Earth scientists at Aizawl

AIZAWL, Nov 27: A three-day seminar on ‘Geodynamics, Sedimentation and Biotic Response in the Context of India-Asia Collision’ kickstarted today at Beraw Tlang in Aizawl.

Altogether 125 delegates from 21 States are participating in the seminar – the largest gathering of earth scientists in the country – which is organised by Mizoram University’s Department of Geology.

These scientists are from Research Institutions, IIT and universities across the country. The seminar will have nine technical sessions in which 135 research papers will be presented.

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Disabled to march Dec 3 to reiterate demands

NEW DELHI - Hundreds of disabled people along with their supporters are expected to take part in a ‘Walk to Freedom’ march in the capital on Dec 3 on the occasion of World Disability Day, to reiterate their demand to right to education, employment opportunities and accessibility to public services.



Organised for the 13th successive year by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), the walk will be held at the India Gate.

Javed Abidi, honorary director of the NCPEDP, said: “The estimated population of disabled people in the country is 70 million, yet they are an invisible minority since rights like education, employment opportunities and even opportunities in sports, continue to be denied to them.”

“There will also be other functions celebrating the achievements of the disabled community who have fought different challenges to emerge successful,” he added.

The World Disability Day was declared by the United Nations in 1982 and has been marked across the world ever since.

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Mizoram Home minister blasts Asian rights group

Aizawl, Nov 23 : The Mizoram Home minister R Lalzirliana on Sunday strongly reacted to the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) allegations and said that before making serious accusations, it would have been a wise move for ACHR to approach the Government of Mizoram to learn the facts and what steps the state government took at the onset to prevent further violence from taking place.

He also made it clear that when the state government learned that 18-year old Zarzokima of Bungthuam village had been killed by alleged Bru militants calling themselves Bru National Army of the Bru Revolutionary Union on November 13, he made a statement to the effect that violence would be retaliated with violence, meaning the State Government would deal strongly with those threatening to disrupt the peace and harmony of Mizoram through violence.

The "prima-facie evidence" mentioned by ACHR to prove that the burning down of Bru villages were pre-meditated by the Government of Mizoram "and some Mizo NGOs" could stem from the accusations made by the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum that his statement was provocative.

The Mizoram Home minister said that as a responsible public leader and a long-time Congress man, he wished to strongly state that his statement was neither provocative nor meant to instigate communal violence.

"I would be the first to admit that the Western and North Western belt of Mizoram has been a simmering pot of communal problems from as far back as 10-15 years ago and that the problems between the Mizos and Brus could escalate at the drop of a hat.

As such, when the State Government learned of the November 13, 2009 killing of a Mizo youth in western Mizoram, the district authorities were immediately alerted to take action to prevent any communal trouble from flaring up while at the same time to vigorously pursue investigations into the killing of the youth," said R Lalzirliana.

R Lalzirliana also said that police forces were sent from various parts of the state to Mamit district, the district where the killing took place, as reinforcements.

The difficult terrain and inaccessibility of some of the villages made it impossible for the police personnel to reach these places and prevent outbursts of violence.

Police, however, managed to prevent miscreants from committing arson at Damparengpui, the biggest Bru village in the area, although, unfortunately, they were unable to save five houses.

At this point in time, the State Government is yet to establish whether any NGO is involved in the torching of villages and investigations are still on.

Meanwhile, seven persons, four from Kawrthah village, two from West Phaileng village and one from Suarhliap village were arrested on November 15, 2009 in connection with the burning down of villages.

It is the State Government’s belief that the killing of Zarzokima was an attempt by some people with self-interests from the Bru community to prevent the repatriation process which was to begin from November 16, 2009 from taking place.

The State Government had taken great pains to see that the repatriation take place as early as possible despite the reluctance shown by the Bru refugee leaders to be repatriated.

This reluctance is clearly highlighted by some of the demands the leaders made, demands that are impossible for the state government to meet such as allocating each refugee family four hectares of land.

He also assured ACHR that the Government of Mizoram is in no way involved in the torching of Bru villages and that relief measures and protection for the victims are in place and have been carried out.

Immediate relief measures carried out was to distribute four kg of rice to each adult and two kg of rice to each child, two blankets per family and a silpouline for temporary shelter.

The district administration has also been instructed to provide cooking utensils and other necessary household items necessary for the construction of huts.

The State Government has also announced ex-gratia of Rs 10,000 for each victim-family which is to be distributed without undue delay.

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Joseph Mizo supplied weapons to DHD(J)

GUWAHATI, Nov 23 – Dreaded gunrunner Joseph Mizo alias Vanlalchhana who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during the course of its investigation into the diversion of public money to insurgent activities, had supplied at least ten consignments of sophisticated arms and ammunition to the Dima Halam Daogah (J) in the recent past. The sophisticated weapons included various models of arms including rifles of the latest N-16 series.

The gunrunner in return had received payment of Rs 1 crore at least on three occasions.

These revelations were made by the NIA in the charg-esheet, which it had submitted on November 17.

NIA had also seized Mizo’s bank account where a huge sum of money was deposited.

The chargesheet also mentioned that Mizo, a resident of Aizawl, was a frequent visitor to places like Thailand and Singapore, where he had several rounds of meeting with Niranjan Hojai and Jewel Garlosa.

The NIA, it may be mentioned, had chargesheeted 14 accused of which 10 are currently in judicial custody.

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Firing in Karimganj by miscreants from Mizoram

SILCHAR, Nov 21 : Close on the heels of Mizoram Government’s alleged encroachment of Assam land in Cachar district, a group of Mizo youths created a great deal of sensation in the Katamoni area in Karimganj district which shares its border with both Mizoram and Tripura.

