Union Government has convened a meeting in New Delhi on Monday to discuss repatriation of over 30,000 Mizoram tribal refugees housed in makeshift camps in north Tripura.
Leaders of Bru tribe refugees, Mizo community representatives, government officials of Tripura and Mizoram, and senior officials of Ministry of Home Affairs will be attending the meeting.
Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF) has ushered hope that the dialogue at Central Monitoring Group (CMG), constituted to review refugee repatriation, would help resolve the 19-year-old imbroglio. Exodus of Brus, also known as Reangs, from three Mizoram districts – Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei occurred in September 1997 amid ethnic tension.
The evacuees are living in seven camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar subdivisions in north Tripura. The MHA has been providing relief and amenities to camp inmates through Tripura government agencies.
“In CMG meeting we would reiterate demand for spot verification of places where Mizoram government plans to rehabilitate us after return. We want to make sure that the places are conducive for our settlement,” MBDPF vice president Laldawngliana Molsoi told The Hindu on Sunday.
The MHA, in a letter on September 26 last year requested Mizoram government to allow MBDPF delegations to visit Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts to oversee rehabilitation arrangements. Mizoram has not yet responded to the request.
MBDPF president A. Sawibunga and General Secretary Bruno Msha have left for New Delhi on Sunday. Mizoram government is sending two senior officials, a leader of Young Mizo Association (YMA) and a local Bru leader Elvis Chorky, who is collaborating with Mizoram government.
Tripura government has deputed Principal Resident Commissioner at New Delhi to represent the State in the meeting to be chaired by MHA Special Secretary (Internal Security) M.K. Singla. The first meeting of CMG was held early this year, which brought all stakeholders to negotiation table.
The MHA has announced to take entire burden of expenditure towards rehabilitation of over 30,000 refugees alongwith free ration to each repatriated refugee family for a period of two years.
