Hill Voice, 11 September 2026, Rangamati: The 19th annual conference and council of the Pahari Chatra Parishad (PCP) Kawkhali Upazila Branch has been successfully held. During the conference held today, Friday, 11 September 2026 in Kawkhali, Rangamati, speakers called upon the student community to become more actively involved in the movement for the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord.

Hlachimong Marma, President of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) Kawkhali Upazila Committee, was present as the chief guest at the conference and council. Special guests included Purna Dhan Chakma, Assistant General Secretary of the CHT Youth Association Kawkhali Upazila Committee; Supriya Tanchangya, Vice-President of the PCP Central Committee; Maglin Chakma, General Secretary of the PCP Rangamati District Branch; and Eli Chakma, General Secretary of the Hill Women’s Federation Rangamati District Committee, among others.

At the beginning of the conference, a one-minute silence was observed in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the long struggle for the self-determination rights of the Jumma people in the CHT. Presided over by the Vice-President of the Kawkhali Branch, Rosik Tanchangya, and moderated by Assistant General Secretary Sanchay Tanchangya, the welcome address was delivered by Saikat Chakma, a member of the branch committee.

Speakers at the conference noted that the Jumma people have faced various forms of rule, exploitation, and oppression, including displacement caused by the Kaptai Dam, over a dozen massacres, and land grabbing. Due to political indifference and the non-withdrawal of army camps as stipulated in the CHT Accord, a culture of fear and an existential crisis continue to persist. In this context, speakers stated that students must unite against misrule, reactionary forces, and drugs. Rather than limiting themselves to formal education, the student community needs to participate more actively and consciously in the political movement for establishing self-determination and preserving the identity of the Jumma nation.

In the second session of the conference, a new 25-member Kawkhali Upazila Branch Committee was unanimously formed, with Aarya Chakma as President, Saikat Chakma as General Secretary, and Sujoy Marma as Organizing Secretary. Central member Suniti Bikash Chakma administered the oath to the newly elected committee.