11th session of the UNPFII Raja Devasish Roy suggests UNPFII to organize seminars, workshops and other meetings on the different aspects of shifting cultivation

Member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and Chakma circle chief Raja Devasish Roy suggested the UNPFII to organize seminars, workshops and other meetings on the different aspects of shifting cultivation related to the socio-cultural identity and integrity of indigenous peoples, including at its 12th session.

Mr. Roy also urged the UN Member States to (a) expressly acknowledge the rights of shifting cultivators to their lands; (b) recognize this mode of cultivation as a traditional occupation that requires protection; (c) delineate the lands concerned; (d) discontinue sedentarization programmes that coerce shifting cultivators to forsake this mode of cultivation without their free, prior and informed consent.

Mr. Roy made this statement while he was presenting his study report on “shifting cultivation and the socio-cultural integrity of indigenous peoples” on 14 May 2012 at 11th session of the UNPFII which is taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York.

On 14 May 2012 on behalf of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus, Ms. Rukka Sombolinggi, in its statement on agenda item 6 “discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples to food and food sovereignty”, said that in Bangladesh, huge tracts of lands, which are used for traditional shifting cultivation and for sustainable use of forest resources, were leased out to non-indigenous outsiders in for rubber plantation and other commercial purposes and acquired for reserved forest, establishment for military installation and so-called eco-parks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and land and homesteads for mining and national park in plain land. This generated food insecurity among indigenous peoples.

On 15 May 2012 on behalf of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus, Mr. Windel Bolinget, in its statement on agenda item 4 Human Rights, called upon Asian States to demilitarize indigenous territories and to take appropriate steps to review and reverse their counter-insurgency policies and strategies that are detrimental to indigenous peoples and violative of international humanitarian law. He also called upon Asian States for the review of their oppressive and militarist laws and policies to be consistent with UNDRIP and seriously implement their international human rights obligations and push for State recognition of indigenous peoples to ensure full protection of their human rights, especially in Asian countries.

Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus also demanded to withdraw the Oplan Bayanihan as the government’s counter-insurgency strategy in Philippines; Operation Uttoran in Bangladesh; Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 in India. Asia Caucus stated that in Bangladesh, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord stipulates to demilitarize the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. Instead of implementing the CHT Accord, de facto military rule named “Operation Dabanal” (Operation Wild-fire) was imposed in the CHT during the period of insurgency and replaced with “Operation Uttoran (Operation Upliftment) in 2001. Military interference with and dominance over the civil administration, law and order, construction and repairing of roads, tribal affairs, forest resources etc. are still continuing on one hand, and on the other, they continue to actively support the outsider Bengali settlers in expanding and establishing newer cluster vil! lages in the CHT.

It is mentionable that the 11th session of the UNPFII is taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York which started on 7 May 2012 and will end on 18 May 2012.

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courtesy:
Kapaeeng Foundation
(A Human Rights Organization for Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh)