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Planned Eco Park: Unrest brewing in Bandarban

Indigenous leaders held meetings, decide to resist

MONIRUL ISLAM MONU, Bandarban
Unrest is brewing among indigenous people following a government move to establish an Eco Park in Chimbuk Rangein Bandarban hill district.
The proposed park will cover over 5000 acres of land in Gallengya, Takerpanchari, Daluchari, Tonkaboti, Harinzhiri, Renikhong, Lemuchari and South Hangar areas in Bandarban Sadar, Roangchari, Ruma and Lama upazilas.
Talking to this correspondent yesterday theindigenousleaders said they will resist the move as it will displace about 5,000 people of Mro and other tribal communities now livingin the areas, sources claimed.
Leaders are now campaigning against the move. Yesterday, they met with indigenous people in Tonkaboti village in the Sadar upazila and discussed about possible affects of the proposed park.
The leaders said they will hold a meeting with all Headmen and Karbaries (grassroots level leaders) in the areas soon to chalk out a programme to resist the move. The people are now passing days in great uncertainty and agony though the forest department has assured them compensation and rehabilitation if the park is created. They are haunted by the memory of sufferings of several thousand people who were displaced in the past due to setting up of Kaptai hydro-electric dam and army camps, the sources said.
A large number of indigenous people had lost their lands in 1989 when 11,443 acre of land were acquired for setting up of an army training centre. Another about 15,000 acres of land were taken away for setting up army installations in the hills later, they said.
At least 800 displaced indigenous families are still suffering as they did not get land for rehabilitation, they said.
Talking to this correspondent, Rang Lai Mro, president of Mro Social Council and Chairman of Sualok Union Parishad, said indigenous people will resist any move to set up an Eco Park by displacing them. Any such move should be discussed with local people first, he said.
A protest meeting against the move was held at Empupara late last month, which was attended by all the village headmen and Karbaries from the eight mouzas and Jumlian Amlai,
president of Bandarban unit of CHT Land Rights and Forest Committee. Purna Chandra Mro, Headman of Tonkaboti mouza, was in the chair.
The speakers had said the proposed Eco Park will bring tragedy for local people as happened when the Kaptai dam and other government installations were set up. Land and compensation were assured but many of the displaced people were denied these.
They said Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council Chairman Jotirindriya Bodhirpiya Larma alias Shantu Larma also protested the move on several occasions. When contacted, Divisional Forest Officer in Bandarban, Aboni Bhushan Thakur, however said the government is studying feasibility and a decision on setting up of an Eco Park has not yet been taken. The plan will not be implemented by displacing the local people, he added.
A 17-member committee leaded by the Conservator of Forest, Chittagong region, was formed in December last year to study the proposal and select the area. The committee did not hold any meeting in the last three months.