HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN      Nov 30-6, 2011

NAGAS LIFT MANIPUR BLOCKADE AHEAD OF PM VISIT

Protests in Manipur have been going on since August

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EU team upbeat on Nepal

RP Sharma

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Pemba passes away

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

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

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

Harmony through peace, dialogue: Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama attends global Buddhist meet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Border security beefed up in wake of Kishenji killing

‘Red salute’ to the last revolutionary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CBI to seek Nepal help on Balkrishna’s nationality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Army not ‘master’ of J&K: Farooq

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editorial

INDIA STANDS FIRM

Border Talks Postponed

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

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

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

Darjeeling Cong to raise UT status demand

C. Tamang

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

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

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

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

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

Siliguri : Gateway to the Himalaya

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

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

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

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

Yoga Retreat in Kalimpong next month

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Banned Manipur outfit operated from Kurseong

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Monpas were the original inhabitants of Bhutan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PM to visit blockade-hit Manipur on Dec 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3 NE states to get High Courts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pact with Assam outfit signed

P. Ghosh

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

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

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

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

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

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

25 authors attend NE literary meet

Himalayan News Network

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTERVIEW/Jabin T. Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SIKKIM OBSERVER  Dec 3-9, 2011

Poudyal backs Golay, says he’s ready for opposition unity

Observer News Service

Gangtok, Dec: Veteran politician and former minister of the ‘merger’ era Ram Chandra Poudyal (65) has backed dissident ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) legislator and former minister Prem Singh Tamang to lead the Opposition to oust Chief Minister and SDF President Pawan Kumar Chamling.

After several years in political hibernation the maverick politician, who is also President of the Rising Sun Party (RSP), said he was ready to become a “catalyst” for unity among the Opposition. Poudyal, who has been living in Siliguri for around two years in self-imposed exile, has backed the State’s former Lok Sabha MP Nakul Rai on his call for Opposition unity to unseat Chamling.

Briefing reporters here yesterday, Poudyal said the only person to unite the Opposition is Tamang, who is looked on by a wide section of the people to take on Chamling with help of other Opposition leaders, including former chief minister and Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee President Nar Bahadur Bhandari.

Rai recently hinted that people were looking for the right man to unite the Opposition and Poudyal’s open declaration that he supported Golay (Tamang) on the leadership issue will certainly lend weight to the call for unity among the anti-Chamling forces in the State.

“I am ready to play a crucial role in the anti-Chamling agitiation,” said Poudyal. Those close to Poudyal say that he will now not return to Siliguri but stay in his ancestral village near Gangtok at Chhota Singtam.

“Bhandari was yesterday’s leader, Chamling prevails now, but Golay is the future leader,” reported Himalayan Mirror, a local daily, quoting Poudyal. 

WB Guv ignores China's 'advice', attends Dalai Lama meet

Kolkata, Dec 2: In a rebuff to China, West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan attended a lecture on Mother Teresa by Dalai Lama ignoring an advice from the Chinese cosulate in Kolkata.

The Chinese consulate had reportedly advised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Narayanan to stay away from the function Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, The Times of India reported.

Narayanan, however, refused to comment on the issue when asked by the reporters.

Speaking to reporters at the venue, Dalai Lama said he was not surprised to hear about the China note asking West Bengal Governor and Chief Minister not to attend the meet.

The Tibetan leader said the matter should not be "politicised".

"I am no longer a political leader. I don't like this visit to be politicised," he said adding he had faced similar opposition from China before as well.

Karki yet to take charge as Nepalese Ambassador to India

Kathmandu, Dec 2:  Nepal's Cabinet early last month nominated senior Maoist leader Ram Karki, considered close to Premier Baburam Bhattarai, as the country's new Ambassador to India.

 Karki, also known as Partha Chettri, a Politburo member of the ruling UCPN-Maoist, will succeed Rukma Shumsher Rana after the Parliamentary Special Hearing Committee (PHSC) formally approves his name.

 The Cabinet meeting, which was held at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar here, approved Karki's name along with two others for diplomatic postings in different countries.

 Health professional Mahesh Kumar Maskey has been nominated as Ambassador to China while Joint Secretary Dhananjaya Jha's name has been proposed as envoy to the United Arab Emirates.

Karki is currently in-charge of Maoist party's Limbuwan State Committee and regarded close to Prime Minister Bhattarai. Karki's wife hails from Sikkim, where she is currently serving as a senior government official, according to Maoist party sources.

The Maoist leader is believed to be close to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, Chamling’s arch political rival, had earlier informed New Delhi on Chamling’s communist leanings.

Karki, whom India once suspected to have links with underground organisations in north-eastern India, had lived in West Bengal and New Delhi during the "People's War" and was arrested by Indian police and handed over to Nepal to serve a jail term. He was released after the government started peace negotiations with the Maoists in 2003.

When the Maoists first came to power in Nepal in 2008 after winning the election, the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda's cabinet nominated Karki  as the ambassador to India.

However, India objected to the proposal on the strength of its intelligence reports that Karki had links to Indian insurgent groups in the North-East and the subsequent fall of the government led to Nepali Congress nominee Rukma Shumsher Rana get the coveted diplomatic post.

It now remains to be seen how New Delhi will react to Karki's re-appointment. 

Sikkim’s former lottery baron behind bars for cheating

K & Co boss Khurana was one of the top tax payers in India

New Delhi, Dec 2: He was once known as of the king of Indian lottery and was the one-time promoter of the enormously successful Sikkim Lottery - a Rs 1000-crore business venture. Today Ashwani Khurana is behind bars for allegedly cheating his four business partners while trying to "expand" the business from lotteries to leasing and finance.

Khurana was arrested by the Economic Offences Wing of crime branch on November 11 and has been sent on police remand for seven days till November 19. The cops said that the promoter has been charged under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of a valuable security), 471 (using as genuine a forged document which is known to be forged) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), The Times of India reported.

Joint commissioner (EOW) Vivek Gogia confirmed the arrest. "We are questioning Khurana to untangle the entire criminal conspiracy,'' said Gogia. A top Delhi police source said that the arrest came after several years of "painstaking" investigations and data collected from various banks and financial institutions.

Sources said that Khurana was one of the five partners in a leading lottery firm. It is being alleged that a few years back, Khurana had approached the company board and asked that he be relieved of his post. His partners reportedly found out that while he was entrusted with the job of expanding the company's profile across the country, he had allegedly siphoned off several crores of money, the report said.

Family and friends of Khurana could not be reached for comment but those in the industry felt that Khurana was "being harassed" on account of personal vendetta. "Towards the end of 80's Khurana was one of the top taxpayers in this country. Why will he be involved in such petty activities,'' asked an associate.

Khurana, who even appeared on an underworld hit list with a 'supari' on his head, was forced out of his Rs 1,000 crore lottery business that had been a moneyspinner for over 20 years. During the '80s, Khurana shot into the limelight as the youngest personal income tax payee when he submitted a Rs 2 crore tax return in 1989. Khurana began his journey in 1979 when his father set up a small lottery shop at Sadar Bazar in north Delhi. He got a lottery contract from the Sikkim Government in 1981 and never looked back. Between 1981 and 1999 the Sikkim government income from the lottery business grew from Rs 500,000 to Rs 600,000 in 1981 to Rs 46 crore in 1999.

During this 20-year period, his company K & Co, made Sikkim Lottery, a formidable force in the business with a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore. By the time it closed down, Khurana printed 5 crore lottery tickets per day under 77 different brands.

Editorial

OPPOSITION UNITY

The Gathering Storm

Duk Nath Nepal, one of Sikkim’s most articulate political activists, recently informed the media that he was confidant that the Opposition will soon come under a unified platform to unseat Pawan Chamling’s uninterrupted reign of nearly two decades. Former Lok Sabha MP Nakul Rai, who was recently expelled from the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), has expressed much the same sentiment. Now, veteran politician Ram Chandra Poudyal has joined the bandwagon to unseat Chamling. Poudyal is more articulate. He has backed ruling party’s dissident legislator P S Tamang (Golay) to take on the SDF supremo. If Golay comes out in the open without fearing any retaliation from Chamling there could be a realignment of forces in the State on communal and casteist lines that could disturb Chamling’s vote-bank.

