S
hillong , Jan 29 : Undertrial prisoners of a district jail in Meghalaya went on a hunger strike for a day demanding that they should be allowed”more time”to spend outside their cells.
Around 70 undertrial prisoners, lodged in Williamnagar jail in East Garo Hills district, went on a hunger strike on Tuesday demanding that they should be allowed to go out of the cells from morning to evening.
“We should be given more hours outside the cells to be able to move around in the premises of the jail,”the undertrial prisoners said in a petition to Deputy Commissioner, who is also in charge of the district jails.
Deputy Commissioner of East Garo Hills district, Ajay Kumar, had a two-hour discussion with the agitators and the hunger strike was called off yesterday.
“It is not plausible to let out the inmates from morning to evening. Neither the security allows it nor there is any such rule,” Kumar told PTI today.
He said they were let out in the jail premises for five-and-a-half hours daily as per the provisions.
The undertrial prisoners also sought a full-time doctor in the jail and demanded that they should be produced before the court daily.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Obama acts on Guantanamo trials
Barack Obama has requested the suspension of all military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, in his first major act as US president. The request could halt proceedings in 21 pending cases, including those against five men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks. The halt would give Mr Obama time to review the tribunal process. The new president is beginning his first working day by meeting economic advisers and top military commanders. Most of his cabinet is in place but several key posts are still to be confirmed. Mr Obama himself attended inaugural balls late into Tuesday night, as America marked the arrival of its 44th president and first African-American leader. 'Ideals versus safety' Mr Obama has repeatedly promised to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where some 250 inmates accused of having links to terrorism remain. Just hours after taking the oath of office on the steps of the US Capitol, he moved to halt the controversial process of military tribunals. The two-page document, ordered jointly by Mr Obama and the US Department of Defense, seeks a 120-day suspension of trials and will be heard by two tribunal judges on Wednesday. The delay would "permit the newly inaugurated president and his administration time to review the military commission process", the document said. The legal process has been widely criticised because the US military acts as jailer, judge and jury, says the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Guantanamo. And in his inaugural address on Tuesday, Mr Obama emphasised the idea of respect for justice and the rights of the individual, rejecting "as false the choice between our safety and our ideals".
However closing Guantanamo Bay will not be easy, our correspondent adds. Questions remain over where those charged will be tried and where those freed can be safely sent. Cabinet moves On his first full day in the Oval Office, Mr Obama is due to meet top national security officials as he takes over as commander-in-chief. In his inaugural address, the new president spoke of his desire to usher in a new era of peace, "to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan". Officials said he would conduct a video conference with US military chiefs in the two countries. Mr Obama is also expected to meet economic aides to discuss plans for presenting his proposed $800bn (£526bn) economic stimulus package to Congress. Additionally, in a move that mimicked actions by George W Bush eight years ago, he has already ordered all the last-minute regulations signed by the former president to be put on hold. The US Senate has already approved six members of Barack Obama's Cabinet, including Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary. However, Hillary Clinton's approval as secretary of state was postponed after a Republican senator demanded a debate beforehand about foreign donations to a foundation headed by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. That debate is due on Wednesday and Mrs Clinton's nomination is now expected to be confirmed in a vote immediately afterwards. Timothy Geithner, the nominee to head the treasury department, is due to face the Senate finance committee on Wednesday to explain his initial failure to pay payroll taxes he owed while working for the International Monetary Fund.
Bhupen Hazarika Back Home After Long Gap
Music maestro Dr Bhupen Hazarika on Tuesday(Jan 20) said he was happy to be back in Assam after a long gap and that he has some surprises in the form of several upcoming musical projects for the people of the state. Bhupen Hazarika told NEWS LIVE that he was happy that during his recent visit he would receive a number of awards, prominent among them being the Life Time Achievement Award to be conferred by NEWS LIVE and the Asom Ratna award announced by the Assam government.The musical legend arrived Tuesday from Mumbai to a rousing reception. One of India’s oldest performing singers and the last known balladeer Dr Bhupen Hazarika on Tuesday looked visibly tired on his arrival at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport, but the legend showed no signs of giving up on music saying he has some projects in the offing. Dr Hazarika is in Assam after a long gap due to health reasons, but sounded visibly happy. He would conferred the Life Time Achievement Award by NEWS LIVE on Wednesday at the ITA Centre for Performing Arts at Guwahati’s Machkhowa area and receive the Asom Ratna award the Assam government on January 29th. Dr Hazarika was received at the airport by members of the NEWS LIVE family and was presented with several traditional gift items. Source: News Live TV
Myanmar Men Survive 25 days at Sea in Icebox
Sydney, Jan 21 : Two men from Myanmar told rescuers they survived almost a month floating in a large icebox in shark-infested waters off northern Australia after their fishing boat sank, authorities said Tuesday.
The men, both in their twenties, were spotted in the commercial-size cooler on Saturday by a routine aerial border patrol over the Torres Strait off Cape York, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.
“The two survivors indicated that they were Burmese (from Myanmar), that they had been on a 30-foot (10-metre) wooden fishing vessel that had sunk around December 23, and that they had been adrift for 25 days,” AMSA spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins told reporters.
The men described seeing the other 18 crew members on board the Thai boat go into the water without life vests or any flotation devices as it sank, she said.
There was no chance they could have survived until now and the agency had decided no search would be launched, Jiggins added.
