Brus ask Centre to reconsider aid

AGARTALA

: The Mizoram Bru Indigenous Democratic Movement, another body representing Bru refugees, on Wednesday urged the

Tripura

government and the Union home ministry to reconsider the decision to stop aid to the refugee camps.

"We request you to honour our right to live and freedom to determine our political status and the liberty to pursue our economic, socio-cultural and religious issues with cooperation from everyone," president of the organization GB Herbert Reang said.

From October 1, all aid to Bru refugee camps stopped in keeping with the home ministry's orders. The window for repatriation of the refugees to Mizoram was between August 25 and September 25, after which, the Centre had said, all relief supply to the camps would stop. However, most of the 30,000 refugees did not return to Mizoram.

Reang also demanded that till an amicable and satisfactory solution is reached at, refugees living in camps should not be forcibly sent back to Mizoram without deliberating their legitimate demands.

The Brus

are willing to repatriate any time if the demand of ADC is granted as it is realized that without any territorial identity, the Bru indigenous people have no recognition as community with rightful means of livelihood, identity, means of survival as we believe that Territorial area entity is a major economic asset and social recognition, he mentioned.

They, however, argued that indigenous people of Mizoram should be included in consulting the use of land tract development processes and central government to take considerate steps of granting ADC status and also continue all humanitarian assistance to Bru refugees staying in Tripura with due diligence and sympathy.