Sikkim Observer Nov 12, 2011

Thousands flock to Chorten Gompa to receive blessings from Dodrupchen Rinpoche

5-day Nyingthig Yabzhi initiation ceremony held in Gangtok

Hill Media Network

Gangtok, Nov 11: A five-day Vajrayana empowerment ceremony concluded here at the Chorten Gompa on Wednesday with a record crowd of over 10,000 attending initiations given by Kyabze Dodroupchen Rinpoche on the last day.

Thousands of Budhhist devotees, including Rinpoches/Tulkus and lamas, from all over the State, neighbouring areas and from abroad flocked to the Chorten Gompa to receive the blessing. A largest number of devotees were from Bhutan.

Dzogchen Rinpoche and Dojum Rinpoche were among those who participated in the ceremony. Other Rinpoches included Payul Lhatul Rinpoche, Khando Rinpoche, Kushok Gemu Rinpoche, Lachung Rinpoche and Namchi Rinpoche.

The empowerment of Nyingthig Yabzhi according to the Dzogchen tradition of Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism is a rare and powerful ceremony given mainly to Buddhist practitioners.

Dodrupchen (85), the highest and oldest Nyingmapa Rinpoche, is the lineage holder of this precious and sacred tradition. Chorten Gonpa, on the outskirts of Gangtok, is the main seat of the Fourth Dodrupchen Rinpoche, holder of the Longchen Nyingthig lineage. Though born in Golog (Kham) in eastern Tibet, Rinpoche has been in Sikkim since 1957.

   While Dzogchen (Great Perfection) teachings are well-known for their direct and instantaneous approach to practice, they are also rich in key instructions that concern more gradual and accessible ways to transform the mind. This collection of teachings is drawn from the Heart Essence or Nyingtik, an approach to spiritual practice that is considered the most profound approach to realization in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

   The first text in this collection is a short text from the Nyingthig Yabshi, the Four-fold Heart Essence, a set of teachings compiled by Longchenpa that combines the Dzogchen lineages of Vimalamitra and Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). It presents a series of practical instructions that are to be followed before engaging in more advanced forms of Dzogchen practice.

Allow Karmapa to visit Sikkim on Nov 17: Chamling

Gangtok, Nov 11: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling wants His Holiness the 17^th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Thinley Dorje to visit the State on November 17.

This day is observed as Lhabab Dhuechen, a holy day for Buddhists. Chamling made the demand during his recent tour of North Sikkim, a region dominated by minority Buddhist Bhutia-Lepcha tribals. He has now written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, urging him to allow the Karmapa to visit the State on Lhabab Dhuechen.

If the Centre does not allow the Karmapa to come to Rumtek the State Government wants him be permitted to visit Phodong monastery, which belongs to the Kargyu order of Tibetan Buddhism to which the Rumtek monastery belong.

The Chief Minister said he would ask his MPs to raise the issue with the Union Government. Earlier, Sikkim’s Rajya Sabha MP OT Lepcha had raised the issue in the Parliament.

Though Rumtek monastery in east Sikkim is the seat-in-exile of the Karmapa Lama, Dorje, widely acknowledged has the genuine Karmapa, has not been allowed to come to Sikkim.

This is partly due to the controversy of having several claimants, including Trinlay Thaye Dorje, to the Rumtek throne.

BJP wants Hazare to visit Sikkim to expose corruption

SPCC going soft on Chamling: Chettri

Gangtok, Nov 11: The State unit of the BJP has urged social activist Anna Hazare to pay a visit to the State to highlight the need to take immediate action on alleged corrupt practices of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and his government.

It has also accused the Sikkim PCC of going soft on Chamling after threatening him with court cases on the corruption issue.

Though the SPCC had filed a graft case against Chamling and his Cabinet members before the Supreme Court and the CBI it has not been very consistent in pursuing the matter. There are unconfirmed reports that the SPCC’s graft petition against Chamling in the Supreme Court was withdrawn recently.

The BJP has requested Hazare to visit the State as the State Congress party is “keeping mum” on the issue, BJP State unit President Padam Bahadur Chettri said.

He said the BJP has sent a letter to Hazare highlighting alleged corruption in the State administration involving the Chief Minsiter.

“During your countrywide visits, please include Sikkim in your itinerary. We will be delighted to have you in our midst. Mahatma Gandhi never visited Sikkim. Your visit will be like the visit of the Father of the nation,” Chettri said in his letter to Hazare.                   

While stating that the people of the State have been “extremely tormented” by the “corrupt State government” in the past 17 years, Chettri said, “A series of criminal complaints were filed against him but all ended in his favour.”

Chettri said if Chamling is clean, which he claims to be, “he should welcome CBI investigation” in the State. The BJP chief said Chamling was blocking CBI’s entry in the State mainly because he was corrupt.

Editorial

CHINA-INDIA TIES

The Final Conflict

The Indian army has predicted a war with its nuclear-armed neighbor China by 2017 as Beijing continues to strengthen its military muscle. A secret military exercise, called 'Divine Matrix', by the Indian troops visualized a war scenario with China in five years’ time. "A misadventure by China is very much within the realm of possibility with Beijing trying to position itself as the only power in the region," a senior army officer told a national daily following the maneuver. An Indian military's assessment has outlined that Beijing would rely on information warfare (IW) to bring New Delhi down on its knees.

Two years back the Pentagon released a report warning that China was busily trying to arm its forces with weapons that can be used to nullify the superiority of any naval and air power that could disrupt the balance of region.

According to one Indian analyst though, we're poised to attack them by 2012. Bharat Verma, editor of the Indian Defense Review, had said “there are multiple reasons for a desperate Beijing to teach India the final lesson, thereby ensuring Chinese supremacy in Asia in this century.” China and India comprise 40% of humanity and boast economies that are expected to loom large over the 21st century. They also represent two of the world's fastest-growing militaries, armed with nuclear weapons, and are expanding their spheres of influence across oceans.

Jonathan Holslag, a Brussels-based scholar of Chinese foreign policy and author of the recent book China and India: Prospects for Peace, is among a growing number of observers who have dismissed the idea of "Chindia" — a term once often invoked, expressing optimism over the joint geopolitical rise of the two Asian giants. He spoke about the fault lines between the two neighbours, Washington's place in the region and how tensions could escalate into war. The subtitle of your book suggests that conflict is already under way. Is greater confrontation and perhaps even war inevitable in the coming years? It's not inevitable, but peace cannot be taken for granted. The scope for these two countries to develop peacefully and fulfill their national interests without entering into competition is getting smaller due to internal social pressures and rising nationalism.

The last war fought between India and China was almost 50 years ago. How much of a strain is its legacy? Ever since the 1962 war, both sides have been extremely cautious and suspicious of each other. There has been no resolution to the border issue [over remote, heavily militarized territories in the Himalayas] in spite of numerous rounds of negotiations and tensions that have flared recently. It's a kind of historic scar that impedes progress. And this traditional sticking point is now compounded by a newer contest.

We see now that both sides' economic aspirations are leading to more competition, especially in Asia, and this is slowly spilling over in a negative way into the realm of high politics of security and diplomacy.

India still has to start the industrialization of its society — a process that China began well before. Inevitably, there will be a fierce contest for raw materials, mainly in Asia. We see this already happening in Burma, in parts of Central Asia, Africa and elsewhere. This is only going to become fiercer. It's also a myth that somehow the two economies, with their different strengths, will be able to complement each other in the long term. India has to turn to manufacturing and China is not going to give up suddenly its own industries. They're too important for the country's stability.

 Affected Chungthang residents demand compensation

Observer News Service

Gangtok, Nov 11: Residents of Chungthang in Sikkim, devastated by the September 18 earthquake, have demanded compensation for the loss of life and property from the authorities of Teesta Hydel project.

In a memorandum to the Managing Director of Teesta Urja, the residents have demanded compensation due to the damages caused by the earthquake as their houses had been rendered weak at the project site due to blasting for the project, PTI reported.

The memorandum cited a report of the Mines and Geology department, a couple of years ago, on the causes of house damage in the area due to blasting and other construction activities.

The memorandum also quoted the report as having raised the issue of damage in the event of an earthquake.

Subsequent to the report, a claim for damage compensation for 170 families was filed as also public request made for one time payment of three times the cost of visible damage and also insurance cover for all the houses, the memorandum stated, the report said.

With maximum casualties in the quake taking place in Chungthang and adjoining areas, the memorandum said 20 people had died in the project area prior to the earthquake.

"It proved beyond any doubt that the fear and apprehension of the people regarding the negative impact of the project were correct," the memorandum said.

The memorandum underlined the fact that a survey of the Mines and Geology department clearly established that there had been definite damage to public property by the blasting in the project area.

While Teesta Urja authorities have announced compensation for the damages and the lives lost, the residents point out that this is a 'paltry' sum considering the magnitude and extent of damage and loss of life and property.

