Repatriate all Bru refugees by Feb 15'

AIZAWL: Bru refugee associations from six relief camps in North Tripura district have threatened to return to Mamit district on Mizoram-Tripura border if the Mizoram government fails to repatriate all Bru refugees by February 15. This was decided by the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) in a meeting of the refugee organizations on Saturday.They ac-cused the Mizoram government of neglecting their problems even after all the refugees agreed to its repatriation proposals.
The Bru refugee organisations present at the meeting were the All Dealers Association, the Young Bru Association, the Bru Displaced Women Welfare Committee, the Bru Displaced Welfare Organisation, the All Chudry Association and the Camp Defence Committee.
They complained that while 1,300 families wanted to be repatriated, the state government, without consulting the MBDPF, planned to repatriate only those 151 families which have been identified by the Mizoram government officials. "We have to clear the jungle for jhum cultivation and also have to rebuild our houses. We need to return before mid-February," a statement issued by the NGOs said.
They also alleged that there were many refugees who were not bona fide residents of Mizoram amongst those who returned on their own recently. "There were also some families who possessed two ration cards and some of the former Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) and Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM) militants who received rehabilitation and re-settlement money in their wives' names even though they already had received that after their surrender," the statement alleged.