HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN      Nov 30-6, 2011

NAGAS LIFT MANIPUR BLOCKADE AHEAD OF PM VISIT

Protests in Manipur have been going on since August

Imphal, Nov 29: A three-month blockade by a tribal group of roads into Manipur has been lifted ahead of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip there.

The Nagas had blocked two key highways in protest against the demand for a new district by the rival Kuki tribe.

The Kukis had called off a 92-day blockade earlier this month after the government agreed to their demand.

The blockades led to shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies. The groups blocked two highways linking Manipur with the rest of the country.

A spokesman for the United Naga Council said they were "temporarily" lifting the blockade early on Tuesday ahead of  Singh's visit to Manipur next week, BBC reported.

The group said it had taken he decision as Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had assured the group that the State Government would not take a decision on the new district without consulting the Nagas.

Kuki tribal groups began the first blockade of two highways in August over their demand for a new district, called Sadar Hills, to be carved out of the Senapati district (Manipur), which is dominated by the Naga tribal community.

The Kukis, one of the major tribes in Manipur, have previously clashed with other Indian separatist groups from the Naga tribe over demands for a homeland.

Later, the rival Naga tribal groups began a "counter blockade" on the same roads to protest against the demand.

EU team upbeat on Nepal

RP Sharma

Kathmandu, Nov 29: A three-member delegation of the European Parliament, led by Jean Lambert (Greens/UK), has welcomed the positive mood expressed by the parties during its one-week visit to Nepal.

Issuing a press release, the delegation has expressed hopes that the visit will help in enhancing permanent and effective links between the two legislatures.

The EU delegation, during its one-week visit, held its talks with high level officials including President Ram Baran Yadav, CA Chairman Subas Nembang, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, among others.

The EU team also visited Rupandehi to observe some of the EU-funded projects, one of them being the nutrition project, run in partnership with UNICEF.

The aim of the delegation was to review the impact of EU-Nepal cooperation and to identify further areas of partnership that could be beneficial for Nepal’s development.

The three-member delegation will return tomorrow after wrapping its one-week visit to Nepal

Dr. Pemba passes away

Darjeeling, Nov 29: Dr. Tsewang Yishey Pemba, one of the most popular physicians of Darjeeling, is no more. He passed away in Siliguri on Saturday (Nov 26) at the age of 79.

An alumnus of Victoria School (Kurseong) and St. Joseph’s College (Darjeeling), Dr. Pemba joined the University College (London) to pursue his carrier in medicine. He became the first hill student from Darjeeling to receive a British medical degree in 1955, according to informed sources. He was awarded the Hallett Prize for standing first in the examination of the Royal College of Surgeons, England. In 1967, he obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeon, the first person from the Himalayas to do so.

Dr. Pemba worked in various hospitals in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Bhutan. He has also authored three books: Young Days in Tibet, Idols of the Path and Tibet in the Year of the Dragon. The funeral will be held in Darjeeling on December 1.

Harmony through peace, dialogue: Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama attends global Buddhist meet

New Delhi, Nov 29: Buddhism has a special role to play in the modern world because unlike many other religious traditions, Buddhism uniquely propounds the concept of inter- dependence which accords closely with the fundamental notions of modern science, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said here on Sunday.

Elaborating on the importance of Buddhism as tool for promoting peace, he said: "The 20th century was a century of war and violence, now we all need to work to see that the 21st century is of peace and dialogue."

The Tibetan spiritual leader addressed a gathering of nearly 900 Buddhist monks and scholars at a four-day Global Buddhist Congregation 2011, which began here on Sunday.

He said Buddhism may be viewed terms of three main categories - philosophy, science and religion. The religious part involves principles and practices that are of concern to Buddhism alone, but the Buddhist philosophy of interdependence as well as the Buddha’s

teachings on mind and human emotions are of great benefit to everyone, the Dalai Lama said.

