thedailystar.net/beta2/news/incorporate-proposed-amendments/ CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act Incorporate proposed amendments Rights defenders urge government Staff Correspondent Incorporate proposed amendments Columnist Syed Abul Maksud addresses a press conference organised by Kapaeeng Foundation in the capital’s The Daily Star Centre yesterday demanding complete incorporation of a 13-point amendment proposal to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act 2001 and its passage in the current parliament session. Photo: Star Some rights defenders yesterday urged for the complete incorporation of the 13-point proposal in the bill containing amendments to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act 2001 and passing it in the current parliament session. Addressing a press conference Kapaeeng Foundation organised in the capital’s The Daily Star Centre, they said passing the bill would be an opportunity for the government to prove that they fulfilled their last election pledge. They also demanded that the political parties include indigenous people’s issues in pledges for the upcoming election and that the government completely implements the CHT Peace Accord 1997 as the government had signed the accord. Indigenous people’s leaders have been demanding the changes in the act for over a decade and proposed the 13 points to make the commission functional and resolve land disputes. Only eight of their proposals were completely incorporated, two were included “partially” while the remaining three were left out, indigenous leaders told The Daily Star earlier. The bill is now being reviewed by the parliamentary standing committee on the land ministry. The prime minister’s adviser on international affairs, Gowher Rizvi, had repeatedly assured of implementing the accord within the present government’s tenure, said Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of the Forum for Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh. “Now we want to see the government keep its commitment by passing the bill in the last session of the parliament,” he said. Razib Mir, faculty of Jagannath University’s journalism department, read out a written speech while columnist Syed Abul Maksud was present as chief guest. Rabindranath Soren, president of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad; Shamsul Huda, coordinator of Alliance for Land Research and Development; Nur Ban Liton, director of Ain o Salish Kendra; and Associate Prof Robayet Ferdous of Dhaka University’s journalism department were present.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 02:11:02 +0000