(This article is the AngelFire.com’s
Chittagong Hill Tracts – Destruction and Desecration.)
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| Praying in a Burnt-down Buddhist Temple. |
On 8 May 1986, The Bangladesh Army
motivated by religious fanaticism attacked "Navajyoti Buddhist
Vihara" (Navajyoti Buddhist Temple) at Lalyaghona Village in
Baghaichari Upazilla (sub district), destroyed and desecrated
the temple by breaking down one of the images.
It's part of the systematic pattern of
the Bangladesh military's attack against the religious minorities of the
country. Religious fundamentalism and intolerance to the religious minorities
are on the rise in Bangladesh in general and military in particular.
Religious persecution and destruction
of places of worship is commonplace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
Religious persecution takes place in the form of torture, murder, intimidation
of the monks of the Buddhist, Hindu and Christian faiths and deliberate and
systematic destructions of places of worship. The following information is just
a small fraction of the Bangladesh (BD) Government organised religious
persecution committed against the Jumma people of the CHT.
6 August 2006
On 7 August UNO formed a inquiry
committee with Chairman of Bhasanya Adam Mr. Nurucchafa, former Longadu
Chairman Mr. Sukhamoy Chakma, representative of Longadu police station,
Commander of Challyatali BDR camp and Kanungo (government
employee on land).
However, on 8 August the Muslim
settlers led by Rafique Uddin set fire the temple. A case was filed with
Longadu police station in connection with the arson. But no culprit was
arrested so far. It is mentionable that the temple was built with the financial
assistance of Ministry of CHT Affairs.
27-31 May 2003
The Jumma people have a Buddhist temple
at the peak of the Fali Tangya mountain in Barkal.The
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) wanted to destroy the temple and build a
telecommunication tower on its place.
On May 27, 2003 a group of BDR led by
Major Rashid brought down the signboard and the flag of the Buddhist temple.
They torched the residence of the Buddhist monks. Next day they threatened the
devotees who had gathered there for religious function. They imposed
restriction of moving into the area.
The BDR personnel tied Mr. Sneha Moy
Chakma and Mr. Kitta Mohan Chakma with a pillar and dragged women out of the
temple. A group of BDR led by Habilder Fazlu constructed a camp on the temple
land.
On 31 May 2003, the BDR attempted to
destroy the temple's structure but they failed due to vehement protest and
demonstration of the local people. The BDR camp is still there on the temple ground.
On 7 June 2003, the local people of Barkal submitted a memorandum to the Prime
Minister of Bangladesh.
8 September 2002
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| Bangladesh army just watches while Muslims are killing the Buddhists. |
During the interrogation, the Jumma
villagers were abused with obscene and racially offending languages, booted,
beaten and the Jumma women and girls were molested and abused even in front of
their relatives. Many Jummas were injured. For example (i) Mrs. Chandra Rekha
Chakma and her husband, (ii) Mr. Nishi Ratan Chakma, (iii) Mrs. Sangma Prue
Marma (31), (iv) Mr. Medose Marma (50).
The Bangladesh Army compelled the
arrested Jummas to urinate and defecate in front of the images of the Buddha in
the local Vihara (Buddhist temple) to demonstrate their deep hatred towards the
non-Islamic religions of the Jumma Kafirs/Infidels.
Needless to say, the Bangladesh Army
forced the Jumma villagers to supply them with huge amount of rice, goats,
chickens, large amount of fruits and vegetable and firewood for four days free.
14 February 1999
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| Even the Buddhist babies are hacked. |
In Islamic Bangladesh, to disobey the
orders of the Muslim officers (however wrong their orders might be) by the
Jumma kafirs (infidels) is an unforgivable "offence". So, this
arrogant military officer mercilessly beat the innocent Jumma priest and
critically injured him. Rev. Bawm was so seriously injured that he had to be
carried by the Jummas to Rowangchari Hospital for treatment.
27 February 1998
A group of Muslim settlers under the
instructions of the Bangladesh Army ransacked and destroyed a Hindu Temple
(Shiv Mandir) at Matiranga, Khagrachari District. The Bangladesh Government did
not take any action against the culprits.
21 May l996
Then, on their way back to Old Lankar
BDR Camp, they torched 19 Jumma houses at Lakshmiban Karbari Para village (in
Thalchara area) and 16 Jumma houses at Reboti Karbari Para village in Sajek
Union under the jurisdiction of Baghaichari Police Station within Rangamati
District.
At Lakshmiban Karbari Para village,
these Military terrorists and Islamic zealots desecrated the local Buddhist
Temple, broke the images of the Buddha into pieces, stole the money from the
Temple Donation Box and set the Temple on fire. Similarly, they also set the
local Primary School alight. After that, these Military arsonists set ablaze a
Jumma house in Dhebachari area of the Lankar region.