"I believe that a synthesis of these two approaches has great potential to lead to discoveries that will enrich our physical, emotional and social well-being," the Dalai Lama said.

The spiritual leader said he was “convinced that the most significant obstacle to religious harmony is the lack of contact between different faiths and communities and, consequently, the lack of appreciation of their mutual value".

"However, in today`s increasingly complex and interdependent world, we have to acknowledge the existence of other cultures, different ethnic groups and of course other religious faiths. Whether we know it or not - most of us experience this diversity on a daily basis," he said.

"I think the time has now come to communicate freely with one another - those in the Pali tradition engaging in dialogue with those in the Sanskrit tradition," he said.

Border security beefed up in wake of Kishenji killing

‘Red salute’ to the last revolutionary

Panitanki (West Bengal), Nov 29: Security has been beefed along the porous India-Nepal border in the Panitanki region of North Bengal in anticipation of possible revenge attacks by Maoists following the killing of their leader Kishenji in an encounter in the State.

On Thursday, Kishenji and some of his accomplices were killed by the security forces in a joint operation.

Reportedly, Kishenji and his wife Suchitra Mahato were hiding in the Kushboni jungle when the area was cordoned off and a gun battle followed, ANI reported.

Deputy Inspector General of the Armed Border Force in Ranidanga region, Shubash Kumar, said the entire border out posts were alerted to avoid any untoward incident.

"Keeping in mind the reported news of Kishenji's (Maoist leader) killing, we have alerted all the BOP's (Border Out Posts) and we have also suggested our intelligence setup to tighten up their sources, so that if any anticipating revenge attacks takes place or any group of people try to do any such efforts, that it can be tackled properly," said Kumar.

Armed security personnel were deployed in large numbers on the border and increased patrolling and intensive checking was going on.

Kumar added that extra security forces have been deployed in the sensitive areas like Panitanki and Naxalbari.

Strict vigilance is being kept on all the streets and highways in the region.

Despite strong measures initiated by the government in eradicating the ultras, the Maoist insurgency has gripped nearly one-third of the country in its violent tentacles, spreading into the interiors of 20 of India's 28 states.

 Home Minister P.Chidambaram has termed the left-wing extremism as "a bigger challenge than terrorism".

Maoist sympathisers, revolutionary writers, singers, representatives of various people’s organisations, civil liberties activists and hundreds other on Sunday paid their last respects to slain Maoist leader Kishenji in his hometown Peddapalli in Andhra Pradesh. People in large numbers turned up at Kishenji’s house to pay their tribute and console his family members. With folded hands, the mourners were seen passing by the flower bedecked coffin amid huge police presence.

CBI to seek Nepal help on Balkrishna’s nationality

New Delhi, Nov 29: The CBI will soon send a judicial request to Nepal seeking details of yoga guru Baba Ramdev's aide Acharya Balkrishna in connection with a case of furnishing fake documents to get an Indian passport.

 CBI sources said they were in the process of finalising the Letters Rogatory to be sent to Nepal so that details about the nationality of Balkrishna could be ascertained.

Sources said through the Letters Rogatory, CBI may ask for material to test the veracity of claims made by Balkrishna during questioning by the agency.

 The CBI has registered a case against him under IPC Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) for procuring the fake degree and violation of Section 12 of the Indian Passport Act (knowingly furnishing false documents for getting passport), they said.

The agency had also approached the foreign ministry seeking revocation of Balkrishna's passport as the educational degrees submitted by him were found to be fake, they said.

The decision to register the case against Balkrishna was taken after Sampurna Nand Sanskrit University denied having him on their rolls ever. The Uttarakhand High Court has granted stay on the arrest of Balkrishna after he challenged the CBI case against him. The next hearing will take place on November 29.

Registrar of the university Rajnish Shukla had told CBI that the number mentioned by Balkrishna in his degree did not match with the varsity records and the enrolment numbers indicated in the fudged documents belonged to another student. Balkrishna's two degrees 'Purv Madhyma', a high school degree issued in 1991, and 'Shastri', a Sanskrit degree in 1996, don't figure in the university's records, he said.