Stressing that the people of Chungthang Gram Panchayat Unit and Shipgyer GPU in Lepcha reserve of Dzongu, had sacrificed their ancestral land for the development of the project, they demanded that the company reconstruct their houses and rebuild their lives and also provide for other infrastructural development in the area.  

Appointments temporary: SBS

Observer News Service

Gangtok, Nov 11: State Bank of Sikkim has clarified that five persons appointed as Jr. Accounts Assistant, as reported in local newspapers, are purely on temporary basis to meet up the increased workload of the bank at the time of recent crisis due to earthquake and also due to increased workload in view of the opening of four new branches this year.  

 SBS said the Board of Directors has given approval to create posts of 10 Jr. Accounts Assistant to meet up the increased work load, according to an official release.

It said all the 10 posts will be filled up through competitive examination and interview shortly.

Sikkim may lose Kanchenjunga ritual after death of Lepcha priest

Gangtok, Nov 11: The Lepcha tribe believe their ancestors were made from snow on Kanchenjunga's summit.

Members of a mountain tribe in India say one of their most important rituals may never be performed again, after the death of their spiritual leader.

The Lepcha community, in the state of Sikkim, pray every year to the world's third highest mountain, Kanchenjunga, BBC reported.

However, their 83-year-old priest, Samdup Taso, who used to conduct the elaborate ceremony, died last week leaving no anointed successor. The Lepchas regard Kanchenjunga as their guardian deity.

They believe their earliest ancestors were created from the snows on the summit of the peak, which towers over their homeland.

Around 50,000 members of the Lepcha tribe live in the tiny Indian state of Sikkim, which lies in the heart of the Himalayas between Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.

Although many have converted to Buddhism and Christianity, they still follow some of their traditional rituals.

The Lepchas have been praying to Kanchenjunga for hundreds of years, with the ceremony always led by descendents of their original priest.

However, Samdup Taso's son decided not to follow his father's profession, and there is no sign of any other family member stepping forward to take on the role.

"The tradition has ended forever," a local resident, Sherap Lepcha, told the Times of India.

The Lepcha are regarded as the original inhabitants of the Indian state of Sikkim

"It is not possible for another person to learn the rituals and take Samdup Taso's place."

Jenny Bentley, an ethnographer specialising in the Lepchas, said: "He was the last one in an ancient lineage of shamans who could perform the royal Kongchen [mountain deity] ritual."

"With his death a large part of the oral tradition and memory is lost irrevocably," she told the Sikkim Express. A local filmmaker, Dawa Lepcha, said it was a sad situation.

"Of course it's a great loss to us, because it's a part of our history and part of our identity that is being erased."

Kanchenjunga was first climbed by British mountaineers in 1955. The first member of the team to complete the ascent, Joe Brown, stopped just short of the top, out of respect for the belief in Sikkim that the summit of the mountain is sacred.

Himalayan Guardian Nov 2, 2011  

LONG LIFE INITIATION BY SAKYA TRIZIN AT NGOR GOMPA TODAY

Himalayan News Network

Gangtok, Nov 1: His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, the 41^st throneholder of the Sakya lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, will bestow Long Life initiation (tsewang) to the general public at Ngor Gompa tomorrow (Nov 2).

His Holiness, who arrived here last month for the 50^th anniversary of the founding of Ngor Gompa in Sikkim, will begin the tsewang ceremony at 2 p.m. tomorrow, according to Kunga Y. Hotchotsang, Director of Sagnor Chotsog Centre (Ngor Gompa).

During his stay in the State, the Sakya Trizin, along with Gyalyum Chenmo and His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche visited south Sikkim. He also performed a fire puja at Ngor Gompa for the recent earthquake victims.

His Holiness spent much of his time here giving teachings and empowerment on Vajrayogini, which was participated by lamas, foreigners and selected lay people.

His eldest son, His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, bestowed Vajrapani-Hayagriva-Garuda  (“Tak-Chak-Kyung Sum”) initiation to the public at Ngor Gompa on Sunday.

His Holiness will leave the State on November 4.

Bhutan king’s book released

Hill Media Network

New Delhi, Nov 1: A collection of photographs capturing the essence of Bhutan, its people, wildlife, monasteries and little-known everyday life, clicked personally by its king was launched by its new queen here on Monday.

The coffee-table book Bhutan: Through the lens of the King comprises over 160 pictures, include a stunning photograph of Jetsun Pema Wangchuk, taken by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck before she became his queen.

"All the photos in the book reveal his majesty's love, respect and affinity with his people...," said Pavan K Varma Indian ambassador to Bhutan who has written an introduction to the book.

Moderate earthquakes in China’s western region

Himalayan News Network

Beijing, Nov 1: Two moderate earthquakes this morning shook China's northwest and southwest regions.

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit China's Xinjiang region about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the city of Yining at 8:20 a.m. today, while the other quake struck the region bordering Sichuan and Gansu provinces at 6 a.m. at a magnitude of 5.5.

There were no immediate reports of injuries. The earthquake in Xinjiang occurred at a depth of 17 miles (27 kilometers), while the other temor was 10 miles (16 kilometers) deep.

China's worst quake in recent years was a 7.9-magnitude quake in Sichuan province in May 2008. It left nearly 90,000 people dead.

Change repressive policy, Dalai Lama tells China

Himalayan News Network

Dharamsala, Nov 1: The Dalai Lama has blamed China's "ruthless and illogical" policy towards Tibet for the recent deaths of monks who set themselves on fire in protest against Beijing's rule.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader also called on the Chinese government to change its repressive policies in Tibet, which include a crackdown on monasteries and the Tibetan language.

"For their own interest, not just the interest for certain sort of problem here and there, but for the whole country's sort of future, they have to act [with a] realistic sort of policy," said the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, The Guardian reported.

At least nine Tibetan clerics or former clerics have self-immolated in south-western China over seven months in protest against Chinese rule. Five of them have died of their injuries. Earlier this month a nun became the most recent casualty and the first woman to die.

The Tibetan government-in-exile, which has accused China of an official policy of cracking down on religious institutions, called for the international community to urge Beijing to open a dialogue on its policies in Tibet and traditionally Tibetan regions of western China.

"Actually, the local leader must look what's the real causes of death," the Dalai Lama told reporters in Tokyo during his visit to victims of the tsunami that stuck Japan in March. "It's their own sort of wrong policy, ruthless policy, illogical policy."

Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama and his supporters of encouraging the immolations. The practice was unknown among clerics until two years ago, when one monk burnt himself to death in Sichuan province's Aba county, the predominantly Tibetan area in which most of the deaths have taken place.

Amnesty International has said the spate of self-immolations "indicates a new level of desperation" on the part of Tibetans.

Nepal Christians hold protest rally over burial ground

RP Sharma

Kathmandu, Nov 1: Nepal's minority Christian community has threatened to go on a hunger strike unless the government sets aside land for them to bury their dead.

About 1,000 Christians attended the protest in the centre of Kathmandu on Monday, some carrying banners which read "Give us our rights, give us burial grounds".

Pastor Sundar Thapa - who led the protest - said the Christian community wanted the government to provide space in all 75 districts of the country so that "we can bury our dead according to Christian practices".

"If the government listens to our demands, we will [continue] peacefully living in this country and helping this country to develop. But if it doesn't listen, then we will have to come on to the streets in coming days," he said.

Some Christians have warned that if the government does not provide the land, they will even go so far as to parade their dead in front of parliament.

The Supreme Court temporarily lifted the Pashupatinath temple ban, but the dispute continues and Christians have been protesting since it was announced.

Christian leaders have also been demanding that the government formally recognise their status.

Hindus make up the majority of the population in Nepal - Christians comprise about 1.5% of the country's 27 million people.

The community has been trying since February to persuade the authorities to give them designated burial grounds.

At the moment, they say, they are often forced to dig up bodies and find new places to bury them when local communities object to the graves.

But, the BBC's Joanna Jolly says, Christianity is becoming more popular in Nepal, partly because poorer Hindus view it as a way to escape the rigid caste system and better their lives.

Unlike Hindus, who cremate their dead, Christians need designated land for cemeteries and it is this demand that has brought them into conflict with the government.

Despite ongoing meetings with ministers, no land has been given. The community members say sometimes they have to resort to throwing corpses into rivers in secret at night because they do not know what else to do with them.

In March, hundreds of Christians protested in the capital, Kathmandu, demanding designated burial grounds.

In February, they were prevented from burying their dead in the grounds of the Hindu Pashupatinath Temple - which they have done for decades. Temple authorities said that there was no space left for new grave.

'Himalayan Viagra' earns Bhutan's yak herders a fortune

T. Dem

Thimphu, Nov 1: Yak herders in Bhutan are growing rich from trading a rare aphrodisiacal mushroom found only in the high Himalayas.

