People from non-Muslim ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh are fleeing violence, moving to Myanmar’s Chin and Rakhine states, as per a report. The CHT is home to about 850,000 individuals from 11 ethnic groups practicing Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. Families from the CHT have been relocating to parts of Myanmar due to threats and land disputes with Muslim groups near their villages.
Htwe Sein Maung, a farmer from Bandarban district in CHT, decided to move to Myanmar in 2014 with his family and other families from his village. Encroachment on their land and threats from Muslim groups led to their decision to migrate. The families now reside in Maungdaw district, earning a living through farming and daily wage work.
Tan Nu Sein and her family, also from the Marma community, migrated from Rangamati district to Maungdaw in 2013 due to safety concerns. Several girls from their community disappeared, and residents faced threats from neighboring Muslim villages. Tan Nu Sein mentioned restrictions on movement and migration to Myanmar in batches.
In 2021, the Kuki Chin National Front (KCNF) created unrest in CHT, leading to armed resistance against the Bangladesh government. The Bawm community, part of the KCNF, faced arrests, prompting over 50 individuals from the Marma community to flee to Myanmar. The Diplomat reported on the prolonged violence in CHT and the lack of protection for ethnic groups by successive governments in Bangladesh.