While Nepal and Poudyal belong to the upper-caste Nepalese Golay can claim himself to be a member of the tribal community as well as the OBC. Things could get worse for Chamling if former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, presently the Congress chief in Sikkim, and A D Subba of Himali Parishad join the anti-Chamling campaign in the State. With Bahun-Chettri and Tamang-Limbu communities poised to take on Chamling much would not depend on which side the minority Bhutia-Lepcha (BLs) tribals will go.

With 13 reserved seats in the Assembly the BLs, still very much united, could still play a decisive role in the coming days. In May 1994 it took just six hours for the BLs to topple the Bhandari government.

QUAKE RELIEF

More Funds Coming

The Sikkim Government has projected a massive Rs 7,400 crore to meet expenses incurred during the recent earthquake in Sikkim. Even if the Centre does not agree to the amount the State Government, it appears, is free to approach other sources, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The process of availing funds from these international financial institutions has already begun and the State Chief Secretary Karma Gyatso has already held a meeting with nationalized banks in Sikkim on the matter.

On the official level the State Government has also managed to get “Disaster Affected State” status for Sikkim and no matter what the Opposition might say Chief Minister Pawan Chamling seems confidant to receive a massive amount to meet his government’s needs to rebuild Sikkim. It is now left to the people to ensure that the money received for quake victims is spent for the right purpose and not for anything else. This seems to be a tall order for the Sikkimese people who, even after thirty years of ‘democracy’, still does not know that participatory democracy is all about.

Upreti laments govt’s failure to provide land for Bhaichung’s football academy

Gangtok, Dec 2: Senior Congress leader KN Upreti has expressed his regret and unhappiness of the failure of the State Government to provide land for Sikkim’s ace striker Bhaichung Bhutia to establish a football academy in the State.

Upreti said the fact that the Bengal Government has been able to provide land for the academy to Bhutia in Siliguri and the State Government has failed to provide the same to a “son of our soil” is a big “shame”, a press release issued by him said.

“I am utterly sad on coming to know that the State Government was unable to provide a land for our national football star and our local boy Bhaichung Bhutia to establish a football academy in his own state. It is also a shame on the part of the Govt. when the government of West Bengal had to provide the same purposed land at Siliguri to the son of our soil and the former Indian Captain from Sikkim,” Upreti said.

“This is really unfortunate that Mr Chamling and his Govt. is good in lip service only, encouraging local talented youths with mesmerizing dreams and shattering the same if they do not see their personal interest in it,” the Congress leader said.

Sikkim demands Rs 7,400 for quake disaster

Gangtok, Dec 2: The State Government wants a total of Rs 7, 400 crore to rebuild the State after the devastating earthquake of September 18.

The government has reportedly submitted a memorandum to the Centre last month demanding Rs 7, 400 crore to rebuild the State. The said amount is a projection prepared by various departments of the government. A total of 17 departments are believed to have submitted Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), which has been submitted to the Centre.

Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised Rs 1,000 to the State to meet relief and rehabilitation works in the State it is learnt that the State has received only Rs 50 crore from the Centre.

As the State has now been declared “Disaster Affected State” it is likely to receive funds from financial institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

The Centre’s reluctance to release funds for quake victims may be linked to the Opposition’s allegation that funds are beings misused and distribution of relief funds discriminated.

Former Chief Minister and Congress chief in the State Nar Bahadur Bhandari has voiced his opposition to the State Government’s demand for more funds from international financial institutions. He says the State should not be burdened with more loans.

PERSPECTIVE

Doomsday prediction by Guru Rimpoche

This can be prevented if realized beings perform spiritual duties

By Deyang Dolkar Gyatso

My fascination with kalyug, “Theuyeng Ningma” in lhopo(Bhutia) or the Dark Age, began ever since I was a school going kid. I would eagerly await those evening walks with my aunt, when she would tell us all about the age of the Kalyug, about famous Gurus, their predictions and the outcome of the same if their instructions were not complied with. Little did I realize then, that we would be witness to those stories and the prophecy (Namthar) of the Great Guru in this lifetime itself.

It is amazing how uncanny the predictions made by “The Greater Beings” from all religions known to us, have evidently mentioned the same things…the Pecha (“Theuyeng Ningma”), the Bible (The Book of Revelation), the Geeta (Kalyug), the Koran (Quayamat)…all these religious texts and scriptures talk about this “DARK AGE” in unison.

From what little I could gather at that tender age about “Theuyeng Ningma” (Kalyug) and from what I could mostly “borrow” thereafter, I will share with you, so that we recognise when the time comes and be mindful of the same… if that time is not already here.

It is believed that as the Kalyug progresses towards the final blaze, life expectancy of man decreases and the weight of darkness become more intense. However, these can be limited to a minimum degree when the Voice of Buddha is heard and the Path of Dharma followed.

It is believed that towards the end of the era, when the duration of man's life span has been reduced from sixty to fifty years and there has been no respite in man's increasing egoism, the following conditions will prevail: - Householders fill the monasteries and there is fighting before the altar even as temples are used as slaughterhouses. The ascetics of the caves return to the cultivated valleys and the sages become traders; thieves own the wealth and cattle; monks become householders while priests and spiritual leaders turn to robbery, brigandary and theft. Disorder becomes chaos, turning to panic which rages like wildfire. Corrupt and selfish men become leaders, and the images of the Buddhas, the sacred icons, the scroll paintings and the stupas will be desecrated, stolen and bartered at the market prices.

Once religious duties are forgotten, spirits of darkness (demons that were subdued by Guru Rimpoche and transformed into local deities), which had been controlled by ritual power (by prayers that are recited and offerings that are made to appease protecting deities), become unloosed and frenzied and govern the mind of whatever being they possess. Spirits of vindictive power possess monks; enchanting spirits causing disease possess men; selfish, quarrelling spirits possess women; spirits of wantonness possess maidens; spirits of depravity possess nuns; spirits of rebellion and malice possess children; every man, woman and child in the country becomes possessed by uncontrollable forces of darkness. The signs of these times are new and fantastical modes of dressing-traditional styles forgotten; the monks wear fancy robes and the nuns dress up before a mirror.

The Abbot and Master poison their pupil's minds and hearts ... men become lecherous and shameless; women become unchaste; monks ignore their discipline and moral code; Drunkards preach the Path to Salvation; the advice of sycophants is followed; fraudulent teachers give false initiations; devious imposters claim psychic powers; loquacity and eloquence pass as wisdom. The arrogant elevate profanity.

With the guidance of the Great Guru execrated, the precepts of the Buddha ignored and the celestial order being disrupted, plague, famine and war is loosened to terrorize terrestrial life. The planets run wild, and the stars fall out of their constellations, great burning stars will arise bringing unprecedented disaster. No rain falls in season, but out of season; the valleys are flooded. Famine, frost and hail govern many unproductive years.

And…it gets worse.

Because man has lost contact with his true self, rather than seeing these things as karma and signs of falling of the Spiritual Path, the blame goes elsewhere. We sue everybody and don't take accountability. We blame another country for this or that. We blame fluorocarbons, aerosol cans, cars, whatever, when the greatest, most damaging pollution are the thoughts and words that come out of our own heads.

The disciples of the Lotus-Born Buddha were baffled when they heard of the dreadful prophecies of the future, but Guru Rimpoche did leave them with one piece of heartening prophecy. The Karma that is loosened to slow down man's evil doings eventually disgusts him and awakens him, so that "in his actions and governed by sympathy and compassion towards the sufferers, he will dedicate himself to the restoration of the Great Stupa. He will aspire to the highest human achievement and fulfil his wish to rebuild perfection.”

He goes on to describe the reincarnation of a great lama, Pema Khungsten, to restore Buddhism, but if the work is postponed then a great war breaks out and Tibet is overrun by Chinese hordes. But then again if a certain number of dedicated Yogis and Boddhisatvas, both in embodiment and out continue to hold the precepts and go about doing their spiritual duties and mantras, then and only then will there be Victory over the forces of Darkness.

Now if there was any one thing that I could wish for to happen on the 21-12-12 it would simply be for everyone to pause a moment and reflect on the year(s) gone by…..to drop all religious and social inhibitions and to think about what it really means to be alive and to be happy, to be here at this given time and space, to be free of all judgement and criticism, to have an unbiased understanding of what is really going on all around us. At some level we all just crave happiness but that would depend on what happiness means to each one of us…..the happiness that I am therefore referring to here would be the most basic one, the one we feel when all material things seem immaterial and we are happy just to have about enough to get us by. We can achieve this by being compassionate toward one another, to be more patient and considerate of each other and, more importantly of the future - and knowing there is always room for a change in the positive direction, first within ourselves and then the whole world …..eventually.

We are all here in this great web we call life and contrary to the very essence of our human minds and hearts that we must all conform to the existing norms and standards that have been set as the result of the propaganda of ten thousands of years, whereas to simply ask a question is to actually ask it of yourself.

What I write here will be of very little consequence, for you will forget all about it the moment you are finished with this piece, or you will quote a few phases or sentences that you find interesting but you will not face your life for all it’s worth. And ultimately that is all that matters, isn’t it? Your life, your opinions, your pain and suffering, your gratification, your visions, your shallowness, your greed, your pettiness, your hopes and dreams, your everyday anguish and misery, your goals and ambitions -  and this is exactly what we have to understand because nobody in heaven or on earth (and neither hell for that matter!) can save you from it but yourself  - and from that point on self-realization and enlightenment, is the evident phenomena just on the horizon of our self-existence, finally.

Baichung football academy in Siliguri soon

Kolkata, Dec 2: The much-awaited academy of Indian football icon Baichung Bhutia  has got a green signal from the West Bengal government and it will come up in Siliguri.

The former India captain said getting land would not be an issue and he is now looking forward to setting up a world class facility with three artificial turfs in Siliguri.

"The academy will have three artificial turfs and will have top coaches to train carefully-chosen talented footballers," Bhutia said after his meeting with North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb at Writer's Building recently.

"It will also have world class facilities like swimming pool, gymnasium which can be used for other sport." Bhutia, who also owns a club United Sikkim FC, said he would rope in top coaches in the world for the upcoming academy.

"Top football coaches would be available for the academy and it would have world class facilities in four to five years time. We will carefully choose the trainees," he said.

Asked why he chose Siliguri, Bhutia said, "The target is north Bengal and Northeast. Siliguri is the biggest football hub in Bengal after Kolkata which already has good facilities," he said.

The North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb said Bhutia has written about this in a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

"We have agreed in principle to have the academy in Siliguri. The details of this would be finalised after the CM comes back. It will be named as the North Bengal Football Academy," Deb said.

Sikkim Observer Nov 26, 2011

BJP raises quake relief issue with PM, Sonia

Observer News Service

Gangtok: Nov 25: Not satisfied with distribution of relief funds to the victims of the recent 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the State, the State unit of the BJP has lodged a complaint to the Central Parliamentary Committee (CPC) on the issue.

Padam Sharma, General Secretary of the BJP’s State unit, said the list of 14,000 houses, which the State Government claims were destroyed during the quake, have not been made public. He said the party was suspicious and dissatisfied with the way the authorities are handling relief funds to the affected persons.

Briefing reporters here, Sharma said the party has make complaints to Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the above matter.

Alleging discrimination on distribution of relief funds, the BJP said victims who belonged to the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front received higher amount than those belonging to the opposition.

SDF lambasts Rai for going against Chamling

Rai for Opposition unity to oust Chamling

Gangtok, Nov 25: The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has lambasted its former Lok Sabha MP Nakul Rai for speaking against the party.

In a press statement, the SDF said Rai never raised any issue against the SDF when he was in the party but chose to speak against it when he was expelled from the party.

The SDF refuted Rai’s allegation that under the SDF the Sikkimese people were becoming beggars in their own State.

The release said due to the party’s popularity it has been voted to power for the fourth consecutive terms and Rai’s allegation was baseless.

In a press statement recently, the former MP urged leaders of the Opposition to expose Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s undemocratic tendencies and corrupt practices and put an end to one-party rule in the State.

Rai lambasted the Chamling Government for bringing more than 30 hydropower projects in the State, which he said, was not only unnecessary but also harmful to the environment.

Rai also expressed concern on the growing suicide rate in the State, which is believed to be three times more than the national suicide rate.

“On these issues, the present political situation calls for a mutually agreeable programme list to be prepared by the opposition parties on a common platform,” Rai said.

After his expulsion from the SDF in August, Rai in a press statement not only accused Chamling of being corrupt but of being a “very narrow minded person.”

Setback for Assam peace talks as Paresh Baruah splits ULFA

Guwahati, Nov 23: The Centre and the State government may be holding talks with United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa but the ground reality is that the dreaded outfit has been split.

According to Commander-in-Chief of the ULFA, Paresh Baruah, the newly-formed central committee of the organization has the strength and vision to carry out the outfit’s goal, reported a Guwahati-based daily.

Baruah, who called up The Assam Tribune from an unknown place immediately after the announcement of the new committee, said that the formation of the new committee after senior leaders, including Rajkhowa, came for talks with the Government would not affect the ULFA.

"It is very much possible that some of the new faces in the Central committee have the talent to perform better than the previous central committee members," he added.

Dr. Abhijit Barman is now the acting chairman of the ULFA, Paresh said.

Baruah said that if Rajkhowa and other ULFA leaders return to the jungles, they would be welcome. He said that they had nothing personal against those who opted for talks with the Government of India and "we are only opposing the policies adopted by them. We have not forgotten the sacrifices that they made for the ULFA over the years and due honour will be given to them if they decide to return. One can make mistakes, but if he or she admits the mistakes, everything is forgotten. Similarly, if those who opted for talks realise their mistakes and return to the ULFA, due honour would be given to them," the daily said.

Baruah asserted that there is no shortage of Assamese youths who are willing to join the ULFA to fight for the sovereignty of Assam. The youths who have studied the history of Assam thoroughly would like to fight for restoration of Assam's sovereignty and that is why the Government of India is trying to withdraw history as a subject from the school curriculum, he added.

A statement issued by Arunoday Dahotiya of the Baruah faction on Monday also said it would soon name three “eminent” persons as political advisors, while a three-member permanent committee would be set up in place of the central executive council.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, meanwhile, said the government would only recognise Rajkhowa-headed ULFA faction which began peace talks with it.

Tough times ahead for Jaganmohan Reddy

CBI grills former Andhra Pradesh CM aide on disproportionate assets case

New Delhi, Nov 25: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday questioned retired bureaucrat K. Prabhakar Reddy in the illegal mining case involving Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy.

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official, who retired from service in 2009, appeared before a CBI team as a witness.

Prabhakar Reddy, who was serving in the office of then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, allegedly played a role in granting iron ore mining leases to OMC, according to reports.

The investigating agency on Sunday questioned Kumar Bhanu, a close aide of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy. The Assam cadre IAS official, who is currently the Tea Board chairman, was on deputation to Andhra Pradesh government in the capacity of a special secretary to the then chief minister.

The investigating agency plans to file the charge sheet before Dec 3, it is learnt.

Bhanu was also a crucial player in procuring contracts for key hydel power projects in Sikkim for Jaganmohan Reddy, who in turn used the opportunity to invest his ill-gotten money in projects away from media and political glare of AP.

