The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is the south-eastern part of Bangladesh, comprises a total area of 5,093 sq. miles (13,189 sq. km.) which is about one-tenth of the total area of Bangladesh with over 1.325 million populations (0.700 million indigenous people and 0.625 million Bengali Muslims, infiltrated and politically transmigrated Bengali Muslim settlers). It shares borders with Myanmar on the south and southeast, India on the north and northeast and Chittagong district on the west. It is completely different in physical features, agricultural practices and soil conditions from the rest of the country with mountains and beautiful landscapes. CHT is located between 21°-40′ degrees and 23°-47′ degrees north latitude and 91°-40′ degrees and 92°-42′ degrees east longitude. It is a unique territory with mountains and beautiful landscapes and socio-economically and culturally is totally different from the rest of the country. It is a region that contains diverse, distinct culture, ethnicity, language and religious practice. Even after an era of colonial occupation of British, the CHT population had been almost entirely indigenous.

From the time immemorial the CHT has been the homeland of 12 indigenous ethnic peoples. They collectively identify themselves as the Jumma people, the first people of the CHT. They are the Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Tanchangya, Murung, Lushai, Khumi, Chak, Khyang, Bawm, Pankhua. The Chakma, Marma, Tanchangya and Chak are Buddhist. The Tripura are Hindu. The Lushai, Khumi, Khyang, Bawm, Pankhua are Christian. Beside, a very small number of descendents of Assames and Gorkhas also live in there. The Jumma people are distinct and different from the majority Bengali muslim people of Bangladesh in respect of race, language, culture, heritage and religion.

In a population census of 1872, it was found that only 2% of CHT populations were non-indigenous and till 1951 and more than 90 % of Indigenous population. But due to demographic engineering this overwhelming majority declined drastically and that reduced to 51.4% in 1991. Beside demographical changes, ownership/control overland in CHT also changed dramatically. Prior to colonial annexation most of land of CHT belonged to indigenous peoples but gradually it was replaced by the control of forest department, Till British colonial annexation access to land and its administration in CHT was totally based on the Customary Laws and practices of the peoples concerned and their Chiefs(Kings). And rather than plough cultivation most of the peoples were dependent on Jhum cultivation.

In 1860 the British colonialists occupied the hills to the CHT and annexed them to their colonial empire. For the first time in the history, CHT were administered from Bengal.

The British administrator under the colonial state recognized the only three Kings of the CHT, known as Mong, Chakma and Bohmong. Despite the Chiefs public display of power, their jurisdiction was quite restricted. Large area of CHT was administered directly by the colonial forest department and Chiefs had no say over them.

The Chiefs Power was also circumscribed by the fact that they were under the control of the state bureaucracy. From the 1860s onward, British officials with the considerable power resided in the CHT. They oversaw the Chiefs doings and formed vanguard of an extensive and expanding bureaucracy with that the Chiefs and other inhabitants of the CHT had to come to them e.g. British officials collected rent from plough cultivators, the Chiefs were only allowed to collect tax from peoples practicing Jhum.

Shortly after colonial annexation the state began to exploit the forest products of this region and jurisdiction over large part of the CHT had been taken away from the Chiefs and given to the department of forest. In 1870s the Head of the Department of Forest proposed that the whole Mugh and Chakma population should be removed from their native hills to protect the forest. In 1871 almost entire area was declared as government forest. In 1871-72 the first experiments with teak plantation were carried out. In 1874-75 two forest reserves were demarcated, followed by 5 more up to 1883. Thus in twelve years one-third of entire CHT area was taken away from use of cultivators and put under forest department.

Before the British colonization, the indigenous Jumma people of CHT were independent. During the whole period of the Mughal rule in this Indian sub-continent, the Chakma Kings were internally supreme and externally free. In 1550 a Portuguese cartographer named Joa De Barros shown the Chakma kingdom on his map as the Feni river to the North, the Namre or Naf river to the south, the Lushai hills to the east and the sea to the west.

In 1712, there were several encounters between the forces of Chakma King and the Mughal Governor of Chittagong because of a border dispute and the Chakma king captured two canons, which are known as “Kalu Khan” and “Fatheh Khan”. However, in 1713 the Chakma king, Fateh Khan made peace with the Mughals and obtained permission from the Mughal Emperor, Farrukshiyar to allow ‘Beparies’ (traders) to trade with the Jummas on payment of 11 mounds of cotton. It also gave access the Jumma people to Chittagong for buying their necessities i.e. salt, dry fish etc.

