Mizo NGOs slam govt on Brus' rehabilitation

Aizawl, Apr 19 (UNI) Four major NGOs of Mizoram today slammed the Zoramthanga government for its decision to continue rehabilitation of the ''displaced'' Brus before identifying their citizenship.

The NGOs- Young Mizo Association, Mizo Zirlai (students) Pawl, Mizoram Upa (elders) Pawl, and Mizo Hmeichhe (women) Insuihkhawm Pawl- claimed that there were many non-Mizos among the repatriated Brus. The NGOs demanded that the identification should be done before the rehabilitation process.

The NGOs, after getting a green signal from the government, had undertaken an identification status at the transit camps where 27 of the ''displaced'' Brus were identifed to be non-Mizos.

There are about 804 surrendered Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram people in the camps.

The NGOs alleged that while the identification was in progress, the government had distributed a fund of Rs 20,000 each to the Brus on April 14. Moreover, the government has decided to give another Rs 13,000 each to them from April 19, a statement of the joint NGOs said today.

They claimed the government's move was against the agreement that ''making money through insurgency should not be encouraged.'' The NGOs suspect that many Brus in Tripura were trying to take advantage of being ''refugees'' from the state government rehabilitation fund.

UNI