.::United People's Democratic Front (UPDF)::.

Major Activities of the Party

26 December 1999
First founding anniversary
A mass rally was to be held at Chittagong in celebration of the first founding anniversary of the Party. All out preparations were taken and about 2 thousand people made it to Chittagong to take part in it. But before dawn the police went to Laldighi Maidan and dismantled the dais and the tents erected for the programme. Police arrested 45 UPDF members and supporters including a guest speaker - Anu Muhammad, professor of Economics department, Jahangirnagar University. The police resorted to lathi charges to disperse the UPDF supporters who were coming to the meeting venue in groups. The crackdown was so brutal and ruthless that the police even refused to allow the participants to have their lunch at Waziullah Institute. They seized lunch boxes and drove the participants from there too. As a result the rally could not be held.

The Netherlands based Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission in its fourth update to its original report "Life is not Ours: Land and Human Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts" said:

"On 26 December 1999, the UPDF had organised a meeting on the occasion of its first anniversary, to be held in Chittagong city. Three thousand people were expected, including Bengali political leaders, women's rights activists and university teachers. Reportedly, JSS-backed students tried to prevent participants from Khagrachari attending the meeting by calling for a road blockade programme in Khagrachari on 26 December. Consequently, the Deputy Commissioner imposed Section 144 in Khagrachari, meaning that hired buses from Khagrachari could not get to Chittagong. Several buses from Rangamati and Bandarban districts could not make it either, due to obstruction by police and JSS supporters, although some 2000 people did arrive. The UPDF had obtained permission for the programme but the Police Commissioner refused to allow the use of loudspeakers at the venue. The organisers thus shifted the venue to Shahid Minar, a public monument where no permission is needed to hold public meetings. However, the police reacted to the arrival of participants with baton charges and 45 persons were arrested, including Anu Muhammad, associate professor of Jahangirnagar University and Maruf Hasan Rumi of the Bangladesh Students' Federation. The two Bengalis were released after the police discovered their identity. A number of participants were seriously injured. Following the police attack, the participants went to the auditorium of Waziullah Institute, which the organisers had also rented for that day and where lunch was prepared. The police arrived there too and summoned the people to leave the place immediately, not allowing them to eat their lunch.

September 2000
Dialogue with JSS
On 23 September 2000 a formal dialogue was held between the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) and the Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) under a third party mediation. It was after a lot of persuasions by the Liaison Committee headed by Nabin Kumar Tripura that the JSS leadership finally decided to sit across the table. There was a lot of discussion, but the JSS members were not quite serious about the dialogue. They had to come to the meeting under the pressure of the people. The JSS representatives said they were not willing to conclude a written agreement. But UPDF insisted on having a written agreement. The members of the dialogue committee also supported UPDF view and held that unwritten agreement with the government have landed the Jummas in serious troubles. Once bitten twice shy. Moreover, if the agreement were verbal, and not written, then there would be enough scope for misinterpretation of the agreement in many different ways aggravating the situation even further.

UPDF also submitted a proposal for unity on the basis of the following three points:

26 December 2000
Second founding anniversary.
The Party celebrated its second founding anniversary throughout the Chittagong Hill Tracts as well as in Dhaka and Chittagong. To mark the occasion, the Chittagong Unit of the party organised a seminar at the District Auditorium, which came under police attack. Eleven party members and a Bengali guest speaker were arrested without warrant.

1 October 2001
Taking part in parliamentary elections
The party took part in the last parliamentary elections held on 1 October 2001. It contested from two constituencies - Khagrachari and Rangamati and despite all odds secured large number of votes in both the constituencies. Considering the conditions under which the Party had to conduct its campaigns, the results were quite satisfactory and encouraging.

The JSS, which called for "boycott and resistance" to the holding of the polls, was hell bent on defeating UPDF. Its armed members killed five members and supporters of the party, prevented the party members from campaigning and threatened the voters not to vote for UPDF nominated candidate. But despite its boycott policy, the JSS clandestinely supported the BNP-nominated candidate Mani Swapan Dewan in Rangamati constituency. Due to security reasons, the UPDF candidate could not move freely and addressed only at one rally in Khagrachari, in which 25 thousand jubilant and enthusiastic people - Jummas and Bengalis - took part.

12 April 2002
Boi-Sa-Bi Rally in Khagrachari
The Khagrachari district unit of the party sponsored and helped organise a mass rally in celebration of the Boisabi festival. Hundreds of thousands of people - men, women and school children cutting across ethnic divide - took part in the rally. The socio-cultural organisations took part with their own banners and placards. Women were dressed in their traditional costumes. It was a colourful and jubilant rally that was ever held in the district.