The boat is believed to have set off from Thailand with Myanmar and Thai crew members, but there were no immediate details on when they left or where the boat sank.
When the two men were pulled from the water they were in “reasonably poor” health, said rescue helicopter spokesman Peter Heath. Dehydrated and exhausted, their first words were, “could we have a drink?’” Heath said.
“They were certainly thirsty,” said pilot Terry Gadenne. “They put down two litres of water really quickly each.
“They had some boils or damage of some sort to their legs and that was given first aid and we flew straight to the hospital from there,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Wild storms had lashed the far north coast in the past few weeks, Gadenne said, with a cyclone further south whipping up high winds and heavy rains.
“There have been some strong winds feeding into the cyclone and lots of storm and rain, which might have kept them going as far as water’s concerned,” he said.
It was unclear, however, what the men ate while adrift. One report suggested they fed on fish left in the cooler, but rescuers and staff at Thursday Island Hospital in northern Queensland were unable to give details.
A hospital spokeswoman said only that the men were in good condition and had been discharged earlier Tuesday.
They have been put up in a motel until their identities and intentions can be established by the immigration department, a spokesman said.
“We are sensitive to the peculiar circumstances of the men’s arrival in Australia,” he said. “Nevertheless they have no documentation and it is necessary to establish their identities.”
There was no indication the men were part of a group of hundreds of migrants from Myanmar’s Muslim minority Rohingya reportedly set adrift in Thailand recently, some of whom have been rescued around India and Indonesia.
The immigration department spokesman said it was too early to say whether the men would seek asylum to remain in Australia.
“Obviously if they did raise claims of protection of course they would be considered,” the spokesman said. “Or if they wanted to return home we’d try to facilitate that as well.”Pakistan border clash 'kills 60'
More than 60 militants have been killed in fighting between government troops and militants in north-western Pakistan, officials say. Fighting broke out when troops in Mohmand district attacked some villages where militants were said to be hiding. Troops used artillery guns, helicopter gunships and jets to pound the area. Pakistan has deployed thousands of troops to police its tribal regions, but Western and Afghan officials say that has not deterred militants. Mortar shells A statement of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) on Tuesday evening said more than 60 "hardcore militants" had been killed in the day-long operation.
Residents reached by the BBC could not confirm the numbers, but said some militants had been killed. They said at least three civilians were also killed when a restaurant was hit by mortar shells. The targeted villages, located in the Lakaro and Pandyali sub-districts, are believed to be the stronghold of militants in Mohmand region. Earlier this month, suspected militants killed six paramilitary soldiers in pre-dawn attacks on some check posts in the nearby Mamad Ghat area of Mohmand. The army at that time said the attack was launched by more than 600 militants, mostly foreigners, who had crossed over from Afghanistan. It said it had killed 45 militants in retaliatory fire. The communications infrastructure in Mohmand has been badly damaged and it is difficult to obtain independent confirmation of such claims.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thailand to tackle migrant claims
Thailand's new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has met human rights officials to discuss claims of Thai army abuse of asylum seekers. His staff say they are investigating reports that troops sent Rohingya people from western Burma back to sea in boats without engines. Reports of more than 500 deaths have poured in over the weekend, from Indian officials and regional newspapers. These suggest that more than 1,000 Rohingya were put to sea in December. "The prime minister told the [National Human Rights] Commission not to worry about the Rohingya case," deputy government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta told reporters. "He assigned all the government authorities involved to keep him up-to-date," he said. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he had been informed that the soldiers did not abuse the Rohingya. "I myself believe the officers did not do such a thing because Thai people have generosity and kindness," he said. Multiplying allegations Indian officials told reporters that they had rescued hundreds of Rohingya refugees, who are mostly Muslim and live along the border of Burma and Bangladesh.
"They said they were taken to an island off the Thai coast and beaten up before being forced into boats and pushed into the high seas," said Ranjit Narayan, a police official on India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands. Coast guard commander SP Sharma told AFP news agency that India had rescued 446 refugees from four boats since the end of December. The figures are in line with those of the Sunday Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, which said it had compiled a toll of 538 missing or dead. According to Mr Sharma, the migrants said they had been arrested by Thai officials and set adrift without engines or navigational equipment. "Some survivors also said their boat was towed out to sea by the Thai navy and given two sacks of boiled rice and two gallons of water before being abandoned in the middle of the sea," he said. One traumatised survivor the BBC spoke to said captured migrants were towed out to sea and forced onto an unpowered boat at gunpoint. He said four men who resisted were thrown overboard with their hands and feet tied. The remaining captives were then left to drift for days with only very little food and water. Denial Privately, some Thai military and police sources have admitted to the BBC that migrants had been sent back to sea. They say the rising numbers of Rohingyas reaching Thailand from Burma or Bangladesh are seen as a security risk, because of fears they may include Islamic militants. But senior military figures have denied the accusations. The South China Morning Post quoted Thai army chief Anupong Paojinda as denying that any Rohingya refugee had "been tortured". But the paper said he did not specifically address the claims that refugees had been deliberately set adrift. "Authorities followed the regular process when arresting the illegal migrants," Thai navy spokesman Captain Prachachart Sirisawat told AFP. The United Nation's refugee agency UNHCR - whose Asia headquarters is based in the Thai capital - has expressed serious concern about the reports. UNHCR's Kitty McKinsey said that if the allegations turned out to be true, Thailand would be "putting people's lives at risk by towing them out to sea", breaching human-rights conventions. The Rohingya are stateless and face persecution from Burma's military regime.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Hamas announces ceasefire in Gaza
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has announced an immediate ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, according to Hamas officials. The group said it would hold fire for one week so long as Israel withdrew all its forces from the Gaza Strip. The move comes hours after a unilateral Israeli ceasefire came into effect. The cessation of hostilities was put under strain by fresh rocket fire into Israel and an Israeli air strike on militants in Gaza. Hamas official Ayman Taha told the BBC that the ceasefire also applied to other militant groups. "Hamas and the factions announce a ceasefire in Gaza starting immediately and give Israel a week to withdraw," he was reported as saying. The group said the ceasefire would be temporary unless Israel met its long-standing demands. These include an end to military action, lifting its 19-month blockade of the Gaza Strip and opening border crossings between Gaza and Israel. Hamas' leader in exile, Khaled Meshaal, will make an "important" announcement in Syria on Sunday afternoon regarding Israel's ceasefire, the Associated Press news agency reported.Israel, whose ceasefire came into effect at 0200 (2400 GMT) has said its troops will stay in Gaza for as long as necessary. Hours later, at least seven rockets were fired into Israel, Israeli sources said, triggering an Israeli air strike in response. At least 1,300 Palestinians, according to Palestinian sources, and 13 Israelis have been killed since Israel launched its offensive on 27 December.