The herders can earn more in a month from collecting the wild, parasitic Cordyceps sinensis fungus, dubbed "Himalayan Viagra" than they can in a year from yaks, thanks to recent tales of its aphrodisiacal and medical properties.

It sells for as much as $80,000 for 2.2 pounds in Hong Kong after a Chinese running coach credited it with the success of his record-breaking athletes.

With a licensed household collecting as much as 2.2 pounds of the fungus in a season, the archery-loving herders even started importing expensive bows from the U.S.

Dophu Dukpa, a Cordyceps auctioneer, said, "You can see the effects everywhere, in the new clothes and shoes. They are slaughtering far fewer yaks and spend a lot more time on their archery. But instead of the traditional bows, they are importing these fancy bows from the U.S."

Nigel Hywel-Jones, a British mycologist researching whether the trade is sustainable, said, "For one thing, it is very hard to find. It looks like a brown twig in a landscape of brown twigs. Secondly, an area that might be full of Cordyceps one year will have almost none the next. Those cycles, and the fact that pickers always miss a fair proportion, probably allow populations to recover."

The mushroom, which feeds on and then grows out of the body of the ghost moth caterpillar, is the subject of widespread pharmaceutical research.

One possible explanation for its effectiveness is that it contains an acid that closely mirrors one of the constituent elements of DNA.

India-Nepal pact dispute  in Supreme Court

Himalayan News Network

Kathmandu, Nov 1: From being disputed by his own comrades as well as other major political parties, Nepal's Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's "gamble" made during his visit to India this month - the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement - has now landed in court with Nepal's Supreme Court to hear a public interest litigation filed by a senior lawyer, Balkrishna Neupane.

"The court will begin hearing the case from Wednesday," Supreme Court spokesman Hemant Rawal said.

The agreement, signed on Oct 23 by Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Nepal's Minister for Industry Anil Kumar Jha during Bhattarai's maiden official visit abroad after becoming Nepal's prime minister, is a commonplace one for India.

New Delhi has similar pacts with over 70 countries while nearly 10 more are in the process of being ratified. Also, the newly inked pact is yet to be implemented since Nepal and India would first have to complete the exchange of formal diplomatic notes first. Finally, it is not a permanent one but will remain in effect for 10 years, after which it can be scrapped or renewed.

Still, the hawks in Bhattarai's Maoist party, who have been opposing all his decisions as well as agreements with India, are opposing the trade pact, asking for it to be endorsed by parliament first. Though Bhattarai met the leader of the hawks, Mohan Baidya, to persuade him to drop the opposition, Neupane, has now gone to court, asking for the agreement to be scrapped. The veteran lawyer has a formidable reputation for earlier nationalistic PILs, like challenging the inclusion in the republic of India states which once belonged to Nepal.

Besides the legal dispute, the agreement will come into limelight once more on Nov 3 when the Maoist party will hold a meeting of its leaders to discuss this as well as other contentious issues. Nepal's captains of industry however have welcomed the agreement.

Public opinion in favour of revoking AFSPA: Abdullah

L. Verma

Srinagar, Nov 1: Union minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday said there was a "massive" public opinion in favour of revoking the Armed Forces Special Powers Act but maintained that all the stakeholders should discuss the issue and take a collective decision.

"If you see the people's opinion across the country, there is a massive opinion that AFSPA should be revoked," Abdullah, who is also president of ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Abdullah said he was hopeful that various stakeholders including the Army and government of Jammu and Kashmir will sit together to discuss the issue and take a decision on it.

"If peace has returned to the some areas of the state, this law should go from those areas. If peace has not returned, then it should be declared as such," he said.

The Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy said all opinions, including that of the Centre's team of interlocutors, should be taken on board while taking a decision on revocation of AFSPA.

Asked about the demand for rotation of Chief Minister from some leaders in Congress, a coalition partner in the state government, Abdullah said he would not comment on the issue.

"I do not want to create confrontations. We cannot move ahead by confrontationist approach."

The National Conference had said there were some politicains who prosper in chaos. "If there is no chaos, they cannot dip their fingers in honey bowls," the minister added.

Uttarakhand to adopt Jan Lokpal Bill

 Himalayan News Network

New Delhi, Nov 1: Uttarakhand Cabinet is likely to adopt a replica of the Jan Lokpal bill on Saturday, in a clear sign of BJP hitching its wagons to Anna Hazare to be on the right side of voters in the battle of perception.

The State may bring the chief minister under Lokpal's purview and give the ombudsman suo moto powers to lodge corruption cases, search and seizure. Importantly, it could expand the Lokpal selection panel from the troika of CM, leader of opposition and chief justice of high court as is currently the case, to include some eminent citizens, IANS reported.

The changes will tighten the weak ombudsman institution in the hill State and help BJP adopt an anti-graft plank for the coming polls, a radical break from the negative perception about the party which forced it to bring in B C Khanduri in place of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Khanduri was reinstated on September 11 when BJP decided on the desperate measure to rescue its sinking ship.

The 'adoption' of Jan Lokpal would be big step in the Hazare-led focus on graft. BJP in Uttarakhand coming up with a legislation mirroring the Jan Lokpal bill to burnish its credentials would be a first of sorts that could have a ripple effect among the jittery political spectrum, with pressure on others to follow suit.

The move could pile pressure on Congress which has begun to work on anti-graft measures with promised deadlines but which has continued to insist on its authorship on these initiatives.

Congress is confident it can defuse Hazare's aggression by enacting the Lokpal bill in the winter session of Parliament. The standing committee is in the final stages of deliberations and may finalise the bill soon.

Bhutan royal couple to visit Lawrence School

N. Bhat

Shimla, Nov 1: Lawrence School, the alma mater of Bhutan's new queen in Himachal Pradesh, has invited the newly-wed royal couple to the school, her former teacher said.

The couple is presently  in India on a nine-day official-cum-honeymoon trip.

"We have invited queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck to visit her alma mater with the king," Neelam Tahlan, who was Jetsun's house mistress while she was in the residential Lawrence School in Kasauli hills, told IANS.

Tahlan, who attended the royal wedding in Bhutan recently, said she spoke to Jetsun on the phone and extended her the invitation on behalf of the school.

"I would love to visit my old school," Jetsun responded.

Pema tied the knot with the 31-year-old king at a colourful Buddhist ceremony at a 17th century monastery in the ancient capital of Punakha Oct 13.

In New Delhi, Bhutan's monarch, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, met President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Jetsun, 10 years younger to the king, did her higher secondary schooling from Lawrence from 2006 to 2008. She completed her Class 12 in March 2008.

Her younger sister Serchen Doma is still studying here.

China military build-up in Ladakh border

Hill Media Network

Ladakh, Nov 1: The Indian army has long voiced concern over the depth and pace of China's military modernisation, especially in its infrastructure bordering India.

On the Line of Actual Control at Demchok in South-East Ladakh, signs of that modernisation on the China side were visible.

Lt General Ravi Dastane, Army Commander, Leh said, "We are watching it closely, it's a capability they are building, it also has a military implication."

Colonel SK Sheoran said, "Before 2008 they were 35km behind Demchok, now a platoon strong is deployed in the Zorawar Hill."

In contrast, infrastructure in Ladakh is non-existent. All military and civil vehicles move along dirt trails similar to the mule tracks of the 1962 war.

EDITORIAL

BAHUN-CHETTRIS

Gorkha Division Uacceptable

The upper-caste Hindu communities comprising Bahauns and Chettris, who also fall under the Gorkha umbrella, are not included in the OBC listin Uttarakhand. Whether this is discriminatory or reality of some truth underlying the fundamental differences within the Gorkha ethnicity (ethnology) requires to be carefully studied. The creamy layer adjective in discrimination inter se is an accepted norm in the application of legally sanctioned largesse provided by the government for the benefit of the hard-pressed lower income group.

If this provision is justified the non-inclusion of Bahun-Chettris in the OBC category, requires a re-examination, as many from the groups also fall under various economic deprivations.  Therefore, the economic criterion in identifying the same group outside the OBC classification does not hold much water.

Most of the Gorkha communities in India are already included in SC, ST or OBC list leaving behind only the Bahun-Chettris out of purview of legal categorization. This act not only fractures the concept of Gorkha/Sikkimese Nepalese terminology it also divides the Indian Gorkha/Nepalese community. This has related implications in the Gorkhaland issue and the demand for a state within the provisions of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

Apropos Himalayan Guardian 31 Aug-6 Sept 2011 “Migrants outnumber tribals in Manipur: Report” extracted from Himalayan News Network Imphal August 30, 2011. In which it is stated the Manipuri Chief Minister, O Ibobi Singh is said,  after (ILP) consultation with his cabinet, will urge the Centre to re-introduce the Inner Liner Permit Regulation which was withdrawn since 1950.