Bhanu enjoyed extraordinary powers in the CMO of YSR when his tenure came to an end just 28 days after the chopper crash, killing the chief minister on September 30.

Bhanu was the favourite officer of YSR and had been given several extensions beyond five years and was once again on extension of three months till the completion of the elections, according to Telegu Desam party sources.

While Jaganmohan Reddy has been grilled by the CBI and other investigating agencies the Andhra Pradesh High Court has also taken up corruption cases against him.

A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh high court had last week asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into alleged disproportionate assets of Naidu.

In the meanwhile, Anand Lama, a local resident of Gangtok, has filed a PIL against Reddy in the Sikkim High Court, which has listed the case for hearing in March next year. The case, filed in the High Court in early August this year,  relates to 1200 MW Teesta Stage III hydropower project in North Sikkim. Reddy is believed to have invested a huge amount in this the State’s biggest project.

SIBLAC rejects ‘section of people’ tag, demands scrapping of hydro projects

Gangtok, Nov 25: The manner in which basic issues, both social and political, that basically concern the State’s minority indigenous Buddhist Bhutia-Lepcha tribals are set aside by the establishment is now being openly rejected by the leadership of the minority community.

“The movement against hydropower projects in Sikkim is not confined among a ‘section of people’ as projected by the Government,” asserted Tseten Tashi Bhutia, former minister and Convenor of Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC).

In an oblique reference to last week’s remarks by ruling Sikkim Democratic Front’s Lok Sabha MP PD Rai on scrapping of hydro projects in the Tashiding region of west Sikkim, held sacred by the minority community, Bhutia, in a press statement said hydropower projects in the State “have provoked opposition for  numerous social, environmental, economic and safety reasons.”

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.”

Bhutia said, “The ancient Himalayan Buddhist culture is in danger of collapse in Sikkim under the hulking shadows of three ongoing hydro electric projects viz. Ting Ting, Tashiding and Lethang being promoted by State Government on Rathongchu, West Sikkim.”

“The Buddhist culture in sub-Himalayan India is facing threat from many quarters. It is in this context, SIBLAC expresses its deep gratitude to the statement of Smt. Spalzes Angmo, a member of Minority Commission, Government of India when she stated that ongoing three hydroelectric projects over Rathong chu is a threat to dying Buddhist culture of Himalayas,” Bhutia said.

Besides “Save Sikkim”, an NGO in west Sikkim, and the  All Sikkim Educated Self-Employed Association (ASESEUA), most Opposition parties in the State, including the Congress party, have demanded scrapping of mega hydel projects in the State.

Former Chief Minister and Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee President Nar Bahadur Bhandari recently wrote to Prime Minister Manmoham Singh asking the Centre to scrap all mega hydel projects in the State if it wants “Sikkim to exist as a State.”

AASU, 26 ethnic bodies to hold mass rally against mega dams on Dec 3

Guwahati, Nov 25: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 26 organisations of the ethnic groups of the State on Wednesday decided to jointly hold a mass rally at North Lakhimpur town on December 3 next in support of their demands for abandoning all mega dam hydel projects and update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) within the stipulated time-frame, The Assam Tribune reported.

The AASU and its ally organisations are also demanding solution to the problems of flood and erosion, physical protection to Majuli island and an end to the inter-state border dispute of the State with its neighbours.

In a joint meeting, the AASU and the 26 organisations also rejected the concept of the supra-State that has been floated by certain quarters to solve the vexed Naga tangle. They have also demanded a white paper on the issue of supra-State.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi should take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and publish a white paper on the issue the supra-State, said the AASU and its ally organisations. They have also called for steps to permanently solve the State's border dispute with its neighbouring States.

The joint meeting of the organisations also opposed the Central Government's act of handing over Assam's land to Bangladesh. It has called upon all the political parties to oppose the act in the current session of the Parliament to defeat the move for legalizing this deed.

TAAS to give tourism training to students

P. Rai

Gangtok, Nov 23: Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) will be imparting ‘On The Job Training’ for the students of Vocational Studies in the stream of Tourism.

A total of 109 students from eight schools, Lingdok Senior Secondary School, Pelling Senior Secondary School, Sang Senior Secondary School, Ranka Senior Secondary School, Tashiding Senior Secondary School, kaluk Senior Secondary School, Chakung Senior Secondary School, Namchi Boys Senior Secondary School, and Ravangla Senior Secondary School, which are in the vocational stream of Tourism & Travel Management, will be given on the job training for a period of one month starting from November 23.

A total of 109 students will be sent to the offices of members of TAAS numbering 274. TAAS has been providing on the job training for the students of Sikkim for the past few years on the request of Human Resource Development Department. This year, the module has been slightly modified to augment also the career option in the tourism industry which has a high demand for professionals. 

Students will be divided into four groups and taught 1. Tourism Management. 2. Bird watching. 3. Trekking & Camping. 4. Specialised guide Training.

All the resource persons of TAAS will be requested to impart on the job training. 

Govt admits slow pace of work on border roads

New Delhi, Nov 25: The lumbering Elephant is finding it tough to keep pace with the Red Dragon. The government on Wednesday admitted only 15 of the 73 roads identified for construction along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control with China have been completed.

"Out of the 73 roads identified as strategic border roads, 15 have been completed, 39 are scheduled for completion by 2013 and the remaining 19 by 2016," said defence minister A K Antony in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, The Times of India reported.

"The main reasons for the slow progress are delay in forest/wildlife clearances, hard rock stretches, limited working seasons and inadequate air efforts to mobilize resources,'' he added.

The tardiness is stark since China has "aggressively'' strengthened its military capabilities in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and elsewhere. This includes five fully-operational airbases, an extensive rail network and over 58,000-km of roads in TAR, which makes it possible for China to swiftly move over 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) to the LAC, outnumbering Indian forces by at least 3:1.

The 15 roads constructed by India measure around 600-km out of the total of 3,808 km required for the 73 all-weather roads. The 73 roads cover all the three sectors of LAC -western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) -and include more east-west lateral links as well as better access routes to strategic peaks and valleys.

The Army, alarmed at the excruciatingly slow progress in construction of the border roads, has been demanding that infrastructure build-up within 50 km of LAC as well as LoC with Pakistan should be exempted from requisite long-winded environmental and other clearances.

India is taking other steps to shore up its defences against China. The measures range from planning a new mountain strike corps (over 45,000 troops) after raising two new mountain infantry divisions, with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers in Nagaland and Assam, to the progressive deployment of Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, spy drones, helicopters and missile squadrons in the north-east.

Biraj reelected SNPP Prez

Observer News Service

Gangtok, Nov 24: Biraj Adhikari, whose opposition/non-opposition to a recent rally in the capital on “Black Bill” created some controversy within the Sikkim National People’s Party (SNPP) circle, has been reelected as the party president.

The party’s election commission declared Adhikari as the new President of SNPP as no one contested the post, a release of the party said.

Adhikari was declared President “uncontested”, the release said.

The party has now asked Adhikari to form his new executive committee, the release added.

5 local journalists get ‘Positive Journalism’ grantGangtok, Nov 24: Five journalists in the State have been awarded with ‘Positive Journalism Grant’ by the State Government.
The recipients are: Sagar Chhetri, (Now), Pravin Khaling, (Sunakhari Samachar), Nimasang Lhamu (GangtokWeekly Journal), Hari Bhakta Adhikari, (Nayuma Samachar) and Hangma Subba (Samay Dainik).
Former Chief Minister BB Gooroong presented the awards at a function organized here this week by the Information and Public Relations Department (IPR).
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to visit Burma next month to encourage its reforms and engage with the new government. It is the first U.S. secretary of state visit in more than a half-century.
Editorial

SIKKIM MINORITIES

Alienation of Bhutia-Lepchas

The Sikkim Lok Sabha MP PD Rai’s reference to ‘section of the people’ while referring to mega hydropower projects and the 17^th Karmapa has been met with a swift condemnation from the Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) Convenor and former minister Tseten Tashi Bhutia, who has rightly pointed out that apart from the religious and historical significance of Tashiding and Yuksam in West Sikkim the decision to have more than 30 hydropower projects in the State would adversely affect the State’s environment, ecology, economy, culture and distinct identity of the Sikkimese people. In the past, politicians from the majority Nepalese community, who have been in power since the ‘merger’ in 1975, are used to bullying the minority Bhutia-Lepcha tribals so much so that most of the popular and credible leaders of this community are often dubbed as ‘communal’.

