Jumma Students Hostel in Dhaka City

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People 2011

Int'l Day of Indigenous People Observed

Ethnic communities demand identity as indigenous people

Ethnic communities yesterday observed International Day of the World's Indigenous People with demand for their constitutional recognition as indigenous people and government steps for ensuring their rights, especially on land.

Bangladesh Adivasi Forum brings out a procession in Dhaka City  yesterday marking International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

Leaders of different ethnic communities in Rangamati yesterday urged the government to ensure political, economic and social rights of indigenous people, reports our Rangamati correspondent.
They criticised the foreign minister for her statement that there are no indigenous people in Bangladesh and blamed the government for failure to solve land dispute in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

Many indigenous families were evicted from their ancestral land and homesteads as the outsider Bangali settlers grabbed their lands, and the trend is still going on in the hills, indigenous leaders said at a discussion on the premises of Rangamati Municipality office.
Renowned civil society leader Binoy Kumar Dewan addressed as chief guest at the meeting presided over by Prakriti Ranjan Chakma, president of CHT unit of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum.

Our Khagrachhari correspondent reports: Marking International Day of the World's Indigenous People, Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) yesterday formed a human chain in front of Khagrachhari Press Club with the banner "We want to get constitutional recognition as indigenous people, not ethnic minority".
Later, at a rally organised by the party at Khagrapur Community Centre in the district town, speakers demanded annulment of the 15th amendment to the constitution and full implementation of the CHT Peace Accord.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum Khagrachhari district unit brought out a procession in the district town and arranged a rally at Khagrachhari Mukta Mancha.
Democratic Youth Forum, a front organisation of United Peoples Democratic Front, an anti-CHT Peace Treaty organisation, brought out a procession in Khagrachhari town and held a rally held at Shanirbar Bazar area marking the day.
Our Thakurgaon Correspondent adds: Thakurgaon unit of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad yesterday organised several programmes with the assistance of Eco-Social Development Organisation, RDRS Bangladesh, Sharp and Karitas in observance of International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

After a colourful procession that paraded different streets of the town, they formed a human chain in front of DC office.
Later at a discussion, the speakers demanded realisation of their nine-point demand including establishing constitutional rights of indigenous people and formation of a separate land commission to protect land rights of the indigenous people living on plan lands.
Our RU Correspondent adds: Ethnic minority students of Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday arranged a day-long photo exhibition on the campus marking International Day of the World's Indigenous People.
Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar, student adviser of the university, inaugurated the photo exhibition arranged by the students under the banner of Adivasi Students Association of Rajshahi University, an organisation of ethnic minority students of plain land, on the premises of the central library of the university.
A total of 150 rare photographs on the life and tradition of the ethnic minority people were put on display at the exhibition.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=197949

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
9 August

   
                                       Special Events 
                                             Time:Tuesday, August 9 · 9:30am - 1:30pm