In 1763 Mr. Henry Verlest, the First Chief Officer of the Chittagong Council appointed by the East India Company officially proclaimed that the ‘tract’ bounded by the Nizampur road, Kuki territory, the Feni and Sangu rivers belonged to the Chakma Raja.

There had been no external interference by any outside power in the affairs of the CHT until 1787 when an agreement was signed with the British and the British colonization started since 1860. So the Kings of the CHT reigned independently during the whole pre-British Era.

In 1900 British colonial ruler enacted the CHT Regulation 1900, which provided the basic legal framework for civil, revenue and judicial administration in CHT. However, the original act has undergone considerable modification through subsequent amendments as well as the influence of new laws. The Regulation of 1900 also laid down specific rules on the rights of entry and residence in CHT, as well as land settlement and transfers. It included provisions designated to give special protection to the right of the Jumma people, while checking the further influx of Bengali, from the plain.

In 1920, the CHT was declared as a Backward Tract which gave governor-General in council the responsibility of administering the CHT as an excluded area. The Government of India Act of 1935 designated the CHT as a totally “Excluded Area”.

The state of Pakistan retained the CHT Regulation of 1900, which had underpinned the districts unusual administrative status during the colonial period, and with it ceremonial role of the Chiefs and their sub-ordinates. The Chiefs and Headmen of the CHT were smoothly integrated into the new state structure.

On 14th, 15th and 16th August 1947, the Indignous leaders led by the late Sneha Kumar Chakma, hoisted India Flag at Rangamati, CHT to march under Indian Territory during the Independent India and Pakistan. But the Indian government neglected to the Indigenous appeal. As a result they came under Pakistan territory.

The construction of the Kaptai Dam led in 1960 to the creation of a huge reservoir, usually known as the Kaptai Lake, in the central CHT. Its effects on the eco-system have been profound. The spectacular scenic beauty of the lake could not hide the fact that it was a catastrophe for thousands of hill cultivators, and not only, it flooded 650 sq.kms of valley land (40 percent of the arable land in the area), but also which displaced about 100,000 peoples from their ancestral homes, and about 10,000 fled to India as refugee whose houses and villages submerged including the Royal Palace of Chakma King.

On December 1971, Bangadesh became Indepence after long civil war in between the West Pakistan and East Pakistan(Bangladesh) .In 1972, within weeks of the end of the war of independence, two successive CHT delegations made attempts to submit their concern to the highest level of the then government. On 29th January 1972, the first delegation failed to get any reassurance from the government to check the violence on the Indigenous peoples and forcible take over of their lands or to punish those responsible. On 15th February 1972, M.N. Larma, then a member of parliament, led a second delegation. It met Prime Minister and national leader Late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with a four point demand that included:

a)Autonomy for the CHT along with the establishment of a special legislative body for the region;

b)Retention and endorsement of the CHT Regulation of 1900 in the new constitution of Bangladesh;

c)Continuation of the offices of the tribal Chiefs;

d)Constitutional provisions restricting further amendment of the CHT Regulation of 1900 and imposing ban on further Bengali settlement in the CHT.

However, Primer Minister Sheikh Mujib rejected these demands outright. This reluctance further contributed in the insecurity already being felt by the CHT peoples regarding protection of their lives, property, identity, culture and rights in the Bengali dominated state of Bangladesh. As an immediate response, a political party representing the Indigenous peoples interest was formally set up on March 7th, 1972 under the leadership of M.N Larma. This was the origin of Parbatya chattagram Jana Sanhati Samiti (PCJSS).

On 4th November 1972 the national parliament adopted a new constitution of Bangladesh that paid virtually no attention to the concerns of the hill peoples. It did not include any provisions recognizing the distinct identities of the non- Bengali ethnic groups living in the CHT and other plain districts of Bangladesh.

In January 1973 Shanti Bahini (SB) began its activites. Another set of considerations, which inexorably drove the PCJSS away from the constitutional forms of resistance, was the gradual militarization of the CHT under the government of Bangladesh over 1972-75. A state of low-intensity warfare had prevailed in the area from 1972, because of the continuing search for fugitive Pakistani soldiers and their collaborators among the hill peoples, hiding in the remote parts of the CHT.

