HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN      April 25, 2012

Nepal parties seek more time to settle statute row

Kathmandu, April 24: Major political parties of Nepal on Monday sought two more days to thrash out contentious issues that have held up their constitution drafting.

The Himalayan country's political parties have extended the Constituent Assembly's (CA) term thrice earlier, though they had in 2008 agreed to complete the drafting of the statute book within two years.

During a meeting of the Dispute Resolution Sub-Committee Monday, Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)(UCPN-M) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda), who also heads the committee, proposed for two more days to settle the yet to be resolved issues of constitution drafting, media reports said.

The constitutional committee and the sub-committee have been summoned to meet on Wednesday, said Ram Chandra Poudel, Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader.

During Monday's meeting, political parties came closer over the issues on judiciary, citizenship provision and electoral system. They were, however, divided on the issues of state restructuring and forms of governance.

Tibetans to get five-year registration certificates

Dharamsala, April 24: Tibetans born in India and those living in the country for more than 20 years can now get the registration certificates essential for their stay renewed after every five years, a Tibetan official said on Sunday.

"The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has requested the Indian government about the problems faced by Tibetan refugees in renewing their RCs every one year or six months. The Indian government has consented to allow Tibetans born in India and those living in India for more than 20 years to get their RCs renewed after every five years," a CTA statement quoting Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay said.

The CTA is an organisation based in India with the goals of rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and taking care of their needs. It is also called Tibetan government-in-exile and was founded by 14th Dalai Lama in 1959, after he fled to India, IANS reported.

Sangay said the home ministry of India has specified four conditions to be fulfilled by Tibetans to avail the five-year extension of their stay, which include production of supporting letter from the CTA and certificate of character and antecedent.

"The five-year extension of RC will come into effect once the states receive the centre's notification and evolve a standard procedure in consultation with the CTA. Till then, we appeal to Tibetans to renew their RCs in accordance with the present regulations," Sangay said.

According to a report titled "Demographic Survey of Tibetans-in-Exile-2009", the total population of Tibetans outside Tibet stood at 1,27,935, comprising 70,556 males and 57,379 females.

"There are 94,203 Tibetans living in India, 13,514 in Nepal, 1,298 in Bhutan and 18,920 elsewhere," it said.

Tibetan monk in long walk to freedom

“It is not necessary to be a Buddhist to practise meditation”                       

After China invaded Tibet in 1959, a young monk went into solitary confinement. He remained in a tiny dark room in the capital Lhasa for 19 years.
Choden Rinpoche's confinement was self-imposed and he spent the two decades secretly meditating and reciting sacred texts he had memorised.
Rinpoche had none of the ritual objects, no altar, or books associated with a monk, just a set of rosary beads he hid under his blanket. Even retaining these was dangerous.
"If you kept even one scripture text, that is a serious crime - more serious than keeping a gun," he said through an interpreter.
He was constantly spied on and although the Chinese visited him regularly, they believed he was an invalid.
At 83, Rinpoche is a respected scholar, teacher and meditation master, and among the last generation of Tibetan-born lamas who studied before the invasion that destroyed much of their culture. He is in Sydney to teach.
He became a monk at the age of six and had long wanted to do a solitary retreat. He took the "opportunity" of China's invasion to do so.
"During the Cultural Revolution, Tibetan monks were forced to criticise their spiritual teachers and [Buddhism]," he said.
Rather than do this, he went into a room in his cousin's house in 1965 and remained there until 1985, never once venturing out.
Despite his lack of possessions and confinement, he did not feel he lacked anything and is grateful he was able to quietly practice.
"[I] was actually very happy," he said. "During the time outside, things were so wild."
When he emerged in 1985, his mind felt calm but after 19 years without exercise, he could not walk properly. He rejected a role with the Chinese regime, travelled to India and has remained in exile. He has since taught in monastery in southern India and more recently in the West.
He says it is not necessary to be a Buddhist to practice meditation.
"In order to gain happiness it is not necessary to be a Buddhist," he said. "But it is necessary to create the cause of peace and happiness, to develop wisdom."
Everyone could benefit from time in solitude, he said. "The mind will become more peaceful, more focused and gain some clarity in life," he said. "But the ultimate benefit will depend on the motivation for engaging in the retreat."

GJM to boycott Mamata meetings in Darjeeling

Darjeeling, April 24:  The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) will boycott all future meetings to be addressed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and North Bengal Development Minister Goutam Deb here.

The GJM will boycott the meetings of Banerjee and Deb to protest the state government's decision not to give permission to the John Barla-led faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP) supported by the GJM to hold a meeting at Nagrakata in Malbazar on Sunday, GJM president Bimal Gurung said, PTI reported.

Gurung and Barla were scheduled to address the meeting at Nagrakata. The administration did not give permission to the ABAVP faction led by Barla to hold the meeting and has also imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 Crpc in the area.

 GJM general secretary Roshan Giri also supporting Gurung's decision to boycott the meetings of Banerjee and Deb said, "We have to taken the decision to protest the administration's partisan functioning in reference to the pro and anti-GJM conglomerates."

The Barla faction of the ABAVP supports the GJM and wants the inclusion of the moujas of the Dooars and Terai in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) while the rival factions oppose the inclusion of moujas of Dooars and Terai in GTA. The Barla faction of the ABAVP has called for an indefinite bandh in the Terai-Dooars area from Monday.

Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad and a host of other outfits have called a 12-hour strike in Dooars on Sunday to prevent the meeting which was scheduled to be held in Nagrakata by the GJM-backed groups seeking the inclusion of the plains in the administrative set-up for the Darjeeling hills.

Significantly, the joint action committee, including the Adivasi Viaksh Parishad and 19 other organisations, wrote to Jalpaiguri district magistrate Smaraki Mahapatra, requesting her not to grant permission to its rivals to hold the public meeting.

Birsha Tirkey, president, AVP, said, “The tribal population is with us. Our tribal brothers will resist any effort made to take away the land of Dooars and Terai and including it in the GTA. We will not allow them to hold any meeting here.”

However, the GJM-backed groups of Dooars were adamant on holding the meeting in the region on Sunday.

John Barla, leader of the GJM-backed organisation in Dooars and Terai, said, “We will hold the meeting here under any circumstance. We want the region to be included in the GTA.”

Barla, who is also the convener of the Joint Action Co-ordination Committee, said the plains would witness a tribal movement if permission was not granted for the meeting.

ABAVP-GTA bandh in Terai, Dooars

Darjeeling, April 24:  Violent clashes and arson marked the indefinite shutdown in northern West Bengal's Terai and Dooars regions called from Monday by a faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP) and supported by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

The shutdown called by the John Barla-led faction of the ABAVP evoked a mixed response, even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for restraint and maintenance of peace and order in the region, IANS reported.

Vehicular movement on national highways (NH) in areas under Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district, especially NH 31 - the gateway to the northeastern states - was negligible.

Train movement in the Dooars-Terai section also was affected, with many long-distance trains either cancelled or diverted. Shutdown supporters in some places put up road blocks, which were later removed by police.

Clashes between supporters and opponents of the shutdown were reported in some areas, resulting in injuries to some. More than 80 arrests were made from Siliguri and adjoining areas of Darjeeling district.

In Naxalbari, several buses were damaged and a few vehicles were put on fire by those enforcing the shutdown.

In Oodlabari and Banarhat in Jalpaiguri district, several people were injured and police had to fire teargas shells following clashes between supporters and opponents of the shutdown.

The indefinite shutdown was called after the state government refused permission for a joint rally by the Barla faction and the GJM at Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata. Both outfits have also called for a boycott of all future meetings called by Banerjee.