3,000 tourists rescued from Sajek
After navigating through blockades and conflicts, vehicles carrying tourists have returned to Khagrachari from Sajek. Photo: Taken from video stream.
The army has rescued 3,000 tourists from the Sajek tourist spot after overcoming blockades and clashes.
The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) announced the information in a press release o n Thursday afternoon.
Like the police, the defence forces have also blamed the hill-based political party United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) for the gunfire.
Many tourists who had visited Sajek during the Puja holidays were stranded after two organisations backed by the UPDF called a blockade in the area.
Police said that a group of armed individuals opened fire on the army in the Ujjo Bazar area on Thursday morning while the stranded tourists were being rescued.
According to the ISPR, nearly 3,000 tourists visiting Sajek became stranded after the Sajek-Baghaihat road was closed to traffic due to the blockade. The army and police jointly arranged security measures to ensure the safe transportation of the stranded tourists to Khagrachhari.
The press release said that despite clashes during the operation, coordinated efforts ensured the safe evacuation of the stranded tourists. It also confirmed that all the tourists remained unharmed.
Blaming the UPDF for the clashes, the ISPR said the organisation had blocked the road by forcibly using local residents as human shields.
At around 10 am, as the tourists were being evacuated from Sajek, the protesters stopped their convoy in the Gangaram Bazar area.
According to the ISPR, army and police patrol teams attempted to negotiate with the protesters at that time.
The press release said that during the discussions, the protesters, allegedly incited by the UPDF, suddenly began throwing bricks at law enforcement personnel and tourists. Law enforcement personnel then used batons to disperse the protesters.
The ISPR claimed that when the convoy began moving again, armed UPDF members fired 30 to 40 rounds at law enforcement personnel and tourists at around 11 am.
According to the press release, the army patrol team returned fire in self-defence and to ensure the safety of the tourists, forcing the armed individuals to flee the scene.
Earlier, the Rangamati superintendent of police had made the same allegation. The UPDF rejected the claim in a statement, alleging that the army had fired unilaterally.
The Sajek Public Rights Protection Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association, both backed by the UPDF, called the blockade. They demanded that an armed faction of another hill-based group, the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS), be driven out of Sajek.
The JSS is led by Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, popularly known as Santu Larma. After signing the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord with the government in 1996, the agreement was opposed by Prasit Bikash Khisa, who subsequently formed the UPDF.
According to the ISPR statement, following ongoing security operations in various parts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, some armed UPDF members have taken up positions in tourist areas after coming under considerable pressure.
The ISPR said the army was continuing to work in coordination with the civil administration and other law enforcement agencies to maintain peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and ensure the security of local residents and tourists. It added that these efforts would continue in the future.
