Guns and roses
Peace seemed to be at hand at the open-air stadium in Kagrachchary district in early February when, in the morning sunshine, regulars from the Shanti Bahini laid down their arms (or rather, stood them on a rack that had been provided) and agreed to revert from guerrillas to peasants. Shontu Larma, the man who led the insurgents to peace handed over his gun, Prime Minister Hasina Wajed responded with flowers. Then both leaders released the doves of probable peace.
But the way ahead remains precarious, not the least because Begum Khaleda Zia´s Bangladesh Nationalist Party was shouting betrayal. Within the Chakmas themselves, fissures have appeared. Many members of the Hill Students and Hill Women´s Federation have split from Larma, although he still commands the majority. The dissidents feel that the war booty will be grabbed by close associates of Larma and that the young people who were not directly involved in the fighting or who crossed over to India will get a smaller share of the peace dividend. "We are left with no option but to say that the peace treaty will not benefit the majority of the hill people," said a leader of Hill Students Federation to Himal. But others insist that the dissidents are in a minority and there is no appetite left for more war in the hills.
For the moment, the general mood is for peace. The last group of refugees have returned and they are keen to settle down and begin a normal life. However, at the treaty signing ceremony itself, protest banners were held up and shouts condemning the accord were heard.