Many of them, including the SIBLAC Convenor, have fought for the basic political and economic rights of bonafide Sikkimese Nepalese. But sadly the leadership of the majority community, be they in power or in the Opposition, still prefer to have discredited or less credible Bhutia-Lepcha leaders among their inner circle. If this attitude does not change in the near future the alienation of the Bhutia-Lepchas from the mainstream Sikkimese politics may further deepen leading to a point of no return. This, as perceptive observers note, is not in the interest of Sikkim and the Sikkimese people, including members of the old business community in Sikkim. While a section of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front leadership still prefer to play the ‘Nepali card’ the reality is that the majority community, unlike before, are divided into many groups – OBCs, tribals, NBCs and SCs. Less than 50% of Sikkim’s six lac people are ‘Sikkim Subjects’ (majority of the Sikkim Subjects are Sikkimese Nepalese). There is, therefore, not much scope for ‘divide and rule’ politics in Sikkim in such a scenario if the Sikkimese political leadership’s main objective is to maintain peace, unity, harmony and Sikkim’s distinct identity within the Union.

CHAMLING’S DREAM

And The Ground Reality

Many of those who were ardent supporters of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s Sikkim Democratic Front are now no longer with the ruling party. The reason is obvious: Chamling is no more what he so often claims to be. The democrat of the 1990s, who helped to dethrone ‘dictator Bhandari’ has, as predicted by many, stepped into his mentor’s shoes. The man who once claimed “I’m a democrat, not a sycophant”, is today surrounded by sycophants and self-seekers. Part of the blame for the gradual alienation of the people with Chamling and the ruling party may be placed on vested interests who are close to him today. “Those who were with Bhandari are now with Chamling,” said a journalist who was once close to Chamling.  It is often said that Chamling is a good man but his advisers have misled him. There is some truth in this but the fact remains that the man at the top who has the power and position is solely responsible for what happens.

The SDF has rebuked its former Lok Sabha MP Nakul Rai for going against the party chief. Its reply to Rai’s accusations on corruption and undemocratic ways of the Chief Minister is that since the SDF is a popular and pro-people party it has been reelected to power for the fourth consecutive term and, therefore, Rai should shut up. The fact is that in the 1994 Assembly polls, when Chamling was at the height of his popularity, the SDF luckily managed to scrape through winning only 19 of the 32 seats in the House. Thereafter, although the SDF has own almost all the seats in the Assembly most of the time the Opposition’s tally of getting around 35 per cent of the votes polled has remained unchanged. The illegal manner in which four candidates of the SDF got ‘elected uncontested’ in the 2004 Assembly polls and the alleged manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) – an issue that the Opposition has failed to capitalize – in 2004 and 2009 Assembly polls have made the ruling party feel most uncomfortable of its claim of getting the ‘mandate’ of the people to rule. Chamling once wrote a book in Nepali which was translated into English. The title of the book was “Perennial Dream And My Reality.” Perhaps Chamling should go through this book again if such an editorial as this makes him feel uncomfortable

GUARDIAN Nov 23-29. 2011

Congressmen want US Ambassador to visit Tibet

Dharamsala, Nov 22: US Congressmen have urged US Ambassador to China to visit Tibet in connection with the recent wave of self-immolations.

The request came after their meeting with Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay in Washington recently.

Three members of the United States Congress, Frank R. Wolf, James P. McGovern, and Joseph Pitts, have sent a letter on 17 November 2011 to US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, asking him to visit Tibet in the light of the recent self- immolations and "publicly use your platform as Ambassador to make it clear to the Tibetan people that they have a friend in the United States of America."

 “All of these Congressmen are  members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission,” an official of the Tibetan government-in-exile here said.

In their letter to the ambassador on the recent testimony of Tibetan Prime Minister and His Eminence Kasur Kirti Rinpoche to the Lantos Commission, the members said: "Their testimony was moving and deeply disturbing. They spoke of the abuses suffered by the Tibetan people which in recent months have driven these peace-loving people to desperate forms of protests."

The Congressmen reportedly urged Ambassador Locke to press for a fact-finding mission into Kirti Monastery which has featured prominently in the recent wave of self-immolations. "Raise the Chinese government's repressive policies in Tibet with senior party officials and publicly use your platform as Ambassador to make it clear to the Tibetan people that they have a friend in the United States of America," they said.

They also called on the ambassador to press the Chinese government to respect the peaceful religious, political, civic, and cultural expressions of the Tibetan people.

Bhutan’s royal couple end Japan visit

Bhutanese king addressed Japanese Parliament

Tokyo, Nov 22: Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema left Japan on Sunday after wrapping up their six-day visit as state guests.

Before leaving from Kansai International Airport in Osaka, the royal couple visited the Sento Imperial Palace in Kyoto and took a 30-minute walk in its garden, enjoying the autumn colors and taking pictures of themselves in front of a pond.

The couple arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday and later met with Crown Prince Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his wife, Hitomi. While attending a series of ceremonies including a state banquet, they also visited Fukushima Prefecture to encourage people affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the nuclear crisis triggered by the disaster.

The newlywed royal couple's trip is Japan's first state visit since a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami struck the north-eastern region on March 11.

They were feted at a banquet in the Imperial Palace on Wednesday. Emperor Akihito, who was has been hospitalized with bronchitis, could not attend the event.

Akihito was admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital on November 6 for fever and symptoms of bronchitis.

The 31-year-old Bhutanese king also speak to the parliament on Thursday.

On Friday, the couple visited a primary school in Soma city outside the no-go zone around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

The plant has been leaking radioactivity since it was hit by the earthquake and tsunami. The Bhutanese king donated 1 million dollars for the victims.

Gorkha Rifles veterans relive memories in Himachal

Shimla, Nov 22:  It was a nostalgic occasion here on Sunday when officers and other ranks of the Gorkha Rifles assembled in a Himachal Pradesh army cantonment to relive their memories.

Over 1,500 families of the First Gorkha Rifles from India and Nepal assembled in the picturesque hills of Subathu town in Solan district for the five-day reunion.

Retired officers, including generals, participated in the event, an official statement said.

Addressing the gathering, Maj. Gen. P.S. Ravindranath, Commandant, Selection Centre South, called the event an occasion to share experiences of veterans with the new generation, Hill Post reported.

The origin of the Gorkha Rifles dates back to 1815 when the forces of the East India Company clashed with the Gorkhas.

Impressed by their fighting skills the East India Company offered to raise a Gorkha regiment from Amar Singh Thapa’s army. The First Nusseree Battalion came into existence April 24, 1815 at Subathu.

Ravindranath and other retired generals also laid wreaths at a war memorial in Subathu’s Gorkha Training Centre.

Right to self-determination will help India, Pakistan: Geelani

Srinagar, Nov 22: Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Geelani has urged the authorities to grant the right to self-determination of the people in the State to resolve the Kashmir issue.

This would not only benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir but India and Pakistan would also stand to gain, he said during a seminar held here.

Expressing serious concern over the continued illegal detention of Kashmiri youth, including more than 50 minors, Geelani has asked the Amnesty International to take serious note of the matter and use its influence in securing their release.