Location:Central Shahid Minar, DU,Dhaka,Bangladesh

                                               ADIVASI PROCESSION & RALLY

Who are the Indigenous Peoples? How Indigenous Peoples Became A Disadvantaged Group? Links to UN Sites Links to NGOs Sites Theme of 2007: ‘Honoring Indigenous Youth, Languages and Sacred Sites’ The Day Drawing Attention to Indigenous Cultures & Rights The United Nation General Assembly on 23 December 1994 designated 9 August to be observed as the "International Day of the World's Indigenous People" every year during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (Resolution 49/214). The date marks the day of the first meeting in 1982 of the Working Group of Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the Commission on Human Rights. First observed in 1995, its commemoration offers the world community an opportunity to reiterate the principles of respect for human rights enshrined in the Charter and to find solutions to alleviate the plight of indigenous people. 1993 ----- The Year Seeking New Partnership Recognising the need for a new approach to the issue of indigenous peoples, the United Nation General Assembly on 18 December 1990 proclaimed 1993 the "International Year of the World's Indigenous People" (Resolution 45/164). Under the theme "Indigenous People - A New Partnership", the Year aimed to develop a new and equitable relationship between the international community, States and indigenous peoples based on the participation of indigenous people in the planning, implementation and evaluation of projects affecting their living conditions and future. 1995-2004 ----- The Decade Affirming Commitment Following a recommendation by the second World Conference on Human Rights (June 1993), where States were called to "take concerted positive steps to ensure respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, on the basis of equality and non-discrimination, and recognise the value and diversity of their distinct identities, cultures and social organisation", the General Assembly on 21 December 1993 proclaimed 1995-2004 the "International Decade of the World's Indigenous People" (Resolution 48/163). The theme, "Indigenous People: Partnership in Action" goes with the objective of strengthening international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health. The Decade constitutes a time-frame for the United Nations system, Governments, non-governmental organizations and others to commit themselves to the promotion and protection of the human rights of indigenous people, as well as to give priority to the new role of indigenous people as decision makers and beneficiaries of national, regional and international activities. Sources: Untied Nations Who are the Indigenous Peoples?There is no official definition on Indigenous Peoples, and actually, definitions developed in the past carry flaws or create confusions. The generally accepted descriptions on Indigenous Peoples may give you the basic ideas about who they are: The First People Indigenous Peoples refer to the first to settle in the country, with other names such as aborigines. Cultural Difference In Africa and Asia where processes of conquests and colonial structures took place, indigenous peoples refer to groups that clearly distinguish themselves in a socio-cultural context from the surrounding population. They are characterised by a common culture and language, common spiritual ideas, an identifiable territory and a certain economic structure. 1972: Working DefinitionA definition developed by Mr. José Martinez Cobo, Special Rapporteur on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations, was accepted by the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (Sanders 1989): "Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of the peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them, by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial condition; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form part, under a state structure which incorporates mainly national, social and cultural characteristics of other segments of the population which are predominant." Flaws Created: The definition freezes the identity of indigenous peoples in a historical-chronological axis By identifying indigenous peoples with those who 'inhabited' an area before it was conquered or colonised by 'people from other parts of the world', it has limited the applicability of this definition mainly to pre-colonial populations. It refers to only 500 years of European colonialism while ignores the history of non-European civilisations. The definition on the indigenous culture, customs, religion, society and history is too simplistic The survival of the indigenous identity is explained by its isolation on the one hand and its marginalisation and discrimination on the other. It treats the indigenous peoples in terms of an ‘ethnographic present', as if the thousands of years of human history and interactions had never substantially altered the cultures of different peoples. The definition fails to explain the phenomena of survival of the 'indigenous' identity in the face of adversity Ethnic identities have also survived. But not all ethnic communities have lived in isolation. Many ethnic communities have completely lost control over their 'homeland' or the terrain which was the cradle of their culture. Yet their identities have survived. What then are the differences between the ethnic groups and the indigenous peoples? 1983: More Inclusive Realising that Mr. Cobo's original definition was not adequate to cover the isolated and marginal tribal populations of the Asian continent, the scope and the ambit of the 'working definition' was enlarged. It was decided that all those marginal and isolated groups existing in many countries who may not have suffered conquest or direct colonisation might be considered as indigenous peoples if they fulfilled the following criteria: (a) they are the descendants of groups, which were in the territory at the time when other groups of different cultures or ethnic origin arrived there (b) precisely because of their isolation from other segments of the country's population they have almost preserved intact the customs and traditions of their ancestors which are similar to those characterised as indigenous (c) they are, even if only formally, placed under a state structure which incorporates national, social and cultural characteristics alien to their own (FICN. 41Sub.211983121 Adds. para. 3 79) 1986: Self-identification It was added