Brue leader Elvis Chorkhy today said at a meeting here Union Home Ministry officials, the Mizoram government and leaders of the Bru yesterday decided to undertake a large-scale repatriation of Bru refugees.
Mr Chorkhy stated another meeting would be held tomorrow at the Mizoram-Tripura border Mamit town to fix the date for the resumption of the repatriation.
The decision came after the Union Home Ministry made it clear that the six relief camps in Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura district would be closed down and ration discontinued from March next year, according to Chorky.
''The officials (of the Union Home Ministry) during the meeting said all the facilities provided by the Centre through the Tripura state government, including free ration for the refugees would be stopped when the relief camps are closed,'' he said.
The meeting held under the chairmanship of state Home Secretary Lalmalsawma, was attended by three officials from the Centre headed by Union Home Ministrys joint secretary (North East) Sambhu Singh, deputy commissioners of Mamit, Lunglei and Kolasib districts, other home department officials and three leaders of the BCC.
Around 101 Bru families have so far returned to Mizoram since the first phase of the repatriation which began on November 3 last.
The state government called off the process after anti-repatriation elements amongst the refugees not only created road blockades to prevent the refugees from returning to Mizoram, but also obstructed the government officials who were conducting identification of the bona fide residents of the state.
About 30,000 minority Brus were displaced from Mizoram in 1997 following ethnic violence triggered after a Mizo forest official was killed by the Bru militants.
Another 5,000 Brus fled in November 2009 following fresh violence following a killing of Mizo youth by suspected Bru militants.
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