Rights activists denied access to Lama

A team of rights activists, journalists and a politician was barred from entering Bandarban's Lama upazila yesterday.

The 14-member team wanted to see for themselves the “eviction of many indigenous people from their ancestral land”. However, they were stopped by some members of security forces near Yancha Check Post, said members of the team.

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Three businesses have been evicting indigenous people to grab land in Lama. The team wanted to visit the area and talk to the victims and the local administration, Pankaj Bhattacharjee, one of the team members, said.

“However, a security official, citing security reasons, advised us not to go to Lama. When we pressed for it, he told us he was unable to allow us in as he was following an instruction from his higher authorities,” he said.

Asked, the official refused to give the team any details about the authorities, Pankaj, president of Oikya Nap, added.

Ziauddin Tariq Ali, acting president of Sammilito Samajik Andolon, another member of the team, said they were told the “situation in Lama was not good”.

Ziauddin, also a trustee of the Liberation War Museum, said on being obstructed, they wanted to go to Bandarban to hold a press conference. But they were not allowed to go there either.

He said they also wanted to talk to the deputy commissioner of Bandarban about the alleged eviction of the indigenous people in Lama.

“But the security forces did not even allow us to meet the DC,” Ziauddin added.

The team arrived in Bandarban yesterday morning. Most of its members were from Dhaka. They were heading towards Lama following media reports on the eviction. The Daily Star's Bandarban correspondent Sanjay Kumar Barua accompanied the team.

Pankaj Bhattacharya alleged that land grabbing by settlers has been going on unabated in the CHT areas for years.

Contacted, Sanjith Kumar Roy, superintendent of Bandarban police, said they were not aware of any “unwanted situation” in Bandarban. He, however, said as far as he knew, there was a “blockade in Lama”.