An eerie calm has returned to the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, where, just two weeks ago , the military opened fire on the Indigenous Jumma People, killing 6 and injuring more than two dozen men, women and children.
Sadly, painfully, it is not the first time the peaceful Jumma were put through such wretched violence, as we are reminded by this powerful clip from the documentary film, “Terrified voices.”
Thousands of Jummas have been murdered, raped, arrested, crippled and arrested ever since Bangladesh emerged as a Nation state on December 16, 1971. Tens of thousands more have been displaced.
But even so, the Jumma have hope that one day peace will thrive on their land once again. Hope that they will be able to live without the constant fear of being raped or killed at any moment. Hope that they will be treated not as terrorists or diseased animals, but as human beings. Maybe even allies.
If only the government would respect the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
Please sign this petition urging Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring Peace to the CHT http://cht-global-voices.com
To learn more about the Jumma, please visit www.jummapeoplenet.blogspot.com. For direct support, contact www.pcjss-cht.org