20 May 1996

The Bangladesh Army personnel from several camps in Sajek valley burnt down Thalchara Bazaar (a Jumma market) and Khagrachari village in Sajek valley in order to depopulate the area for Muslim settlement.

13 May 1996

Lt. Col. Ashfaq Ahmed, the commander of Khagrachari Brigade, visited Logang Army Camp of Panchari Military Zone and ordered the camp authorities to settle new batch of Muslim settlers at Logang cluster village where the Bangladesh Army and the Muslim settlers massacred at least 1200 Jummas on April 10, 1992. Accordingly, 37 Muslim families were rehabilitated there in the fourth week of May 1996, although the Bangladesh Government had repeatedly denied having settled any Muslim settlers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

15-21 April 1996

Lt. Col. Rokanuddin of the 15 EBR, the commander of the Barkal Military Zone, Maj. Mehboob of the 13 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Battalion, the commander of the Barkal BDR Zone, and Maj. Khaled, the commander of the Harina BDR Zone met at the headquarters of the Barkal Military Zone and decided to settle new Muslim families at Gorasthan Highland area. Accordingly, the Bangladesh military set up i) One BDR camp at Dutyachara of Gorasthan, ii) One Ansar (Islamic Guards) camp at Jaganachari of Gorasthan, and iii) Five security/sentry posts around the proposed Muslim settler encampment on 15 and 21 April, 1996, respectively in order to protect the new Muslim settlements. After that, on May 1 1996, 110 Muslim families were settled in the said Jumma villages which were depopulated by the Bangladesh military by employing ethnic cleansing campaigns in 1984. The Bangladesh military gave each Muslim family one thousand Taka for house construction, free rations and other facilities disproving the Bangladesh Government's claim that they had stopped the Muslim settlement in the CHT.

6 April 1996

The commanding officer of the Sindhukchari Military Zone held a meeting with the military officers of his zone at Patachara Army Camp and instructed them to take all necessary steps for settling new Muslim families in Patachara area, Ramgarh i) The selection of suitable sites, ii) The building of military camps and security/sentry posts, road construction, and so on. He also directed them to provide every Muslim family with free rations, two thousand Taka for house construction and other necessary facilities. His orders confirmed that the Islamization of the CHT is continuing unabated no matter what the Bangladesh Government say to the contrary.

25 October 1995

Mr. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, the President of the JSS, complained in the Sixth Group Meeting that Mr. Ismail, the Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachari District had recently issued settlement permits (kabuliats) to 28 Muslim families in an area under the jurisdiction of Mahalchari, Khagrachari. In response, Mr. Ismail explained that he had done so because those old cases were decided by his predecessor and because those 28 Muslim families were the original inhabitants of the CHT. Mr. Sudha Sindhu Khisa, a member of the JSS delegation, hails from that area and asserted that there were no Muslim settlers in Mahalchari area before 1979 and that all the Muslim settlers in the area had been brought in under the state sponsored transmigration scheme. Perhaps, it is note worthy that Mr. Ismail failed to refute the evidence of Mr. Khisa confirming that the Bangladesh Government had never stopped the Muslim settlement in the area. Needless to say, Mr. Larma forcefully demanded the immediate cancellation of all the said settlement orders.

23 August 1995

Under the instructions of the Bangladesh Army, the Muslim leaders of Ultachari, Panchari arranged mass marraiges of 180 Muslim females with the Muslim males from plain land in order to enable the Muslim males to settle in the CHT and also to entitle them to ration and other facilities given to all Muslim families by the Bangladesh Government.

8 August 1995

The commanding officer of the Lakshmichari Military Zone and his army personnel carried out a massive combimg operation in the hilly areas of Binajuri Para in Barmachari Mouza, and Dudhya Khola and Lakshmichari in Dhurung Mouza. During the operation, the commanding officer ordered the headmen of Barmachari, Lelang and Muktachari Mouzas to submit the list of unsettled hills and forests in their respective Mouzas, so that those unsettled hills and forests could be settled with Muslim settlers.

June 1995

The state financed project of rehabilitating 500 Muslim families at Jalyapara (northern part of Reserve Bazaar), Rangamati Town is in progress. So far 260 Muslim families had been settled by Rangamati Municipality. The Bangladesh Government gave a directive that all the floating people of Rangamati Town be rehabilitated. The Bangladesh Government uses the term "Floating People" as a euphemism for the new batches of Muslim settlers to mislead the public opinion.

1995

In compliance with the Bangladesh Government's directives, the municipalities, the army and Jamat-E-Islami supplied rickshaws to some 900 Muslim settlers free of cost.

1995

The Bangladesh Government had planned to settle another 300 Muslim families, who had camped at Burighat, Baradam, Bagachari, Kukurmara and Uttar Nanaprum under the jurisdiction of Naniachar, Rangamati. Mr. Mridul Kanti Dewan, a member of the Rangamati Hill District Council was directed to implement the scheme.

Sources:

1. Jana Samhati Samiti Report