DHAKA: Human Rights Commission chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman said there are ‘foul plays with Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Treaty to make people fools’.

He said as chief guest at a roundtable on the rights of ethnic communities at CIRDAP auditorium Monday morning in city.

‘There is no reason to think that the Peace Treaty will be executed without the implementation of ethnic people’s rights to land. Relations between land and ethnic communities are deep. So there will be no rights without their rights to land,’ he added.

ActionAid manager Subhaga Mandal Chakma presented keynote paper at the program, organized by the ActionAid.

ActionAid Bangladesh country director Farah Kabir conducted the roundtable discussion while Kazi Rosy MP, Professor Mesbah Kamal, Bangladesh Adibasi Forum secretary general Sanjib Drang and Jatiya Adibasi Parishad president Rabindra Sareng, among others, were present at the program.

Mizanur Rahman said, ‘It is commonly said that the Peace Treaty has been implemented without ensuring the ethnic people’s rights to their land’.

‘We should keep in mind that all rights are depended on the rights to land. The government should stop the foul play to fool the nation,’ he added.

He further said, ‘government has acquired a huge land mass to establish a cantonment in Ramu. But no discussion was reportedly held with the ethnic communities in that area about the acquisition. The state took a major decision without any consultation with any ethnic community.’

BDST: 1343 HRS, MAY 05, 2014