Newmai News Network Aizawl | August 24 The Mizoram government will begin repatriation of over 32,800 Bru families from Tripura on Saturday, August 25, despite sources saying that the Bru families were not yet ready. Additional Secretary in the Home department, Lalbiakazama said that repatriation of Bru families, who are willing to return to Mizoram will be carried out on Saturday according to road map of Bru repatriation. “No matter the Bru families are willing or unwilling to return we will go ahead with the repatriation as per schedule according to the road map,” Lalbiakazama said. He also said that the state government has completed all preparedness for resettlement of Bru families once they return to Mizoram. However, sources said that the Bru families are not yet ready to return to Mizoram. Over 32,857 Bru refugees belonging to more than 5,413 families are currently lodging at six relief camps in Tripura after they fled Mizoram due to ethnic violence triggered by the murder of a Mizo forest guard by suspected Bru militants in 1997. Though the repatriation of Bru people was earlier scheduled to commence from August 14, it has been deferred to August 25 due to unpreparedness of a section of inmates of the relief camps. Between August 16 and 18, Mizoram officials had conducted identification of Bru families who are willing to return and those who are not. The officials had also conducted re-identification of those families, who have been left out during identification process in 2016. The Home department officials said that about 2,753 people belonging to 423 families from three relief camps have expressed their willingness to return to Mizoram during the identification process. Of the 423 families, 415 are from Kaskau camp, 6 from Khakchangpara camp and 2 from Hamsapara camp, they said. No families from Asapara, Hazacherra and Naisingpara which house more than 2000 families are willing to return to Mizoram, according to officials. The Bru families will be resettled in Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei district. Meanwhile, Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples' Forum (MBDPF) president, A Sawibung, said that they have no objection to those families who are willing to return to Mizoram. Earlier, MBDPF had asked the state government to re-conduct identification citing that the inmates could not turn up for identification as they were busy with updating Aadhar, saving banks and other important documents. Leaders of MBDPF had slammed the state government for aborting the identification process and alleged that the inmates were reluctant to turn up for identification as Mizoram officials had declared publicly that they had come for collection of names of those who were willing to return to repatriate on August 25 and conduct re-verification of those identified in 2016 followed by those families left out in 2016, which was against the terms of agreement made by the joint monitoring group on August 10 in Tripura. A leader of MBDPF said the inmates opined that repatriation should start only after completion of work like updating Aadhar, saving accounts, ration card and other important documents to be carried out by the Centre and the governments of Mizoram and Tripura. Meanwhile, Equal Package Demand Committee (EPDC), a Bru body formed by the already repatriated families in Mizoram demanded equal rehabilitation package and threatened to boycott the repatriation. EPDC chairman, Elvis Chorkhy said that they may let them pass the repatriation one or two day to show their sincerity to the request of the government during Damchera meeting on August 10, but would launch agitation if there is no response from the government to their demands after two days of repatriation.
