Bangladesh's ethnic minorities face growing marginalisation, says Shantu Larma

He laments the lack of progress in implementing most provisions of the 1997 Chattogram Hill Tracts Peace Accord

Bangladesh Adivasi Forum chief Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, popularly known as Shantu Larma, says the future of Bangladesh’s ethnic minorities is clouded by uncertainty and fear.

In an address marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Saturday, he criticised the interim government for excluding minority leaders from the dialogue surrounding its ongoing reform initiatives.

Due to illness, Shantu could not attend the rally at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar to commemorate the occasion. Instead, his written statement was read out at the event.

Shantu noted that most provisions of the 1997 Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord remain unimplemented 28 years later, leading to various unresolved issues.

“The majority of the hill and plainland ethnic minority population of Bangladesh are still living under an existential threat. In a country that won independence through the 1971 Liberation War, they are increasingly becoming landless and displaced," he said.

“The situation of ethnic minorities in the plains is even more precarious. Through dispossession, violence against women, discrimination, and impunity, they are being pushed to the margins and then further beyond.”

He called upon progressive and non-communal sections of civil society, intellectuals, teachers, journalists, human rights activists, and political leaders to step forward in support of ethnic minorities.

“I reiterate my call to the entire ethnic minority population and the young generation to rise from the depths of marginalisation, to unite and consolidate our struggle, and to take the lead in establishing our rights.”

There is no alternative to progressive ideals in advancing the struggle for rights and in building a democratic, secular, and exploitation-free society, according to him.

To mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum has put forward seven demands, including constitutional recognition of ethnic minorities, full and proper implementation of the CHT Peace Accord, establishment of a separate ministry for ethnic minority communities on the plains, and formation of a land commission.