Agartala: The much-awaited process of repatriation of 33,000Reang tribal refugees from Tripura to Mizoram hangs in the balance with thelatter being reluctant to take them back.

Over 300 tribal refugees are planning to launch a weeklongsit-in demonstration here from Feb 20 over the issue.

"We are being forced to launch the protest as Mizoramis reluctant to take back the evacuees and solve the decade-old problem,"said Elvis Chorkhy, president of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum(MBDPF).

"If the central and Mizoram Governments fail torespond, then we will begin an indefinite hunger strike the week after,"he said.

The Reang (locally called 'Bru') tribal refugees have beenliving in six north Tripura camps for the past 10 years after they fled Mizoramfollowing ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos. They are familiar with thetraditional shifting cultivation, also called slash and burn, and locally knownas 'Jhum'.

"The Reangs are asking how long they will have toremain refugees in their own country," Chorkhy told sources. 

A union home ministry team led by Naveen Verma, jointsecretary (northeast), visited therefugee camps and talked to the leaders who presented them with a six-pagememorandum.

"Although the home ministry team assured us they wouldtake up the matter with the Mizoram government, we are yet to get any positiveresponse from both New Delhiand Aizawl," the refugee leader added.

In April 2005, the Mizoram government and the militant BruNational Liberation Front (BNLF) signed an agreement after 13 rounds of talksto solve the decade-old ethnic crisis, leading to the surrender of about 1,040militants of the BNLF and Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM).

The memorandum presented to the home ministry team demands,among other things, immediate four-corner talks between the centre, the Mizoramand Tripura governments and the MBDPF.

It says, "The series of events, including signing ofagreement for surrender of militants, have proved to be useless for a durablesolution to the problems of both refugees and Reang tribals in Mizoram."

Both the rebel outfits have been fighting for setting up anautonomous council for the refugees.

"The Mizoram Government had earlier insisted that therepatriation of Reang tribal refugees would not begin until Bru militancy waswiped out completely," Chorkhy said, adding that the State Government wasyet to fulfil the assurances given to the surrendered Bru militants.

Reacting to Mizoram's assertion that it would take back only'genuine citizens' of that state.

 Tripura ChiefMinister Manik Sarkar said, "Let the repatriation first start, then wewould see how it can be solved."

"Due to the long stay of the tribal refugees (sinceOctober 1997), Tripura is facing serious socio-economic problems," Sarkarsaid. The central government has so far spent around Rs.900 million for theirupkeep.

The MBDPF memorandum to the central team also suggested 16points for the all-round development of the Reang tribals in Mizoram.