AIZAWL, Aug 2 - Former members of the now disbanded Bru militant groups � Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) and Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM) � are demanding fulfillment of the 2005 agreement signed between Mizoram Government and BNLF.
Formed into a group called Mizoram Bru Returnees Peace Accord Implementing Demand Committee (MBRPAIDC), the former Bru rebels alleged that most of the provisions of the peace agreement are unfulfilled even 13 years after it was signed.
In April 2005, Mizoram Government and the militant BNLF had signed an agreement after 13 rounds of talks to solve the decade-old ethnic crisis, leading to the surrender of about 1,040 militants of BNLF and BLFM.
The insurgents, who fought a bush war for about nine years, surrendered 75 firearms, including AK-47 rifles, pistols and country-made guns, and live cartridges and grenades.
In a press release here on Thursday, the new outfit demanded implementation of �Special Development Project for Bru community� and resettlement of Bru refugees in a group village of not less than 500 families, which the outfit said was included in the agreement.
The organisation also demanded that cash assistance to be given to Bru refugees, who are still lodged in six relief camps in Tripura, be given to them in single installment. It may be noted that the Central Government agreed to give Rs 4 lakh each in installments to the Bru families who are to be repatriated to Mizoram in what is planned to be a final repatriation scheduled to start from this month.
Interestingly, the Bru refugees who had already returned to Mizoram in earlier repatriation processes did not get that much amount, causing much displeasure among them.
The organisation also demanded equal payment be given to those who had already returned and settled in Mizoram.
One of the leaders, Bruto Meska said while the repatriated Brus had received a one-time package of Rs 80,000 per family and free ration for a year, the last batch waiting to be repatriated would get a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 per family for two years, free ration for the same period, Rs 4 lakh per family at the end of three years and housing assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh, according to the quadripartite agreement signed between Centre, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and MBDPF.
