Srimongal Khasi Punjees Inquiry Report

Inquiry: 12-13 December 2010

SRIMONGAL: Indigenous Khasi people have been living at Kailing Punjee and Aslam Punjee near Nahar tea garden in Srimangal Upazila of Moulvibazar district for centuries. They had made this land survival. For generations they have been practicing jhuming betel leaf in their ancestral land. This is the only way of their income generation. But now they are facing serious problem with their traditional occupation and land. A strong and influential group of mainstream people are trying to occupy the land of Khasi people evicting them from their land. With the help of some dishonest officers of forest department they are doing so. That why now the nature and the life of Khasi people is at risk.

Considering this crucial situation of Khasi people Kapaeeng initiated to send a media team to the spot and bringing out the real story and help the victimized people to save their ancestral land and their traditional occupation. The team visited the spot on 12 & 13 December 2010.

Members of the team, specially the print media covered the real story of the khasi people. National dailies including the daily star, the Prothom alo, the Destiny and the Songbad published detailed report on the aforesaid issue.