Sajek Blockade to Continue After Government Meeting, Babudhan Chakma Announces in Night Live

After a high-level government meeting on withdrawing the Sajek crisis in Rangamati, Sajek Gonoadhikar Andolon convenor Babudhan Chakma has announced that the indefinite blockade will continue. He made the announcement in a live broadcast on the Sajek Gonoadhikar Andolon Facebook page at 8pm on Monday (26 October).

The blockade was called by the Sajek Gonoadhikar Andolon and the Sajek Karbari Association. Babudhan Chakma said the announcement was made because the government had not accepted their five-point demands.

He said: 'The government said it would accept four of our five demands. On our main demand, removing Santu Larma's armed group from the area, they first asked for one month, we agreed to give three days. In the end they asked for time until 5 November, we agreed to give the next five days. But because no full assurance was given by the government, we are finally announcing that the road blockade will continue.'

He also said: 'If the government wants, it can solve the problem within a day, but we felt they are delaying because of a lack of positive attitude. So we are announcing that the ongoing movement programme will continue. If the government wants to sit at the discussion table again, we are ready to sit.'

He said that in the past the government had solved such problems within a day, but this time, even after time was given several times from their side, the government was delaying accepting the demands. He called for the demands to be accepted quickly.

Earlier, at 3pm on Monday, a high-level government delegation went to Ujobazar in Sajek. They visited the damaged shops. They later met in a discussion meeting in front of Care Point Diagnostic Centre at the bazaar.

Taking part in the meeting were Wadud Bhuiya, chairman of the standing committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs and MP for Khagrachhari, Dipen Dewan, MP for Rangamati, Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner Md Anwar Sadat, Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Nazma Ashrafi, Khagrachhari Police Superintendent Md Mortoza Ali Khan and Rangamati Police Superintendent Muhammad Abdur Rakib, along with senior administration officials. A group of protesters led by Sajek Gonoadhikar Andolon convenor Babudhan Chakma also took part.

The protesters' demands include punishment for those involved in attacks on blockaders and complete withdrawal of cases filed, an impartial judicial inquiry into the incident, proper compensation for damage caused by vandalism and looting of local shopkeepers' shops at Ujobazar, removal of army and police members from Ujobazar, and bearing the full cost of treatment for the injured.

The demands also include removing the armed members of the JSS Santu Larma group from Sajek very quickly, stopping their terrorism, extortion and oppression, and not arresting, harassing or searching the homes and businesses of protesting leaders and activists by labelling them terrorists.

On Thursday (22 October), on the Sajek tourism road in Rangamati, major tension, clashes and gunfire took place among law enforcement forces, blockaders and a hill organisation over the indefinite road blockade called by two local organisations.

The Sajek Gonoadhikar Rakkha Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association began the movement on 11 October demanding withdrawal of JSS-Santu Larma group armed members from the Sajek area, safety for local residents and implementation of previous assurances given by the administration. After suspending the movement from 16 to 21 October for Durga Puja, the two organisations called an indefinite road blockade again from 22 October because the demands were not met. Tourists are unable to go to Sajek because of it.

On the first day of the blockade, about 2,933 tourists were stranded in Sajek Valley. On Thursday morning (22 October), the Bangladesh Army and police escorted a convoy of tourist vehicles from Sajek towards Khagrachhari.

At about 10:30am, when the convoy of tourists and security forces reached the Ujobazar area of Sajek, protesters and picketers blocked their path by setting up barricades on the road and setting tyres on fire. Tension was created when the blockaders refused to clear the road even after long discussions.