The International Secretariat of OMCT/SOS Torture requests your Urgent
intervention in the following situation in Bangladesh.
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat has been informed by reliable sources
over the abduction of ten Bawm people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts,
on 21 April 1997, by a group of armed men in the Banderban Hill
District, one of the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
According to the information received, four of the ten people abducted
were released to collect the requested money of Taka 700,000 for the
release of the other six by 25 April. Six Bawm people, Lian Sang (19),
Lal Thlang Lian (20), (and two children: see case BGD 130597.CC) from
the Lunglei Para Village, Lal Than Sang (30) and Lalhum Ngak (26) from
Uiphum Para village, remain kidnapped.
Army Major B.M. Tawfiq of the region allegedly said to have visited
the spot, found no clear evidence about the identity of the captors
who speak Burmese, but suspected that they are members of the split
group of the Myanmar's terrorist revolutionary army.
According to eyewitnesses, on 21 April 1997, a group of eight armed
men entered the village Lunglei Para at around 8 p.m. and another
village at Uiphum Para at around midnight. After collecting money and
goods from the villagers, the armed men abducted the ten persons.
According to the information received, at about 12:30 a.m., several
village leaders went to the 4th Field Artillery Mohendra Para army
camp which is about 100 yards from the village. to inform the army
about the abduction and looting. The Camp Commander Lt. Zia told the
informants to surround the village themselves for the rest of the
night in order to keep the armed men in the village. Furthermore it is
alleged that he said that nothing could be done as long as peace talk
on the issue of Chittagong Hill continues between the government and
the Jana Sanghati Samity and Shanti Bahini, respectively the political
party and its armed wing of the indigenous Jumma people.
The International Secretariat fears that the Government of Bangladesh
may not take appropriate action. Although the army and the police were
approached repeatedly by relatives of the abducted persons and village
leaders, nothing was done to help the victims except visiting the
place were the victims remain by helicopter.
Action requested:
Please write to the authorities of Bangladesh urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to clarify these events and guarantee
the physical and psychological integrity of Lian Sang, Lal Thlang
Lian, Lal Than Sang and Lalhum Ngak,
ii. take all necessary measures to protect the indigenous peoples of
the Chittagong Hill Tracts;
iii. guarantee an impartial and exhaustive enquiry into the incidents,
find those responsible, bring them to trial, and apply the penal,
civil, and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
iv take all necessary measures to guarantee appropriate assistance to
the victims of the incident of 21 April, including their rights to
redress;
v. ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in accordance with national laws and
international standards.
Addresses:
Abdur Rahman Biswas, President, Presidential Secretariat, Old Sangsad
Bhaban, Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fax : +880 2 866 300
Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister,
Shere-e Bangla Nagor, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fax: 880 2 813 244 (PM
Office) or +880 2 811 015
Mr. Matin Chowdhury, Minister of Home Affairs, Ramna, Dhaka,
Bangladesh. Fax: 880 2 813 243
Mirza Gholam Hafiz, Minister of Law & Justice, Ministry of Law &
Justice, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Geneva,13 May 1997
Kindly inform the International Secretariat of any action undertaken
quoting the code number of the present appeal.
Ben Schonveld
Projects Manager
OMCT-SOS-Torture
Fax 4122 733 1051
Ph 4122 733 3140
OMCT is: l'Organisation Mondiale contre la Torture
The World Organisation Against Torture
omct@iprolink.ch
http://www.omct.org/