Following the military takeover in 1975, relation between India and Bangladesh deteriorated. As consequences of this turn of events PCJSS and SB were allowed to set up bases in the neighboring Indian state of Tripura and Mizoram.

Full Scale militarization and counter-insurgency operation in the CHT began from late 1976, Particularly after an attack of SB on police force in October, 1976 the government declared that it was essential to fully deploy the military in Aid of Civilian Power in the CHT.

To counter the insurgency in CHT the government adopted a multi-pronged strategy of counter insurgency against the PCJSS and SB. In addition to use military force, the strategy incorporated instrumental use of socio-demographic interventions political and socio-cultural measures as well as assistance for so called socio-economic development. A key component of the counter-insurgency strategy consisted of demographic engineering to increase the proportion of Bengalees in the population size of CHT. In essence, this involved a two pronged operation. The first involved use of force to evict and relocate hills peoples from their land and villages. Second involved planned transmigration of the thousands of landless Bengali people from the plains of the country and settling them in CHT with plots of land provided by the state.

From the mid-1980s there was a distinct shift in the counter-insurgency strategy towards softer approaches aimed at co-option of hills peoples, as well as weakening the social base of their resistance.

In 1983 Ershad regime announced its willingness to suspend further transmigration of Bengali settlers to the CHT, as well as initiate direct dialogue with the PCJSS leadership and grant amnesty to hill rebels.

In February 1989 law was enacted to establish three Hill District Local Government Councils (HDLGC). The regime decided to set up these districts councils as concessionary measures to placate indigenous peoples demand for self-government.

After the fall of Ershad regime and with Bangladesh National Party (BNP) coming into power through general elections in 1991 an all-party committee of parliament members was formed to look into the CHT issue in July, 1992. The PCJSS and SB declared a unilateral cease-fire at this juncture. The government and the security forces promptly reciprocated. Despite many rounds of negotiations, however, the government could not reach any formal agreement with PCJSS during its five years tenure.

After the election of June 1996 again following several rounds of negotiations, a peace accord was eventually signed between accredited representative of Government of Bangladesh and the PCJSS on December2, 1997.

In land ownership of the indigenous CHT peoples besides domestic laws including Customary Laws, CHT Regulation-1900 and the peace agreements of the 1997, also numbers of international human rights instruments that included following declaration, convention, covenant and treaties should be taken into consideration: ILO Convention No.107 & 169; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD); Declaration on the Right to Development (DRD); Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities; The Vienna Declaration; Draft Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Among these human rights instruments Bangladesh Government has ratified ILO Convention No.107, ICCPR, ICESCR, CERD. So, as a State party in accordance with the international law, those are the legal bindings upon Bangladesh. But to utter frustration of the hills people almost all the successive regimes have deliberately ignored these instruments.

Since Bangladesh first ratified ILO Convention No.107 in 1972, the ILO supervisory bodies have been addressing the issue of the indigenous peoples in CHT region. The two major concerns have been human rights and land.

Root Causes of the CHT Problem :

1.Right to Self-determination: It is very clear that the Jumma people had all along enjoyed a kind of self-rule during pre-British and British era. But subsequently, it had been systematically and gradually destroyed by the successive governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Jumma people have a strong fear that their very existence has been under serious threat because of the governments’ hostile policies. Finding no other alternative and being ignored by the governments for a political solution within framework of the Constitution, they had to wage more than two decade-long armed struggle for the right to the self determination. But the governments had always been tried to portray it as a separatist movement.

2. Encroachment on Land Right :From the very beginning of the Pakistan regime, the encroachment on the land rights of Jumma people had been started and it has been continued by the successive governments till now. To this end, the government had enacted CHT (Land Acquisition) Regulation, 1958 and made several amendments to CHT Regulation, 1900 destroying the interest of the indigenous Jumma people. The governments have already acquired thousands of acres of land in the name of various development programs by evicting the indigenous people from their hearth and home without proper rehabilitation and adequate compensation.