It is believed the withdrawal of the ILP has resulted in the illegal migrations into Manipur mainly from Burma and Bangladesh. Based on, “a report compiled by United Committee Manipur ‘Influx of Migrants into Manipur’, the number of migrants (7,04,488) outnumbered the State’s indigenous tribal population (6,70,782) while the majority indigenous Meetei was just 9,18,626 (2001 census)”. 

It is for all concerned to note well Darjeeling District too was covered under the ILP Regulation, probably along with Cooch Bihar, Jalpaiguri, Malda and West Dinajpur under North Bengal since its inception as Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (Line System known as Inner Line Permit) 1873. This system entailed the requirement by all foreigners, regardless of any treaty terms India had with foreign countries – including the 1950 Indo Nepal Treaty of Friendship, to obtain entry ILP before entering into the named districts. The permit system was restrictively observed in the Northeast states where even Indian nationals require a permit to enter the ILP (referred to as Protected Area Permit (PAP) in the Northeast) regime state viz. the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim.

It would be interesting to ask the people of the other States viz. Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura why the ILP Regulation was withdrawn if applied earlier.  Now that Manipur is raising the issue after discovering the withdrawal of ILP has affected adversely its demographic structure of the State by infiltration of foreign illegal immigrants, to a dangerous point of converting the States ethnic majority into a minority in contrast to the former.  

The ILP (PAP)  system was also applied to Darjeeling District and also to other districts of North Bengal without which entry to any part of the districts to all foreign nationals was regulated. After entering the ILP district, the foreign nationals to enter certain restricted areas of the district required an additional entry permit under the Restricted Areas Order 1963 by obtaining the Restricted Area Permit (RAP).

It is not known at what point of time ILP (PAP) or its amended version if any, was withdrawn in Darjeeling District, may require to be verified. It is however known that the more restrictive RAP was withdrawn on 16 August 1990 vide Government of India No. 15011/6/89 -F.I. Dt. 25.7.90.  The civil society of the district require to discuss this issue threadbare and come to a confirmed understanding whether the withdrawal of PAP and RAP in Darjeeling District has adversely affected the demography or it has advantaged the District’s economic development.  If at all, the impact of the entry permits withdrawal is observed to have been grossly damaging in turning the three hill sub divisional towns and adjoining areas of the District into achieving the international title, as the most densely populated hill station in the world. As a result of which the damage to the overall environment has become ecologically unsustainable, rather beyond recovery, if drastic decision and immediate actions are not taken. Every passage of day is drowning the District into an eternal quagmire, relief from which, GTA alone will not be able to handle the situation alone however sincere. The people must contribute an equal share of effort and considerations, rising above the usual bickering and blame games, whether political or apolitical, each individual should come upfront challenging the problems.

Out of the many immediate actions the party and the public require to initiate is the re-imposition of both PAP and RAP which imposition in Sikkim has effectively been managed by diluting the Government of India No. 15011/6/95 –F I. New Delhi 26.6.98 Subject: Relaxation of Restricted/Protected Area Regime in Sikkim. Like Sikkim PAP and RAP require to be reinstated to regulate illegal immigration and permanent settlement in the District, at the same time tourism entry system remain relaxed and unfettered access to immediate obtainment of entry permits with due observance of time period restriction allowed for tourism purposes.

In 2008 the Manipur and Nagaland Chief Ministers used the Fourth Northeast Business Summit at Guwahati to strongly plead for the waiver of the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and Protected Area Permit (PAP) systems (claimed to have hindered the promotion of tourism in their States). It is possible the two Chief Ministers are not fully aware of the safeguard measures by which the said two permit regimes protect the ethnic population of the State, without which it would open a floodgate for the free entry of foreign and domestic migrants to the disadvantage of the local civil population in time – by overturning the demographic structure in the impacted areas

Like the Chief Minister of Manipur who has comprehended the blunder made by his predecessors in removal of PAP and RAP in 1950, which is now realized only in 2011, is undertaking action to undo the wrong.

In Darjeeling past political leaders too have blundered on this front, more out of ignorance than reckoning the necessity of PAP (1873) and RAP (1963) Regulations withdrawn in 1990. , was totally out of context and an unfriendly act by the State in destabilising  the population structure in the District. The only way the State can vindicate the adverse impact of the withdrawal of PAP and RAP is to immediately re-impose the two for the safeguard and protection of the people of the District. To achieve that end the people of the District require to come overboard indifferent to political affiliations and agenda, and place the petition of reintroducing PAP and RAP on one plank for submitting the demand to the concerned the State and Centre authorities. The onus of reinstatement falls squarely on the state in order to undo the wrong. Hesitation to implement the idea would directly expose  all those in opposition to the people of the District.

UK minister to visit quake hit Dr. Graham’s Homes

Hill Media Network

London, Nov 1: Kelso North and Ednam Parish Church minister, the Reverend Tom McDonald, will be winging his way to northern India this month to find out how badly a unique children’s home was hit by an earthquake.

Last week, The Southern reported on the long-term fundraising link which has existed between the Kelso and Ednam congregations and the Dr Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong.

About 400 of the students are supported by organizations, including Kelso North and Ednam Parish Church.

Although none of the youngsters or members of staff were injured, substantial damage was caused by the earthquake.

The church’s kirk session has given McDonald three weeks’ leave of absence to enable him to make a return visit to the region and find out the extent of the rebuilding work needed. He was in Kalimpong for seven weeks last year on study leave.

The trip is being made possible through the generosity of benefactor, Donald Munro, who has been a supporter and friend of the church for a number of years.

Munro founded and runs Strathclyde Pharmaceuticals in East Kilbride.

As well as funding McDonald’s trip, Munro has donated £10,000 to the disaster fund set up to rebuild the wrecked cottages at Kalimpong and other damaged buildings such as the hospital. The cottages house the students.

 McDonald will be in India from November 17 to December 13. Anyone wishing contribute to the disaster fund can do so by contacting him on 01573 224677 or emailing revtom@20thepearlygates.co.uk

EU status for Darjeeling tea

Hill Media Network

Darjeeling, Nov 1: The European Union (EU) has registered India's Darjeeling tea as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product. Darjeeling tea is the first commodity from India to get the status.

The status implies that the brew produced only in Darjeeling can be sold as Darjeeling Tea in the EU countries. It is the seventh non-EU product receiving the protected status, following one from Colombia and five from China, EuAsiaNews reported.

The EU executive body said Darjeeling tea has been added to over 1,000 names of agricultural products and foodstuffs protected as PGI in the EU.

Three EU schemes known as PDO (protected designation of origin), PGI (protected geographical indication) and TSG (traditional specialty guaranteed) protect product names from misuse and imitation and help consumers by giving them information concerning the specific character of the products.

A section of blenders, who at present pass off a brew with a certain percentage of Darjeeling brew as Darjeeling Tea, have been given a five-year time to shift to the new business.

GJM, ABAVP agree on “Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration”

Darjeeling, Nov 1: In a development that is expected to have a major impact on the politics of north Bengal, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and a section of the State leadership of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP) on Sunday jointly proposed the setting up of an autonomous “Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration” for the Darjeeling hills and the Terai and Dooars region.

This body, it is proposed, will replace the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), to be created for the Darjeeling hills and for which a memorandum of agreement was signed among the Centre, the West Bengal government and the GJM on July 18. A Bill was also passed in the Assembly on September 2 for setting up the GTA, The Hindu reported.

“A joint delegation of the GJM and the ABAVP will soon place the proposal before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.

The two organisations were at loggerheads over the GJM demand for inclusion of Gorkha-dominated areas in the Terai and Dooars region within the GTA's territorial jurisdiction. The ABAVP leadership earlier threatened to launch an agitation if “even an inch of land” in the region is transferred to the GTA.

Now, “with the GJM and the ABAVP proposing the setting up of the Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration, we can look forward to a future in which the two parties can work for the development of the region spanning the Darjeeling hills, the Terai and the Dooars,” Giri said.

“The proposed new body is the outcome of an understanding between the GJM and us. We have been demanding the setting up of an Adivasi Territorial Administration [ATA] for the Terai and the Dooars under the Sixth Schedule and on the lines of the proposed GTA but to no avail. We shall jointly take our proposal for a new body to the State government and the Centre,” said Tejkumar Toppo, ABAVP State secretary.

But ABAVP State president Birsa Tirkey struck a note of dissent. “Those leaders of my organisation who arrived at the understanding with the GJM had no official authority to do so. The matter will now be taken up by the ABAVP State committee,” he said from Ranchi.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung and the president of the ABAVP's regional Dooars unit, John Barla, were among those present at a conference at Mangpong in the Kalimpong sub-division, where the proposal for the new body was announced.

