Report on
International Convention on Crimes against Humanity Bengal Basin and Beyond: Reaffirming a Humane, Plural Society
About the Organizer. The International Institute of Bengal Basin (IIBB) and its precursor Ghosh Research Associates International (GRAI), is a non-profit organization involved in (a) human development;; (b) knowledge generation; and (b) resource development to promote better understanding of the problems, issues and concerns in Bengal Basin in the areas of ecology and environment, appropriate technology, education, health, housing and human rights. IIBB seeks to be instrumental in uniting the Bengal Basin scholars and community leaders and members and develop a strong exchange programs with the West so as to learn and build enabling strategies and actions to address the Basin’s problems and in turn, these can be used as a working model for emerging economies.
- Overview and Rationale for the Convention
The Bengal Basin consists of Bangladesh (East Bengal) and the eastern part of India (West Bengal). The total land area of Bengal Basin is approximately 100,000 square miles. Over 210 million people live in the Basin. The eastern part (Bangladesh) has a current population of 130 million while the western part (West Bengal) has a population of 80 million. The Basin is endowed with unique geographic features and a challenging terrain. It has one of the world’s largest alluvial deltaic plains, allowing the flow of three big rivers – the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna (GBM). The Bengal Basin is, in many ways, vulnerable to atmospheric and oceanic adversities. During the tropical monsoon, the Bengal Basin encounters widespread flooding but lacks distressingly drinking water in the dry months. Water problems of various types continue to confront the community in the Bengal Basin. People still face storms and often surges of terrible intensities and these call for aid and relief from communities and organizations elsewhere. Water supply and often generations of pure and drinkable water, continue to be problems of acute type in the regions concerned.
Over the recent past, the Basin is rocked by sectarian violence. In Bangladesh, for example, grave concern is raised over increasing violations of human rights, particularly on the minority population of the country. International organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Commission have brought to fore some of these concerns - discrimination and violence against women, including rape by the police, domestic violence, other killings, mutilating of wife and sisters through acid throwing, religious differences and conflicts, etc. The political conflict in the country was also a source of grave concern, particularly following the general election in October 2001. Hindu minorities were reported to have been attacked by alleged Bangladesh National Party (BNP) supporters because they were perceived to have supported the rival Awami League. Hundreds of Hindu families were reported to have been driven out of their homes, their homes burned down and their women raped. There appears discrimination against minorities.
This situation has generated concern and interest among local and international groups, including the International Institute of Bengal Basin (IIBB). Cognizant of the need to help address this violence and bring to the attention of the international community the increasing difficulties and discriminations against minorities in Bangladesh as well as in other parts of Bengal, IIBB responded by organizing the international convention on ‘Crimes against Humanity-Bengal Basin and Beyond: Reaffirming a Humane, Plural Society’
- Convention Details
Objectives. The IIBB in association with the Department of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley organized the Convention with the objective to reaffirm the values of the plural, humane society in the wake of sectarian violence. It also seeks to: (a) raise the awareness of concerned individuals and groups at the international level on the human rights problems of minorities in Bangladesh and (b) openly discuss the issues of human rights violations and offer possible options for future action toward a future of dignity and well-being for the peoples of the Bengal Basin, including the marginalized sectors such as women and children of the oppressed classes as well as religious and ethnic minorities.
Date, Venue and Program. The Convention was held on June 1, 2002 at Cox Auditorium, 100 Genetics and Plant Biology Building of the University of California at Berkeley. The one-day program was divided into several sessions, each having a particular theme and selected speakers. An open forum followed each session. The program details are given in Appendix ---.
Participation. The Convention brought together about fifty speakers and participants from Bangladesh, India, United Kingdom and United States. They were professors, environmentalists, cultural figures, human rights activists, students and other concerned individuals and groups.
- Highlights of the Convention
Introductory Session.
A Tagore song was sang by Ms. Susmita Ghosh of Berkeley during the inaugural session. This was followed by brief remarks by Prof. Charles Townes, the Nobel Laureate in Physics, thereby formally inaugurating the Convention. There were then introductory remarks about IIBB by its Founding-Chairman Dr. Rashbihari Ghosh. Dr. Ghosh explained how the idea of the formation of IIBB initially began with the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling (Chemistry and Peace) while he was in Stanford University as a senior scientist (academic). Years later, Dr .Pauling spoke to Nobel Laureate Glenn T Seaborg (adviser to ten US presidents) about Dr. Ghosh’s desire to establish IIBB. During his presentation, Dr. Ghosh described how he came in close contact with the Bengal’s Great leader, Sheikh Majibur Rahman through his father’s friend, Maharaja Trailakha Nath Chakroborty, who spent over 30 years in the British and Pakistan prisons for freedom struggle and for the cause of minority victims in Bangladesh. Maharaja Chakroborty also proposed population exchange during his lecture in the Indian parliament in 1969. Dr. Ghosh also talked about the genesis and background of the Convention and its aims and objectives. He added that he attended the Dhaka National Convention on “Crimes against Humanity in Bangladesh “ on February 14 and 15, 2002 and explained the importance of follow-up and the need for this international convention. He was followed by Prof. Dilip K. Sinha, former Vice-Chancellor of Visva Bharati University, India who mentioned about the linkages between IIBB and Visva Bharati since the early nineties.