3.Islamisation Policy through Transmigration of Bengali Settlers : History shows that the CHT region once a predominant non-Bengali Muslim area is fast becoming a Bengali Muslim area by Islamisation policies of the governments. The influx of outsider Bengali Muslim settlers into the CHT region had been started since the creation of Pakistan. Later on Bangladesh government’s vigorous Islamisation policies had made the situation worse than ever before. The following statistics proves the facts.

4.Jumma and Bengali Settlers Population Ratio

Year                Indigenous People         Bengali Muslim/Hindu

1941                 98.5%                                1.5%

1951                91%                                 9%

1961                 88%                                 12%

1974                 77%                                 33%

1981                 58.6%                             41.4%

1991                 60.32%                         39.68%

2000                 51%                             49%

5.Military Solution for a Political Problem : From the very beginning the governments have been trying to solve the political problems in CHT with military might. However, the efforts for the military solution for political problem have been miserably failed and ultimately the government has signed the CHT Accord with the PCJSS in 1997 for political solution of CHT issue. In spite of that the government did not withdraw the temporary camps of security forces from the CHT as per provisions of the CHT Accord. Actually the military in the CHT are still acting as armed guardians of Bengali Muslim settlers and blocking the implementation of the Accord at every step.

6. Non- indigenous Hostile Bureaucracy : Almost all civil and military functionaries of the CHT region are outsider Bengali Muslim people from the plains of Bangladesh. They are more sympathetic and bias towards the outsider Bengali Muslim settlers because of their ethnic and religious affinity with them. Moreover, they have a strong anti-Jumma mindset. So they are always working against the political solution and the implementation of the Accord. Therefore, an indigenous bureaucracy in the CHT is a must without which self-rule for the Jumma people of the CHT tends to impossibility.

7. Non-recognition of the Entity of the Indigenous Jumma People in the Constitution :The indigenous peoples in Bangladesh including Jumma people are not recognised to the Constitution of Bangladesh. All ruling government parties of Bangladesh have lacked sympathy towards the social and economic systems of the indigenous peoples, and this has been exacerbated by the disruptive policies of internal colonization. The state itself is liable for the destruction of indigenous communities within the country. The Bangladesh Government has yet no policy for the development of indigenous peoples. Neither does it recognise "Indigenous Peoples" as indigenous peoples. The main demand of indigenous peoples in the country is for constitutional recognition and the right to self-determination.

Solution to the CHT Problem : One of the main causes behind the non-implementation of the agreement is the state policy of Bangladesh. The state policy of Bangladesh regarding CHT is to make CHT into a Muslim dominated region. The government is implementing its policy through rehabilitating the settlers in CHT and compiling the electoral list with the non-permanent Bengali Muslims. Although the present government signed the Agreement for resolving the CHT problems, no change in state policy with regard to CHT is observed.

 Continual delays in the implementation of the Agreement throw into doubt the Bangladesh government's real commitment to its proclaimed wish to establish a lasting peace in CHT. Due to the non-implementation of the Agreement, it is observed that the situation in CHT is far from peaceful, it is becoming more and more complicated, and the common people are becoming gradually violent against the government policies. So if the Agreement is not implemented properly, the situation of CHT may turn into new directions in future. Needless to say that it will harm the greater interest of Bangladesh and South-East Asia as well.The Bangladesh Governmet instead of implementing the Peace Accord, sponsoring thousands of Muslim settlers, Islamic Fundamentalists and terrorist groups to enter in the CHT from plain districts to cleansing the Jumma Nation from their Homeland. The Muslim settlers, Islamic Fundamentalists and Terrrorist groups full backing by the military attacking, burning, arsoning, killing, kidnaping, destroying, looting, religious persecution, etc.on jumma peoples in CHT. The CHT is still under military rule in the named of "Operation Uttaran".

