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Malya Massacre of 2 February 1992

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On 19-20 February 2010; Bangladesh army backed Muslim settlers attacked the indigenous people at Baghaichari leaving an indigenous man dead. The aim of the attack was to drive out the indigenous Chakma Buddhists and grab their land. The indigenous Buddhist man was gunned down by the Bangladesh army.

Bengali settlers massacre indigenous people at Malya

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On 2 February 1992, two bombs exploded on a river ferry at Malya. The boat was on its way from Marishya to Rangamati.

 

Malya is now inhabited by the Muslim settlers. The explosion killed one passenger and seriously injured the skipper of the boat. The survivors swam ashore, but the armed Muslim settlers were waiting for them. Muslim settlers attacked the indigenous passengers- men, women and children. About 30 of them were killed. 14 bodies were recovered, the others were lost in the water.

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Some representatives of the indigenous Jumma people were supposed to board the boat on their way to Rangamati and Dhaka to protest against recent army atrocities in the area: Captain Masiur Rahman of Bangladesh army had tortured a student Mr. Biswamuni Chakma and a Buddhist monk (the Rev. Bodhimitra Bhikkhu) and had treated some female students indecently. Moreover three Buddhist Viharas (monasteries) had been desecrated by the army.

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According to an eye-witness account, two members of the Bangladeshi security forces boarded the boat at Dulachari carrying two kerosene tins. They disembarked at the next stop, leaving the tins. These exploded shortly afterwards. The Bangladesh media reported that the explosion was caused by the Shanti Bahini.

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