The documents show Krishna Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, an affiliate of the university, as the issuing authority, Shukla said, adding that the vice-chancellor had described the documents as fake. The charges have been denied by Ramdev-controlled Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust.

Army not ‘master’ of J&K: Farooq

“The army's job is to protect the border”

New Delhi, Nov 29: Union minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has critcised the Indian Army for opposing the partial withdrawal of the "draconian" Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was not the "master" of the State.

"(The) army is not our master. Just remember that. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are the masters of their state," Abdullah, who has been the chief minister of the state thrice in the past, told Karan Thapar in "Devil's Advocate" on CNN-IBN news channel.

He said the army's job was to protect the borders. "They have to guard the border so the infiltration doesn't take place. It is their job. Rest the local police, the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) are ready to handle (the situation)," said the union minister of renewable energy.

He criticised the army and intelligence agencies for failing to check the infiltration from the border with Pakistan.

"How are they coming, if they (the army) are able to handle? Tell me how they are able to handle? They must have failed otherwise how do they enter? How do they enter? It's the failure of the entire system. The intelligence failure. We have intelligence - we have external intelligence and we have internal intelligence. There must be a failure somewhere if they are coming in," he said.

Strongly supporting his son, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's views on the removal of the law that gives sweeping powers to the army in fighting militancy, the senior Abdullah said he was "sure it will go".

But added it was not the decision that could be taken in a spur of the moment. "Everything has to take time after all AFSPA was introduced in 1990 by the then government and the governor. Now the question is, situation has gone better. What is the actual situation is known only to the chief minister because he gets all the inputs."

Calling the the AFSPA a "draconian law", Adbullah said there was no proposal to withdraw it from bordering areas where terrorists would infiltrate or set up sanctuaries.

Asked if his son had mishandled the issue by going public over its withdrawal without taking stake holders on board, Abdullah said: "No, not at all. None, none whatsoever. If he (the chief minister) decides that it (AFSPA) has to go, it must go."

He said it did not matter if the army and the central government disagree. "It is the wishes of the people that matter and if the people feel that the things are better, then let's give them that. They (army) said when 40 bunkers were removed. They said if the bunkers go, there will be no safety. The bunkers were removed and the people are able to breathe safely. People are walking safely."

Editorial

INDIA STANDS FIRM

Border Talks Postponed

Beijing’s growing insecurity towards the Dalai Lama has now led to the postponement of the border talks between China and India. China demanded that India cancel a Buddhist conference in Delhi which the Dalai Lama was expected to address. The conference coincided with the boundary talks between Dai Bingguo and Shivshankar Menon also to be held in New Delhi. India refused to comply with Beijing’s request stating that the Tibetan spiritual leader was free to pursue his religious activities. China abruptly cancelled the talks in reaction to India’s stand on the Dalai Lama.

The disputed borders between India and China have been the subject of 14 rounds of talks since 1962, when the two nations fought a brief but brutal war over the issue.

Chinese infrastructure build-up along the frontier has become a major source of concern for India, which increasingly sees China as a longer-term threat to its security than traditional rival Pakistan. If Beijing continues to connect the Dalai Lama with talks on the border there will be no progress. It must be a bit more reasonable and flexible for the talks to go ahead.

Darjeeling Cong to raise UT status demand

C. Tamang

Darjeeling, Nov 29: The Darjeeling District Congress Committee (Hills) has demanded Union Territory status for Darjeeling.

According to its Vice-President Saroj Kumar Khatri, said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has supported this demand. He said DDCC had moved a resolution on UT status for Darjeeling in April this year.

Khatri said a delegation led by KB Chettri, President, Darjeeling District Congress Committee (Hills) will take up the demand with the State and Central authorities.

The delegation will also meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in this regard, Khatri said.