The United Jumma Internation (a Jumma human right organisation) appeal to the International Community, UNO, International Human Right Organisation, Donor Countries, NGO's, Finanacial Institution to Bangladesh, etc to pressurize to the Government of Bangladesh that:

1. Immediate implementation of the CHT Accord in letter and spirit;

2. Demilitarisation of the CHT region;

3. Stopping of Bengali Muslim outsider infiltration into the CHT and immediate withdrawal of the Bengali Muslim settlers from the CHT region to their original homeland (plains of Bangladesh) for their proper rehabilitation;

4. Proper rehabilitation of the repatriated Jumma refugee and Internally Displaced Jumma families on their ancestral land and properties, which have been forcibly and illegally occupied by the Bengali Muslim settlers with direct support of military;

5. Proper rehabilitation of the PCJSS ex-combatants as per the Accord;

6. Immediate functioning of Land Dispute Disposal Commission for speedy return of land property that has been illegally occupied by the Bengali Muslim settlers;

7. An indigenous civil bureaucracy at all levels in the CHT region is a must;

8. A comprehensive voter list must be prepared only with the permanent residents of the Region and on the basis of that voter list election of Hill District Councils and Regional Council should be held immediately;

9. The government must take positive steps for the effective functioning of the CHT Regional Council and three Hill District Councils;

10. Constitutional recognition of the indigenous peoples and the CHT Accord.

Sincerely,

Ven. A. Paññājoti

President

United Jumma International

Sources: 

www.pcjss.org

www. unpo.org

www.jpnuk.org.uk

www.voiceofjummaland.blogspot.com

www.angefire.com

www.galenfrysinger.com

 

Read more : Chakma Raja's Chronology

Chronological History of CHT

* June 20, 1860: The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) was a part of Chittagong as part of the East India Company. The CHT was partitioned separately from Chittagong.

* May 1, 1990: The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Manual law was passed. The CHT region was exempted as "Excluded Area" from administration with a view to helping to preserve the culture & tradition of the minority tribal groups. The CHT was divided into three circles namely the Chakma, Bomang & Moung circles.

* 1935: The Regulation (1900) of the CHT was recognized by the Rules of Law of India.

* August 17, 1947: The CHT was embodied in the newly created Pakistan.

* August 15-20, 1947: The people of the CHT begin to have doubts about the preservation of their rights in the State of Pakistan. The indigenous people raise the Indian national flag at the office of the Rangamati Deputy Commissioner and several Bomang family members raise the national flag of Burma in Bandarban.

* August 21, 1947: A large group of indigenous people were threatened and they take shelter in Mizorum of India and leave behind tnd in Bangladesh.

* 1948: The new Pakistan government doubts about the indigenous people's obsequiousness. For the dismay of security, several thousand of indigenous people take shelter in India & Burma.

* 1950: Violating the CHT Manual Law, the Pakistan government permitted to several hundred families to settle at Naniachar, Langadu (Rangamati) & Bandarban areas.

* 1956: The CHT Manual Law 1900 was approved in the first constitution.

* 1962: The Pakistan government extensively changed the Tribal (indigenous) Area instead of Separate Administered Area & started to controlling to the indigenous people.

* 1952-1962: The Hydro-Electric Dam was built at Kaptai lake of Rangamati Hill Tracts. As a result, 40% percent (54,000 acre) of first class cultivable land were submerged under water. For this, nearly 18,000 indigenous families lost their land for ever.

* 1964: For the reason of the project of Kaptai Hydro-Electric Dam, the people who lost their land, were settled other areas. But nearly 20 thousand indigenous people from the rehabilitated area, were permitted (by the government of India) to reside in the Arunanchal State. The rest of the indigenous people resided in the Tripura State & other areas in India.

* 1971: The liberation war began in Bangladesh. Maj Ziaour Rahman & his Army left Bangladesh for India taking assistance from the indigenous people.

* December 5, 1971: The Pakistan Army left Panchari (Khagrachari) area & the Bangalee freedom fighters killed 14 indigenous people.

* January 29, 1972: The leader of the recent independent, Sheikh Mujibub assured the Chakma delegations that the Chakma would get their due share in government jobs.

* February 15, 1972: The delegations of Chakma Raja (Chief) handed over a proclamation to Sheikh Mujib containing 4 (four) articles demanding autonomy.

* June 24, 1972: A regional political party styled as "Parbatya Chattagram Sanghati Dal" formed under the leadership of Manabendra Narayan Larma to realize the demand of regional autonomy for indigenous people.

* January 7, 1973: "Santibahini" formed as the military front of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) with the leadership of Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Shantu Larma).

* February 13, 1973: During a visit to the CHT, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced "from now on, everybody including the indigenous people will be called as Bangalee".