Nobel Laureate Charles Townes, Convenor and Dr. Rash B. Ghosh, Chairman, IIBB
Prof. Charles Townes delivered the keynote address. Prof. Townes, in his address, covered the issues and problems pertaining to human rights in Bangladesh. He stated that “Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy but human rights record remains poor and that the Human Rights Commission noted the following: discrimination and violence against women, including rape by the police, domestic violence, other killings, mutilating of wife and sisters through acid effect continue to occur in spite the fact that there are laws that are supposed to protect them, violence is increasing. Now, there are of course religious differences and conflicts”. He also stated the need for solidarity on this occasion so that the sufferings of the distressed people in Bangladesh are allayed and necessary decisive steps is taken in the light of deliberations of this Convention and recommendations of different bodies such as the US Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, etc.
After the introductory session, two sessions followed with the themes: Session 1- Bangladesh: Challenge to a Plural Society and Session 2- Bangladesh: The Humanist Tendency. These sessions were facilitated by Mr. Ashfaque Swapan, IIBB California representative.
Session 1- Bangladesh: Challenge to a Plural Society
Two speakers, Mr. Dhiman Deb Chowdhury, President, Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities, USA and Mr. Sunil Pal of the U.K. Forum for Minority Rights in Bangladesh brought to the fore the stark realities of alleged violations of human rights for the Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh. Mr. Chowdhury, through his video presentation entitled “On the Brink” highlighted and visualized the violations committed against minorities in Bangladesh. He stated that due to the continuous harassment of minorities, the population of minorities in Bangladesh has been reduced to 10% in ___ from 37% in ___. He also cited the South Asia Human Rights Commission report that about 196,200 Hindus are missing each year due to migration out of Bangladesh, violence or killings. He further claimed that this is ethnic cleansing.
Mr. Pal, in his paper, “Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh – A Perennial Legacy of the British Imposed Partition of India” described the atrocities and humiliation of minorities in Bangladesh since 1947. He gave historical accounts and examples of crimes against minorities such as the forcible conversion of Hindus to Islam, the suppression of the cultural and religious identity, the destruction of temples, etc. Mr. Pal expressed sadness about the ongoing torture of minorities. He demanded that the Hindu properties which were declared enemy property during the Pakistan regime have to be fully restored to its original form and compensate the minorities for their sufferings and losses. Both Mr. Chowdhury and Mr. Pal demanded justice and actions to prevent the ongoing atrocities on minorities and violation against women, including the rape of women.
Session 2-Bangladesh: The Humanist Tendency
The session focused on the cultural and humanitarian activities of local and expatriate Bangladeshi organizations. Two speakers, Mr. Khairul Anam, General Secretary, Chhayanut Cultural Organization in Bangladesh and Mr. Ashfaque Swapan, California IIBB representative and a reporter spoke on the subject. Mr. Anam’s presentation on “Promoting a Bengali Cultural Ethos: The Role of Chhayanut” touched upon the minority crisis in Bangladesh and the role of Chhayanut amidst this crisis. He paid particular attention on the role of culture as a possible unifying force among Bengalis, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliations.
Mr Swapan, on the other hand, presented Drishtipath’s, a North American-based Bangladeshi human rights organization, fund raising activities in USA in helping the murdered and raped victims of severely affected Annada Prasad village in Bangladesh. He recounted the efforts and support as well as angry criticisms Drishtipath received in raising funds for the victims. Looking back, one Drishtipath activist noted that this effort had been a big success in generating funds and in creating a platform for enlightened people to speak out but whether it was able to change how Bangladeshis in Bangladesh and many in the U.S. think about Bangladesh as an embodiment of communal harmony is not known.
Three sessions in the afternoon were held on the following themes: Session 3-Beyond Strife: Other Challenges to Human Rights; Session 4-Bengal: The Broader Context; and Session 5-Beyond Bengal. Session 3 was chaired by Dr. Derek Whitworth, Secretary General of IIBB while Mr. Swapan continued to chair Sessions 4 and 5.
Session 3- Beyond Strife: Other Challenges to Human Rights
Dr. Derek Whitworth , session chair, expressed concern over the spread of fundamentalism and terrorism in Bangladesh. Four speakers gave their presentations on the theme of the session. Prof. Julia Walsh of the School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley spoke on the topic “How can Bangladesh improve the health status of its population”. She discussed about health rights, in particular, health issues of mothers and children in Bangladesh noting that the health conditions in Bangladesh remains poor compared to other neighboring countries. She also offered the following recommendations to improve health status in the country: more primary education; access to obstetrical care, family planning, and abortions; access to basic child health care and prevention; improved nutrition; and political will of stakeholders or central decision makers.
