6000 Bru refugees found to be Mizoram residents

More than 6,000 names from the Bru refugee list submitted by the Tripura Government had been identified as bona fide residents of Mizoram, State Additional Secretary for Home G. Tawnluaia said. Mr. Tawnluaia said that Tripura Government had submitted the list of Bru refugees lodged in six refugee camps in that State for identification following a meeting between Union Home Minister L. K. Advani, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Mizoram Home Minister Tawnluaia on August 7 last. The first list submitted by the Tripura Government was returned as it did not mention the addresses of the refugees. A new list of more than 30,000 names was re-submitted during the last part of October and the officials have been working on it.

Many Brus fled Mizoram in late 1997 following the violent activities and ethnic tension in the western belt of the State. While Mizoram government reiterated that it had no objection to repatriation of bona fide residents to the State, it insisted that BNLF should first lay down arms and come overground.