Indigenous people continue to face various forms of repression by the majority Bangla-speaking people with direct or indirect support of the government, said Joytirindra Bodhipriya Larma alias Shantu Larma, president of Bangladesh Indigenous People's Forum, yesterday.

The Bengali settlers have been grabbing the lands of ethnic people, but the government is not taking any action against the persons responsible, he said at a press conference.

Land and forest are the lifeline of indigenous people; to them losing the land means losing everything, he added.

The ethnic people are also deprived of their rights as they do not have constitutional recognition, he regretted.

Larma, also the chairman of the CHT Regional Council, alleged that the government was also violating the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace treaty.

He said the forum has taken up elaborate programmes to mark the International day of the World's Indigenous people on Monday. This year the theme of the day is 'our land

our life'.

The Forum placed a nine-point demand to ensure human rights of the ethnic population.

The demands include constitutional recognition of the indigenous people, ensure their rights to land and forest, withdrawal of army camps, immediate implementation of the CHT peace treaty, cancellation of eco-park project in Modhupur forest and an end to repression.

It also demanded steps to ensure primary education in the mother language of the indigenous people and their involvement in development activities.

Sanjeeb Drong, secretary general of the Forum, Rupayan Dewan, vicepresident of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), Shaktipada Tripura, president of Khagrachhari Head Men Association, and Chaitali Tripura, president of the Hill Women Federation, were present at the press conference.