"UN experts call for halt to contentious tourism resort in Bangladesh", 9 February 2021

GENEVA – UN human rights experts* said today Bangladesh should suspend the construction of a large-scale tourist resort in the Chittagong Hills Tracts because it threatens to dispossess the indigenous Mro peoples of their traditional lands and cause serious environmental damage.

The Bangladesh Army and Sikder Group conglomerate company R&R Holdings Limited started construction in September 2020 on Mro land in the Bandarban district.

The experts said they were disturbed about irregular land leasing practices and the Army's denial of access for grazing and water resources on traditional lands the Mro depend on for culture and identity...

The five-star tourism project will reportedly include a Marriott hotel and would require an extensive network of buildings, roads, drainage and sewage system which would pollute and harm the biodiversity in the area. Some 10,000 people will be at risk of eviction due to construction.

..."The Government of Bangladesh must urgently ensure a safe environment for those who defend the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples and protect them from reprisals," urged the experts.

In December 2020, several United Nations experts highlighted their concerns in a joint communication to the Government of Bangladesh and to R&R Holdings Limited and Marriott lnternational.