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Ban UPDF, withdraw army: Shantu Larma

Staff Correspondent
Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Luma, chairman of the CHI Regional Council, yesterday urged the government to ban anti-peace accord organisation United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), saying that the armed cadres of this group is carryingout terrorist activities inthehills
He also urged the government to immediately stop 'Operation Uttaran' in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It will not be possible to implement the CHT peace accord unless the UPDF cadres are dealt with firmly and the military is pulled out of Cl IT, he added.
Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo, also known as Shantu l.arma, said this al a view exchange meeting with journalists on the 12th anniver sary of CHT peace accord at a city hotel. Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council organised the event.
Shantu Larma, also the chairman of Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghali Samity (PCJSS), pointed out that the people of CHT had to endure military domination in the last 12 years while the activities of the armed cadres of UPDF are creating obstacles to implementing the peace accord.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was signed in December 2, 1997 between the government and the PCJSS to pave the way for establishing peace in the hills.
Instead of only reshuffling various commit-
tees, the government must show their sincerity by announcing a clear roadmap to implement the peace accord, Shantu Larma said.
He stressed that the powers, status and working area of the CHT Regional Council should be clearly laid down as stated in the accord. However, the election of the council is yet to taker place. Empowering the regional council is a precondition to settling land dispute.
It Is also necessary to prepare an acceptable voter list by identifying original residents of the hili tracts who are now the minority in the their own home, he mentioned.
Speaking at the meeting, human rights activist Shahriar Kabir called for restoration of the secular spirit of the constitution and also the constitutional recognition of the ethnic minorities.
Prof Sadeka Halim said land disputes in the CHT should be settled immediately. It is the main source of crisis in CHT. About 22 percent of Adivasi households in CHT were evicted from their homesteads at least once in their lifetime, she said.
Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, Prof Mesbah Kamal, Prof Dr Dalem Chandra Barman, Dr Samsul Arefin, M Hamid, executive director of RTV, Syed Abul Maqsud and members of the regional council KS Mong, Nurul Alam and Gautam Kumar Chakma also spoke.