“UT is the fastest and easiest option for separation from Bengal,” said Khatri.

Siliguri : Gateway to the Himalaya

Siliguri is rightly called the gateway to Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and North-East India. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in India.

Situated at the base of the Himalaya mountains in the plains Siliguri is the largest city in North Bengal and second largest city in West Bengal. It connects the hill station towns of Gangtok, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik and Darjeeling with the rest of India. The Mahananda River that flows from the mountains through the city makes this major commercial centre come alive during the monsoon.

 Siliguri has three main seasons:  summer, winter and monsoon. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 38°C. It is considerably cooler than the southern and central regions of West Bengal. During this season, tourists from all over India and from around the world stop in Siliguri en route to the cooler climes of the northern hill stations. Winters are relatively cool and temperatures range from a high of 15°C to a low of about 3°C. Light rain and dense fog are seen during this season. During the monsoon season between June and September, the town is lashed by heavy rains often cutting access to the hill stations and Sikkim. The climate is suitable for growing tea and the surrounding region has many tea gardens.

Siliguri is one of the most important junctions of the North-East Frontier Railway on metre gauge Railway grid. New Jalpaiguri station the junction for broad gauge lines is 3 kms from Siliguri. Direct Railway connections with Calcutta, Delhi and Assam are available from here. Badogra, the major airport of the region, is only 11 kms from Siliguri. Bagdogra is connected with calcutta and Delhi by daily flights. Siliguri is 607 kms from Calcutta, 80 kms from Dargeeling, 114 kms from Gangtok, 475 kms from Guwahati, 470 kms from Patna, 564 kms from Kathmandu (Nepal).

Yoga Retreat in Kalimpong next month

Kalimpong, Nov 29: A ten-day Yoga Retreat is being organized here at Holumba Haven resort from December 12-21 next month.

Deepti Kulshrestha, a resident of Noida, near New Delhi, will conduct the daily Yoga classes, which begin at 5.30 am and end at 7 pm.

The Yoga Retreat will help to energise, de-stress, motivate and inspire the practitioners through yoga and meditation sessions amidst tranquil Himalayan scenery. Through this Yoga Retreat, the participants will be able to form the foundation of their own practice if they are a beginner, or get back and focus on some serious Yoga if they are already a practitioner.

Besides the daily Yoga activities the organizers will also help the participants discover the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Kalimpong.

Chanting of mantras, asanas, pranayama breathing and meditation techniques will be part of the programme for the Retreat.

But the main focus of the practice is Hatha Yoga, according to the organizers.

“We welcome all levels of practitioners (including beginners) and we will give individual attention to people who have any specific health issues that they would like to address through (therapeutic) Yoga,” said an organizer.

Banned Manipur outfit operated from Kurseong

Kurseong, Nov 29: This picturesque town –located midway between Siliguri and Darjeeling – was used as a safe haven by the banned Manipur militant group known as Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL).

A three-storied building in Kurseong was used as a base camp for KYKL leaders, including its self-styled commander Ningthoujam Tomba (57), and cadres to carry out clandestine operations in Nepal, India and elsewhere.

On September 8, 2010, the NIA had filed chargesheet against 7 alleged KYKL terrorists at the District and Sessions Court in Darjeeling for waging war against the state. Only Rabi Kumar Singh was absconding but was later arrested. All are wanted in multiple cases in Manipur also.

Attachment of properties of the KYKL members in Kurseong, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and other areas are part of a concerted move by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to put an end to the terrorist organisation’s activities in the region.

According to sources, the KYKL had also used Sikkim as one of its bases for operation in the region.

Tomba along with two Manipuri girls – Sorokkhaibam Memcha Devi and N Rama Chanu and a local woman 28 year old Saraswati Rai – were arrested from Khaprail More under the Matigarah police station in the Darjeeling district bordering the Siliguri town, in a joint operation conducted by the Darjeeling police and a Manipur police commando team on March 15, 2010.