that any individual who identified himself or herself as indigenous and was accepted by the group or the community as one of its members was to be regarded as an indigenous person (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1986/7/Add.4. para.381). This preserves for these communities the sovereign right and power to decide who belongs to them, without external interference. The draft Universal Declaration on the Rights of the indigenous Peoples prepared by the Working Group does not include a definition of indigenous peoples or populations. This omission has been justified by the Chairperson - Rapporteur of the Working Group Ms. Erica Irene Daes - on the ground that "historically, indigenous peoples have suffered, from definitions imposed by others" and as a result, in certain countries many indigenous peoples have been declassified. (E/ CN.4/Stib.2/AC.4/1995/3, page 3). Excerpt from "Definition and Delimitation of the Indigenous Peoples of Asia", by Tapan Bose. Sources: International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs How Indigenous Peoples Became A Disadvantaged Group?Despite their diversity, indigenous peoples are facing similar problems. They are among the most disadvantaged groups on Earth. They are subjected to slavery and forced labour. They face discrimination, poverty, poor health, unemployment and high rates of imprisonment. Examples in India - SUA020605(8) / UA010303(3) Philippines - UA020415(6) Colonisation During the period of European colonial expansion, many indigenous peoples were wiped out and their land taken by force. They experienced massacres, forced relocations, removal of their children and other forms of assimilation. In Asia and Africa, artificial colonial borders have separated peoples or turned them into powerless minorities. Ecocide/Development Indigenous communities are threatened by destruction of the natural basis of existence of their culture. Under the name of development, their land and resources are expropriated or spoiled by activities such as deforestation, mining, dam and irrigation projects, road construction, toxic waste dumping and nuclear testing. Cultural Extinction/ಎತ್ಹ್ನೋಸಿದೆ   Many indigenous communities experienced forced assimilation by prohibition of mother tongue, religion and cultural ways of expression, and denial of the existence of whole peoples in the public life of a state. This process normally happens gradually and unnoticed by the public. Non-Dominance Indigenous peoples are those who are not in power in modern national states. With a different way of life, they are perceived by the dominant society as being inferior. They normally are not represented by the decision-making elite in their respective national state. In addition, indigenous communities are increasingly marginalized by the population surrounding them, causing the concept of "indigenous peoples" to become a political term. International Ignorance Around the world, indigenous peoples have struggled to gain control over their land and lives and recognition of their rights. The concerns of indigenous peoples were not addressed as a concern of the international community until the 1970s. In 1982, the UN established a Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP). The Fourth World This "World" comprises those peoples that strive for autonomy and international recognition. The indigenous people had been victims of invasions, conquests and robbery, and it is their right to claim back their lost rights. While they are aware of their original sovereignty, they also know about their mutual relationship through the "We-feeling" that is firmly established in their consciousness. Nothing seems more natural to indigenous peoples than to go their own self-determined way, independent of the context of the national state surrounding them. They want to be referred to as independent peoples in order to obtain the right to self-determination, or at least to strive for partial autonomy. Sources: Diplomacy Training Program Margareta Weisser Foundation for Indigenous People in Asia Links To Related United Nations' Sites:United Nations Global Issues on the UN Agenda DPI: indigenous people, a photo exhibit "Doctrines of Dispossession" - Racism against Indigenous peoples UN Development Programme About Indigenous Peoples Guidelines for Support International Labour Organisation UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation International Decade of the World's Indigenous People World Intellectual Property Organisation Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Creativity World Bank Indigenous Knowledge for Development Indigenous Peoples Fund Non-Government Organisations Working for Indigenous Peoples' Rights:International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs aims at defending and endorsing the rights of indigenous peoples in concurrence with their own efforts and desires. It works for giving indigenous peoples the possibility of organising themselves and opening up channels for indigenous peoples' own organisations to claim their rights. Its publications - a yearbook named The Indigenous World, a quarterly journal named Indigenous Affairs, and some thematic books, provides comprensive information on Indigenous issues. Margareta Weisser Foundation for Indigenous People in Asia is committed to maintaining the cultural variety on our planet with the aim of supporting indigenous peoples in Asia in their struggle for physical and cultural survival. Indigenous Knowledge Page is the sharing of information among the various stakeholders in development and to contribute to the challenge of knowledge for development, which is to combine indigenous (local) knowledge with similar experiences from around the world, and with elements from the world of science and technology. Indigenous Peoples and Community Development is a unit of the Inter-American Development Bank focuses on issues of poverty reduction and social equity as they affect indigenous populations. Other areas of concern are community consultation and participation, involuntary resettlement, and sociocultural soundness issues in general. Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Information Network is a mechanism to exchange information about experiences and projects and to increase collaboration among indigenous groups working on common causes related to biodiversity use and conservation. Researching Indigenous Peoples Rights Under International Law The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Indigenous Studies

