Staff Correspondent:

Home Affairs Advisor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said strict actions will be taken to stop extortion and terrorist activities in the hills.

He said the root cause of all kinds of violence in the hills is extortion, and the problems in the hills will not be solved unless this extortion is stopped.

The Home Affairs Advisor told this to the reporters at a press briefing organized by the Rangamati BGB sector on Thursday afternoon after observing the law and order situation in Sajek and visiting various camps.

The Home Affairs Advisor said, “It was not possible to recover the weapons that were looted from various police stations in the country on August 5. If these weapons can be recovered, the problem will be reduced a lot.”

The Home Affairs Advisor said that BGB camps are being increased in the hill areas to stop illegal arms smuggling along the border, including the security of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

He said the Indian media is a champion in rumors, as they are spreading false news against the country.

He urged journalists to remain vigilant against Indian media’s rumors and continue working for the welfare of the country.

Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry Advisor Supradeep Chakma, BGB director general major general Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, BGB Headquarters additional director general brigadier general Md. Sohrab Hossain Bhuiyan, Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate director general brigadier general Muhammad Zahed Kamal, Peelkhana additional director general brigadier general Md. Yasir Jahan Hossain, Home Ministry Public Security Division joint secretary Kazi Mohammad Saiful Islam, deputy director general (Works) Colonel Sohel Ahmed, Rangamati deputy commissioner Mohammad Habib Ullah and district police superintendent Dr. SM Farhad Hossain were present on the occasion.

The Home Affairs Advisor said, “Most of the development activities in the hills are city-centric. In addition to spreading the government’s development activities to remote areas of the mountains, attention should be paid to ensuring that the benefits of development reach the mass public.”