Sri Lankan army 'corners rebels'
T he Sri Lankan army says it has cornered Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeast of the country. Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka said rebel resistance was crumbling fast and that they could only escape by sea as they were surrounded on three sides. His claims cannot be independently verified and there has been no response from the Tamil Tigers. A day earlier the rebels said they killed 51 soldiers - a claim denied by the army. The Tigers have lost a considerable amount of territory to government forces in the last few months, including key strongholds Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass. See map of the region The Sri Lankan forces said they were poised to capture the last major rebel-held town of Mullaitivu, with Lt Gen Fonseka saying his troops had captured 17km of territory in as many days in the area, leaving the rebels with just a 40km stretch of coastline. A defence ministry statement said soldiers had seized "a highly fortified camp" in the village of Maruthampuvel in Mullaittivu on Saturday, Associated Press reported. The statement also said eight rebel fighters had been killed in the region. The two sides have differed in their reports of casualties, with the rebels earlier claiming they killed 51 soldiers near the town of Dharmapuram in northern Sri Lanka, but the army saying it had taken control of the area, killing 20 rebels with only seven soldiers dead. Independent journalists are prevented by the government from travelling to the conflict zone, so it is impossible to verify the casualty claims made by both sides. The Jaffna peninsula and its capital have been regarded as the heart of the 25-year-old separatist insurgency. The Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland for 25 years. At least 70,000 people have been killed in the insurgency.
Aruna Devi From Manipur Wins Mumbai Marathon
Wrong Winner felicitated at Mumbai Marathon
Like Always and Anything else in India…Things Like These Happen..All The Time. Should the Marathon organizers be Shameful? They Should not just be Shameful but Apologize to the people Of Northeast India.
This is stereotyping …Nothing Else..
When Aruna Devi From Manipur won the Women’s Category of Mumbai Marathon…Should this a be a reason for a separate Country…No but this is a Never ending Ending story…
When Indian Media Named its sportsperson of the year 2008 Mary Kom...The Champion of Women’s World Boxing Federation was not even included…But some obscure player from some Indan mainland was.
A thought to remember…Now the news
Mumbai, Jan 18 : In an embarrassing moment, the organizers of the VIth Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2009 mistakenly declared and felicitated a wrong person as the winner in the Indian women’s category in the 42-km Main Marathon here Sunday afternoon.
Even as the ‘wrong’ person basked in glory on the specially erected podium, the right winner, Aruna Devi, from the north-eastern state of Manipur stepped forward and staked her claim to the title.Upon verification, the organizers found her claim to be genuine, said a spokesman for Procam International, the promoters of the event.
‘We apologized to her for the mistake. It should never have happened in the first place and it was entirely an error on our part,’ the spokesman told IANS after the matter was duly rectified.
Immediately, Aruna Devi’s name was publicly announced as the real winner and she was felicitated in a separate ceremony and handed over the prize money - US$2,500 (Rs.100,000)
The spokesman said Aruna Devi took the faux-pas by the organisers in a sporting spirit and the matter ended amicably.
Mumbai Marathon...Who is This?
Leading Mumbaikars in the run included many celebrities like Anil Ambani, Soha Ali Khan, Gulshan Grover, Milind Soman, Arjun Rampal, Vinay Pathak, Shreyas Talpade, Rahul Bose, Om Puri, Tara Sharma, Lillete Dubey, Dolly Thakore, Anand Mahindra, Amit Chandra, Archana Chandra, Sanjeev Kapoor and Annabelle Mehta, to name a few.
The event brand ambassadors were Bollywood hunk John Abraham, three-time Olympic champions Gabriela Szabo and Gail Devers, and famous Moroccan long distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj, the spokesman said.
The Mumbai Police and Traffic Police, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), the state government, Indian Navy and other agencies were actively involved to make the event safe and successful.