In a statement the Hurriyet leader said that his forum would not remain silent over the detention of more than 50 children and the mistreatment meted out to prisoners in the Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu. He said that over 1000 pro-freedom leaders were languishing in different jails. "Despite being political prisoners, these leaders are being treated as criminals in these jails," he added.

"Some of them are jailed for ten or twenty years," he stated. He said that while India was claiming to be the largest democracy in world, its claims in Kashmir were totally exposed.

Castigating New Delhi for its “unrealistic policy”, Geelani warned of "serious and dangerous" future for the South Asian region if Kashmir issue is not resolved.

“If India, under the influence of its military might, continues to remains adamant the entire region will have to face serious and dangerous implications. And, all blame goes to the unrealistic policy of India," he said.

Resolving Kashmir issue, he said, by granting the people of the state right to self-determination will be in the benefit of the people of India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir.

Lone Siberian tiger dies in Nainital Zoo

Dehradun, Nov 22: The lone Siberian tiger of the country, which had been living at the high-altitude Nainital Zoo for the past one-and-a-half decades, has died at the age of about 18 years.

Keeping in view the rare presence of the Siberian tiger in the country, the Nainital Zoo authorities have decided to prepare taxidermy of this endangered species.

The Siberian tiger, which was known as Kunal, breathed its last on Saturday in the zoo premises following some old-age ailments. The zoo authorities here are of the opinion that the Siberian tiger has died a natural death.

The Siberian tiger had attained an age of about 18 years. So it seems it died a natural death, said Anil Kumar Srivastav, deputy director, the Naintial zoo, The Pioneer reported.

According to Nainital  Zoo authorities, two Siberian tigers i.e. Kunal and Mahesh, were brought to the zoo in Nainital from Darjeeling in 1997. At the time, Kunal was about two-and-a-half-year old, while Mahesh was about six months older than Kunal.

However, owing to some health disorder, Mahesh died in 2001. But surprisingly, Kunal lived on. It seems good care provided by the zoo authorities also played a significant role in Kunal’s long life.

Earthquake rocks Uttarakhand

Uttarkashi, Nov 22: An earthquake of moderate intensity today rocked parts of Uttarakhand but there were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property. The quake, which occurred at 1559 hrs, measured 3.2 on the Richter scale, the MeT office said. The tremor was felt in Uttarkashi district and some other parts of the hill state. There were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property, officials said.

Pastor arrested for conversion of Muslim youths

Srinagar, Nov 22:  Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a pastor of the All India Saints Church following allegations against him of converting several Muslim youth to Christianity, officials said on Sunday.

Pastor CM Khanna was arrested from his residence in the church premises in Ram Munshi Bagh area here after he was named in a case relating to alleged conversion, they said.

Charges under Sections 153-A and 295-A of the RPC were registered against him in the local police station last evening, they said, PTI reported.

The police action comes in the wake of protests at many places in the Kashmir Valley on Friday over the issue. The agitators also staged a protest against hosting of anti-Islamic remarks on a social networking site.

A video had surfaced here last month in which Khanna was allegedly shown baptising at least six Muslim and one Hindu youth.

A spokesman of the Islamic court said initially Khanna denied of converting any youth, but admitted to it after he was shown evidences.

"He said he has converted 15 youth so far and agreed to provide the details soon," the spokesman said.

Editorial

NAGALAND DILEMMA

‘Supra-State’ Status is Unrealistic

The Centre’s bid to grant ‘supra-State’ status to Nagaland in lieu of the ‘Greater Nagaland’ demand has been widely opposed by leaders of India’s vulnerable Northeast region. On the face of it the new initiative seems unrealistic. It would be virtually impossible for one State to interfere in the affairs of other States on the basis that these States have people who belong to another State. If there is historical and political basis for the ‘Greater Nagaland’ demand then it would be worthwhile to explore the possibility of fulfilling this demand even if some concerned State governments oppose it. The Naga problem has been unresolved since India’s independence and the issue needs to be settled at the earliest, particularly in the light of positive developments in neighbouring Burma, where there is now greater chances for resumption of the democratic process.

Under Article 371-A of the Constitution of India Nagaland has a special status within the Union. Under this Article Naga customary law and procedures are also protected. In general the Government of India has provided special constitutional protection to tribals residing in the Northeast and border areas of the country. Unfortunately, these have gradually been, knowingly and unknowingly, diluted leading to the gradual demise of the unique and distinct identity of the region and its people. Both Central and State

governments are responsible for this very sad state of affairs. The root of problems faced by tribals in the Northeast, including Sikkim, is the failure of the democratic process to strictly adhere to the constitutional safeguards. Article 371A can be amended to include all Naga-dominated territories in other States of the Northeast in the State of Nagaland. Thereafter, the authorities need to strictly follow the constitutional provisions. Failure to do this would give birth to the demand for a resolution outside the Constitution of India.

Clean sweep for GJM in Darjeeling civic polls

Darjeeling, Nov 22: All Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidates in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong subdivisions of Darjeeling district have been declared elected unopposed.

GJM candidates in 79 0f the 84 wards across four municipalities in the Darjeeling hills were declared elected unopposed, according to a senior administrative official.

Election would be held in five of the nine wards in Mirik on December 11 where GJM dissidents have remained in the fray. GJM candidates were elected unopposed in the other four wards, he said.

The result would be announced on December 13. Darjeeling Sub divisional Officer Tamal Das said, the municipality board would formed only after the announcement of election results.

Morch chief Bimal Gurung while announcing the names of the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the three Hills municipalities on Sunday, cautioned the elected commissioners of consequences if they failed to deliver.

Gurung said the failure to get five Morcha candidates elected unopposed in Mirik was due to dissidence within the party. They refused to comply with the party’s directive to withdraw their nominations, Gurung said.

Kalimpong Lepcha monastery damaged during recent quake

Azuk Tamsangmoo Lepcha

The Kalimpong Gumpa [Lepcha Buddhist Monastery] of Bom Busty at Kalimpong was originally located on top of the hillock of the present day army gulf course and was built in 1690 A.D. A part of the Tshoten (small Stupa) can still be found in the gulf ground. This was the first Buddhist monastery ever built in Kalimpong as prior to that the Lepchas were deep rooted in the cult of “Mun” “Boongthing” i.e. what is commonly known to the world as nature worshipping, a belief with a combination of monotheism and animism.

In the year 1889 Rev. Dr. John Anderson Grahams, who was then vested with the power under the British government for the supervision of Khasmahal and Development area, was informed by the local Lepchas that the name of the ridge is “Kaalenpung”, which means Kaa-we, Len-gather, Pung-ridge. It was during this time of survey the then Damsang Lyang name was overwritten by the name Kalimpong, which was the anglicised version of Kaalenpung by the British.

  Dr. Graham later ordered the monastery to be shifted from the then area i.e. the present day Army Golf course, to Kaffer at a spot near the present day D.G.H.C. Guest house. This was done to convert the area into development area. The present day Lepchas of Kaffer and Yangmakum are originally from Kalimpong town who were shifted for development of Kalimpong town.

 As most of the followers were in Kalimpong, Aathing Sando Tshering Tamsangmoo Lepcha gifted a plot of land at Bom Busty for the same monastery to be shifted to Kalimpong. This (pix) is the present location of the Kalimpong Lepcha Gumba, Bom.

Differences between this monastery and other Buddhist monasteries:

1. The local deities called the Lunjyee Lungnong (Tshoma) or in other words the local deities of Damsang lyang that is the region covering Kalimpong, Gorbathan, Darjeeling and surrounding areas  find an integral place in the worshiping ceremonies of the monastery along with the general Buddhist rituals. This is a unique feature separating this particular monastery from the other monasteries.

2.  Lepcha holy book called “Naamtho Naamthaar” written in Lepcha is recited along with the Tibetan Buddhist text called “Tshyo” during the ritual prayer recitals.