Prof. Sinha, through his talk “Humanity Rights at Stake: Revisiting Rabindranath Tagore” held that in order that human rights is empowered with its capacity to assert we should turn to perennial issues on man and humanity per se and their exposition from time to time by leading thinkers. Rabindranath Tagore, a great poet and seer and first Asian Nobel Laureate came out categorically on human rights and his sayings are all the more relevant now than ever before. Prof. Sinha sought to bring to the fore, while gleaning to the works of Tagore, that violations of human rights jeopardizing the intrinsic elements of culture should raise questions of legitimacy of regimes in wider frameworks and that any kind of narrow tinkering cannot have an edge over what have abidingly evolved through the decades as global justice.
Mr. David Seaborg, founder and head of World Rainforest Fund and son of Nobel Laureate Glenn T. Seaborg (co-founder and adviser of IIBB), spoke about “Peace, Human Rights, and Environmental Issues: Bengal Basin to the World”. He expressed concerns about the violation of human rights in Bangladesh and the recent tension in the sub-continent. Mr. Seaborg also touched upon the environmental problems, particularly global warming and the likely effects on countries like Bangladesh. He expressed solidarity and assured that he would work with Dr. Ghosh to fulfil the dreams of his father.
Ms. Rina Pal, a recent U.C. Berkeley graduate, spoke about her interest in researching the War Crimes of 1971 in Bangladesh and pursuing reparations through international tribunals. She briefly gave the background of the 1971 events and how justice has so far evaded the victims of Bangladesh. She suggested that Bangladesh needs to pursue justice through the international justice system. The ongoing trials of war criminals of the second world war she said is an opportune time for Bangladesh to compile evidence and testimonies against individuals accused of war crimes.
There were also comments and observations by Dr. Hari Chowdhury of Manchester, U.K., Mr. Peter DuMont of Star Alliance. Mr. Dumont explained briefly the ideals and principles espoused by Star Alliance and how fitting these are in the light of the circumstances being discussed. Dr. Hari Chowdhury requested the convention organizers to investigate the alleged continuous migration of minorities from their ancestral homeland citing the data mentioned in the convention by different speakers.
Session 4 -Bengal: The Broader Context
Three speakers presented their views on the theme of the session. A brief video message from Mr. Sunil Gangopadhay, the eminent Bengali writer of West Bengal and adviser of IIBB, was broadcast. Mr. Gangopadhay, who was not able to attend due to illness, wished the convention success. In his message, he expressed concerns about the rising fundamentalism, the sectarian violence and problems in the Bengal Basin. Prof. Dilip K. Basu, of the University of California at Santa Cruz spoke on “Hindu-Muslim Relations in Bengal: A Historian’s Perspective”. In his talk, he emphasized the need for improving Hindu-Muslim relations in Bengal. Mr. Chitresh Das, Founder of Chandam School of Kathak, touched on the Hindu-Muslim heritage of Kathak dance. He highlighted the role of culture and in this case, the Kathak dance, in unifying people of different faiths and ethnicity. Two of his students also gave testimonies of their experience in joining the Chandam School of Kathak.
Session 5-Beyond Bengal
The final session of the day long program focused on issues beyond Bengal. Two women activists from the Bay Area spoke during the session. In their presentations, Ms. Akhila Rahman of the ‘Friends of South Asia ((FOSA)’ and Ms. Raka Ray of ‘Coalition Against Communalism (CAC)’, both emphasized the need for better understanding of the Hindu-Muslim community and more tolerance for each other. Ms. Rahman’s presentation on “Building Bridges Between Pakistanis and Indians in the Bay Area” dealt briefly on the history of tensions between India and Pakistan and then highlighted the activities of her organization, FOSA, in fostering peaceful co-existence between Indians and Pakistanis in the Bay Area. Ms. Ray, on the other hand, spoke on “The Gujarat Crisis: Expatriate Response in the Bay Area”. CAC, she first explained, is an alliance of individuals who believe in and work towards a peaceful, secular, democratic and united India. In the recent Gujarat crisis, CAC worked on a number of activities to condemn the violence, to petition the National Human Rights Commission to bring the perpetrators to justice and to assist the victims of the Gujarat violence.
Concluding Session
The closing remarks were made by Dr. Rashbihari Ghosh. Looking back, he said that one can say that the Convention fairly succeeded in achieving its aims and objectives. The participation and deliberations in the Convention were lively, revealing and useful. It was felt that there ought to be follow-up steps with wider participation of individuals and organizations. Dr. Ghosh also said: “of the deliberations from different points of view particularly the keynote address of Nobel Laureate Charles Townes, Convenor of the Convention and IIBB Adviser, ‘the best way we can be of help to the people being discriminated in Bangladesh is to see that the majority members of the community should categorically evince the moral and ethical responsibility of empowering the minority to combat the atrocities’. Dr. Ghosh said that the Government should roped in voluntary groups and concerned communities in encountering and reversing such damages to the societies. It was also the unanimous view that the allegations regarding violations of minority rights, including their properties, lives, etc. should be seriously and immediately looked into. There was a strong demand from certain quarters to investigate the claims made by certain speakers as well as some members of the audience on these crimes against minorities in Bangladesh and brought them to the notice of appropriate authorities.