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On 2 February 1992 Bangladesh army backed Muslim settlers massacred about 30 indigenous Chakma Buddhists at Mallya. One of them was Bablu Chakma the son of Manek Kumar Chakma. Two bombs exploded on a river ferry at Mallya. The explosion killed a passenger and seriously injured the skipper of the vessel. The survivors swam ashore but the armed Muslim settlers were waiting for them and attacked the indigenous Chakma Buddhists - men women and children.

Bangladesh army and settlers massacre indigenous people in Naniachar

On 17 November 1993, Bangladesh army and Muslim settlers massacred at least 29 and injured more than a hundred indigenous people in Naniachar, Rangamati district.

Muslim settlers supported by the Bangladesh army attacked a peaceful rally of indigenous people in Naniarchar Bazzar. The rally was organized by the Greater Chittagong Hill Tracts Hill Students' Council, with the advance permission from the local authorities, and was part of a campaign against the use of the only waiting shed for passengers of river ferry as a Bangladesh army check post.

Naniarchar is surrounded on 3 sides by the Kaptai Lake, so people travel mostly by boat. People arriving and departing from Naniarchar are regularly questioned and harassed by the army personnel from the checkpoint. There was widespread resentment among the local residents against the army checkpost.

On 17 November, soon after the students had held their meeting and rally, Muslim settlers led by Union Council member Ahmed Miah held a counter demonstration, for which they had obtained permission on the same day. They were joined by a few hundred Muslim settlers from adjacent villages, led by Mohammad Ayub Hossain, president of Parbatya Gana Parishad (Hill Tracts Peoples' Council, an organization of the Muslim settlers, not to be confused with the Hill Peoples' Council of the indigenous people), and Abdul Latif, chairman of Burighat Union Council. They arrived on boats, armed with iron rods, sticks and machete.

Surprisingly, Bangladesh army did not disarm the Muslim settlers at the check post. Tension rose and at one point Muslim settlers started attacking the indigenous people. Even the indigenous people who tried to escape by jumping into the lake were hacked to death. It was reported that the law enforcing agencies did not try to stop the attack and observed impassively. Indigenous people defended themselves with firewood and sticks which they collected from tea shops. Then the Muslim settlers were already retreating, there was a whistle from the Bangladesh army camp and Bangladesh army opened fire on the indigenous people.


Sources:

PCJSS(Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti)
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