The Monpas were the original inhabitants of Bhutan

The Monpas of Bhutan are different from the Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, says a report

The Monpas have been pushed to the hinter-land of the remote Black Mountain forests today but they were here before the founders of modern Bhutan built dzongs in the valleys of Paro, Bumthang and Thimphu, says a study on the Monpa community, conducted by two Sherubtse College graduates under the research grant of the UNFPA.

"The Monpas kept themselves uninfluenced by the 2,000 year-old mainstream culture of Bhutan," according to the researchers, Sonam Dendup and Pema Chhoedup. Monpas inhabit Mangdue and Wangdue valleys in central Bhutan and are often considered the first inhabitants of Bhutan.

They are different from the Monpas of Tawang in Arunahal Pradesh. "The term Monpa once came to mean little more than southern or western mountain dwelling non-Indian non-Tibetan barbarian. Not only the language but some of the social institutions peculiar to them and their dependence on forest for livelihood served to link them to the forest dwellers of Kumuan and Nepal and Nagas, Kukis and Mismis etc. of north eastern Himalaya," says the report.

Monpas occupy Jangbi, Wangling and Phumzur villages under Lhangthel gewog in Trongsa Dzongkhag and Rukha village (locally known as Oalay and hence Oalaps) in Adha gewog in Wangdi Dzongkhag

The report says that with the increasing exposure to the outside world there now has started a new trend of out migration. In all, 15 people have already migrated from Monpa villages to the other parts of the country for employment opportunities, monastic education opportunities and marriage links established outside their villages.

Traditionally, Monpas engaged themselves in weaving bamboo and cane products. They started shifting cultivation and recently switched to agriculture. Today, a majority of the Monpas engage in farming.

Cane and bamboo form the most important raw materials. Bamboo is used in a variety of purposes as building material, weaving material, for making mats and pots for carrying water and storing milk. Young shoots of bamboo and cane are also consumed. The shoots are also used in making ropes and as fodder. "Owing to the over-exploitation of bamboo forests, Monpas today travel more than six hours to obtain the raw materials. The Monpas of Trongsa travel to 19 different places to fetch bamboo and cane. Now there is a gradual disappearance of bamboo forests," says the report.

According to the report Monpas are a close-knit community. They live and work in groups and have joint family system. Family decisions are usually made by the male head of the family. In the absence of the male family head, the decision might be taken by the female family head. At times this is done collectively.

Bonism was the main religion before the advent of Buddhist doctrines. But they still remain the faithful adherents of the former. "The Monpas of Trongsa do have the stories of Guru Padmasambhava who they claim visited their place on the way to Bumthang via Nabgikorphu. But their faith on Bonism remained undeterred," say the researchers. Altars are almost absent in all the Monpas households. Animal sacrifice was practised until recently during the Bon rituals though this practice is today substituted by offerings of boiled eggs. "Now more and more of them are converting themselves into Buddhists with quite a few of them joining the monastic body as Gyalongs and Gomchens. Recently one Lhakhang has been constructed in Jangbi village by them," says the report.

The Monpas had their own dress called 'Pangay' which is now being replaced by the national dress. Their language, Monkha, doesn't resemble any other languages in the country though it has roots in the Tibeto-Burman family like other languages of Bhutan. "Today, due to the cultural influence posed by the outside regions their language is facing a big threat of extinction. In Oalay only one woman speaks the language fluently. However, all Monpas in Trongsa speak Monkha," say the researchers.

Though the royal government is bringing them to the national mainstream their survival as an indigenous community would be meaningful and possible only if we allow it to grow with its own intrinsic worth," the report concludes. (Kuensel)

PM to visit blockade-hit Manipur on Dec 3

Imphal, Nov 29: Prime minister Manmohan Singh will visit blockade-hit Manipur on Dec 3 to attend a series of programmes and address a public gathering, an official said on Monday. The prime minister is likely to be accompanied by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi during the one day visit.

