Bangladesh: Buddhist monks harassed by army

The Chakma News has received information that Buddhist monks were harassed and verbally abused in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh by the Bangladesh army personnel.

CHT remains heavily militarized despite the agreement to withdraw the army from the CHT as provided in the CHT Peace Accord signed between the government of Bangladesh and the indigenous jumma peoples. Contrary to the Peace Accord, the military have set up too many army barracks and check points here and there unnecessarily to harass the indigenous peoples of CHT.

According to the sources, Buddhist monks including Ven. Bishuddhananda Mahathero (chief priest of Ratnankur Bana Vihara, Buddhist temple) were returning to their temple in Naniachar after attending a religious ceremony at Tarachari village in the morning of 21 May 2009. As their vehicle was about to cross the Bogachari army check post in Rangamati district, the army stopped them and asked them to get down. The army wanted to body search all the Buddhist monks.

Ven. Bishuddhananda Mahathero protested saying they were Buddhist monks and should not be subjected to body search. But army officer Captain Shamim forced them to get down and used abusive language at the Buddhist monks. At the order of Captain Shamim a group of army personnel came down to the scene with clubs and ropes in their hands.

However, a senior army officer rushed to the rescue of the Buddhist monks and asked for their forgiveness for the harassment meted out to them by the army personnel.

The indigenous peoples of Naniachar led by Hill Women’s Federation took out a protest rally against the harassment of the Buddhist monks by the Bangladesh army. The army arrested two of the participants identified as Ms Juthika Chakma, Convenor of Hill Women’s Federation, Naniachar Unit; and Ms Mika Chakma, a member of Hill Women’s Federation while they were returning from the rally. Both of them were later released. But the army forced them to put their signature on a blank sheet of paper in army custody and took their photographs prior to their release. This has put these indigenous women activists at risk of arrest and prosecution.

In Bangladesh there is no freedom of religion for the minorities. In CHT Buddhism has often come under target by the army. For more detail, see "Bangladesh: The Army attacks Buddhism to facilitate illegal settlement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts", available at http://www.achrweb.org/Review/2008/203-08.html