Apart from the main title sponsor Standard Chartered Bank, the associate sponsor was Tata Consultancy Services. The event was held under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India with technical coordination by Maharashtra Athletic Association and promoted by Procam International.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Pakistan 'holds 124' over Mumbai
Pakistan says it has so far arrested 124 people in a crackdown on groups allegedly linked to the Mumbai attacks.Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said officials had also shut several schools run by a charity linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.Mr Malik said the moves showed Pakistan was serious about fighting extremism, but it needed more information from India to prosecute suspects in court.India says the attacks were plotted in Pakistan. Islamabad denies any link.Militant campsRelations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since the November attacks which left at least 173 dead.Earlier this week, India's interior minister accused Pakistan of doing nothing to apprehend those behind the Mumbai (Bombay) attacks and said ties could "snap" if it did not co-operate in the investigation.
Pakistan has dismissed India's dossier of evidence linking the attacks to elements in Pakistan as merely "information".Mr Malik said the authorities had so far closed down 87 institutions - including seven madrassas (religious schools) belonging to the banned Jamaat-ud-dawa Islamic charity. The organisation is widely seen as a political front for Lashkar-e-Taiba.They authorities also say that several militant camps linked to the 87 institutions have also been closed down, in addition to the main Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which was shut in December.The group's main commander, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who has been named in India as being linked to the Mumbai attacks, was one of those arrested at that time.Mr Malik made clear that the arrests had taken place since early December.The UN Security Council last month ruled that he and three other Lashkar-e-Taiba members should face sanctions for links with al-Qaeda and the Taleban.They were issued with an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.The Security Council panel also said that the charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa was a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba and subject to sanctions.'Onus on India'The Pakistani government says that all those arrested are still in custody and all will be dealt with under the Pakistani criminal justice system rather than be deported to India.
"We have done our best and the onus is now on India," Mr Malik said.He said that a committee had also been formed of high level police officials to monitor the activities of Jamaat-ud-Dawa.The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan says that doubts however remain over the effectiveness of the latest crackdown, especially given Jamaat-ud-Dawa's growing role as a rich charity in an impoverished nation.Our correspondent says that there is also concern that that the group's main centre of operations in Muridke outside Lahore remains open and many senior leaders remain operative.Speaking in India, the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that the Pakistani authorities needed to show "more urgency" in taking action against those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks."Pakistani authorities need to detain people and take further action like prosecution and action against them if found guilty," he said.
Bollywood star criticises Slumdog
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has criticised award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire for projecting India as the "third world dirty underbelly". The film, made by British director Danny Boyle, has swept the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice awards. A rags-to-riches tale of an improbable winner of game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the film is based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's book. Slumdog Millionaire is also a favourite to win at the Oscars. The film has been nominated in 11 categories for next month's British Academy Film Awards, including best film, best British film and best director. Best-known actor Mr Bachchan had played the very popular host of Kaun Banega Crorepati - Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? "If SM (Slumdog Millionaire) projects India as [a] Third World dirty underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations," Mr Bachchan wrote in his blog. "It's just that the SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative [Golden] Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not." Slumdog Millionaire opens in India next week. Mr Bachchan is India's best-known actor and has a massive fan following at home and among the diaspora the world over. The actor's career spans almost 40 years. He has acted in more than 140 movies. He starred in the legendary Hindi movie Sholay and hosted the first three seasons of Kaun Banega Crorepati. His show enjoyed tremendous popularity with viewers and, according to reports, at the time of the telecast, the streets were deserted and fewer people went out to cinemas. Bachchan topped a 1999 BBC News website poll to find the greatest star of the millennium, beating the likes of Marlon Brando and Charlie Chaplin.
Afghan general dies in air crash
One of Afghanistan's top army officers and 12 other soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in the west of the country, the defence ministry says.It said the helicopter carrying General Fazaludin Sayar crashed in Herat province because of bad weather.Gen Sayar was one of the Afghan army's four regional commanders and in charge of the west of the country.The delegation he was leading had been on its way to visit an army base in neighbouring Farah province.Defence ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP news agency that it was the army's worst crash since 2001.According to some reports, Taleban fighters claimed they had shot the helicopter down - but the ministry denied this, saying it was an accident.The BBC's Martin Patience, in Afghanistan, says the Afghan security forces are still heavily dependent on old Russian aircraft to transport their troops.And he says questions have been raised about safety standards in the past.The other people who died in the crash were reported to be the corps' operations chief, its telecommunications official, five bodyguards, four crew and the general's chief-of-staff.
Satyam shares plunge by a third
Shares in fraud-hit Satyam Computers in India have slumped by a third after one of the firm's new board members ruled out accepting government money. Kiran Karnik, who sits on the three-man government-appointed board, said this would send "a wrong signal". On Wednesday, board chairman Deepak Parekh told the BBC the firm would try to borrow from banks. Satyam's chairman, Ramalinga Raju, stepped down last week after admitting to years of accounting malpractices. Mr Raju said the company's profits had been falsely inflated for years and that 94% of the money on Satyam's books was made up. Mr Raju, his brother and the company's former chief financial officer are being held in custody. 'Viable organisation' "Taking money from government will send a wrong signal," Mr Karnik told the Times of India newspaper. "The company will make profits within a few months," he said, adding that Satyam was still a "very viable organisation". Mr Karnik said the firm needed funding to continue trading and pay staff salaries next month. "Our only concern is to keep the show going and hold on to the clients and the workers," he said. Mr Karnik's statement saw Satyam shares take a beating, with the firm's stocks tumbling by 31.3% to a day's low of 20.55 rupees in early trade on Thursday. Satyam shares have plunged more than 80% since Mr Raju's confession of fraud last week. On Wednesday, board chairman Deepak Parekh said the firm would approach banks to raise funds for the company. "We will try to raise money through some banks," he told the BBC. "The fixed assets are absolutely clear", he said, adding Satyam had "no bank deposits but small debt". On Tuesday, the Indian government said the Satyam scandal would be investigated by a federal office dealing with serious corporate fraud.
