Peace Establishment Committee urges KNF separatists to give up arms, reintegrate into society

Following bank attacks, the Peace Establishment Committee says the public didn't foresee this strange situation unfolding

The Peace Establishment Committee, formed to foster dialogue and reconciliation between the Kuki-Chin National Front or KNF and the government, has implored the separatist group to renounce violence and reintegrate into society.

The appeal came in the wake of attacks on banks in Bandarban that have jolted the community and marked a significant setback in the journey towards peace.

Committee chief Kyaw Shwe Hla, who is also chairman of Bandarban Hill District Council, and Member Secretary Laljarlom Bawm in a statement on Sunday issued a plea to embrace peace and disarm, saying that the committee and the people “do not expect such a bizarre situation to develop”.

“We hope the KNF members will avoid such a situation, maintain peace, lay down arms and return to normal life,” the statement said, offering a more conciliatory tone amid the tensions roiling the Chattogram Hill Tracts region.

The Peace Establishment Committee, which includes members from various ethnic groups, came into being on May 30, 2023 following the spread of panic in the hills due to clashes between the KNF, better known as the Bawm Party, and law-enforcing agencies.

The committee had two virtual discussions with the KNF in July and August of that year.

Later, on Nov 5, two direct meetings between the KNF and the Peace Establishment Committee took place for the first time in Munlai Para, five kilometres from Ruma Upazila headquarters.

Representatives of the administration and law-enforcing agencies were present for the first time in these meetings.

The start of ‘peace talks’ ignited hopes among the communities of the hills for an end to the cycle of murder and violence.

However, the sense of optimism was shattered last week after the recent assaults on Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches, coupled with an ensuing gunfight with the police and the temporary abduction of a bank manager, underscoring the fragility of this peace process.

The committee then condemned the attacks and said continuing dialogue with this armed group is “no longer possible”.

It softened its tone in Sunday’s statement, responding to allegations of breach of conditions set by the KNF.

In a Facebook page purportedly belonging to the Bawm Party, the KNF said prisoners, who are innocent civilians and do not belong to the group, were not released in five months although the government had promised to free them in one month.

http://bdnews24.com could not independently verify the page’s link to the KNF.

Laljarlom, the Peace Establishment Committee’s member secretary, told http://bdnews24.com on Sunday that their statement aimed to clear its position after the allegations made by the KNF.

The statement said the district council and Committee coordinated efforts to free two KNF members on bail, and provide 968 Bawm families with significant humanitarian aid, including 134 tonnes of food grains, cash, warm clothes and health services.

“The legal process to free the other KNF members in prison is ongoing. Food grains have been sent to affected Bawm people,” the Committee said.

Although the bank manager was released, the Bawm Party has not returned 14 arms looted during the attacks, the statement added, signalling that it remains a point of contention.

It also said such attacks during the implementation of the agreements with the Bawm Party “amounted to violating the agreements”.