3.  It is believed that one of the unique rituals conducted in the monastery is the ability to stop the (Sotaap Chok) hail stones which causes destruction of crops and animals. The founder of the monastery Yeshey Rapgay Lepcha was gifted with such special knowledge by his guru after his training in the Druk Kargu sect this which is also a branch like the Bhutanese Druk Kargu sect.

4.  The head monks of the monastery follow the hereditary tradition. The present head monk is Rabden Lepcha. Before him was his grandfather Sangay Lepcha (present Head Lama).  Other head lamas of the monastery were Ganzi Lepcha, Ugen Dorjee Lepcha, Yeshey Thendup Lepcha, Lenjy Lepcha, Hithyaak Lepcha and Yeshey Rapgey Lepcha,  the Founder.

The first damage to this monastery was due to the earthquake in the year 1934, and then later in 1968, which had developed slight cracks on walls of this unknown heritage of Kalimpong. Now the recent earthquake of 18th September, 2011 has completely damaged the very base and the foundations of the monastery from where the name of the Kalimpong was evolved. The structure has been declared unstable and unsafe by the engineers and officials. It is matter of serious concern that this unknown heritage be preserved from obliteration.

A “Reconstruction Committee” under the present Kalimpong Gumba Welfare Committee has been formed for reconstruction of this heritage of Kalimpong to which I got the opportunity to be chosen the co-ordinator. Please send your queries through my email.  i.e. azukval@gmail.com

Madan Tamang murder accused granted bail by Calcutta High Court

Darjeeling, Nov 22: The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted bail to one Subash Tamang but rejected bail prayers by Dipen Maley, Sudesh Raimajhi and Asish Tamang in the Madan Tamang murder case. Though all four had moved a bail petition at the court, the two member division bench granted Subash bail citing insufficient evidences against him in the case diary while rejected the other three bail petitions on grounds that there was enough material evidence, including eye witnesses, against these three accused The Hindustan Times reported.

The All India Gorkha League (AIGL) leader Madan Tamang was hacked to death on May 21, 2010 by an armed mob at around 9:20 am at the Upper Clubside Stand in Darjeeling town while overseeing preparations for a public meeting to begin at 10:00 am on that day.

A cell phone belonging to GJM Central Committee member Nickol Tamang had been recovered from the murder spot on that day.  Nickol had been arrested on August 16 from his ancestral house in Kainjaley, 47 km from Darjeeling and sent to judicial custody.

Nickol, however, disappeared from the CID camp in Pintail Village, near Siliguri, in the early hours of August 22 morning.

Based on the call records of Nickol Tamang's cell phone the CID had already arrested 39 year old Sudesh Raimajhi, a local builder on June 3. Interrogation of Raimajhi led to the arrests of 35 year old Purna Rai of Phoobtshering Tea Estate, Asish Tamang (26) of Badamtam Tea Estate, Sunil Rai (33) of Tukvar Tea Estate and Tilak Sotang (33) also of Tukvar Tea Eastate.

3 persons had received bullet injuries allegedly when police bodyguards of AIGL leaders had opened fire during the attack on Tamang. 53 year old Subash Tamang of Singamari, and Prashant Chettri (Yogesh Rai) in his late twenty, from the Lebong area of Darjeeling both arrested, and were undergoing treatment at the Darjeeling Sadar Hospital.

23 year old Sangay Yolmo of Upper Harsing had also received severe bullet injuries in his spinal cord from the alleged firing by police bodyguards. He has presently been shifted to Vellore in South India for treatment and will be produced before the Court on recovery.

The case was later handed over to the CBI. The CBI had arrested Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (Youth wing of the GJM) Spokesperson Dipen Maley on May 25, 2011, from his residence in Pokhriabong, 30 km from Darjeeling town in connection with the case.

On August 29, 2011, the CBI sleuths had filed an additional charge sheet implicating Maley.

India re-activating air strip in Arunachal Pradesh

New Delhi, Nov 22: Wary of China's military infrastructure and capabilities build up in Tibet, India is poised to "fully re-activate" an advanced landing ground (ALG) at Vijayanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

The third such base in the border state after Tuting and Mechuka, it will facilitate operations of Indian Air Force (IAF) fixed wing aircraft like the Soviet-era AN-32s, officers said here Thursday.

The "upgraded" Vijayanagar ALG is located at the tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. It will help India in quick mobilisation of troops and equipment to the borders during crisis situations.

"An IAF AN-32 carrying Arunachal Governor Gen. (retd.) J.J. Singh and Eastern Air Commander (chief) Air Marshal S. Varthaman will land at the ALG on Friday to mark its reactivation," an officer said.

"The runway and other facilities have been upgraded to ensure operation of more types of IAF aircraft from there," the officer said.

The Vijayanagar ALG will be the fourth such facility India has created along its border with China in the last three years.

India had earlier opened Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyoma ALGs in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir on its Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the norther areas.

Vijayanagar will be the first such facility that IAF opens in the eastern sector along the LAC with China in recent years.

IAF also has plans to upgrade other eastern sector ALGs such as Pasighat, Walong and Ziro as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh soon.

These efforts are part of India's military infrastructure build up to match up such efforts by China. India has raised two new mountain divisions in the northeast and stationed them in Nagaland and Assam.

It has also based its frontline fighter planes, the Su-30-MKI, in Tezpur and plans to have another squadron of the aircraft in another air base in Assam soon.

Two new Akash missile squadrons too have been approved for the northeast in recent months.

Quake measuring 5.8 hits northeast

Guwahati, Nov 22:  An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the richter scale shook north-east on Monday morning. The epicentre was on the Myanmar-India border region.

It was recorded at 8.46 hrs and was felt across the north region of the country. The tremors were also felt in Kolkata and Siliguri.

The quake was centred around 133 km from Imphal and its epicentre was 24.947°N, 95.226°E, in the neighbouring Myanmar, at a depth of 121 km from the surface, according to the US Geological Survey. The depth of the epicentre resulted in lesser loss as compared to when it would be nearer the surface.

Seven northeastern states - Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur - are considered by seismologists to be the sixth most earthquake-prone belt in the world.

The region experienced one of the worst earthquakes, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, in 1897, that claimed the lives of over 1,600 people.

In September, more than 100 people died after a killer quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale shook Sikkim. North Sikkim was the epicenter of the devastating quake.

Northeast Conclave 2011 held in Delhi

PD Rai chairs conclave session

New Delhi, Nov 22: For the first time, a conclave exclusively focusing on the Northeastern region was organised in the national capital last week The conclave, named  Northeast India Conclave 2011, was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Water Resource Development Vincent H Pala along with former Director of Intelligence Bureau Ajit Doval.

The first interactive session on “Problems of Students Studying in Delhi & Other Cities” was chaired by Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Agatha Sangma along with Commissioner of Delhi Police Brijesh Kumar Gupta, Sr Advocate, Supreme Court Meenakshi Lekhi and TV Media personality of CNN-IBN, Karma Paljor.

The second session on “North East: Policy, Their Efficacy and Need for Reforms” was chaired by Sikkim’s Lok Sabha MP Prem Das Rai along with former MP of Arunachal Pradesh Kiren Rijiju, former MP of Nagaland Asungba Sangtam and Prof (Dr) A Bimol Akoijam, from School of Social Sciences, JNU.

The final session on “North East Tourism & Its Impact on Cultural Heritage was chaired by MP and BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay along with former Tourism Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Tsona Rinpoche and others.

The event was organized by Northeast India Foundation – a non-profit organisation.

Nagaland status sparks row in northeast

Guwahati, Nov 22: Governments of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have urged New Delhi to clarify plans to offer a 'supra-state body' to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland ( NSCN Isak-Muivah faction) to enable Nagas outside Nagaland to preserve their identity.

Reports in the local media about plans by the central government to grant Nagaland a special federal status by creating a 'supra-state mechanism' for the Nagas to preserve, protect and promote their cultural, social and customary practices has led to angry reactions in the three states, IANS reported.