"Singh would inaugurate a city convention centre, inter-state bus terminus, the assembly complex and the Imphal bench of Gauhati High Court building," an official said, IANS reported.

He would also open the National Institute of Technology (NIT) complex after which he will address a public gathering at Kangla fort complex in the afternoon.

This will be his third visit to Manipur after he became the prime minister.

The northeastern state has been facing ethnic troubles as the United Naga Council (UNC) and the All-Naga Students' Association (ANSAM) have continued their road blockade agitation in northern Manipur to protest the Manipur government's agreement with leaders of the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC).

The SHDDC had on Aug 1 launched a road blockade agitation on the two arterial national highways that link the state with the rest of the country, demanding conversion of the Kuki tribal majority Sadar Hills area into a full-fledged district.

The UNC and ANSAM have blockaded the two National Highways since Aug 21 to counter the blockade launched by the SHDDC.

Tribal Nagas inhabiting northern Manipur, adjacent to Nagaland, are opposed to the creation of a full-fledged Sadar Hills district.

The SHDDC had lifted the blockade on Nov 1 after the state government agreed to their demand of creating a district, a move opposed by the Nagas.

3 NE states to get High Courts

Agartala, Nov 29:  Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya could soon get their own High Courts that would help in quicker disposal of cases, save litigants time and money, and fulfil a long-standing demand of these states.

All the eight northeastern states, excluding Sikkim, come under the jurisdiction of the Gauhati High Court situated in Assam. It has benches in several northeastern states. Sikkim has a separate High Court.

"All necessary infrastructure for the establishment of separate High Courts is ready in three northeastern states -- Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya," a Tripura law department official said.

The Central government needs to amend the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, to set up separate High Courts in the three states.

Khagen Das, Lok Sabha member from Tripura, on Friday met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi and demanded that the process of setting up separate High Courts in the three northeastern states be expedited.

Das, who moved a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha recently, said that he had urged the Union Home Minister to expedite the matter so that the necessary amendment bill could be passed in the current session of Parliament.

An all-party team from Tripura also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 8, 2008, over the demand.

The High Court, which was constituted on April 5, 1948, initially had its sittings in Meghalaya's capital Shillong but shifted to Gauhati on August 14, 1948. It came to be known as the High Court of Assam and Nagaland on the constitution of the state of Nagaland on December 1, 1963.

On the re-organisation of the northeastern region by the North-Eastern Area (Re-organisation) Act, 1971, a common High Court was established for five northeastern states -- Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura - and the two erstwhile Union territories (now full-fledged states) - Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh - and named as the Gauhati High Court.

Pact with Assam outfit signed

P. Ghosh

Guwahati, Nov 29: The government on Friday inked a path-breaking tripartite peace agreement with a prominent insurgent group of Assam, United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), after two-year-long peace negotiations.

As per the terms of the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) which was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the Karbi Anglong hill district will get more power and a Rs 350-crore special financial package spread over five years.

Describing the pact as a “historic” moment, Chidambaram said government was ready for dialogue with any group that shuns violence and puts its demands within the framework of the Indian Constitution. “This is a historic moment...the Memorandum of Settlement will change the face of the Karbi Anglong district in all spheres,” he said.

The UPDS was spearheading a violent insurgent movement in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district since its formation in 1999 till May 23, 2002 when it entered into a ceasefire agreement with the government. After the signing, Chidambaram urged all groups engaged in violence to give it up and come forward to find a peaceful solutions to all their perceived problems.

The Home Minister said negotiations with another Assam insurgent group Dima Halem Daouga was continuing and was near the final stage and the tripartite agreements with the outfit would be signed shortly.

“Talks with ULFA and NDFB (progressive) are also continuing. Recently, we have authorised (interlocutor) P C Halder to initiate the peace process and hold talks with NDFB (Ranjan Daimary) group,” he said.