Tremor takes two lives in North Sikkim

Gangtok, Nov 1: Low-intensity tremors, which continued to rock north Sikkim one and a half months after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the region, have killed two people at Dzongu, North Sikkim,  which had borne the brunt of the September 18 calamity.

The tremor measuring 3.2 on the Richter Scale killed an 85-year-old resident of Nung village and a 27-year-old man hailing from Lingdem Basti in the region on Saturday morning, delayed reports said.

Police sources said the 85-year-old was trying to escape from his house which was violently shaking when the temblor struck at around 8:30 a.m.

Medical reports said his death was triggered by a heart attack after he slipped down the stairs.

Another casualty was a 27-year-old man, Sonam Wangyal Lepcha, from Lingdem Basti who died after he fell down from the Lingdim Bridge at Dzongu.

Chief Minister Pawan Chamling visited the affected area today and met the affected families. He distributed Rs. one lakh each to the families as ex-gratia.

Sikkim Observer Oct 31, 2011

“WHITE PAPER”

Make It Authentic

Chief Minister Pawan Chamling did the right thing and at the right time. During his tour of the earthquake-ravaged North Sikkim this week, Chamling declared that his government would soon bring out a “White Paper” on utilization of funds for quake victims. With much confusion and controversy over the role of the State Government on the recent earthquake, including alleged misuse of relief funds and materials, there is the need for the State Government to come out clear on the subject.

Already the Opposition has alleged ‘discrimination’ on distribution of relief funds. It has also demanded a “White Paper” that should include why the government in the first place signed more than two dozen MoUs with private power project parties when it was “aware of the high seismic activity” in Sikkim. When most people blamed hydel projects for triggering off the earthquake (6.9 on Richter scale) in North Sikkim Chamling passionately criticized those who held this view. The “White Paper” must come out clear on this controversy. The State Government has demanded a huge amount of money from the Centre as well as other international financial institutions to rebuild the State.  The “White Paper” must justify this demand with facts and figures that should be made public at the earliest.

HARD BARGAIN

China Buys Europe’s Silence

As EU officials flew to Beijing this week to beg for financial help, Brussels was accused of allowing China to ‘buy Europe’s silence’ over its appalling human rights record.

Campaigners spoke out after the head of Europe’s bailout fund arrived in the Chinese capital to discuss the terms on which the hardline regime might agree to inject billions into the struggling eurozone countries. Campaigners fear EU negotiators will cave in to Chinese demands to tone down criticism of the regime’s human rights record.

Experts believe Beijing will also press for the lifting of a long-standing Western arms embargo and demand preferential trade terms. Tim Hancock, campaigns director at Amnesty International, warned there was a real danger that Beijing would exploit Europe’s weakness for its own ends. He said: ‘Human rights concerns must not be traded away in return for Chinese assistance in the euro crisis. China must not be allowed to buy silence from Europe. If our silence on human rights issues is at stake, then that is too big a price for Europe and for China’s citizens to have to pay.’

Sikkim Observer Oct 31, 2011

Bengal govt NOC needed for alternative highway: CM

Gangtok, Oct 30:  Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has requested the Mamata Banerjee government for forest clearance to construct an alternative highway from Siliguri to Gangtok.

"I have requested Mamataji for an no-objection certificate (NOC). I told her the alternative highway will be important for Sikkim as well as Darjeeling," Chamling said, a national daily reported.

"An NOC from Bengal is also necessary for the construction of a rail link to Sikkim." The necessary NOC from the Bengal government is, however, still awaited.

The State Government had earlier sent a plan for the alternative highway to the Centre since NH 31A from Siliguri to Gangtok is overused and often gets blocked due to landslides. But an NOC from the Bengal government is a must before the ministry of environment and forest gives the final approval, the report said.

The State Government wants the proposed highway to pass through Chalsa in north Bengal, connecting the existing NH 31A at Rongpo in Sikkim via Jaldhaka, passing through the Neora Valley forest in Bengal.

One-fifth of IPS officers in the country yet to submit property returns

24 IPS officers from Sikkim, including DGP Jasbir Singh, in list of defaulters

Observer News Service

New Delhi, Oct 30: Nearly one-fifth of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the country have not declared their annual immovable property returns (IPR) for 2010 despite three deadlines given to them by the home ministry.

These include police chiefs of Delhi, Bihar, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh. Their action will now put them in the negative list of vigilance clearance for future postings, a national daily reported.

After the latest deadline of October 10 went by, the ministry - which is the cadre controlling authority of IPS officers - recently made public the names of 864 officers who are yet to submit their IPRs.

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with 92 officers each, top the list of defaulters followed by Karnataka (56), Tamil Nadu (51), Maharashtra (47), Jammu & Kashmir (42) and West Bengal (37). There are nearly 4,300 IPS officers (sanctioned strength) in the country.

Many top IPS officers, including officers of the rank of DGP and Additional DG figure in the list. It includes Delhi Police commissioner B K Gupta, Bihar police chief Abhayanand, Sikkim DGP Jasbir Singh and UP police chief Brij Lal among other prominent top cops of the country.

Issuing the latest deadline in September, the Home Ministry had asked IPS officers to submit their annual IPR for 2010 before October 10 else their vigilance clearance may be denied for future postings. It also said names of defaulters would be made public on the ministry's website.

"If the IPRs for 2010 are not received within the aforesaid period, names of defaulting officers will be posted on the website of this ministry," the circular said.

The home ministry also said if the officers failed to submit their returns before October 10, action may be initiated as per the modified guidelines of the department of personnel.

It was the third deadline given by the ministry after the IPS officers failed to adhere to their first deadline of January 31 and second deadline of September 20.

IPS officers of almost all states and Union Territories have, however, become defaulters. The list of defaulters also shows 35 officers from Punjab, 30 from Jharkhand, 28 from Kerala, 28 from Chhattisgarh, 25 from Haryana, 24 from Sikkim, 22 from Orissa and 22 from Madhya Pradesh among others.

The total IPS officers in Sikkim is believed to be 32 only. According to informed sources, several Sikkim IPS officers, including the DGP, had earlier submitted their papers to the State Government’s DoP. The DoP had failed to forward the same to the Home Ministry, it is learnt.

EU status for Darjeeling tea

DARJEELING: The European Union (EU) has registered India's Darjeeling tea as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product. Darjeeling tea is the first commodity from India to get the status.

The status implies that the brew produced only in Darjeeling can be sold as Darjeeling Tea in the EU countries.

Govt will bring out ‘white paper’ on quake funds: Chamling

Chungthang, Oct 30: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling said his government would bring out a ‘white paper’ on utilization of the relief funds for the victims of the recent earthquake that rocked the State.

During his weeklong tour of the north district, which is a part of his earlier statewide tour of the State, the Chief Minister expressed his condolences and sympathy to those affected by last month’s devastating earthquake measuring 6.9 in the Richter scale.

During his visit to Lachen, Lachung and Dzongu, Chamling personally inspected the damaged areas, including houses. He also interacted with the local people, Pipons and the panchayat.

“The Chief Minister also informed the people of various initiatives taken by the government towards relief and rehabilitation and the government decision to construct one storied building to the affected victims whose houses have been completely damaged by the  recent earth quake,” an official release said.

The Chief Minister also “informed the people that a white paper on the utilization of the relief fund will be released by the government for public information and appealed to the gathering  to extend their full participation, support and co-operation in the rebuilding and restoration process,” the release added.

Speaking at Shipgyer in upper Dzongu, the Chief Minister said the State Government will reconstruct 64 houses in Dzongu and shift 14 displaced families on the area.

It may be mentioned that the Sikkim National People’s Party (SNPP) last week demanded a “White Paper” on various issues, including distribution of funds, relating to the recent earthquake.

The Congress party, too, alleged discrimination in distribution of relief funds.

Tibet Film Festival in Dharamsala

Observer News Service

Dehradun, Oct 30: The third edition of the Tibet Film Festival will be held in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh from October 29-30, 2011. This is the first time the festival is being held in India simultaneously with its main venue in Zurich where the past two editions of the festival were held.

The festival will screen films by Tibetan filmmakers and hold roundtable on ‘What is a Tibetan Film?”  There will be a short film competition on the theme ‘Mother’. The selected entries will be screened both in India and Switzerland and will run in competition for the $500 / $300 / $200 Jury Award and the $200 Audience Award. The films in competition will be posted on the “Filming for Tibet” homepage.

The Festival is collaboration between Filming for Tibet and the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe (TYAE). The event is dedicated to the imprisoned filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen who was detained in China in 2009 shortly after completing filming on his documentary film Leaving Fear Behind.

Global Peace Vigil on Tibet in Toronto

Toronto, Oct 33:The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC) and 5 NGOs in Toronto is organizing a massive global peace vigil at Parliament Hill, Ottawa on Nov 02, 2011, to call for multi-lateral, diplomatic intervention from world leaders to support the voice from Tibet.