* 1973: The Jana Sanghati Samity got 2 (two) seats in the National Assembly in general election.

* 1975: After the assassination of Bangabandhu, M. N. Larma went into hide.

* 1976: The Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB) formed by the government of Gen. Ziaour Rahman. Bangalees rehabilitated extensively in the CHT under government initiative.

* May 29, 1977: A major attack by Shantibahini on troops. Strength of army beefed up.

* March 25, 1980: More over 300 indigenous people killed in firing in a Buddhist monastery at Kamalpati village (Rangamati) Shantibahini held army responsible for the killing.

* October 24, 1982: Jana Sanghati Samity split into 2 (two) factions led by Manabendra Narayan Larma & Priti Kumar Chakma.

* October 1, 1983: Gen. Ershad's government declared general mercy for the members of Santibahini.

* November 10, 1983: M. N. Larma was killed in a tribal feud.

* April 19, 1985: Many members of Priti group of Shantibahini surrendered to the government. Priti went into hiding.

* 1985-1988: First to sixth meetings between the Ershad government & PCJSS.

* 1986: First meeting in Amsterdam (Netherlands) on CHT issue. The CHT Affairs Committee formed by the International Working Group pertaining to indigenous people in the Netherlands.

* February 15, 1989: CHT Local (Rangamati, Khagrachari & Bandarban) Government Bills passed in the parliament.

* May 4, 1989: Armed attacked by Shantibahini. Some indigenous people villages torched & killed many indigenous people allegedly by Bangalees at Langadu (Rangamati).

* June 25, 1989: Local Government election held in the CHT.

* 1990: The Monitory & Social Human Rights Organization (working group on indigenous people) of the UN published a report that there are 70,000 indigenous people refugees in India.

* April 10, 1992: Moreover 300 indigenous people killed in armed clashes between indigenous people & Bengalees at Logang (Khagrachari). Khaleda Zia government formed a committee on CHT headed by Communications Minister Oli Ahmed.

* August 1, 1992: PCJSS declared truce.

* 1992: First to seventh meetings between the government & PCJSS since November 5, 1992 to May 5, 1994.

* November 17, 1992: Naniachar (Rangamati) killing. About 90 indigenous people killed.

* 1994: The Jumma People's Network published that 1(one) Army Officer was appointed against each 15 indigenous people.

* 1994-1995: First to sixth meetings between the Sub-committee on CHT headed by Rashad Khan Menon MP since July 4, 1994 to October 25, 1995, without any results.

* March 1995: The Human Rights Report 1994 of Foreign Affairs of the USA published: 3% Bengalees in 1947 in CHT but now (1994) 45% Bengalees in CHT.

* September 30, 1996: Sheikh Hasina government formed a National Committee on CHT headed by Chief Whip Abdul Hasnath Abdullah.

* 1996/1997: First to seventh meetings between the government & PCJSS.

* December 2, 1997: The landmark agreement between the government & the indigenous people singed at 10.25 am at the Prime Minister Office in Dhaka.

* December 3, 1997, the BNP, Jamat-E-Islami and other opposition parties titling Black Accord to Peace Accord convened for a countrywide hartal (general strike) and observed on Sunday, December 7, 1997.

* May 24, 1998, the Bills of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council & 3 (three) Local Government Councils were consented by the President of Bangladesh.

* June 3, 1998, a communal riot between the indigenous people and the Bangalees was excited at Rangamati town. The Bangalees attacked & demolished Moitree Bihara (temple) & a monk was beaten.

* July 15, 1998, separately the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry (CHTAM) was formed.

* August 10, 1998: The government suspended all activities of NGOs in 3 (three) Hill Tracts by the direction of the Home Ministry. The NGOs entered into the CHT without government permission after the Peace Accord and their activities were suspended.

* August 1998: The CHT was open to all foreigners i.e. any foreigners would not need the government's permission to visit its area.

* September 6, 1998, the government formed the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council (CHTRC) consisting of 22 members. Mr. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Santu Larma) became its chairman.

* September-October 1998, the government had drawn back 10 (ten) Army Camps among some 550 camps from Rangamati & Khagrachari Districts.

* October 23, 1998, PCJSS leader Shantu Larma convened the indigenous people & indigenous Bengalees to start agitation against the government of Bangladesh.