Indigenous issue draws arguments

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum President Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma on way to the dais at the closing session of a two-day long national conference on "Land, Forest and Culture of Indigenous Peoples", in the city's LGED Bhaban. Photo: STARStaff Correspondent

Against the backdrop of much debate over constitutional recognition of non-Bangalee indigenous communities, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said in light of the ILO convention no 169 they are "tribal" people, not "indigenous".
There are two criteria in the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention no 169, he said adding, the first criterion which gives definition of tribal people is applicable for Bangladesh, but the second criterion that gives definition of indigenous people is not applicable for Bangladesh.
Following the minister's remark, Dhaka University history professor, Mesbah Kamal, who works with indigenous minority communities, categorically disagreed with the minister, saying they have all qualities to be regarded as "indigenous".
The ILO convention no169 says, "This convention applies to (a) tribal peoples in independent countries whose social, cultural and economic conditions distinguish them from other sections of the national community, and whose status is regulated wholly or partially by their own customs or traditions or by special laws or regulations. (b) peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonisation or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions."
The law minister was speaking as the chief guest at the closing session of a two-day long national conference on "Land, Forest and Culture of Indigenous Peoples", in the LGED Bhaban in the capital on the occasion of International Day of Indigenous People tomorrow.
Blaming Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Commission members for making the commission dysfunctional, Shafique Ahmed said, "The chairman calls meetings but the members do not attend. If the commission cannot function, land dispute will not be resolved." He was referring to the land dispute between indigenous minority people of CHT and Bangalee settlers.
But, Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum President Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, widely known as Santu Larma, alleged that the commission remains dysfunctional due to undemocratic attitude of the chairman.
Larma, who chaired the session, firmly demanded amendment of the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act, 2001.
Earlier in a separate session, Obaidul Quader, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on information ministry, said if there are some anomalies in the latest constitutional amendment, necessary measure might be taken to further amend the charter.
Mozammel Haque, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on land ministry, said measures taken by the government to end discriminations against indigenous people in CHT and to protect their rights are insufficient.
Presenting the keynote speech, Information Commissioner Prof Sadeka Halim said indigenous people shrunk from 80.6 percent to 51.4 percent between 1974 and 1991 in CHT.
Barrister Sara Hossain, chairperson of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, said the government insulted indigenous people by defining them as "tribal", "ethnic minorities", and "small nationalities".
Sultana Kamal, co-chair of the CHT Commission, also spoke at the session.
Earlier two separate sessions titled "International Mechanism and the Wider Regional Context", and "Courts, Commission and Council: The Effective Use of Existing Institutions" were held.
Prof Meghna Guhathakurata, executive director of the Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB); and Prof Amena Mohsin of the international relations department of Dhaka University, chaired the sessions respectively.
Dr Vincent Darlong, country programme officer of International Fund for Agricultural Development, India; Sanjoy Hazarika, director of the Delhi based Centre for Northeast Studies; Basilio Wandag, executive director of the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) of the Philippines were present at the sessions among others.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=197739

Bangladesh killing to their Jumma Pepoles/Indigenous Pepole!!!!

Three Indigenous slaughtered while trying to save girl from rape

Photo of slaughtered Mr. Aung Sha U Marma (70 years)

On 30 July 2011 at around 12 pm, three indigenous Marma villagers were killed as they tried to save a young Marma girl from rape by some Bengali settlers at Siletuya Paea of Rupashi union under Lama upazila (sub-district) in Bandarban district.

The identified victims are (1) Mr. Aung Sha U Marma (70 years) s/o late Mong Chabai Marma, pictured above,

(2) Ms. Hla Powang Prue Marma (40 years) w/o Mongchasa Marma (pictured above) and (3) her minor son Mong Nue Ching Marma (5 years).

According to Rupashipara Union Parishad chairman Maching Marma, five Bengali settlers sneaked into a farm house in the village at noon and grabbed 15 year-old daughter of Ms. Hla Powang Prue Marma working in the farm house, and attempted to rape her.

As the girl cried out for help, Aung Sha U Marma and Hla Powang Prue Marma rushed to the spot. A minor boy, Mong Nue Ching Marma followed his mother.

The attackers slaughtered all three of them, as they tried to free the girl from rape. The raped girl has been admitted to Bandarban district hospital.

How long is this going to go on for? And how long are we going to stay silent?

All photos taken on cellphone by Subrata Saha Shuvro

Source: http://unheardvoice.net/blog/2011/07/31/indigenous-girl-rape-by-bengali/

Ethnic minority, not indigenous people/The tribal people living in Chittagong Hill Tracts are “ethnic minorities” and they should not be called “indigenous” in the region, the government said yesterday in clearing what it said some recent misconceptions about their identity.

Ethnic minority, not indigenous people

FM tells diplomats, editors 

Diplomatic Correspondent 

 

The tribal people living in Chittagong Hill Tracts are “ethnic minorities” and they should not be called “indigenous” in the region, the government said yesterday in clearing what it said some recent misconceptions about their identity.

Briefing foreign diplomats and UN agencies in Dhaka, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said Bangladesh is concerned over attempts by some quarters at home and abroad to identify the ethnic minority groups as indigenous people in the CHT region. 