Tripura CM denies job freeze in Tripura
Manik Sarkar
Agartala, Jan 15 : Chief minister Manik Sarkar said his government “has not enforced the ban imposed by the Centre on fresh employment, nor will it ever do so.” Sarkar said the main problem confronting Tripura now is “employment of educated youths” because a large number of employment generation schemes are being implemented in the state with honesty and efficiency. Addressing the inaugural programme of the state’s first ESI hospital at Nagerjala here today, the chief minister said, “In the present situation, worsened by global meltdown and loss of employment opportunities, curtailing employment at the government level will be suicidal. There is hardly any scope for private employment in our state.” Sarkar said more than one crore people would lose their livelihood as a result of global recession. “It is tragic that we are to pay a price for the blunders committed and wrong policies followed by governments in Europe and the US and that is so because of the globalisation,” he said. Lambasting the capitalist economic model based on vagaries of the market, profit motive and speculative investments, he said a balance in economic policy always needs to be struck by allowing the co-existence of private and public sectors. On the health sector, he said 97 per cent of the people were covered by the government-run service and medical facilities exist even in the remotest areas of the state. “Prolonged insurgency and anti-development activities of the militants led to the collapse of the health service in the interior areas but with the decline of insurgency, we are able to provide the services we did earlier,” said Sarkar. He also referred to the “vast improvement” in the health sector in Tripura over the past decade and said “very soon” people of the state will not need to go outside for advanced treatment.
Indian Army to be shifted out of Manipur
I
mphal, Jan 15 : In a major policy shift, New Delhi has decided to withdraw all the Army units from the State and leave the job of containing the insurgency movement to the Assam Rifles alone.
The Army comes under the Union Defence Ministry while the Assam Rifles comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Disclosing this to The Sangai Express today, a reliable source said that the Army units to be withdrawn from Manipur will be deployed along the Indo-Pak border as well as along the Indo-Sino border.
With the Army able to push away numerous militant groups from the interior parts of the State, the Assam Rifles has been gradually taking over the operational responsibilities of conducting counter-insurgency operations in the hills and other parts of Manipur, said the source.
The Army Headquarters have already taken the decision to withdraw all the Army units from the State by this year, said the source and added that the withdrawn troops will be deployed along the Indo-Pak border as well as along the Indo-Sino border, where tension is high, on the Western front following the terrorists attack at Mumbai in November last year.
Assam Rifles troops will be deployed at all the places where the Army units are currently stationed, said the source and added that once the withdrawal process is over, the Assam Rifles will take over the sole responsibility of conducting counter insurgency operations.
Along with the withdrawal of the Army units from Manipur, the 57 Mountain Division at Leimakhong and the office of the Army PRO or PIB Defence Wing will also be withdrawn step by step, said the source further.
At the moment, there are 7 Army Battalions under the 73 Mountain Brigade and 59 Mountain Brigade.
These two Brigades operate under the 57 Mountain Division, which is based at Leimakhong and is headed by an officer of the rank of a Major General.On the other hand, there are at present 22 Assam Rifles Battalion under four Sectors operating under the overall charge of the IG of Assam Rifles (South), a Major General.
The office of the IG AR (S) is located at Mantripukhri.
The Assam Rifles has also appointed its own Spokesperson.
It was the Assam Rifles which spearheaded the operation in pushing back militants from the Khengjoi range in the last two years.
The office of the IG AR (South) was opened in Manipur in 2004 following the huge public outcry over the alleged custodial killing of Th Manorama by personnel of 17 Assam Rifles, which then had its headquarters at Kangla.
Earlier, each Sector functioned under a Brigadier.
Meanwhile the SPF Cabinet has agreed to the proposal of the IG AR (S) to increase the cash component of gallantry awards given to in service personnel as well as given posthumously to personnel hailing from the State, said the source.
In the proposal to the State Government, the IG AR, suggested that the existing rates of cash awards be reviewed in view of the fact that almost all other States have increased the amount.
The matter was discussed during a meeting at New Delhi on January 7 which was chaired by the Union Minister of Defence, said the source.
Since there was no Budget allocation for increasing the cash awards in the fiscal 2009-2010 of the Home Department, the Finance Department was urged to authorise the required funds after Cabinet approval of the States concerned.
Accordingly the cash award given under the Param Vir Chakra will be increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000, MVC from Rs 7500 to Rs 35,000, Vr C from Rs 3000 to Rs 20,000, AC from Rs 1500 to Rs 15000, KC from Rs 1000 to Rs 10,000, SC from RS 700 to Rs 5000, SYSM Rs 15,000, UYSM Rs 10,000, YSM Rs 5,000, SM from Rs 3000 to Rs 4000, Mention-in-Despatches Rs 5000, PVSM Rs 20,000, AVSM Rs 15,000, VSM Rs 10,000 and Annuity in addition Rs 500 .
