AMIDA TRUST
CHAKMA NEWS: INDIA
From our correspondant
PLIGHT OF CHAKMA REFUGEES IN N.E. STATES OF INDIA
As I wrote you I paid a long visit to Arunachal, Tripura and few days in Guwahati. It is my pleasure to inform you that I visited two Chakma populated districts in Arunachal Pradesh. I was also intended to hear personally and directly the experiences of the Chakma refugees while taken to NEFA (North Eastern Frontier Agency area) from Mizoram and Tripura after crossing the international boarder. The Chakma Refugees means the uprooted Chakmas of CHT (Chittagong Hill Tracts, now in Bangladesh) as a result of a construction of a Dam on the River Karnafuli. The experience was very painful and impressive one. I have been very impressed. I feel to write something about their pains of those days. Specially the plight of the long journey to then NEFA. But I am doubtful about my capacity.

The Chakmas have very good relation and understanding with the local Khamti and Chimpu (Burmese or Thai Origin). Both are Buddhist. There are also some social ties between the Chakma and local people. The agitation of 1994 (Foreigner issue) was an act of some vested political leaders. The Chakmas and Hajongs are still considered as outsiders (foreigners) by some of political elements in Arunachal Pradesh. Basically the local students and youths were paid and mobilized to attack upon the Chakmas. However, the local people have realized that the issue of removing the so-called foreigner Chakmas is now impractical and inhuman. The overall situation is now improving. Thousands of Chakmas and Hajongs have been submitting the citizenship forms according the Section 5(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act, 1995. I hope the future of the Arunachal's Chakmas is not bad.

The area is a malaria prone area. A considerable number of people died due to malaria every year. Malaria becomes epidemic here. The authority has very limited resource to tackle the problem.

Another problem is the citizenship question of Chakmas and Hajong. The Hajongs were also migrated from then East Pakistan due to series of violent communal attacks on them by the majority Muslims. The fate of the school going students in these area is one of the faded one. They have been deprived of all kinds of government facilities. All schools have been run by the donation of the local people. The State government stopped all support to these schools after the agitation in '94. The students who are passing 10 class are not allowed for further study. The economically solvent families are trying to send their sons/daughters to Assam for higher study in College. It is one of the painful situation of the people. The educated people have no rights to job/business etc. They have been treated as stateless and outsiders. They have no citizenship rights. However, the Supreme Court verdict is completely in favour of the Chakmas and Hajongs for citizenship. The verdict is enclosed as attachment for your information (click here for court judgement).

I talked to Kripa Dhan Karbari an aged leader (Gao Bura, a close friend of Shishir Dewan-Rakhi bap and my Mamu) in Changlang district, Shashi Mohajan in Lohit district, and many community young leaders. I proposed them to invite our Chakma Chief Raja Devasish Roy from Rangamati in CHT. They are very encouraged and interested to see and welcome our Raja. They feel proud to have their own community Chief.

As our traditional Chief (Raja) has every right to visit his community people around the world. I hope it would be a milestone of the Arunachal's Chakmas history.

Hopefully there is a good idea. It may of great interest some of you. It is a non-political and feasible occasion for a visit of the Chakma Chief too. A three day long funeral occasion will take place from 10-12 February 2001. On 12th February 2002 a funeral ceremony (Gari Tana) of a renowned Buddhist monk would be taken place. It is a very unique function of Buddhists in Asia. The dead body has been preserved since the death of the Monk couple of months back. A peculiar wooden cart would be made and the dead body would be placed in it. Thousands of people will play a tag of war with the dead body.