Political parties & NGOs to submit memorandum to Chidambaram

Aizawl, May 17 (PTI) Major political parties and the NGOs in Mizoram today drafted and signed a memorandum to be submitted to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram when he visits the state on May 18, Lalmuanpuia Punte, leader of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) or Mizo Students federation said. Punte said that the memorandum demanded that more than 80 Mizo families displaced from Tripura's Sakhan hill range in 1998 after being threatened by Bru militants should be adequately rehabilitated by the Centre, otherwise, the ongoing repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura relief camps should be discontinued.

"We never asked the Centre to repatriate the displaced Mizos to Tripura, but our repeated pleas for their rehabilitation went to deaf ears for too long," he said.

The memorandum was signed by representatives of the ruling state PCC, the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC), the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) and the BJP state unit, he said adding that NGO signatories were the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the MZP, the Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP) or elders association and the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or the women's federation. He said that, in view of the unpredicted weather, two teams of the political party-NGO would be in Aizawl and also in Suarhliap village of Mizoram-Tripura border Mamit district to hand over the memorandum.

As per schedule, Chidambaram would arrive at the Lengpui airport near here on Wednesday morning from where he would go to Suarhliap and Damdiai villages by helicopter to meet the Bru leaders and the repatriated refugees and return to Delhi the same day, he said.

However, if the weather does not permit him to go to the two villages, he would stay for sometime in Aizawl, but arrangements were not made for him to meet representatives of political parties and NGOs while he would meet Bru leaders, the student leader added.