Two Manipur Artistes Chosen for Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards
New Delhi, Jan 15 : Ningombam Ibobi Singh in the field of Nata Sankirtana and Leitanthem Heramot Meitei in Thang-ta from Manipur were among 34 eminent personalities of music, dance and theatre chosen for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Awards) for the year 2008.
The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama at its meeting held on 10 January 2009 in New Delhi selected four eminent personalities in the field of performing arts namely Smt Sitara Devi, Shri Khaled Choudhury, Shri R.C. Mehta and Shri Bhupen Hazarika as Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna (Akademi Fellows) while 34 practitioners of Music, Dance, and Theatre for the Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards) for the year 2008.
In the field of Music, eight eminent artists namely Ulhas Kashalkar and M.R. Gautam for Hindustani Vocal Music; Ramesh Mishra (Sarangi) and Krishna Ram Chaudhary (Shehnai) for Hindustani Instrumental Music; Puranam Purushottama Sastri for Carnatic Vocal; B. Sasi Kumar (Violin) and Manrgudi A. Easwaran (Mridangam) for Carnatic Instrumental Music and Ningombam Ibobi Singh (Nata Sankirtana, Manipur) for Other Major Traditions of Music have been selected.
In the field of Dance, nine eminent practitioners namely Saroja Vaidyanathan, Bharatanatyam; Shashi Shankhla, Kathak; Kalamandalam Kuttan, Kathakali; Ramani Ranjan Jena, Odissi; Vasanta Lakshmi & Narasimhachari (Joint Award), Kuchipudi; Kalamandalam Leelamma, Mohiniattam; Yog Sunder Desai, Creative & Experimental Dance and Ramhari Das, Music for Dance (Odissi) have been selected.
In the field of Theatre also eight eminent persons namely Markand Bhatt and Arundhati Nag for Acting, S. Ramanujam and Probir Guha for Direction, Mudra Rakshas (Hindi) and Narsingh Dev Jamwal (Dogri) for Playwriting, Amba Sanyal for Allied Theatre Arts (Costume Designing) and Bansi Lal Khiladi (Khayal, Rajasthan) for Major Traditions of Theatre have been selected.
For their contribution to Other Traditional/Folk/ Tribal Music/ Dance/ Theatre, Shakuntala Nagarkar, Lavani (Maharastra); Birbar Sahoo, Gotipua (Orissa); Mangi Bai Arya, Mand (Rajasthan); L. Heramot Meitei, Thang-Ta (Martial Art, Manipur); Lakha Khan Manganiyar, Folk Music (Rajasthan); Hildamit Lepcha, Lepcha Music (Sikkim); Kartar Singh, Gurbani (Punjab) and Lakshman Das, Hari Katha (Karnataka) have been selected.
R. Satyanarayana of Kartanaka has been selected for his contribution to Scholarship in Performing Arts.
There is no any personality selected in the field of Manipuri dance this year. Ningombam Ibobi Singh of Khongman was a Pung Guru of erstwhile Shri Shri Govindajee Nartalaya and retired as lecturer of the Government Dance College . Leithanthem Heramot Meetei of Kongpal is a renowned Manipuri martial artist.
The Akademi Ratna (Akademi Fellow) and Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award) have been conferred since 1952, which not only symbolize the highest standard of excellence and achievements on a national basis, but also recognize sustained individual work and contribution to the practice and appreciation of the arts through performance, teaching and scholarship.
The Akademi Ratna carries purse money of Rs.1,00,000/- (Rupees One lakh) and Akademi Puraskar Rs.50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand) besides Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Indian IT scandal boss arrested
Mr Raju had been upheld as a leading entrepreneur
T he founder of scandal-hit Indian software company Satyam has been arrested two days after he admitted falsifying the firm's accounts. Ramalinga Raju, who stood down as Satyam's chairman on Wednesday, is charged with offences including criminal conspiracy and forgery. Mr Raju has already revealed that the firm had exaggerated its cash reserves by some $1bn (£661m). His arrest came after the government sacked the entire Satyam board. Mr Raju has also been charged with criminal breach of trust, cheating, and falsification of record. He was arrested together with his brother, former Satyam managing director B Rama Raju. 'Reach the truth' The government said a new board would be appointed within 10 days. "The government is considering appointment of suitable persons as directors of Satyam," said Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta. "We are determined to reach the truth but are equally concerned with the fate of employees and other stakeholders." Satyam's shares fell to 11.50 rupees on Friday, their lowest level since March 1998. Last year they hit a high of 544 rupees. Some analysts say the future of the company is now in doubt.
Nagaland to Ink MoU with UK Academy
Dimapur, Jan 10 : In another effort to ease the unemployment problem in the state and as a continuation of Nagaland government’s declaration of 2008 as Year of Capacity Building, the government will be signing an MoU with a UK-based academy to train and later employ 200 Naga boys and girls in the beauty care sector.
Disclosing this, Minister for Planning & Coordination TR Zeliang said altogether 1500 youths from the country will be trained by the academy—Chrysalis Academy of Beauty Hair and Spa—in collaboration with Surya Vinayak Industries Ltd. at Noida, for a period of six months.
After the training, the youths will be employed in twenty five beauty care centres that the academy would be setting up in the four metros including Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata, the minister said.
Zeliang said the MoU between Nagaland government and Chrysalis Academy will include the clause that all the 200 Naga youths would be absorbed in the centres after successful completion of the training. “They (Chrysalis) will be coming within a few days time to seal the MoU,” he said.
