Land is Life expresses its deep concern about the ongoing efforts of the Government of Bangladesh, to construct a mega hotel and related tourism facilities in the ancestral land of the Mro Indigenous community in Bandarban area of Chittagong Hill Tract in Bangladesh.  
 
The construction of a massive five-star hotel on the route between Chimbuk and Thanchi will unleash forced eviction of the Mro Indigenous community from their ancestral lands and destroy their way of life, economy, culture and traditions. The project will jeopardize forest, water resources and livelihood sources of the Mro and other Indigenous peoples of the region. At least Six (6) villages will be affected directly while nearly a hundred villages will be affected indirectly.   

The Mro people have been living in fear of being evicted with the pursuance of the hotel plan as the Government is failing to recognize their free, prior and informed consent. Any forced eviction of the Mro people, especially during the Covid 19 Pandemic is highly condemnable and undermines the provisions included in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
 
Land is Life stands in solidarity with the Mro Indigenous community in defense of their ancestral land and their way of life, urging the Government of Bangladesh to desist from any forced eviction of the Mro people by continuing with the mega hotel project. The Government should respect the right to prior and informed consent of the Mro people and other Indigenous peoples, and honor all responsibilities and commitments to uphold Indigenous peoples’ human rights in Bangladesh before pursuing any projects in Bandarban and other Indigenous peoples’ ancestral lands in Chittagong Hills Tract.