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UN PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENEOUS ISSUES
Thank you, Chair and distinguish participants.
First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I am Lal Dawnsang Amlai, Chairman of the Bawm Literature Forum (BLF) and belong to the Bawm Indigenous people in Bangladesh. I am indeed happy to be able to represent my people’s issues at this 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Mr. Chair, The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is the territory of free hill-dwelling indigenous peoples and was unknown to the lowlander tribal peoples and Aryans (Bengali) for a long time. The CHT, which had been outside the authority of any state till the British invasion, was separated from the Chittagong district in 1860 due mainly to the Bawm (Kuki/Chin group) rebellion. In 1947 it was incorporated into East Pakistan. Then, in 1971 it was included into a new-born country, Bangladesh and till today it is under the governance of the Bangladesh Government. The Bawms are one of the most neglected and under-privileged groups in the CHT in terms of education and development in spite of the assistance being provided to the CHT by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) and NGOs. Since the Bawm people’s habitat is mostly situated in inaccessible regions or high in the mountains where transport is very difficult, their everyday cries have remained unheard. Their rights are not only dishonored by the GOB but also by the majority groups in the CHTRC (Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council). The Bawms are indeed a backward group in the field of education in the greater CHT compared to other indigenous peoples. Therefore, today they need assistance from the UN and other international bodies to pursue development and protect their rights. In CHT there are 11 in |