The state government will be bearing 90% of the total expenses (roughly Rs. 1 lakh per head) incurred during the training period, while the selected candidates have to cough up the remaining 10%, the minister said.
The selection process and interview for the candidates in the state will start by the middle of this month while the training is likely to commence by February next, he added. Zeliang also informed that the starting salary of the selected candidates would be Rs. 15,000 per month.
On the unemployment scenario in the state, the minister said Naga youths should look for greener pastures as the government can now do little as employment in government service has reached the saturation point, with Nagaland having the maximum number of government employees among the states in population ratio.
Keeping this in mind, the state government had declared 2008 as Year of Capacity Building and earmarked Rs. 21 crores for youths to undergo training in various fields and professions, he added.
“I always say and I want to reiterate here that for those who are willing to work and toil, there is no dearth of jobs. Hard work is the only solution to unemployment and joblessness and many other social evils…It is a sin to remain idle and go after easy livelihood,” Zeliang reminded.
Morung Express News
Thursday, January 8, 2009
India IT boss quits over scandal
Mr Raju said he would subject himself to the laws of the landT he boss of Satyam, India's fourth-biggest software firm, has quit after revealing false accounts including some $1bn (£663m) in fictitious reserves. Chairman Ramalinga Raju apologised and said "the gap in the balance sheet has arisen purely on account of inflated profits" during several years. He said he was subjecting himself to the laws of the land and would "face the consequences". India's benchmark index fell nearly 7% on the news, as Satyam stock shed 82%. In a letter to the board of directors, Mr Raju said that neither he nor the managing director took any money from the company and did not benefit in financial terms following the "inflated results". He added that no board member had been aware of the situation the firm was in. "What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profits and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years," said Mr Ramalinga's statement, which was sent to the stock exchange. "It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten," he said. Satyam specialises in business software and benefited from the IT outsourcing boom. Implications "We have to go beyond this letter and find out what actually has happened," the Securities and Exchange Board of India told reporters. "This is an issue which has very serious implications... It also raises the issue of authenticity of accounts that have been audited and certified by the auditors." Hitesh Agrawal, head of research with Angel Broking, said: "Indian corporate governance standards have been put at stake here, the role of the auditors have also come under serious question". The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says analysts see this as one of the worst crises to have hit corporate India, at a time when the country was hoping to attract foreign investors looking for quick gains in emerging markets. Our correspondent says many fear that the international community will now take a harder look at Indian companies and think twice about placing their money there. 'Fictitious assets' The news comes after plans to acquire Maytas Properties and plans to acquire a 51% stake in Maytas Infra failed. "The aborted Maytas acquisition deal was the last attempt to fill the fictitious assets with real ones," said the letter. Mr Raju said a task force investigating the failed deal had been set up. He also recommended to the board that Merrill Lynch be entrusted with the talk of "quickly exploring" merger opportunities. BBC correspondent Karishma Vaswani in Mumbai says the consequences for corporate India are extremely dire, given that Satyam is not just listed on Indian stock markets, but was also the first Indian technology firm to list on the hi-tech US Nasdaq market. Satyam said its managing director and co-founder B Rama Raju, Raju's brother, had also resigned. The company did not give any reason for the resignation. Just three months ago, Satyam received an award from a group of Indian directors for excellence in corporate governance.
Assam Students Bowled Over by NASA Astronaut
Guwahati , Jan 7 : NASA astronaut Edward Michael ‘mike‘ Fincke onboard the ISS today won the hearts of Assamese school students here when he spoke in their native tongue during a rare live interaction from the space lab. “Moi alop kobo paru”(I can speak a little), Fincke, who is married to an Assamese Renita Saikia, said when asked if could speak Assamese. Fincke, who is learning Assamese during his space stint, won a loud round of applause from the students of Assam Jatiya Vidyalalya during a telephonic interaction from International Space Station (ISS) organised by Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS), an organisation of non-resident Assamese, in coordination with NASA. Fincke’s wife Renita also works at NASA and her parents had left for USA several decades ago. Replying to queries from curious students, Fincke, who is also the commander of the current expedition 18 mission of the ISS, said the members eat normal food like hamburgers and sausages on the spaceship but they”are mostly packed food, prepared on ground but we do heat these sometimes”. ” Water on the spaceship is used just like back in the planet but we recycle both water and urine,” Fincke answered. He and two of his other associates inside the space ship, however, cannot take bath due to zero gravity and they only swab themselves, besides wearing absorbent clothing. They are also fortunate to see 16 sunrises and sets during the course of 24-hours as it completes 19 rotation during this period with one cycle taking 90 minutes.
Endangered Wildlife Series of Northeast To Be Telecast on TV
New Delhi, Jan 7 : CNN-IBN will Saturday begin a new series on India’s most endangered wildlife species in its flagship environment series, ‘Citizen for Earth’, encapsulated in five episodes.
Journalist Bahar Dutt, the channel’s environment editor, will anchor the series that will journey to the desolate interiors of the Rann of Kutch, Chambal in Rajasthan, Assam, Tripura and Orissa to bring the endangered species’ tales of survival, a CNN-IBN statement said Wednesday.
The series to be telecast at 9 p.m. on Saturdays and at 11.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays, will celebrate the contribution of the people who have dedicated their lives to protecting endangered wild animals and will take a look at a day in their lives. Also, the series will feature possible solutions to protecting India’s most endangered animals besides capturing the issue of human-wildlife conflicts, the release said.
