Fate of Mizo refugees hangs in balance

Despite fresh initiatives by the central and Tripura governments, the repatriation to Mizoram of about 35,000 tribal refugees sheltered in Tripura for over 17 years still hangs in balance.

Refugee leaders told Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his deputy Kiren Rijiju recently that they were willing to return to their homes in Mizoram if their 10 demands, including security and rehabilitation, were met. Brus left Mizoram en masse after Lalzawmliana, a forest guard, was gunned down by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants in October 1997 and were lodged in North Tripura district since then. The plans to repatriate the Brus from Tripura from November 16, 2009, the murder of Zarzokima, a young boy from Bungthuam village by Bru militants not only derailed the proposed repatriation, but triggered another round of exodus due to heightened communal tension. Mizoram says that those Brus lodged in six relief camps in Tripura, who refuse to return to Mizoram after six months following the next repatriation efforts would be disfranchised as Mizoram voters. The government remains ambiguous on the refugees' demands, including free supply of food grain for two years and allotment of land to them. The demands have also run into objections from Mizos.

Tripura and Mizoram share a 109-km border. The immigrants live in small thatched homes made of bamboo and hemp in seven transitory relief camps in Kanchanpur in northern Tripura, adjoining Mizoram. Most adult men and women sit idle through the day. After meeting the refugee leaders at Kanchanpur in northern Tripura, the central ministers and officials met Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar in Agartala. The meeting remained inconclusive as Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla did not attend it.

About 35,000 Reang tribals, who call themselves "Bru", have lived in seven camps in Tripura since October 1997 after fleeing western Mizoram after the killing of a Mizo forest officer triggered ethnic troubles. Reangs are officially categorised a primitive tribe.

The Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum submitted a six-page memorandum to the central ministers accusing the Mizoram government of discriminating against them. "We are ready to go back to our homes in Mizoram. But before that the Mizoram and central governments must implement our demands," its general secretary Bruno Msha told IANS.

Home ministry officials met officers from Tripura and Mizoram in New Delhi Jan 30 and finalised a roadmap to repatriate the refugees by June 2015. "The Tripura government will provide all logistical help if Mizoram takes back the refugees," Tripura Relief and Rehabilitation Department Additional Secretary Karnamani Das said. The central government took the initiative to repatriate the refugees in view of the Supreme Court directions on January 16. Following a Tripura High Court order, the union home ministry last year set up a seven-member panel headed by Rajiv Gauba, an additional secretary, to oversee the condition of the refugees in the Tripura camps. The central team submitted its report to the Tripura HC.

The refugees say they should be treated like Kashmiri pundits. But the Mizo Students Federation argues that the Reang tribals were not refugees in the first place and so can never be compared with the Kashmiri Pundits. Tripura Revenue and Relief Minister Badal Choudhury said: "A serious socio-economic problem has cropped up due to the long stay of the refugees in Tripura." "Some refugees are involved in terrorism activities. The refugees also work for cheap wages, creating an awkward situation for local labourers," he added.