AGARTALA, April 26 — In what can be called a fresh initiative for dialogue with the Mizoram government for early repatriation of the Reang (Bru) refugees presently sheltered in six camps in North Tripura district, a high level team of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) headed by a special secretary will visit the Reang (Bru) refugee camps. The team would among other things, ascertain the actual number of refugees in the six camps in Kanchanpur subdivision.
According to official sources, the central team will arrive at Agartala on April 30 next to settle the dispute over the total number of Reang refugees who, following a fierce Mizo-Bru clash in mid-October, 1997 had left Mizoram and taken shelter in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision. According to Tripura government, about 31,000 Reang refugees are still living in the six camps at Kanchanpur while the Mizoram government fixes the figure at 16,000 only.
The Central Government has so far allocated Rs 20 crore as cash dole for the refugees in the last six years. A State government official said the North Tripura district administration has been asked to ascertain the actual number of Reang refugees living in the camps after the ethnic violence in Mizoram. ‘The actual number would be presented before the central team to expedite early repatriation,’ sources pointed out.
The Reang repatriation issue has witnessed many a political twist and turn as several rounds of talks came a cropper. First the Mizoram government raised questions about the number of the Reang refugees living in the Tripura camps. Later, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga added clauses like return of the Bru National Liberation Front militants (a Reang militant organisation) before repatriation and dropping the idea of a seperate District Council for the Reangs. However, things took a new turn in the first part of April when BNLF refused to participate in any further peace talks with Mizoram unless the Ministry of Home Affairs intervenes.