'Will the word indigenous be used, or will it be replaced with terms like tribe?'

Leaders of the Bangladesh Indigenous Forum have called on political parties to clarify their stand on indigenous rights in election manifestos ahead of the upcoming national polls.

Speaking as chief guest at the 5th conference of the forum’s Chattogram Hill Tracts regional branch, Dr Gajendra Nath Mahato, general secretary of the Central Committee, said, “We want to see what the political parties have in their election manifestos for the indigenous people. Will the word indigenous be used, or will it be replaced with terms like 'small ethnic group' or 'tribe'?”

He added that indigenous communities have closely observed the actions of those contesting elections, noting how much they have embraced or neglected indigenous concerns.

In his special guest speech, President of the Jum Aesthetics Council (JAC), Shishir Chakma, criticised the interim government’s role in the hill tracts.

“No exemplary legal action has been taken regarding the incidents of violence in Rangamati and Khagrachari after the interim government came to power. We have to live in uncertainty and injustice. The indigenous people are suffering from insecurity because the important provisions of the Hill Tracts Accord have not yet been implemented,” he said.

The session was presided over by Prakriti Ranjan Chakma, president of the forum’s CHT regional branch. Other speakers included Andrew Solomar, organising secretary of the forum's Central Committee; Samiran Barua, president of the Rangamati district branch of the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council; Dr Mong Usha Thoai, president of the forum’s Bandarban district branch; and Chathoai Marma, general secretary of the Khagrachari district branch.

Later, a 25-member committee of the forum’s CHT regional branch was formed, with Prakriti Ranjan Chakma as president, Intu Moni Talukder as general secretary, and Kasamong Marma as organising secretary.