1 August 2003
Press Conference at Kutukchari, Rangamati
UPDF Rangamati Unit called a press conference at its office at Kudukchari to highlight JSS atrocities in the district. The press conference was about to kick off when the army entered the office and forced all present to disperse. UPDF leaders later tried to hold the press conference in the open, but the army would not let it happen too. The army followed them there and smashed the press conference. Even the journalists who came from Rangamati town to cover the event were manhandled.

8 September 2003
Mass protest rally at Mahalchari
UPDF held a mass rally at Mahalchari in protest against August 26 attack on 10 Jumma villages in Mahalchari under Khagrachari district. An estimated ten thousand people took part in the rally that was held at Tholi Para Primary School ground. The military made a futile attempt to disrupt the rally by blocking the jeeps carrying participants at Lemuchari. But when they saw waves of people rolling towards the meeting venue, they were compelled to let them go.

The Party held a discussion meeting and a colourful procession at Chittagong on the occasion of its sixth founding anniversary on 26 December 2004. While the convenor of the Party Prasit Khisha presided over the discussion and led the procession, noted intellectual, revolutionary writer and president of Bangladesh Jatyo Mukti Council Comrade Badruddhin Umar and a renowned lawyer of Chittagong Bar Council and president of Chittagong-Chittagong Hill Tracts unit of Bangladesh Jatyo Mukti Council Advocate Bhulan Lal Bhoumic were present as guest speakers. Rabi Shankar Chakma, convener of the Committee for Observing the Sixth Founding Anniversary, delivered the welcome address. Earlier UPDF leaders Prasit Khisha and Rabi Shankar Chakma accorded formal reception to the guest speakers on the stage. Mr. Khisha also accorded special honour to two Party members - Niran Chakma and Shishu Moni Chakma - by pinning special badges on their chest for their remarkable contribution to the Party and the people. Both of them are victims of JSS atrocities.

Before the discussion, which was held at Waziullah Institute, the Party chief Prasit Khisha and the guest speakers inaugurated the anniversary programme by unveiling the banner of the programme hung on the wall of the stage. This was coincided by showering of flower petals on the participants by traditionally dressed Jumma girls. A thundering applause reverberated throughout the hall room that was full to the brim.

The opening ceremony was followed by the national anthem and the welcome song "we shall overcome someday" sung by young female artistes from Khagrachari and also by two revolutionary songs played from a computer system.

Addressing the audience Prasit Khisha said, "the whole country will rage in flames if the Chittagong Hill Tracts burns". He said full autonomy is a must for just and enduring peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. He demanded of the government to immediately stop Operation Uttoran and withdraw the army from the CHT, rehabilitate the settlers elsewhere in the plain districts, rehabilitate the repatriated as well as Internally Displaced Persons and release all the UPDF members detained in jails.

Mr. Khisha alleged that the BNP-led alliance government was providing every support to the Jana Samhati Samiti in order to prolong the fratricidal conflict of the Jumma people.

Badruddin Umar in his speech said the ruling classes of Bangladesh are mere stooges of imperialism. We are fighting against them. No real struggle for the rights of the people can be waged if it is not linked to the fight against imperialism. Peoples' victory can be achieved only through the defeat of imperialism.

Mr. Umar lashed out at the Rapid Action Battalion, terming it a fascist and terrorist force. He said this so-called anti crime force was created to deal with the extremist groups operating in the southern districts.

Regarding the CHT treaty, he said the treaty was signed for two main reasons. One of them was Indian interest as it had wanted to shield off its north-eastern border; and the other was degeneration of the Jana Samhati Samiti itlself.

He said the peace accord was signed in such a manner that it was destined to fail to bring peace in the area. Santu Larma signed the accord subserviently. He was not allowed to speak during the surrendering ceremony. That was enough to enable anyone to anticipate the future of the accord. We said the accord was not enforceable.

Describing the present situation of the CHT, he said the CHT people have been deprived of any democratic rights. The UPDF has not only to fight against the state forces, but also against their lackeys.

Badruddin Umar said unless the whole state structure was changed and peoples' power was established in the country, the right to self determination of the CHT people would not be achieved. Both the Bengali and Pahari people must fight together for establishing people's power in the country.

Advocate Bhulan Lal Bhoumick said the accord has failed to bring peace in the Chittagogn Hill Tracts. He termed Santu Larma as collaborator of the government. He criticised the role of the army in the CHT and questioned: "what they are doing there?"

In his welcome address Rabi Shankar Chakma said the dark nights of the Jumma people would come to an end. He further said the last six years of the UPDF have been turbulent and stormy. The first founding anniversary programme was to take place in Chittagong in 1999, but as the police cracked down on the participants, who came in from three hill districts in buses, the propramme was completely foiled. But no amount of repressive measures could subdue the UPDF.

The discussion was followed by a colourful rally which paraded main thoroughfares of port city Chittagong. An estimated 15000 UPDF members and supporters took part in the rally.