 Around 10 Buses and over 25 car loads of Tibetans from Toronto alone will be participating in this Global Peace Vigil. Large number of MPs, Senators, leaders of Chinese pro-democracy Movement (FDC), China Rights network and Amnesty International, are expected to speak at the Vigil.

Speaking to the group of Tibet supporters, Trinlay Choezom, General Secretary of RTYC appealed to all the human rights activists to call on the United Nations and the world leaders, who consider human rights as their core value to break their silence to prevent further loss of lives inside Tibet by calling on China in the forthcoming G 20 summit, where President Hu Jintao is expected, to condemn its repressive measures across Tibet and to allow an independent investigation team to assess the escalating critical situation in Ngaba County, Kirti Monastery and initiate measures to de-escalate the situation.

Kunga Tsering, Coordinator of the Global Peace Vigil appeals to all those who supports the concept of Human Right as Universal, to join the Vigil at Parliament Hill on Nov 02 at 9am. He said "Let's not forget the pain and courage of those young Monks and Nun who scarified their life to achieve their dream of a Free Tibet with return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Potala Palace in Tibet".

India concerned over Chinese activities on Bhutan border

New Delhi, Oct 30: With fresh reports of Chinese activities in border areas of Bhutan, New Delhi is learnt to have taken it up with Thimphu at the highest levels. To discuss this “sensitive” issue, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Sanjeev K Tripathi  reportedly met the visiting Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in the Capital last week.

During the meeting with the Bhutanese King, the RAW chief is expected to brief him on the intelligence inputs gathered by the Indian agencies of late. The meeting with the head of India’s external intelligence agency is quite unusual, media report said.

The Bhutanese King met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil on Monday.

New Delhi has been monitoring the situation in the border regions between Bhutan and China, especially since India and Bhutan have an almost open border — with 7,000 Indians working as “day workers” in Bhutan.

But with recent inputs of Beijing trying to gain foothold in Bhutan’s villages — spread over difficult terrains — alarm bells have been ringing in New Delhi, a national daily reported.

The landlocked Himalayan kingdom too places its friendship with India on a high priority. In fact, India is one of the few countries that Bhutan has allowed to establish a diplomatic presence in Thimphu. Neither the US nor China have diplomatic missions in Bhutan.

SIKKIM OBSERVER OCT 24, 2011

Sakya Trizin, CM at Ngor Gompa’s 50^th anniversary

Gangtok, Oct 23: His Holiness the Sakya Trizin and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, along with Sikkim Legislative Assembly Speaker KT Gyaltsen, were among those who participated in the 50^th anniversary celebrations of Ngor Gompa here last Wednesday.

While His Holiness called on the people to preserve Sikkim’s distinct cultural heritage, the Chief Minister said his government was doing all it can to preserve and promote the “cultural and natural heritage” of the State.

In his address, the Sakya Trizin appreciated the State Government’s role in providing good governance while maintaining peace and harmony in the State.

The Sakya Trizin and Chief Minister jointly unveiled the plaque of the monastery’s proposed Buddhist centre for higher learning.

The Sakya Trizin also released the Golden Jubilee Souvenir of Ngor Gompa during the function. He and His Eminence Luding Dorji Chang and the lamas performed a special prayer for the earthquake victims on the occasion.

Bhutia-Lepchas call on Sakya Trizin to urge Chamling to scrap power projects

Gangtok, Oct 23: The minority Bhutia-Lepcha tribals have asked His Holiness the Sakya Trizin to urge the State Government to scrap all “anti-Buddhist” hydropower projects in West Sikkim, in order to preserve Sikkim’s rich cultural heritage.

While welcoming the Sakya Trizin to the State and also performing jensek (fire puja) for victims of the recent earthquake, a general meeting of the Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) held here last week passed several resolutions calling on the Head of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to convince the State Government to scrap three power projects – located at Lethang, Tin-Ting and Tashiding – located in West Sikkim.

“It might be reiterated here that despite several representations by the minority

Bhutia-Lepcha as well as Buddhist organizations calling for the immediate scrapping of this anti-Buddhist Projects over our sacred Rathongchu River, the adamant Government of Sikkim is simply unyielding,” said a press release by SIBLAC Convenor and former minister Tseten Tashi Bhutia.

“Development is very vital and necessary for the all-round

development of the people and the nation, however, the same

development cannot be allowed or afforded at the very cost of our

religion and lineage and above all, its sanctity,” the resolution said.

Bhutia said the minority community looks “towards His Holiness the Sakya

Trichen Rinpoche to uphold and preserve the same Sikkimese lineage and

its sanctity at the moment when the same is facing imminent threat

given the adamant attitude of ignorant people.”

The National Sikkimese Bhutia Organisation (NASBO) President Sonam Kaleon has also urged His Holiness to impress on the State Government to scrap the above  power projects.

In a letter to the Sakya Trizin, NASBO President has “…we the Buddhist people of Sikkim sincerely pray His Holiness, the Sakya Trichen to kindly enlighten the Government of Sikkim on the significance of the Denjong Neyig and the necessity to preserve the sacredness of the Rathongchu at all cost. We request Holiness to kindly enlighten the Sikkim Government to immediately scrap all the three HEP slated on sacred Rathongchu in West Sikkim, thereby preserving the Buddha dharma, its ethos, tradition and sanctity.”

“Most of the cliffs, streams, trees, rocks, hills, etc in the West Sikkim is proclaimed either as the local deities or their abodes in the Denjong Neyig (guidebook to the sacred locations of Bayul Dremo Dzong as received as Terma by Lhatsun Namkha Jigme in the 16th century). River Rathongchu forms one of the most significant rivers amongst such locations.River Rathongchu is the source to the annual Tashiding Bumchu ceremony since centuries,” the letter said.

“There was a proposal to develop mega Hydro-power project over this sacred Rathongchu in 1990s. However, given the significant and sanctity of the river in Sikkimese Buddhist religion and its tradition, vis-à-vis the annual Tashiding Bumchu, the proposed Rathongchu Hydro-electric project was scrapped in 1997 by the present Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling.”

Kaleon said the Centre had objected to the Lethang project while the Home Ministry constituted a committee to look into the religious aspects of the two other projects in Ting-Ting and Tashiding.

Referring to the devastating effects of the recent earthquake, Bhutia said hydropower projects in the State “will fundamentally transform the landscape, ecology and economy of the region and will have far-reaching impacts on the rich bio-diversity of the State.”

He added, “Submergence of lands, homes, fields and forests on a large scale will displace hundreds of people. Damming and diversion of rivers will severely disrupt the downstream flows, impacting agriculture and fisheries and threatening livelihoods of entire populations. Degradation of the natural surroundings and a massive influx of migrant workers will have grave implications for the culture and identity of distinct Sikkimese people, who are protected under Article 371F of the Constitution.”

SNPP demands “White Paper” on Sikkim quake

“Centre should take up disbursement of relief funds till CBI clears Chamling’s name in graft case”

Gangtok, Oct 23: Not content with the way the State Government has handled the affairs of the State after 6.9 magnitude rocked the tiny Himalyan State on September 18 last month, the Sikkim National People’s Party (SNPP) has demanded a ‘White Paper’ on the subject.

     The party wants the State Government to “make it clear to the people that they were aware of the high seismic activity” in the State when it signed MoUs with a number of private power project parties. The SNPP also wants to know whether the companies undertaking hydropower projects in the State were “experienced and were competent to work in a terrain like Sikkim.”

The SNPP has also demanded the Centre to immediately “constitute a committee of experts from outside Sikkim who would determine if these mega power projects did in any way aggravate the destruction caused by the earthquake and whether the allegations of financial impropriety pointed out by the CAG caused the overlooking of crucial measure to overcome obstacles like seismic activity,” the resolution passed during a party meeting said.

Alleging that “massive corruption” has resulted in the death of many people during the quake, SNPP President Biraj Adhikari said the Centre should take up disbursement of relief funds and materials till the CBI clears its graft cases against Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.

“The people do not have to be reminded that these power projects have turned out to be the fountainhead of the massive corruption plaguing Sikkim, and it is to our shame that the CBI has booked a case against the Chief Minister who has misused every democratic institution in the state to stall the investigation by using the protections of Article 371F,” a party release said.

It went on to say that “most of these power projects have been awarded in complete violation of the provisions of the article for personal gain.”

 It added that “institutionalized corruption” led to “innocent Sikkimese losing their lives” during the devastating quake last month. “The party strongly believes that a decade of blasting and tunneling has also contributed to the death toll in a significant way and condemns the fact that the Chief Minister is trying to brush these facts under the carpet,” Adhikari said.

