In August 2007, Bangladesh army backed Muslim settlers broke into the boundary of Sadhantila Buddhist Temple in Dighinala and began erecting houses inside the temple boundary. Here the settlers argue with resident Buddhist monk.

Bengali settlers grab indigenous Buddhist land in Lama

On 21 October 2015, Muslim settlers beat up an indigenous Buddhist woman Mamaching Marma (30) for protesting against the grabbing of her land and stealing bananas from her plantation in Lama, Bandarban district.

A group of 25 to 30 Muslim settlers led by Mohammad Selim and Mohammad Saiful went to Tiarzhiri a Marma village under Rupashi Para Union at 9:30 am and claimed two plots of land belonging to Uthoai Hla Marma and Mong Mong Ching Marma to be their own.

Muslim settlers showed a forged document to the Headman of the area in support of their claim. Then the settler immediately set at work cutting down the trees in Uthoai Hla Marma’s land and began taking away bushels of banana from there.

When Uthoai’s wife Mamaching Marma protested, the settlers beat her with wood sticks. She was admitted to Upazila Health Complex with multiple injuries.

The local indigenous villagers said the land that the Muslim settlers are claiming to be their own are registered in the name of 2 indigenous Marma Buddhist villagers and they have been in possession of it for generations.

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