"The question of allowing governing Nagas settled in Manipur simply does not arise. We don't know about any such plans by the central government," Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said.

Similar views were echoed by the governments in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the two other states that have Naga tribals residing for decades.

The NSCN-IM and New Delhi entered into a ceasefire in August 1997. They have held more than 50 rounds of peace talks to end one of South Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

The NSCN-IM, led by guerrilla leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, had proposed 'a special federal arrangement' which enables the Nagas to govern themselves.

The NSCN-IM wants a special federal relationship with India, with a separate Naga Constitution, and would like the Naga guerrillas to jointly guard the international borders alongside Indian security forces.

"There is no question of allowing people residing in our state to be governed by a separate council or structure. There can be no compromise on this," Assam government spokesperson and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The NSCN-IM is on a sticky wicket, Having climbed down from its demand for an independent Naga state outside the Indian union, the rebel leadership now harps on a Greater Nagaland and a special federal relationship.

INTERVIEW/Bertil Lintner

“India is playing a waiting game in Nagaland”

Bertil Lintner, a Swedish journalist, author and renowned scholar on Indo-Burmese affairs based in Thailand, has several chances of meeting with some of the dreaded militant leaders of north eastern region in India as well as abroad. He has long been closely following the ever evolving insurgency scenario in the north-east.

He is one of many blacklisted journalists who have not been allowed to enter Burma since 1985. Lintner was the first foreign journalist to learn about Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in 1995.

In an exclusive e-mail interview to Surajit Talukdar, Lintner talks about the recent peace initiative between ULFA and the government, and how the Myanmar government is not concerned about India's insurgency problem in NE, among other things.

Talukdar: Do you think that the current tripartite agreement for 'suspension of operation' signed in New Delhi among the United Liberation Front of Asom, Centre and Assam government will bring permanent peace in Assam?

Lintner: It will certainly mean a lot for peace in the north-east and it is my impression that (head of the pro-talks faction of ULFA) Arabinda Rajkhowa is flexible and willing to discuss his demands with the Indian authorities. On the other hand, (head of anti-talks faction of ULFA) Paresh Baruah has vowed to continue the armed struggle, and it is unclear how many followers he has at the moment. But even a small group can create havoc.

Q: Paresh Baruah is still opposing the peace process initiated by Rajkhowa with the government. So, where will you see the solution lies?

A: Right now, it's not easy to find out any solution. I think it would be very difficult for Baruah to become a state politician, or even to enter into serious peace talks with the government of India -- unlike Rajkhowa and the others who have much less to hide.

Baruah has always had very close ties to (Bangladeshi intelligence agency) Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, the (Pakistani spy agency) Inter Services Intelligence and the Chinese intelligence, and I doubt whether those entities would allow him to come "over ground" so to speak. He knows just too many secrets. He would have to watch his back -- for the Pakistanis and the Chinese -- if he decides to join the talks. He is cornered and he knows it, and that makes him potentially quite dangerous as well.

Q: Are you in touch with Arabinda Rajkhowa or Paresh Baruah? What are their views on the solution to the government-ULFA tangle?

A: I first met most ULFA leaders at the then undivided Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland headquarters at Kesan Chanlam in northwestern Burma in 1985. Later, I met Baruah and some other ULFA leaders in Bangkok in March 1992 and in Dhaka in April 1996, and communicated with Rajkhowa by e-mail.

I met all of them again in Bangkok in June 1996, when they had to leave Bangladesh after the Awami League victory in that year.When I met Baruah in a Bangkok coffee shop in March 1992, he made no secret of the fact that Pakistan supported ULFA and encouraged him and his comrades to step up their activities in Assam. I met Baruah in Dhaka four years later.

It was always my impression that Rajkhowa was much less dogmatic than Baruah, and more interested in Assamese culture and history than in carrying out any violent activity.

Q: Is the Paresh Baruah-led ULFA faction in touch with any international human rights organisations to further its cause? Where is Baruah hiding these days?

A: I am not aware of any other foreign connections that Baruah might have right now. He seems to be fairly isolated. The ULFA has been severely crippled as an insurgent force since Rajkhowa and his comrades were released from jail.

I can state with some certainty that he himself is not staying in any jungle camp in northwestern Burma. I have been told by people who once were close to him that he feels completely safe only in China. Beijing doesn't mind him being there, as a tit-for-tat for India allowing the Dalai Lama to have a base in McLeodganj.

Q: What is the recent status of the Indo-Naga peace process? Do you think that the NSCN-Isak Muivah leaders Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu's dream of curving out a 'Greater Nagalim' will be a reality someday?

A: Endless peace talks have been held since the 1997 ceasefire with no concessions in sight from the government's side. In 2011, Muivah turned 75 and Swu 82. India is playing a waiting game, wearing them down and hoping that there will be no next generation of insurgent leaders among the Nagas. And, after more than a decade of ceasefire and fairly comfortable camp life at Hebron, Dimapur the ordinary and the NSCN-IM's younger soldiers may not be eager to take on the Indian army.

Nagaland is a land-locked territory with few natural resources. It's not even self-sufficient in food. Given those circumstances, it seems to me not to be a clever policy for any Naga group to have territorial claims. I can't possibly see other non-Naga groups agreeing to the 'Greater Nagalim' demand also.

Q: Are you in touch with Muivah and Swu? Are other international organisations supporting the cause of the NSCN-IM?

A: I met Swu in Bangkok over a year ago, but that is the only contact I have had with NSCN-IM leaders in recent years, apart from meeting sympathisers in Ukhrul in May 2010.

The NSCN-IM has its supporters, mainly some NGOs in the Netherlands, but those groups are not significant.

Q: Do you think the recent peace initiatives taken by New Delhi with several militant groups in the north-east are sufficient to solve the insurgency problem in the trouble-torn region?

A: It's definitely a good step taken by New Delhi. The expulsion of ULFA leaders from Bangladesh, and the subsequent arrests of Anthony Shimray, the NSCN-IM's main arms procurer, and United National Liberation Front chairman Sana Yaima indicate that India is determined to wipe out insurgency movements in the north-east once and for all to clear the area for trade with Myanmar.

But the ethnic problems in the north-eastern India are not going to disappear even if the militants are neutralised; there are genuine grievances that has to be addressed as well. Many people in the region feel neglected and marginalised. Development has to reach those areas, and their ethnic identities have to be respected. Frankly speaking, many of them feel that they are not Indians.

Q: Do the Myanmarese rebel groups still provide support to the north-eastern militant groups? Are there NSCN-IM and ULFA camps in Myanmar?

A: No, they do not have camps in Myanmar. In the past, the Kachin Independence Army trained Assamese and Manipuri rebels, and had contacts with several Naga groups as well. That, however, ceased in the early 1990s.

I know that India's security services believe there's still a connection because they have intercepted radio traffic between ULFA units in Myanmar -- in Jinghpaw, the main language of the Kachins.

ULFA and some Manipuri groups such as the Revolutionary People's Front, Manipur's Peoples Liberation Army, UNLF and Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak have camps in northwestern Sagaing division in upper Myanmar, as does NSCN-K, but, to the best of my knowledge, not the NSCN-IM which has no support base among the population across the border in Myanmar. The NSCN-K, of course, does have some support from Konyaks and others who live on both sides of the border.

Q: What is Yangon's view on the insurgency scenario in the north-east? Is the Myanmarese government planning to take any action against the Indian insurgent groups which have their bases on their soil?

A: The Myanmarese government sees it as India's problem. Yangon is not really interested in cooperating with its neighbours when it comes to cross-border insurgencies. It fights insurgents on its own terms and doesn't want to get into the kind of joint operations that India wants.

The Myanmarese government just wants to keep India at arm's length, and is therefore not against having a 'buffer of instability' between themselves (the area in northwestern Myanmar which they control) and the Indian border.(rediffnews)