A struggle for local dominance in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, specifically the Sajek area in Rangamati, between two armed political groups - the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS or JSS), with whom the government signed the CHT Accord in 1998, and the United Peoples Democratic Front, which was born in the aftermath of the signing of the accord - spiralled into a heart-stopping daylong armed clash between the Army and the UPDF on Thursday (Oct. 22). Although no lives were reported lost, it left the fate of tourism in the area hanging in the air in the short term, and exposed some of the deep-rooted issues that continue to plague the region in general.

On Wednesday, two organisations, the Sajek Gano Odhikar Rokkha Committee and Sajek Karbari Association, announced a third round of blockades on the Sajek tourist road. In a statement, the organisations said the blockade would continue indefinitely from Thursday. The blockade had been suspended in response to a special request from the Sajek Machalong Bazar Durga Puja Celebration Committee and out of respect for the religious festival. They urged all tourists to leave Sajek by Wednesday.

Following the blockade called by the two regional organisations, the district administration announced the temporary closure of Sajek for security reasons. In a public notice issued on Wednesday evening, Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Nazma Ashrafi said Sajek Valley in Baghaichhari upazila would remain temporarily closed until further notice. The notice instructed everyone to leave Sajek safely by 4pm on Thursday.

The series of stop-start blockades began on October 11, when the leaders and activists of the Sajek Gano Odhikar Rokkha Committee and Sajek Karbari Association began their indefinite blockade on the Sajek tourist road. They staged protests by setting fire to tyres and tree trunks at various points along the road.

One of the three demands made by the protesters is the removal of armed members of the JSS from the Sajek area. The statement alleged that armed JSS members were active in Sajek and were threatening and intimidating local residents. The organisations said they had given the administration a deadline to take action against them but decided to enforce the blockade after no effective measures were taken.

The JSS denies the allegations. Sajeeb Chakma, the organisation's publicity secretary, told vernacular daily Prothom Alo that the allegations were being made to divert attention from the long-standing oppression and harassment of the general public in Sajek by armed members of the UPDF. Representatives of the JSS have publicly claimed that the Sajek Gano Odhikar Rokkha Committee and Sajek Karbari Association operate under pressure or direction from the UPDF. Many have described their demands as ridiculous, citing that since the 1/11 period in 2007, Sajek has actually been a stronghold for the UPDF, not JSS.

Tourists began leaving Sajek on Thursday morning in compliance with the district administration's directive. However, just half an hour after leaving Sajek, they encountered the protesters in Ujo Bazar, Baghaichhari. That forced the Army to intervene, in an operation that evacuated nearly 3000 stranded tourists from the area, although nine of their men suffered injuries in return. The operation also exposed the Army's determination to not allow any of the armed groups in CHT take over pockets across its three districts and establish strongholds. What role it can play in establishing peace and a long-term political settlement in the region, however, remains to be seen.