Looking beyond... India

The Tripuri are a culturally distinct, hilltribe people whose traditional lands are in the north-east corner of India, between Bangladesh and Burma. Their language and customs are distinct from that of mainland India, and have more in common with the languages of Tibet and Burma.

Since being annexed by India in 1949, the Tripuri have been threatened by an influx of settlers to the region. According to a web site maintained by the Tripura Peoples' Democratic Front (TPDF), this migration has been coupled with they describe as a "reign of terror" against the indigenous people, leaving them marginalized in their own land.

Consequently, the Tripuri undertook an armed struggle in the 1980's, which ended in 1988 with an agreement between the Tripura National Volunteers (TNV), the Tripura State Government, and the Indian government, which was to restore alienated lands to the Tripuri people.

According to the TPDF, no action has been taken on the part of the Indian governments to implement the terms of the agreement, principally because of strong opposition from the Hindu settlers.

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