Editorial

PRESERVE SIKKIM

Sakya Trizin Approached on Hydel Projects

The indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha tribals of Sikkim have approached His Holiness the Sakya Trizin to impress on the Chamling Government to scrap three major hydropower projects in West Sikkim on the ground that if these projects are implemented they would lead to the destruction of Sikkim’s sacred socio-cultural heritage which has been preserved down the ages. Since the State Government seems hell-bent on going ahead with mega hydel projects in the State despite warning bells from various quarters, including the massive earthquake last month that rocked Sikkim, it is but natural for the minority Bhutia-Lepcha communities to seek the help of Sakya Trizin, whose ancestors share historical connection with Sikkim and its Namgyal Dynasty right from the 13^th century. In his address during the 50^th anniversary celebrations of Ngor Gompa last week His Holiness expressed the need to preserve Sikkim’s cultural and natural heritage.

On October 19, exactly a month after the devastating earthquake, the Sakya Trizin in his address at Ngor Gompa, where Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was also present said, “Sikkim has a very special place in Tibetan Buddhism. That Sikkim is no more ruled by the Chogyals, who were looked upon as Dharmaraj, should not change the people’s love and concern for Sikkim and its people. Changes in the political system of a place should not affect the people’s faith in themselves and for their homeland. Each generation of Sikkimese must and should continue to preserve the rich and unique cultural heritage of this place.” He added, “While we cannot avert natural disasters caused by earthquakes we also have a duty to preserve our ecology and natural environment to ensure that we minimize damages and destructions caused by such calamities.”

 His Holiness the Dalai Lama, too, said much the same thing during his visit to Sikkim last year. “There are different religions in Sikkim. But as a whole the State has Buddhist community with many monasteries. One important aspect of the Sikkimese identity is the Buddhist culture. Therefore, it is very important to preserve it,” the Dalai Lama said during a talk in Gangtok last December. It is now up to the political leadership at the Centre and the State to respond positively to the aspirations of the people and their dharma masters. Failing to do so would lead to the gradual disintegration and destruction of Sikkim’s distinct cultural identity.

RIGHT TO RECALL

Constitutional Amendment Needed

Chief Election Commissioner SY Quaraishi needs to take a second look at Anna Hazare’s proposal for inclusion of “right to reject” and “right to recall” clauses in election rules. Quaraishi’s outright rejection of the proposal on the ground that it would destabilize the political process is completely unacceptable. The CEC's views are shared by several other experts, who see the proposal as unworkable in a multi-party democracy. Their view is that the right to reject will lead to frequent elections that the country cannot afford.

   India may boast of being the world’s “largest democracy” but the ordinary citizens know fully well how the country’s ‘political process’ actually works. In theory, the political system appears to cater to the general people but in practice it serves the interest of the establishment. In the name of parliamentary democracy our elected representatives often betray the promises made to the people and go about as if they are above the people and the law. Very few politicians and political parties get absolute mandate to rule and at times they come to power through devious means. In a democracy people are the ultimate source of power and if they choose to act against their elected representatives and exercise their right to reject and recall no one dare question them. The Congress party has done the right thing to call an all-party meeting on the subject to elicit their views. In a democracy people are sovereign. Their elected representatives ought to listen to their voice and make the electoral process stronger through a constitutional amendment at the earliest.

Tibet PM at Darj school function

Lobsang Sangay grateful to CST

Darjeeling, Oct 23: Gracing the golden jubilee celebration of Central School for Tibetans at Darjeeling as the special guest, Tibetan exiled Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay said he hope to see more professionals coming out of this school in the future.

Addressing the landmark occasion, Sangay expressed his gratitude to the school and said his childhood was spent here and that he received his basic education in this school.

Moreover, as per the Central Tibetan Administration's policy of unity, innovation and self reliance, he asserted that the administration will give its wholehearted efforts for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Myanmar keen to reopen Stilwell Road

New Delhi, Oct 23: The likely reopening of the historic Stilwell Road, which connects India with China through Burma, was discussed during a meeting between the Minister of Border Affairs of Myanmar, Lt General Thien Htay, and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Paban Singh Ghatowar, here last week.

 The Myanmar Government has shown keen interest in reopening this road, suggesting additional construction of a 130 Km road linking Pancha and Khamti connecting the historic Stilwell Road.

“We have told them that Government of India would consider the proposal after it is formally submitted,” the Minister DoNER said.

Ghatowar said they have stressed on enhancing people to people contact, development of border areas and trade. “We have also suggested that sports activities between the region and Myanmar should be increased,” he said.

The 1,739 km Stilwell road starts in Assam and links Kunming in Yunnan Province of South China through Pangsau Pass on India-Myanmar border.

Earlier, the Myanmar Government was not keen on opening this road as it was  concerned with the threat from its own rebels in Kachin region in northern Burma. India and Myanmar has also decided to strengthen the cooperation and coordination between the security forces of the two countries to collaboratively tackle insurgency, smuggling and drug trafficking. As such, the border management mechanism would also be strengthened and a meeting of the heads of Survey Department of both countries is being scheduled in November.

This was agreed during the high level visit of President of Myanmar U Thein Sein to India along with a 67-member delegation. U Thein Sein had a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This was followed by a high level delegation talk in which 13 senior ministers of Myanmar took part. (also see article on Stilwell Road on page 2)

Tibet was never part of China: RSS

Dharamshala, Oct 23: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar has said that Tibet was never a part of China and the Indian government should reconsider its decision and review its policies concerning Tibet.

Kumar told the media here that after taking over Tibet, China had also grabbed the Himalayan region. Kumar said that Tibet must be looked as a distinct country and not as a part and parcel of China, ANI reported.

He said: "We appeal to Tibet to take a decision if it wants independence or not. Tibet has to decide on that, but we support them".

He added: "If Tibet was a part of China, then the entire world knows the place by the country's name and not a region. If someone is from Himachal, Uttarakhand or any other place like Manipur, Nagaland or Kerala, then no one says he is from Kerala, but they say he is from India. ".

China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950. It claims its rule has bought much needed development to a poor and backward region.

An estimated 80,000 Tibetans along with their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, had arrived in India in 1959 after an unsuccessful uprising against the Chinese rule.

Govt urged to reconstruct Sikkim’s first monastery in Yuksam

Gangtok, Oct 23: Dubdi gompa, the former Himalayan kingdom’s first monastery, needs to be reconstructed after it was damaged in last month’s earthquake that rocked Sikkim.

The Duchi Committee of the monastery has urged the State Government to immediately undertake reconstruction of the ancient monastery on the same spot “with RCC structure” and with “modern technical skills” to neutralize  “earthquake effect in future” keeping in view of the State being in an earthquake prone zone.  

In its letter to West District Collector, the Duchi has asked for adequate measures for safeguard of the monastery’s various treasures. Presently, volunteers of Yuksam village are keeping a watch over the monastery.

“The September 18, 2011 earthquake has sustained major damages to the Monastery while the entire structure itself is in the verge of total collapse now. All the sacred and precious dharma treasures (Terma) of ancient times that uphold the Sikkimese dharma lineage and tradition is exposed open with every threat to theft or missing,” the letter said.

The monastery is located on a hilltop above Yuksam, West Sikkim. Yuksam was the first capital of Sikkim when Sikkim’s first Chogyal Phuntsog Namgyal was consecrated by three lamas in 1642.

Congress leaders’ ultimatum on ‘discrimination’ of cash distribution to quake victims

Gangtok, Oct 23: Senior Congress leader and former minister KN Upreti has threatened to take the matter to the Governor and Central leaders if the State Government continues to discriminate in the distribution of earthquake relief funds and materials.

Not content with issuing Press statements on the matter, Upreti and some Congress leaders have approached the East District Collector and urged him to “conduct re-survey and re-assessment of the damage” caused by the September 18^th earthquake.

In their letter to the DC, Congress leaders said relief measures have to be taken in a fair manner so that the victims are not discriminated on grounds of political affiliation. They have pointed out that during their tour in certain parts of the State relief funds were being distributed by panchayat members belonging to the ruling party and no representatives of the State Government were present during the distribution.

The Congress leaders said if the authorities fail to follow concrete guidelines for cash distribution to earthquake victims they would have “no alternative but to take up the matter with HE the Governor and also the Central Government in the interest and for the justice of the victims of earthquake,” the letter signed by Upreti, Phuchung Bhutia, Arun Rai, Avinash Yakha, Laxuman Gurung and Nima Wangchuk Bhutia said.

Puja for quake victims at Lheuntse monastery in Mangalbarey

Mangalbarey (West Sikkim), Oct 23: A three day Shapten-Pooja was performed at Lheuntse Goompa at Mangalbarey, West Sikkim, last week.

 Sponsored by the villagers and devotees, the shapten was performed by over 20 monks of the monastery to pray for the victims of last month’s earthquake, to appease the deities and the denjong soongmas (Sikkim’s guardian deities) and also to pray for non- occurrence of such severe seismic shocks in the future.

