislocation of a large percentage of the CHT people due to the Kaptai dam and the artificial lake it created. “The local communities lose their traditions and livelihood due to implementation of such project and monetary compensation can never give back what they have lost. The open-cut coalmine would bring the same fate to the local people in Phulbari,” said Devasish. He mentioned the recent story of land taken away from the Chaks and said, “Many adivasi communities are insecure in the CHT. Many of them have fled to Myanmar.” He held progressive loss of common land responsible for invasion of tobacco in the CHT. He asserted that the paharis (hill people) who have lost their jum land lean to the tobacco companies. He thanked the publisher of the book, SEHD, for addressing different issues of the CHT.

Principal Kurshid Alam Moti, convener of Phulbair Rakkha Committee said, “We never said that we do not want coal mined. But we are against open-cut mining. We were not opposed to Barapukuria coalmine. In future, if method(s) to mine coal without damaging people’s life and environment are introduced, we will definitely support the government.”

In his welcome address, Philip Gain, the editor, gave an overview of the contents of the books. The book, “The Chittagong Hill Tracts: Man-Nature Nexus Torn”, basically a state of the CHT environment, deals with geography and environment, forests, official and illegal logging, plantation [economy], environmental impacts of development projects [Karnaphuli Paper Mill and Kaptai Hydroelectricity in particular] land grabbing, serfdom in the colonial reserves, pillage of the reserved forests (special attention to Reingkhyong, Kassalong, Sangu, and Matamuhuri reserved forests), village common forestry (VCF), bamboo [with an attention to its flowering and rat flood], traditional use of medicinal plants, wildlife [animals and birds] and their threats, brick-burning, invasion of tobacco, timber and furniture trade, water, stone mining, houses, traditional foods of the indigenous peoples, and impacts of militarization. The other book, “Energy Challenges and Phulbari Crisis” compiles expert analysis of energy status and energy efficiency potentials in Bangladesh; revolutionary scope of renewable energy; reports, analyses, images, analogy of resistance movement against Phulbari Coalmine; and critique of Asia Energy’s Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Phulbari coalmine project.

http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/phulbari-and-broader-issues/
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/losing-nature-confronting-reality/

A weeklong photography exhibition and a book launch event took place at Bandarban Shishu Academy.  The exhibition titled “Ambushed by Greed: the Chak Story” housed photographs that focused on Chak tradition, culture, and the environment they live in. Many of the photographs on display also portrayed the plight this small community is going through.

Launch of the book, “The Chaks: Life on the Fringe” published by SEHD was piggybacked with the launch of the exhibition. The book is a detailed survey work and investigation on the community and their plights. It also features articles on the Chak culture and lifestyle.

The book launch and photo exhibition took place at a time when the traditional land of the Chaks has become a subject of greed of land grabbers. Recently, the Chaks of Badurjhiri, a remote village in Naikkhongchhari have been forced to abandon their village in fear of bandits and have taken shelter at Baishiri Chakparas. Around 20 of them joined the event to voice their grievances.

There is not more than 3,000 Chaks in Bangladesh. The rubber and tobacco plantation have already caused eviction of two Chak villages. The Chaks in remote villages depend on jum cultivation and uncultivated vegetation for food. Since the introduction of rubber and tobacco, their common land is becoming a prime target. Rubber and tobacco farming is not only forcing the Chaks to abandon their land but is also destroying the biodiversity.

Holding the program turned out to be a bit difficult as Bandarban district administration and intelligence agencies got nervous when a SEHD team paid a visit to Badurjhiri, the abandoned Chak village and made arrangement for a woman who fled from the village to speak at the program. The administration wanted to shut the program. However, a meeting with the DC and SP eased the situation and SEHD received the permission to go ahead with the event.

Bomang Raja of Bandarban Bomang Circle, U Cha Prue, was the chief guest. Special guests were: Mong Mong Chak, former official at Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board; ZuamLian Amlai, chairperson of the Movement for the Protection of Forest and Land Rights; and Professor Osman Gani, president of Bandarban Press Club. A primary school teacher of Baishiri Chakpara Dhung Cha Aung Chak and Bandarban based young computer teacher Aung Jai Wei Chak also spoke on the event.