Life is Beautiful :: Before Sunrise

At least 62 branch offices (Kendra) of three major NGOs have stopped operation in different areas of Khagrachhari district following threat by extortionists.

Twelve of them were 'closed' on Thursday as the offices did not fulfill the demand for toll, sources in the NGOs said.

Of the closed offices, 26 are of Grameen Bank (GB) and 18 each of Brac and ASA. Eight GB offices and four of ASA and Brac were closed on Thursday and the rest were closed since the menace began about four months ago, the sources said.

They said extortionists demanded toll up to Tk 5 lakh from an NGO office. The offices are in different areas in Maischhari, Bichitala, Gugrachhari under Mohalchhari upazilas in the district.

The offices stopped operation as extortionists threatened officials with death or kidnapping as they did not comply with their demand, the sources told this correspondent.

Following 'closure' of the offices, realisation of over Tk 50 lakh micro credit given to poor hill people has become uncertain. Most of the recipients were indigenous people, the sources said.

GB, Brac and ASA had offices at Maischhari, Gugrachhari, Thalipara, Bichitala and Joysenpara in Mohalchhari upazila; Bibonchhara and Munigrame Perachhara in Khagrachhari Sadar upazila; Babuchhara, Baradom and Babupara in Dighinala upazila.

The extortionists also threatened loanees not to repay their loan installments. Over 3,000 loanees are not paying their installments as toll collectors also threatened them, NGO officials and some loanees said.

Quoting NGO officials, Khagrachhari police said armed youths of different ethnic communities demanded over Tk 20 lakh tolls from NGO offices since last Sunday. Failing to comply with the demand, the officials kept their offices closed.

Loanee Madhu Monghal Chakma at Maischhari in Mohalchhari upazila told this correspondent that extortionists threatened him with death if he paid loan installment.

Khagrachhari district manager of ASA, Bithika Chakma, said their 21 offices in Bhaibonchhara, Perachhara, Shibmandhir in Sadar upazila disbursed over Tk 18 lakh loans. “I am now worried how to collect the money”, she said.

“Toll collectors belonging to ethic communities stopped all our branch offices. We informed joint force and police”, she said.

Seeking anonymity, a Grameen Bank official said their 26 offices are now closed. It disbursed at least Tk 25 lakh micro credit among about 2,000 loanees. Weekly repayment of around Tk 2.5 lakh installments is now stopped, he said.

The official said some more Grameen Bank offices are facing closure as the extortionists are annoyed and angry after filing of cases with police.

An official of Khagrachhari district Brac office said they disbursed over Tk 10 lakh loans trough different branch offices. The loanees are not paying weekly installments following threat by toll collectors, he said.

Contacted, Kazi Helal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Khagrachhari Sadar police station, said he submitted a report to higher authorities for action as his small force with poor logistics is too inadequate to take action against organised gangs of extortionists.

Khagrachhari Police Superintendent Khandakar Lutful Kabir said three toll collectors have been arrested and a drive is on to nab the rest criminals.

Some sources claimed that most of the toll collectors belong to United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), a party of indigenous people that opposed the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace accord signed in 1997 between the then Awami League government and Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) led by Joitirindriya Bodhipriya Larma alias Shantoo Larma.

In remote Munigrame area alone, UPDF cadres demanded Tk 5 lakh toll from different NGO offices, the sources claimed.

Earlier, Grameen Bank authorities filed two cases with Dighinala police station on May 14 as toll collectors forcibly closed some of its offices for toll. After filing of the cases, joint forces arrested alleged toll collector Nagor Chakma from Baradom village in Dighinala.

Acting on his confession, joint forces arrested their alleged godfather Tatindra Lal Chakma and Santushito Chakma from Nenchi Bazar and Mohazonpara in Khagrachhari Sadar upazila. They were produced before court, which sent them to jail, police sources said.