Bangladeshs Objection Accepted by UN Forum United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) incorporated in their report the

objections made by Bangladesh government regarding the implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Treaty, informs a foreign ministry press release. The report of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) was a accepted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting, held from 22nd to 29th July in Geneva. The member countries opinion regarding the forum report was given importance, the press release claims. Bangladesh raised issues with the use of the word indigenous referring to Bangladesh Hill Tracks Treaty in two paragraphs of the Forums 2011 report. Bangladesh claimed that a member of International Chittagong Hill Tracks Commission carried out the survey through an ambiguous procedure. Suggestions were made in the report for removal of army camp from the Hill Tracks by stages, announcement of an action plan and time frame for implementing the treaty and forming independent investigation committee for human rights violation. The press release also shed light on the fact that Bangladeshs objection was approved by the 58 member ECOSOC. The reports approval does not create any obligation for Bangladesh, as how a country classifies a particular group or segment of its population depends solely on the constitution and legal authorities of the independent country. Meanwhile, Law Minister Barrister Shafiq Ahmed on Monday said that the indigenous people of Bangladesh are only those who have been living in Bangladesh from time immemorial, meaning the aboriginals, and hence he drew a distinction between the tribal and aboriginals, claiming that the small tribes do not fall into the indigenous people category unless they are aboriginals. In an interview with Daily Amader Shomoy, he said that it is not like that these people have been forced to move to the Chittagong Hill tracks by the colonial regime, rather they have moved in from other countries, therefore, they can never be regarded as the aboriginals of Bangladesh. Referring to the claim that these people are termed as tribes for depriving them of their land, the Law Minister informs that a commission has been set up to settle the dispute of land issues of Chittagong Hill tracks. But the tribal leaders were not supportive, he complained.