Neither Bangladesh constitution nor any international laws recognise these people as indigenous, she said.
Dipu Moni also explained the issue to editors and senior journalists from print and electronic media in a separate briefing yesterday and urged them to take note of it.
She told the diplomats that the tribal people most certainly did not reside or exist in the CHT before 16th century and were not considered "indigenous people'' in any historical reference books, memoirs or legal documents.
Quoting the Oxford dictionary, the foreign minister said indigenous people are those who “belong to a particular place rather than coming to it from somewhere else”.
Rather, the CHT people were the late settlers on the Bengal soil and the CHT region compared to the Bangalee native ethnic vast majority residing here for more than 4,000 years, she pointed out.
Emerging from the briefing with diplomats, Dipu Moni told journalists there is a move to distract attention from the government's effort to implement the 1997 CHT peace accord by raising the issue that the tribal people are indigenous.
She said implementation of the peace accord is top priority of the government. But the process will be hampered if controversies are created over the tribal people's identity.
Dipu Moni told the diplomats, "We have noted with concern that the "tribal" people or ethnic minorities in the CHT region have been termed "indigenous peoples" of Bangladesh in two paras of the 2011 Report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues-PFII, in the context of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord."
She asserted that there is no internationally accepted definition of "indigenous peoples", and there is no definition of indigenous at all in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the PFII in 2006.
Claiming that the CHT people are tribal and not indigenous, the foreign minister said it is well recorded, and recent history of the Indian subcontinent and the CHT region reaffirms that the tribal people of CHT migrated to Bangladesh between 16th and 19th centuries from neighboring countries and Mongoloid nations during the Mughal rule in Bengal, mostly as asylum seekers and economic migrants.
She said in all acts and laws on the CHT, including the Hill Tracts Act of 1900 and the Hill Districts Council Act of 1989, the CHT ethnic minorities have been identified as "Tribal" population.
Most significantly, in the CHT Peace Accord itself the CHT ethnic minorities have been categorised as "Tribal" and not "indigenous peoples.”
As per the census of 2001, the people of CHT account for less than 1.8 percent of the total population of Bangladesh.
Giving a special and elevated identity to enfranchise only 1.2 percent of the total population of 150 million by disentitling the 98.8persent cannot be in the national interest of Bangladesh, Dipu Moni said.
Reaction of the diplomats was not immediately known.
However, Chakma Raja Devasish Roy told The Daily Star, “The government probably is under the impression that recognising indigenous people might mean extra responsibility to bear.”
He went on, “The constitution does not say that there are no indigenous people in the country. It has not used the word indigenous, but it has not used the word minority either to identify anybody.”
Devasish Roy also referred to the small ethnic group cultural institutions act made in 2010 by the present government where the law itself stated in its definition part that small ethnic group would mean indigenous people.

Source:      http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=195963

Bangladesh does not have any indigenous population: Dipu Moni

Bangladesh does not have any indigenous population: Dipu Moni

11 April 2010


Courtesy BSS

Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni today clarified the government position on ethnic minority groups in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and elsewhere of the country saying Bangladesh does not have any “indigenous population” as meant in
the UN jargon.

“Bangladesh rather has several ethnic minorities and tribal population living in all parts of Bangladesh, in harmony with the Bengalee population,” she said as outgoing UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Dhaka Renata Lok- Dessallien called on her.

Moni added that Bengalees are not “settlers in Bangladesh and that our situation could not be compared with those in some western countries”.

The foreign minister’s comments came as she appreciated the UNDP’s role particularly in the CHT region. Dessallien explained the UNDP activities in the rugged region taken in consultation with the appropriate government authorities.

The UNDP representative agreed with the foreign minister’s observations on the identity of the ethnic minority people and said the UN agencies would certainly follow the government position on this issue.

She also clarified that all development programmes in the CHT are targeted for all marginalised people, be them Bengalees or tribesmen.

Dessallien leaves here after an eventful four and half years tenure which witnessed crucial political transitions including the military-backed state of emergency and subsequent return of democratic rule.

The Foreign Minister thanked her for enhanced engagement of UNDP in Bangladesh’s development work during the past several years but expressed concern at the gradual erosion in the core funding of UNDP at the global level.

She also regretted non-fulfilment of ODA commitment by most of the development partners.

Referring to the recently held Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) in Dhaka, Moni called upon the UNDP and other development partners to come forward with necessary investment to implement the agreed recommendations.

She also expressed happiness at the change of format of BDF from a donor-driven process to now a forum of partnership between Bangladesh and its development partners.

They also discussed issues related to strengthening of relevant institutions which are critical for upholding the values
of democracy and accountability.

 

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha http://www.bssnews.net/newsDetails.php?cat=0&id=100076&date=2010-04-11

Please visit recommended related news on Indigenous issue:

Controversial (secret) letter recently issued by MoCHTA – protest letter to Prime Minister by PCJSS

To download MoCHTA’s secret circular on indigenous issue please click here:

To download MoCHTA’ secret circular please click here:

PCJSS’s protest letter (in English)

To download PCJSS’s letter (in Bengali) please click here (Bengali font will be required) :

Indigenous People Issues