Monthly Archives: October 2009

The Government of Bangladesh’s decision to conduct a land survey in the CHT region has raised concern amongst the indigenous people and human rights and minority rights groups in Bangladesh. This is because  land holdings belonging to the ethnic communities have been taken over by settlers from the plains or appropriated illegally, and if the ownership is decided on grounds of present possession, it would legalise illegal holdings and deprive the ethnic community of their communal right to land. The land survey would not therefore resolve the disputes in ownership and would violate the terms of the CHT Peace Accord. Several Human rights organizations and activists have urged the Government to with justice to restor the lands belonging to the original owners.

In a recent study Dr. Abul Barak has highlighted that about 38 percent of Adivasi households in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were forced to relocate at least once in the period from 1977 to 2007. About 22 percent of households were forcefully evicted from their homesteads at least once during this period. The research also shows that in 82 percent of cases, the land grabbers were Bangali. On average, every household in CHT lost at least 115 decimals of land during this period.

Three resolute women and human rights activists Asma Jahangir, Salima Hashmi and Teesta Setalvad are unanimous on the exchange of arts and culture to bring India and Pakistan closer, the Hinustan Times reports.

Participating in a seminar ‘Building Blocks for Peace’ as part of the ongoing South Asian Foundation (SAF) – SAANJH Peace Festival in India on the 16th of October 2009 they said that besides culture, business ties can melt the border between the two countries that have borne the brunt of Partition

This is the key note speech delivered by Ms. Aruna Roy at the Presentation of the Meeto Award for Young South Asians held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on the 14th of October 2009.

The Fourteenth of October 09
The Stein Auditorium
Habitat Centre

Dearest Meeto,

I often talk to my loved ones in my mind. It is the pleasure of being able to engage on issues of common concern, allowing us the luxury of shaping a thought, a feeling, toning it down, sharpening it and above all seeing the contradictions and the anomalies! I am going to indulge myself today Meeto, with your permission to go over some of the issues that would have absorbed you today, and which possess me in my moments of privacy and silence, and in my public life.

Summary of Findings and Recommendations

A national meet was organised on the theme ‘What it Means to be a Muslim in India Today’ by Anhad in collaboration with Siasat and other organisations Delhi from 3 to 5 Oct 09. A large number of individuals as well as representatives of organisations participated and spoke about their experiences and problems late into the evenings. A detailed report is under preparation. However, this is a very brief summary of some of the major findings and recommendations that emerged from the hearings.

Overall

The predominant finding of the meet was that there is an intense, almost universal sentiment of fear and growing despair among Muslim citizens of the country. Many of those who testified in the meet went so far as to declare that they felt reduced to second class citizenship. They shared their mounting disillusionment with all institutions of governance, and more so with the police and judiciary, as well as with political parties and to some extent the media.

SAHR pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence on his 140th birth anniversary. The message of peace, love, harmony, and non-violence remains relevant for the world and particularly for South Asia, which has seen the rise of…