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Centre to hold tripartite talks with Mizoram government, Reang refugees

A tripartite meeting between the Mizoram government, the Centre and the Reang refugee leaders would be held in Aizawl tomorrow to discuss the repatriation of about 30,000 Reang tribal refugees sheltered in north Tripura during the past eight months.

Tripura's principal secretary Sudhir Sharma, who is looking after the relief and rehabilitation department, told reporters in Agartala this morning that a four-member Reang refugee delegation left north Tripura today to attend the tripartite meeting to be presided over by Mizoram Chief Minister Lalthanhawla.

The Reang refugees took shelter in many neighbouring north Tripura camps following ethnic violence in Mizoram villages in early October last year. Since then, the Tripura government has repeatedly requested the Centre and the Mizoram government to repatriate the tribal refugees. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar held meetings with his Mizoram counterpart and wrote to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on the issue.

Reang, a primitive tribe among the tribals of the north-eastern region and mostly Hindus, are about 85,000 strong, living in the western part of Aizawl district in 75 villages and in a few hamlets of Lunglei and Chimtuipui districts in Mizoram adjoining Tripura.

They had been demanding an autonomous district council for them, a demand the Mizoram government has so far refused to accept.

UNI

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