According to sources, at least seven Mizo youths came in a Bolero car to Katamoni, consumed liquor and started firing near the shop of one Chayum Ghose late last night. The dog of the shopkeeper sustained injuries in the firing.

Katamoni police soon alarmed the Nagara and Rangamati police stations where the police personnel erected barricades to stop the fleeing miscreants who rushed towards Kanmun along the Assam-Mizoram border breaking the barricades.

According to sources, Chayum Ghose had received demand notes from suspected Bru militants a few years back.

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Bru leaders visit border villages in Tripura

Aizawl, Nov 20 (PTI) Leaders of three Mizoram-based Bru organisations today visited some villages on the Tripura border, appealing for peaceful co-existence between majority Mizo and minority Bru communities following incidents of arson and the murder of a Mizo youth.

Members of Bru Students Association (BSA), Bru Cultural Organisation (BCA) and Aizawl Bru Welfare Committee (ABWC) went around the villages in Mamit district, some of which were rocked by violence after a Mizo youth was gunned down at Bungthuam village, near Tripura border on November 13.

Superintendent of Police, Mamit, L R Dingluaia said the delegation members also met top district officials.

"The team members informed their (Bru) people in the district that the state government has been making all out effort to contain the recent spurt of communal tension and there is no reason to flee to neighbouring Tripura," Dingluaia told PTI over phone.

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Refugees pour into Tripura

More than 2000 Reangs cross over in past 36 hours

File picture of a Reang camp Agaratala, Nov. 21 : Altogether 2,220 Reang tribesmen belonging to 487 families have taken shelter in the refugee camps in Kanchanpur subdivision of North Tripura in the past 36 hours amidst indications that those sheltered in Hailakandi district of Assam will also head for Tripura camps as bona fide refugees. Despite Mizoram health minister Lalhingriana Sailo and Assembly Speaker Romaoia’s visit to Jampui hills on Tuesday, and the telephone discussion between chief minister Manik Sarkar and Union home minister P. Chidambaram, there has been no let-up in influx. Sources here said the actual number of refugees in the latest round of influx since November 13 “must have crossed 6,000 already” though officially 2,230 Reangs belonging to 487 families had registered in the camps at Damcherra, Dashda and Jampi blocks in Kanchanpur subdivision. “Many more people have not checked into the camps and have been living either with relatives or in the open over the past few days. The situation is worsening day by day,” said Kanchanpur sub-divisional officer Uttam Chakma. He said a section of the Reangs who had entered Hailakandi subdivision in Assam has returned to Mizoram but the rest were heading to Tripura for food and shelter. “We have come to know that only 12 families have stayed back in Hailakandi but more than 30 are on their way to Tripura, trekking the hills,” Chakma said. The president of the Mizoram Displaced Bru Peoples Forum, Elvis Chorkhy, blamed the Mizo leaders and their supporters for the influx. Chorkhy said the Mizoram health minister and the Speaker had come to meet and assure the small Mizo population in Jampui hills of their support and efforts to protect them. “They spoke to a few Reang refugees in Saboal camp and said the families who had lost their homes in the arson would be given Rs 10,000 compensation on their return to Mizoram but said nothing on security. They did not even give any commitment that the Reangs would be given police protection on return to their state,” said Chorkhy. He also described the killing of a Mizo youth on November 13 as a planned conspiracy to preempt the repatriation of Reang refugees that was to commence from November 16. “Unless the majority of Mizos and their government changes their attitude, no solution to the problem will be possible,” added Chorkhy.

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Bru leaders visit border villages in Mamit

Aizawl: Leaders of three Mizoram-based Bru organisations today visited some villages in Mamit district, located on the Tripura border, appealing for peaceful co-existence between majority Mizo and the minority Bru communities.

Members of Bru Students Association (BSA), Bru Cultural Organisation (BCA) and Aizawl Bru Welfare Committee (ABWC) went around the villages, some of which were rocked by violence following the murder of a youth at Bungthuam village, near Tripura border on November 13.

Superintendent of police, Mamit, LR Dingluaia said the delegation members also met top district officials.

"The team members informed their (Bru) people in the district that the state government has been making all out effort to contain the recent spurt of communal tension and there is no reason to flee to neighbouring Tripura," Dingluaia told PTI over phone.

Hundreds of huts had been torched as tension escalated following the murder of Zarzokima, an 18-year-old youth, by suspected Bru militants.

The chain of events caused serious setback to the proposed repatriation of Bru refugees from six relief camps in North Tripura where they had been lodged since 1997.

While the proposed repatriation of Brus from November 16, from Kanchanpur sub-division in Tripura, could not take off, around 400 Bru families crossed over to Tripura since November 13, officials said.

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River poisoning results in water scarcity in Aizawl, Mizoram

AIZAWL, Nov 5 – City dwellers are reeling under acute water scarcity after its supply was stopped due to the poisoning of a river.

State Public Health Engineering department officials today said that the poisoning of Serlui river, a tributary of river Tlawng, where from water is supplied to Aizawl, was detected yesterday and all the tanks were emptied.

Yesterday morning, a large number of dead fish, crab and prawn was found floating in the river. Later, laboratory tests confirmed the poisoning, officials said.

Around 47 lakh litres of water, already pumped into tanks got wasted, they said, adding that sabotage cannot be ruled out in the case.

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Displaced Bru- Mizo Govt talks held

AIZAWL, Nov 5 – A delegation of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People Forum (MBDPF) held talks today with representatives from the Mizoram government headed by state home secretary Lalmalsawma here.

The proposed repatriation of Bru refugees from the six relief camps in neighbouring North Tripura district was deliberated in the meeting.

The Bru delegation demanded that each family should be given Rs 50,000 as resettlement package as originally promised against Rs 20,000 as intended by the Centre.

READ MORE - Displaced Bru- Mizo Govt talks held