CHT pullout starts today

In line with the government decision towards implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord 1997, an army camp is going to be withdrawn from Khagrachari this afternoon.

Talking to The Daily Star, Mohalchori Army Zone Commander (Acting) Major Mamunur Rashid said the process for withdrawal of the camp at Manikchari in Mohalchori upazila began this morning and will be completed by 5:00pm, reports our Khagrachhari correspondent.

In a major development, the government late last month decided to withdraw one brigade of troops and 35 temporary security camps from CHT areas by this September.

As many as 40 army personnel were engaged at the camp to ensure security in that area.

Mohalchori upazila Chairman Sona Ratan Chakma, UNO Saiful Arif and officer-in-charge of Manikchari Police Station were also present during the army camp removal process.

According to the peace accord, the government is supposed to withdraw all military camps and security forces from CHT areas excepting the three cantonments in Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati district headquarters and those in Alikadam and Ruma upazilas of Bandarban and Dighinala of Khagrachhari, police and border security.

Two hundred security camps have so far been withdrawn in phases since the accord was signed between the then Awami League government and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity on December 2, 1997 to bring an end to two decades of insurgency and unrest in the hill districts.

After signing the accord, members of the Jana Sanghati Samity surrendered arms to the then AL government.

However, implementation of the accord lost momentum after the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government assumed state power in 2001. The alliance had opposed signing of the accord.

After assuming power in January, the AL again initiated steps to implement the CHT Peace Accord to bring normalcy in the region and in May made Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury the chairperson of a national committee for implementation of the accord.