Mizo delegation to visit Tripura camps

A three-member Legislative delegation, led by Speaker of Mizoram Assembly R Romawia, is scheduled to visit bordering villages of Tripura today, where about 300 Reang families from Western Mizoram took shelter following alleged attacks by majority Mizo tribes in past three days.

Official sources in North Tripura said Mr Romawia will be accompanied by Deputy Speaker John Rotluangliana and Health Minister Lalrinliana Sailo. The delegation will meet the displaced inhabitants to discuss the issue of Reang refugee repatriation.

Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana yesterday reviewed the situation and asked police to take immediate action if any unauthorised assembly was noticed in the trouble-prone part of that state. The Mizoram Displaced Bru (Reang) People's Forum has urged the Centre to deploy the paramilitary forces to contain the situation.

The forum also burnt an effigy of the Mizoram Home Minister alleging his involvement in the attacks and charged the Lalthanhawla government with aiding and abetting the anti-Reang rioters to prevent the repatriation of refugees stranded in the six camps of North Tripura since October 1997.

The Mizoram government had agreed to begin the repatriation process of 35,000 Reang refugees from yesterday after 20 rounds of talks at several levels, but the move was being resented by the majority Mizo tribes.

The Reang inmates complained that Mizo tribes were attacking them, which triggered fresh tension in the Reang-dominated villages dotting both sides of the border between Mizoram and Tripura.

The Mizo villagers torched at least 270 houses of the Reang residents in five villages - Kalaliang, Lakchicherra, Mamit, Dampariang and Khinlung - of West and Northern part of Mizoram on Saturday night, police said, adding about seven Reang tribals had been injured in the attack.

-- (UNI) -- 17CA2.xml

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