AGARTALA, July 18 (TIWN): The repatriation of Bru (also known as Reang) refugees from the relief camps in Kanchanpur block of North Tripura district again received a jolt. No one had turned up in the third phase of identification at refugee camp in North Tripura from July 13 to July 16, which was a part of the repatriation process

The identification process is being undertaken to determine whether the Bru families, lodged in relief camps of Tripura, are originally from Mizoram or not. Once the verification is over and the inmates of the camps are identified as original citizens of Mizoram, repatriation will begin.
An official statement said that the seventh batch of Reang (Bru) repatriation process began with the identification procedure which is to be done in two phases. In the first phase, people whose names are enrolled in the electoral rolls in Mizoram would be identified. In the second phase, people whose names are not included in the electoral rolls but who claim to be the original settlers of Mizoram would be recognised.
The families which choose not to return to Mizoram would be deemed to be permanent residents of Tripura. The refugees will be allowed to take shelter in the three Mizoram districts of Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei.
The Mizoram government has offered a rehabilitation package of Rs 1.25 lakh for each family along with food allowances for six months.
Nearly 34,000 refugees in North Tripura's refugee camps were driven out of their homes in November 1997 from Mizoram in the aftermath of an ethnic riot between the majority Mizo population and minority Reang people which was sparked off by Bru militants.
Between 2009 and 2011, as many as 3,000 Bru refugees were repatriated to Mizoram from six relief camps in North Tripura. However, the relief camp leaders demanded higher compensation packages for each Bru refugee families.
They also iterated signing of a written agreement between the refugees, the Union home ministry and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram.
The charter of demands placed by the leaders of Bru refugees included financial assistance of Rs. 150,000 per family, free ration to every repatriated family for two years, a political settlement of the ethnic problem and adequate security from paramilitary forces, among others.