Residents of Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts have staged protests demanding the reinstatement of Dipen Dewan, the country’s only Buddhist minister, after he resigned from his position as Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
The demonstrations were held on June 21 at 10:00 a.m. simultaneously in Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban districts. Hundreds of men and women from various ethnic communities in the hill region participated in the protests, according to local media reports.
The protesters called for the withdrawal of Dewan’s resignation and demanded that he be reappointed as the full minister of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry. They also urged the removal or transfer of the current minister, Mir Helal Uddin MP, and submitted a petition with public signatures to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman through local authorities.
The demonstrators said the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord requires the ministry to be led by an ethnic community representative. They accused the current appointment of violating the spirit and provisions of the agreement, arguing that Mir Helal Uddin is not from an ethnic minority community and was not elected by residents of the hill tracts.
Dipen Dewan, a member of the Chakma community, had resigned citing health reasons. However, local residents claimed that his resignation was influenced by political pressure. Similar protests were also held on June 1, with demonstrators calling for his return.
Photo: Chittagong Hill Tracts residents taking part in a protest (Southeast Asia Journal)
