Ensure that peace is maintained, says Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says that peace must be maintained in the hill districts and all across the rest of the country to keep development on track.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 May 2018, 08:15 AM
Updated : 6 May 2018, 08:15 AM

“I want to maintain a peaceful environment,” she said. “Everyone must have friendly relations with one another. It does not matter if we are hill people or Bangalees. What matters is that we are all human and we must treat each other accordingly.”

The prime minister spoke to students, teachers, administrative officials and various members of the public from Bandarban via video conference on Sunday after receiving a summary of the SSC and equivalent examination result.

Though the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace treaty signed two decades ago had initially calmed the unrest in the hill districts, 18 people have been killed in conflicts between hill people factions in the past five months.

The latest loss of life came on May 3 as five people, headed to attend the funeral of Naniarchor Upazila Council Chairman and JSS (MN Larma) leader Shaktiman Chakma, including UPDF Democratic Tapan Jyati Chakma Barma, were gunned down in an attack.

Bandarban District Commissioner Md Aslam Hossain said that once Bandarban had been full of unrest.

“But now we have a peaceful Bandarban. The district is now moving forward as a symbol of development and prosperity.”

He reminded the prime minister that her last visit to the region was in 2012.

“People have grown anxious to see you.”

The prime minister said she would attempt to make a trip and stressed the importance of maintaining security in order to ensure everyone’s fundamental rights.

“We need a peaceful, secure and relaxed atmosphere across all of Bangladesh. The Father of the Nation has left us an independent nation. Now we must build a country according to the ideals of the Liberation War – a golden Bangladesh free of hunger and poverty.”

The prime minister mentioned at the video conference that there were plans to increase the number of residential schools in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in order to increase the literacy rate in the area.

“More children are going as we develop connectivity, but I believe that if we construct residential schools they will not have to make long commutes. Then they can stay there and study.”

A few such schools have already begun operating in the area, she said.

“We want there to be more such schools.”