Mizoram postpones return home of refugees from Tripura

AIZAWL/AGARTALA - The Mizoram government announced it was suspending taking back of tribal refugees from six relief camps in Tripura, claiming obstacle from a section of the refugees and suspected militants, officials said Tuesday.

“Our state government has decided to suspend the ongoing repatriation of Reang refugees from six relief camps in Tripura in the wake of protests by anti-repatriation groups,” Mizoram Home Minister R. Lalzirliana told reporters in Aizawl.

“The anti-repatriation groups, backed by suspected militants, not only blocked roads to prevent the refugees from returning to Mizoram, but even obstructed state government officials from identifying bonafide residents of Mizoram among refugees.”

“There are armed extremists who have been trying to sabotage the government’s programme to repatriate refugees from Tripura. Security forces would not hesitate to use their weapons against such armed elements,” the home minister said.

Lalzirliana said these militants are intimidating the tribals, locally called Bru, against returning to their villages in Mizoram and warning them of dire consequences if they disobey.

Over 41,600 Reang tribals have been living in six camps in north Tripura’s Kanchanpur sub-division since October 1997. They fled western Mizoram after ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos following the killing of a Mizo forest official.

officials in Tripura said they were unaware of the Mizoram government’s decision to stop the repatriation process and their claim about the militants’ activity in the refugee camps.

“We are not aware about the Mizoram government’s decision to suspend the repatriation process. We are providing logistical help to them after the repatriation process began on Nov 3,” North Tripura district magistrate Saumya Gupta told IANS by phone.

“We have no specific reports of militants intimidating the home-bound willing refugees,” she said, adding that the Tripura government wants the refugee imbroglio to end at the earliest.

The repatriation of 41,600 Reang tribal refugees from North Tripura district’s Kanchanpur sub-division to their villages in western Mizoram began Nov 3. Since then, only 400 refugees have returned to their homes.

When 66 families were ready to return home Nov 19, hundreds of other refugees put up a blockade on the Tripura-Mizoram highway, protesting non-settlement of their eight-point demands, which includes signing of a four-partite agreement between the centre. Tripura and Mizoram and refugee leaders over the repatriation.

“The police arrested 655 protesters and cleared the blockade. Subsequently, 48 refugee families left Tripura for their homes,” a Tripura official said.

In April 2005, the Mizoram government and the militant Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) signed an agreement after 13 rounds of talks to solve the decades-old ethnic crisis, leading to the surrender of about 1,040 militants of the BNLF and Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM), another separatist outfit.

Both the rebel outfits have been fighting for setting up an autonomous council for the Reangs.