Former Mizo rebels' body to boycott Peace Day

AIZAWL, June 3 ? The peace accord MNF Returnees Association, an organisation of former rebels, Friday said they would boycott the Peace Day celebrations on June 30, the anniversary day of the signing of Mizo Accord by representatives of Centre and the erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF), in protest against ?continuing harassment of some of their colleagues,? reports PTI. More than 500 underground activists gave themselves up in 1986 after late MNF supremo Laldenga signed an accord with the then Rajiv Gnadhi government at Centre on June 30. Threatening to boycott the Peace Day celebrations, the association in a release alleged some of their colleagues were still tried in the courts of law for the offences committed during the insurgency years even though general amnesty was given to all the former insurgents as per provisions of the accord.

The statement further charged the Mizoram Government with non-payment of housing incentive to the former rebels as envisaged in the provisions of the accord. ?Ex-gratia payment and rental charges of some lands occupied by the forces during 1966 and 1986 were yet to be paid and some provisions of the accord were also not yet fulfilled by the central and state governments,? the statement said. The former underground activists further alleged that the full amount of rehabilitation and resettlement funds were yet to be disbursed among them due to corruption among some officials.