Rangamati is the capital, main city, and gateway to the Hill Tracts area of the local tribes. Most of the ethnic tribes in Bangladesh are located in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region. The most populous ones (in order of largest to smallest) are the Chakma, Marma, Tippera, and Mru.
I visited a Chakma village where most of the women are weavers. Each tribe has it’s own style and color of textiles worn. The traditional cloth of the Chakma is blue, black, and red. Many of the elder women smoke large pipes, and many of the men here (as well as throughout Bangladesh and south Asia) chew betel nut smashed and wrapped in leaves as a stimulant. The Chakma are almost completely self-sufficient and grow all their own food. Fishing also adds to their diet.
Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6spjbqa5pldu18t/b2PBLrQPv1
Are these ethnic tribes somehow related to Thailand? They look more Thai than Indian and even their temple architecture seems like the temples of Thailand.
Yes, the Hill Tracts region borders Myanmar (Burma), so the features of the tribes look more southeast Asian than south Asian. Same with the architecture–there is much influence from Myanmar and Thailand in the Buddhist temples here.