KNF statement on Bandarban attack
KNF statement on Bandarban attack
After a series of bank robberies, mass shootouts with law enforcement in Thanchi and Alikdam, the KNF issued a statement on social media on Friday (April 05) night about their actions.
A post on Facebook quoted 'Colonel Solomon', head of the media and intelligence wing, Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), as saying, 'Why did the KNF violate the terms of the peace talks? Today, this is the question of all the scientific circles and the higher circles of the country, including the Peace Establishment Committee. The reasons for breaching the terms of agreement signed during the KNF meeting are detailed below:
1) The government has not performed any work as per the terms signed by both parties in the first physical meeting, but has completely violated it. That is:
a) Prisoners (who are not members of KNF and innocent) were supposed to be released in a phased manner within a month but were not released even after five months. Only the girl (who had an abortion while in jail) was released from the army camp.
2) The Bangladesh Army grossly violated the terms of the meeting. Eg- a) Army work not stopped by civilians. And although they were allowed to work in the camp every day, the poor were not paid a fair wage; b) The army has been threatening innocent people with unnecessary harassment and arrest as a manifestation of the government's reluctance towards peace talks; c) Camps that were supposed to be evacuated were not evacuated. Rather, the innocent people are being constantly harassed by setting up camps and check posts there.
2) The government side and the peace establishment committee failed to give an answer even in the second meeting regarding the two innocent villagers who went missing from Sunsong para army camp under Ruma Cantonment.
3) The army camp in Ruma zone has ordered the foreigners to vacate the villages destroyed by bombs (people living as refugees in Mizoram) and abandoned neighborhoods due to the dropping of more than 4,000 bombs. It is for the army's ulterior motive to create a racial riot.
4) The construction of the border road has not been stopped and attempts are being made to develop tourism industry by clearing the hill forests of the tribal and constructing buildings there, which is a threat to the tribal communities of the border areas.
5) It has come to the notice of the intelligence wing of KNF that they are continuing to weaken and dull the KNF in the name of peace only by farce and delay.
6) The logical demands raised by the KNF to the government did not find any place in the several rounds of virtual and face-to-face meetings held. Rather, the government side was trying hard to bring them back to normal life in return for some jobs including giving dowry, which amounts to betrayal of the KNF. And that seriously disrupted the peace talks.
7) In the 2nd face-to-face meeting, the government side could not give any answer to the questions raised by the government representative regarding the demands of KNF. On the contrary, it has made us stand in court with the position and behavior of KNF.
8) On the one hand, KNF is being stopped from all armed activities based on peace talk, while on the other hand, the state-backed reformist terrorist forces and the pro-government JSS are pitting the Bangladesh intelligence agency against the KNF. Then the question of how much benefit the unilateral peace process will bring from the side of KNF is to the state and all the conscious circles of the state.
9) LCPE i.e. Peace Establishment Committee was formed ostensibly only for showmanship and giving false assurance to the Kuki-Chin people. They worked only to maintain the rules or conditions and to protect the image of the government. In fact, there is a lot of lack of sincerity and goodwill among the representatives of the government.
10) According to the conditions, the government side has suffered till date. Kuki-Chin has promised to work for the masses of the people but has not yet taken any steps in terms of humanitarian aid and relief assistance. First on May 30. Tons of food grains were delivered to the affected people, at that time 4/5 kg per head which is a pittance for a family. Still in Bandarban Zilla Parishad 57 Mts Tons of food grains are lying around, which are yet to be distributed.
'The above allegations have been raised by the KNF nine-ten times as a warning message to the Bangladesh Intelligence Agency DGFI and the Peacekeeping Committee which has not been fully implemented.'
It is particularly noteworthy here and the clear statement of KNF for the sake of the country's intellectuals or policy makers is the past - one year during their combing operation, the Bangladesh Army has imprisoned over sixty innocent people including a minor in various cases. None of the detainees are armed members of the KNF. Two people have gone missing in the army camp, massacred 14 people.'
"The two unarmed KNF members who were arrested during the talks are still being held in the cantonment. Meanwhile, no innocent Bengalis were abducted unnecessarily during KNF operations, but were abducted but freed for necessary interrogation, glaring examples of which are Army Engineers and Bank Managers. So far, no Bengalis are in KNF camps. And KNF has not killed any innocent Bengali so far. It is very clear here that the agreement terms signed in the peace talks have been violated, who actually wants to establish peace and who wants to create unrest in the mountains.'
