Stop extortion at Kaptai Lake

Kaptai Lake is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Known as a tourist destination, Kaptai Lake is familiar to people from urban areas across the country. Surrounded by small hills, the vast blue water is truly mesmerizing. Not only it is important for tourism, but this lake also provides employment for many through fishing and other activities.

A wide range of goods, from consumables to agricultural products, fish, timber, bamboo, and handicrafts from the hill people, are transported through this route, with an annual market worth about 10 billion Taka. Directly, around 150,000 people's livelihoods depend on Kaptai Lake.

Considering the family members reliant on these livelihoods and the diverse way of life surrounding the lake, the number rises to at least 600,000. Annually, fish worth several hundred million Taka are harvested. Additionally, the lake's economy, which encompasses markets, crop production, transportation, and tourism, amounts to several billion Taka. This has created a unique lifestyle and economic foundation in Rangamati.

However, the “thorn in everyone’s side” is extortion. This network has not been dismantled for years. While fishermen blame organizations like JSS and UPDF for this, they remain silent in public.

On Monday (October 7), reports from the media revealed that there is a large extortion network operating throughout the district. Nearly two billion taka in extortion money is collected annually by armed groups. Brick kilns are required to pay 30,000 Taka each year. For contractors, a 10% commission is deducted. Kidnappings for ransom occur frequently. Each large restaurant owner has to pay 20,000 Taka annually, while furniture traders pay a per capita extortion fee of 6,000 Taka.

For each bamboo truck, the extortion fee is 1,000 Taka; for banana trucks, it’s 2,000 Taka; for chander gari, it’s 3,000 Taka; and for CNG autorickshaws, it’s 1,000 Taka. Additionally, there is an extortion fee per family.

Upper-class families pay 800 Taka annually, middle-class families pay 500 Taka, and lower-class families pay 300 Taka. According to the information, there is an annual extortion fee for the fish business as well, with attempts to dictate who can fish in which areas. Around fifty entertainment centers have been established around the lake, alongside over a hundred restaurants and hotels. Several hundred tourist boats are active. Overall, there is a turnover of two billion Taka in tourism each year. However, the main barrier to this vast economy and investment in the hills is security. The extortion rates also vary based on engine type and the size of the boat.

Extortion is cleverly carried out through various types of receipts. The accounts of extortion are specified as daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or one-time payments. Extortion money is collected in the names of different organizations, which are often backed by various political groups. The exact identities of those involved or the political parties connected to them are often unknown to the police. It is known that some organizations and extortionists are even armed, posing a threat not only to the local population but to the entire country.

We know that extortion is a major problem for any business in Bangladesh. There is no business sector, including road transport, water transport, or manufacturing, that is free from extortion. Governments may change, but the situation regarding extortion does not improve; it merely shifts hands.

We demand that extortion in Kaptai Lake and throughout the country be dealt with firmly. Measures should be taken by the authorities soon so that the children of Kaptai Lake can roam freely in nature. Law and order in those remote areas should be strengthened further.