25 authors attend NE literary meet

Himalayan News Network

Itanagar, Nov 29: The two-day literary event- MATRIX 2011, organized by the North East Writers’ Forum (NEWF) began here on Sunday with 25 authors from different states of North East participating in the literary sessions to celebrate the spirit of north east as well creativity.

 “Literature is the mirror of society through which knowledge, history and culture are preserved through ages,” commented Arunachal Pradesh Planning, Finance and PWD Minister Chowna Mein after inaugurating the event.

Advocating for encouraging the budding writers of the state through such conclaves, the minister said that the present trend of literature movement in the state was started by Lummer Dai, an eminent writer and being carried forward by Y. D. Thongchi and Mamang Dai.

 “Arunachal Pradesh in particular and the North East in general is rich in oral literature tradition which need to be translated and documented,” Mein said while assuring government’s support for preservation of indigenous manuscripts, documentation of folklores and oral literature.

Chief Minister Nabam Tuki who could not attend the meeting in a message addressed to the literary icons hoped that the conclave would be a path breaking experience for budding writers, poets, media persons and artist of the State.

Earlier, NEWF President Arup Kumar Dutta, who is also the author of the famous book ‘The Brahmaputra’ (Tracing the course of the Tsanpo-Brahmaputra), in his address said that the objective of the literary meet was to revive the missing oral literatures of the north east and to preserve them in form of various works.

INTERVIEW/Jabin T. Jacob

“India’s increased security infrastructure along the border is a reaction to China’s growing military presence in Tibet”

India has reportedly drafted plans to increase its military presence along its border with China. In an email interview, Jabin T. Jacob, assistant director of the Institute of Chinese Studies in Delhi, India, and the assistant editor of China Report, discussed the state of the India-China border conflict.

WPR: What are the core unresolved issues regarding the India-China border?

Jacob: The main point of contention in the Sino-Indian boundary dispute was originally the Aksai Chin area in the Indian northwest. China had built a road to Lhasa through the area, setting off the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962. This area remains in Chinese possession. In the late-1980s, however, the core of the dispute shifted eastward to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which the Chinese claim and call “Southern Tibet.” It is not clear what set off this new Chinese emphasis, but there seem to be at least two factors. First, Arunachal is rich in mineral, water and timber resources and is therefore important for the economically underdeveloped Tibet Autonomous Region. Second, Tawang, a Buddhist-majority town in Arunachal, is the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama and is believed to have paid taxes to the traditional Tibetan administration in Lhasa. The emphasis on Tawang -- which has come to symbolize the dispute -- appears to be part of a Chinese attempt to reinforce its legitimacy in Tibet and to be seen as capable of defending Tibetan interests better than the present Dalai Lama.

Q: What is driving India's decision to increase its security infrastructure and troop presence along the border?

A: India’s recent emphasis on improving security infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control with China is driven by a number of factors. First, it is part of an attempt to make up for a decades-old policy of deliberately keeping its border areas underdeveloped in an effort to prevent easy Chinese access in the event of another conflict. Thus, much of the development actually involves putting in place only basic roads and telecommunications infrastructure. Second, infrastructure development is a natural corollary of India’s rapid economic growth and is part of development all around the country. Finally, the increased security infrastructure and troop presence is most likely a reaction to China’s own rapid military modernization and active development of security infrastructure in Tibet.

Q: What diplomatic avenues are being used to address the issue, and how effective have they been?

A: The two sides have had a variety of dialogue mechanisms on the boundary dispute ranging from joint working groups to the present special representatives (SR) dialogue. Progress remains difficult to measure, but landmark treaties were signed in 1993, 1996 and 2005. In essence, through the SR mechanism and the 2005 treaty, the two sides have signaled that their dispute must be resolved politically rather than purely on the basis of historical or legal factors. This, however, probably means that resolution of the dispute has now become tied to other factors, including Chinese perceptions of Indo-U.S. ties, the state of affairs inside Tibet and the broader ups and downs in Sino-Indian economic relations. (World Politics Review)