By Manas Paul
The 174 Reang tribesmen, popularly known as Brus, were repatriated from their shanty refugee camps in North Tripura district, their home for the last 13 years, to Mamit district of Mizoram on Wednesday.
This was part of the Aizawl government's long awaited initiatives to break ice that gathered over displaced Brus' repatriation to their home.
Thirteen years ago in mid October, 1997 following a fierce ethnic violence between the Brus and Lushai (Mizo) tribesmen in Mamit district of Mizoram thousands of Bru villagers fled to adjoining Tripura. Since then they were sheltered in six refugee camps in Kanchanpur subdivision. The ethnic violence had erupted following Brus' demand for autonomy and recognition of their language which were vehemently opposed by various Mizo organizations.
As for the last 13 years sporadic communal skirmishes between the two ethnic groups in Mizoram in various forms took place and simmering tension ran strong beneath the apparent calm, displacement of the Brus to North Tripura also continued. At a point of time there were about 44,000 displaced Brus -considered the highest congregation of the refugees in Kanchanpur subdivision. Soon the Central government intervened and began to supply ration and relief to the camp inmates through Tripura government.
The immediate need for relief and ration were, of course, met but the moot question for their repatriation could not be addressed to. Reeling under the extra burden of thousands of displaced Brus, Manik Sarkar government moved New Delhi to prevail upon Aizawl to take back their subjects. Central government also held several tripartite meetings with Tripura and Mizoram governments to solve the issue but no lasting solution to the refugee problem could be reached at and also no effective repatriation could took place.
For the last 13 years the standoff continued as Aizawl contested the Tripura government's figure of displaced Brus-saying it would be much less, about only 16,000- and the refugees themselves raising the question of security in their original villages. Many suspected that a group of Bru leaders who were involved in centre funded relief and ration distribution were opposed to repatriation due to vested interest.
In late 1990s a militant organization also sprang up from the Bru refugee camps –Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) – to press for their demands. But ultimately after committing some stray violence inside Mizoram when they were forced to surrender in early 2000, many Bru families went back to their villages. Some of them got settled but, again, some returned to the camps citing security reasons.
Last year the problem aggravated following murder of a Mizo youth and communal flare up that forced more than 600 Bru families- all from new areas- to flee to Kanchanpur. They also took shelter in makeshift camps. It was suspected that the murder and subsequent ethnic tension in Mizoram along Tripura frontier was planned to sabotage the proposed repatriation.
"Now we have more than 29,000 displaced Brus belonging to 5000 plus families in the six camps. Recently, Mizoram government took steps to repatriate 53 families who had come in 1997 October. On Wednesday 35 families from Ashapara and Naisinghpara camps went to their villages in Kolaliang under Kortha subdivision. If everything goes as planned then 18 more families would leave the camp on Thursday or Friday", said D Darlong, Additional District Magistrate of North Tripura to TOI.
The Mizo officials, SDO, SDPO and BDO from Kortha subdivision had come to Kanchanpur to take the Brus along while Subdivisional Magistrate of Kanchapur Dilip Chakma saw them off.
Darlong said, centre had recently given Rs 2.44 crore for repatriation and rehabilitation of the Brus sheltered in Kanchanpur camps.
"The Mizoram officials assured that after repatriation the Brus would be given Rs 8000 in cash per family, a plot of land, one year's ration and adequate security", Darlong added.
However, many of them are still uncertain about their security once they are repatriated.
"We had been earlier also assured of security by Aizawl but while we got settled in Mizoram, there were no adequate security. Besides, since we were rehabilitated in groups –like cluster hamlets with Lushai villages all around, we became more vulnerable for ethnic persecution", said a Bru refugee leader who did not want to be identified.
"But, despite all odds we want to go back to our village and home. Who wants to live in refugee camps on government relief and ration? It cannot go on for infinity. But security is a must if Mizoram government indeed wants us to go back", he added.
Darlong said, the old Bru families who had come in late nineties were provided ration as per the fixed categories. The fund is provided by the centre.
"But for the new migrants, who came here in 2009, the expenditure is borne by Tripura government. Their ration is only rice and salt. Nothing else. They are indeed in a pathetic condition", he said.
The impasse over Bru repatriation had a tell-tale toll on thousands of camp inmates. While death stalks the six camps in the form of gastro enteritis, hepatitis, measles etc especially when the dry spell sets in, Bru children- disease stricken and suffering chronic malnutrition- was a pathetic sight. Worst, an entire new generation among these camp inmates were coming up bereft of any education. A child who was born in 1997 would now be 13 years old and he did not have any proper education.
"He does not have any state, and certainly he does not have any hope in his heart. Watch them carefully, they would pose a new threat to this region already beleaguered by militancy and ethnic conflicts of various shades and colours", said a Professor Asesh Gupta of Tripura University.
via Times of India
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