On 19-20 February 2010, Bangladesh army backed Muslim settlers attacked the indigenous Buddhist people at Baghaichari. The settlers destroyed many indigenous houses and Buddhist temples. The aim of the attack was to drive out the indigenous Chakma Buddhists and grab their land. One of the Buddhist temples burnt down by the settlers.

Bengali settlers torch a Buddhist temple and grab indigenous land in Maischari

On 20 May 2006, Muslim settlers of Maischari under Mahalchari grabbed a Buddhist temple and its land by torching the huts around the temple and constructing new houses on the land. On 21 May 2006 the Managing Committee of the temple called on to UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer - local administrative officer) of Mahalchari to resolve the dispute. The UNO convened a meeting between the indigenous Chakmas and the Muslim settlers. The Muslim settlers ignored the UNO directive and again constructed 35 more houses. The police destroyed the houses on 25 May. Few days later, on 14 June at night the Muslim settlers torched the Buddhist temple itself and again constructed 40 more houses. On the other hand Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, Chairman of the CHT Development Board supplied seedlings to the Muslim settlers on 17 August 2006. The indigenous people of surrounding villagers of the Buddhist temple submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh demanding the stop land grabbing by the Muslim settlers and return of their lands. But the government which sponsors and supports the Muslim settlers took no action.

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