The Lheuntse Goompa, a branch of Pemiongchi Monastery, was established in 1850. The monastery, which was reconstructed 30 years ago, was spared severe damages.

NGOR GOMPA/50^th Anniversary Celebrations

“The Sikkimese people must continue to preserve the rich and unique cultural heritage of Sikkim”

His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, supreme head of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, spoke at length on the need to preserve Sikkim’s rich natural and cultural heritage during the 50th anniversary celebrations of Sa-Ngor Chotsog Centre (Ngor Gompa) in Gangtok on October 19, 2011.Highlights of his address:

Sikkim and Sakya tradition

It was indeed 50 years ago that, in the wake of our flight from Tibet and the dissolution of the Buddha Dharma in our country, a fervent aspiration was formed that its seed might be sown in the blessed land of Sikkim, in order to preserve and promote its precious teachings. This dream was soon brought to fruition when the Khyentzong family, Yab Tenpo Namgyal and Yab Tsering Wangchuk Barphung, generously offered the shelter of their warehouse in Gangtok, which led to the founding, in 1961, of the Sa-Ngor Chotsog Centre by His Eminence Luding Kenchen Rinpoche, 75th Supreme Head of the Ngor sub-school of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Attracting the numerous Sakyapa monks whom recent events had scattered throughout Sikkim, Ngor Gompa provided these with a dwelling and the opportunity to recreate an effective monastic community, thus becoming the cradle of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism in exile.

Luding Khenchen

Among all those who contributed to the growth of the Sa-Ngor Chotsog Centre, one person distinguishes himself eminently: Luding Khenchen Dorje Chang. It was together with Luding Khenchen Dorje Chang that, shortly after our arrival in India, we first envisioned the establishment of a monastery in Sikkim, which would be the main seat of the Sakya School there, and which would be maintained under our direct supervision. Ever since that moment, Luding Khenchen Dorje Chang took it upon himself to oversee its creation, and its evolution into a fully functioning monastic institution.

Chogyal of Sikkim

Sa-Ngor Chotsok Centre also owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the late Chogyal Chenpo Palden Thondup Namgyal who, in 1972, magnanimously donated the land where the current monastery now stands. A strong bond has existed between the Namgyals of Sikkim and the Khöns of Tibet for several hundreds of years, ever since Khye Bumsa of the Minyak House, an ancestor of the Namgyal family, built the four main pillars of the Sakya Monastery in Tibet. These ties were extended when, in the 14th century, the first Namgyal followed a divine revelation advising him to go to Sikkim, and five generations later, Phuntsok Namgyal was consecrated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim by three Tibetan lamas. This kinship has endured through the centuries until recent times, with the Namgyal family offering their unflagging support to the Sakya School during its exile in Sikkim.

Khenpo Lodro Zangpo

Another driving force behind the flourishing of Sa-Ngor Gompa was its first abbot, Khenpo Lodro Zangpo, who bore full responsibility for its management when, in the early sixties, circumstances forced His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche to move to another part of India. Khenpo Lodro Zangpo remained for 12 years in charge of Ngor Gompa at the Khyentzong house, during which time he also made a significant academic contribution to the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. A great scholar and teacher, as well as an accomplished practitioner, Khenpo Lodro Zangpo was a true Bodhisattva. He dedicated his every moment to the welfare of others and to the promotion of the Holy Dharma, and he spared no effort in ensuring that Ngor Gompa fulfill its destiny as a centre of religious learning and activity. That the monastery is what it has become today is in large part due to him.

Kunga Yonten Hochotsang

Special acknowledgement is also owed to Kunga Yonten Hotchotsang, founding member and director of Ngor Gompa. Kunga Yonten’s devotion to the Sakya School and the unmitigated dedication of his extensive energies and capabilities to the successful functioning of Ngor Gompa, have been and continue to be of consummate value to the monastery. Not least among his numerous accomplishments, was his participation in the launching in Mahayana Buddhist countries of a UNESCO project dedicated to the Revival and Survival of Buddhist Arts and Skills, in which Ngor Gompa contributed by sharing its expertise in the vital skill of woodblock carving, thus enriching the resources in all Buddhist countries for carrying out the reproduction of sacred texts.

Local community

Throughout the half century of its existence, Ngor Gompa has been blessed with the support of its community. From its very beginnings, not only Sakyapas, but also the community at large has proven to be its lifeblood. It is thanks to their openhandedness that the building of the monastery was made possible, that its monks’ needs were taken care of and that, crucially, the Ngor Gompa Tsechen Samten Ling Retreat Centre was built and inaugurated by Luding Khenchen Dorje Chang in 2002. Ngor Gompa is now well on its way to becoming a full-fledged monastic institution. With the ritualistic aspect taken care of by the temple, and the meditation component covered by the Retreat Centre, all that is needed now is a third vital feature, a Centre of Philosophical Studies, in order to give Ngor Gompa full status as a comprehensive monastic establishment. There is every hope that auspicious circumstances will continue to bless the monastery and that, through the dedication of its management staff and the largesse of its benefactors, this commendable aim will also come to completion.

Khenzong family

It would prove impossible to name here all those who participated in one way or another to the progress of the monastery, but we are especially indebted to all those volunteers, especially government employees, who physically participated in the construction of the monastery, selflessly giving their time and effort, and even sometimes covering great distances to make their way to the building site. We are extremely grateful to all those who donated funds, materials and food, as well as to all the well-wishers who offered their moral support. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Khyentzong family who, beyond offering the temple accommodation in the early years, have continued to be an unfailing source of support, in particular Chum Dorje Wangmo.

Last, but certainly not least, the Sa-Gnor Tsochok Centre owes its very existence to the kindness and hospitality of the state government and people of Sikkim. We are deeply indebted to the constant and unwavering welcome and support that have been extended to us ever since our arrival in 1959. The loss of our own homeland was to a huge degree alleviated by the boon of finding a home in a land with which we feel close kindred.

Namgyal Dynasty

Sikkim’s historical ties with the Sakya tradition in Tibet is known to many who are aware of the matrimonial connection between the Sakya Heiriarch and the ancestors of Sikkim’s Namgyal Dynasty in the 13th century. It was Jowo Khye-Bumsa, a scion of the Minyak House in eastern Tibet, who help build the Sakya monastery in central Tibet. Because of this Khye-Bumsa was given the Sakya Hierarch’s daughter in marriage. Khye-Bumsa and his family left Tibet and settled in Sikkim and became the ancestors of the ruling dynasty in Sikkim.

 It was my special privilege to spend some time in Lachen when I left Tibet following Chinese occupation of my homeland. This was in 1959 and I was just 14 years old. I fondly remember learning English from Jowo Kelzang, a notable Lachenpa from Lachen. 

Preserve natural & cultural heritage

  I have come here this time when the entire State has been going through a traumatic experience following the devastating earthquake on 19th September last month. I truly hope that the prayers and pujas that are being held during my visit at Ngor Gompa and elsewhere in many of the monasteries, temples, mosques and churches will help those who were killed in the earthquake and who have suffered much. While we cannot avert natural disasters caused by earthquakes we also have a duty to preserve our ecology and natural environment to ensure that we minimize damages and destructions caused by such calamities.

  Sikkim has a very special place in Tibetan Buddhism. That Sikkim is no more ruled by the Chogyals, who were looked upon as Dharmaraj, should not change the people’s love and concern for Sikkim and its people. Changes in the political system of a place should not affect the people’s faith in themselves and for their homeland. Each generation of Sikkimese must and should continue to preserve the rich and unique cultural heritage of this place.

Sikkim is home to several cultures and spiritual traditions, and the kindness and tolerance that prevails throughout its land serves as a shining model of a harmonious society for a world that is increasingly troubled by racial and religious divisions.

Spiritual tourism

Honourable Chief Minister, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the invaluable work that you have achieved in the administration of your state, in particular your endeavour to cultivate and promote its sacred character and opening pathways for spiritual tourism.

Since the first time that I came to Sikkim in 1956, I have had the good fortune to return on a few occasions and, on each subsequent trip, I have marveled at the progress that had been achieved here. This present stay, however, has made a particularly deep impression on me, particularly with my visits to the Guru Rinpoche statues at Namchi and at Buddha Park. These are outstanding works of religious craftsmanship, and will bring innumerable blessings to the people of Sikkim and to all the pilgrims that they will attract. I rejoice in the proposal of a Chen Rezig statue being built in the western part of the state and one of a Sleeping Buddha in the North.

I understand, Honourable Chief Minister, that these projects are in the larger part your initiatives, and I commend you on the vision and dynamism with which you are carrying out these undertakings as well as all the other responsibilities of your office. I sincerely wish that all your enterprises be crowned with complete and undiluted success.