25 April l996
These Military fanatics broke the head
of an image of the Buddha with their rifle butts and and threw down the rest of
the image on the floor. Then, they kicked with their boots on the head of
another image of the Buddha to topple it.
Having been seriously hurt by such
blatant attack on their Temple, the Jumma people requested the local Thana
(Police Station) Nirbahi (Administrative) Officer (TNO), the Deputy
Commissioner of Khagrachari District, and so on to stop religious persecution
and also to punish the Military culprits.
At the same time, the Panchari Branch
of the Hill Students Council demonstrated to protest at the planned desecration
of the Temple and demanded immediate arrest and open trial of the Military
terrorists and criminals. Needless to say, the BD Government had not taken any
actions against the military culprits.
However, Lt. Col. Mohammad Mati, the
Commander of the Panchari Military Zone, inspected the Temple, saw the broken
images of the Buddha and the bootmarks of the soldiers on the floor for
himself, and asked the Monks and the Jummas to keep their mouths shut
6 December 1995
The soldiers of the newly brought-in
4th Field Artillery Group from Kachchaptali Army Camp under the control of the
Bandarban Military Zone conducted a search-operation to capture the Shanti
Bahini (SB) personnel in Kachchaptali Mouza within Bandarban District.
During the operation, they thoroughly
searched Nathakgiri Bouddha Vihar (Buddhist Temple) and Liragaon Bouddha Vihar
(Buddhist Temple). Having found no SB personnel, nor arms and ammunitions in
the Temples, the Military fanatics interrogated the Monks in a very humiliating
manner and desecrated the images of the Buddha proving their profound contempt
for all non-Islamic religions.
25 June 1995
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| Buddhists killed by Bangladesh army and Muslim settlers. |
Having found no trace of the Shanti
Bahini in the area, they attacked the local Buddhist Temple, desecrated the
images of Lord Buddha, looted all valuable property, interrogated the Monk and
other devotees, and tortured them during interrogation.
Among the victims were: i) The Buddhist
Monk of the Temple, ii) Mr. Sapya Chakma (22), a devotee and the son of Mr.
Narad Muni Chakma, iii) Mr. Dhana Ram Chakma (45), a devotee and the son of Mr.
Bar Dhama Chakma and so forth.
31 May l995
Rev. U Kai Chara (50), the head monk of
the Jagat Shanti Buddhist Temple of Chowdhury Para vIllage under the
jurisdiction of Ramgarh Upazilla and some Jumma women devotees
were walking along the Mahalchari-Jaliapara Road on their way from Goria Para
village under the jurisaiction of Mahaichari Upazilla to a
religious function at Ramgarh.
The Jumma people have no right to
protest even when they are abused by any Bangladeshi of the Islamic State of
Bangladesh. So, the Bangladeshi labourers punished the Monk and all the women
devotees by flogging them mercilessly for tneir audacity to protest in the full
view of the Bangladesh military.
The following Bangladeshi Settlers were
among the culprits: i) Mohammad Nazrul Islam, the son of Mohammad Ahid Sarkar,
ii) Mohammad Abdul Ali, the son of Mohammad Saruja Mistry, iii) Mohammad Kasem,
the son of Mohammad Alauddin, iv) Mohammad Swapan, the son of Mohammad Abul
Basar, and so on.
10 March 1995
The Army personnel of Bhijakijing Camp
under the jurisdiction of Rangamati Police Headquarters attacked Hazachara
village, rounded up the Jumma villagers, interrogated them and harassed them
during the interrogations.
Having found no members of the Shanti
Bahini in the village, they attacked the local Buddhist Temple, searched it,
desecrated it, interrogated the monk and harassed him in a very humiliating
manner in order to hurt the sentiment of the Buddhist Jummas.
There were almost 100% Buddhists (ethnic Jumma) in CHT just after WW2. Now the Buddhist population there is only about 20% or even much less. Buddhist population was more than 20% in whole Bangladesh (East Pakistan) just after WW2 and now is only 0.7%. The silent genocide last 60 years has horribly depleted the Buddhist population in Bangladesh to near extinct.
The Illegal Bengali-Muslims have now overflowed into the bordering Arakan in Burma and even seeped into the Burma-Proper. And we all know Islam will never satisfy till the native Buddhists are completely wiped out. The result is the anti-Islam race riots now breaking out frequently in Burma.
Buddhist-Burmese in Burma are now fighting back as they do not want to be extinct like the Buddhists in Bangladesh or the poor Buddhists in Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan before them.)