“Wildlife really is the untamed natural essence of our environment. India is the ideal place for the wildlife enthusiasts with its immense variety of flora and fauna and it is very important to save the fascinating species on the verge of extinction. The second season of Citizens for Earth is to enlighten our viewers and also to highlight the contribution of the people working to save the endangered animals in the country. Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief of IBN 18 Network, said.The episodes include ‘Storm in the Rann’, ‘Queen of Chambal’, ‘Big Special Special’, ‘Turtle Trouble’ and ‘Monkey Mania’, the release said.
In Storm in the Rann, the survival of pink flamingoes and the Indian wild ass will be highlighted. The Indian wild ass is an endangered animal, found only in this part of Gujarat.
Subsequently, ‘Queen of Chambal’ will highlight the story of the Indian gharial, included in the endangered list last year since a mysterious disease wiped out over a hundred of them in Chambal river. The episode examines why tigers, lions and the leopards are on the brink of extinction and explores if the big cats can survive in forests.
‘Turtle Trouble’ will pan on the beaches of Orissa, detailing the dying of Olive Ridley turtles because of over fishing and developments along the coast. Protection of Orissa’s shores to allow these turtles to continue laying eggs will be the focus of the episode.
‘Monkey Mania’ will feature 13 species of primates found in northeast India like the Hoolock Gibbon and the Golden Langur.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Crime, Gun Ownership and India
un ownership has been suspected behind the crime rates in the US. But the recent spate of bank robberies possibly dilutes this argument - at least partially. Estimates of the national stock of guns in the US varies between 40 million to 50 million households which own 200 million guns. India is in many ways different. Recent estimates show that India is the second largest gun owning population in the world- with 4.6 crores (46 million) guns. One report report states that UP alone has 900,000 licensed fire arm holders and 1,400 arms dealers. Another report estimates more than 3 lakh illegal firearms in New Delhi alone. Guns - Made in India India has a large domestic cottage industry in gun manufacture. Centred around UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, these manufacturers supply guns to the underworld and the general population - at a cost of US$20-US$40 per unit. The other place where these guns are being manufactured - and creating making mayhem is in North East India. The North East is also the porous border where drugs from the Golden Triangle are smuggled into India, for transit through the Mediterranean, through small Indian fishing boats. This drug-related violence is camouflaged as a separatist and secessionist movements.
Does the law abiding citizen need guns? Return on investment The economic logic of using these guns for crime is overwhelming. Invest Rs.1000 (US$20) and make a ’snatch’ of Rs.10,000 (US$200). These illegal firearms can be easily disposed - and hence safe. India, should be overwhelmed by crime, with such cheap guns available. UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are less than 48 hours away, from any part of the country, by train. Train tickets cost less than Rs.200 (US$4). The cost of these guns ranges between Rs.1000-2000 (US$20-US$40). A journalist figures out that “These days kattas are much in demand because unemployment is increasing. So to survive, people have taken to these crimes. It’s easy money. You buy a gun for Rs1,500, and use it to snatch away Rs10,000-15,000,” he says. Gun-making is a kind of cottage industry in towns across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh
Heart of darkness UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were the heart of the British Raj - where land was taken away from peasants and handed over to ‘zamindars’. These ‘zamindars’ in turn rented out this land to the peasants - and with the excess produce paid the British Raj. This ‘injustice by the ‘zamindars’ theme was played out in countless Indian films, till a decade ago. India’s all-time biggest block buster, ‘Sholay’ was inspired by this same theme - but with a benign ‘zamindar’. With land reform, migration to urban areas, the edge of this injustice has been blunted - and this theme is now a rarity. Unlike Europe, agricultural land in India was owned by the peasants till the arrival of British colonialism. Serfdom and landless peasants were a colonial British creation. Apart from UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the development record and law and order situation is far better in other states, which had mixed administration, with local kings and colonial administrators. These areas did not see this land ‘re-distribution’ to such an intensity. Is the current law and order problem in UP, Bihar and MP a colonial legacy? A million militias The War of 1857 carried on for about 4 years - and it were these small ‘workshops’ that turned out the munitions. After the end of the war, the British ensured that no Indian was allowed to own guns - except if allowed by his White masters. These ‘workshops’ were later used by the ‘zamindars’ to arm their enforcers to extract ‘dues’ from the peasants. The peasants in turn also bought weapons from these gunsmiths to protect themselves against the agents of the Raj. The spectre of Muslim gunsmiths Muslims gunsmiths dominate this business - as can be seen from these reports. But the Indian Muslim, has like the rest of the country, not used these firearms dangerously. This is a strong argument against the oppression of the Muslim in India argument. How long would it take to create a religious jihadi militia? That too, at such a low cost.
Gun control logic But what is the question … Which brings us back to the central question? Is there a causal link between gun ownership and crime? Are these directly related and proportionate? How can India have such a low prison population, with a poor police-to-population ratio and a crime rate which is not above the average - in spite of a large civilian gun population. The answer goes back to Lipit Ishtar, Hittite laws, Hammurabi et al - 4000 years back in history.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1880/gundialoguerl0.jpg
Delhi Police Rescues 4 Minor Sikkimese Girls
G
angtok, Jan 7 : The Delhi Police on Monday rescued four girls from Sikkim, aged around 12, in two raids in South Delhi’s East of Kailash locality and arrested a woman and the owner of a placement agency.
The police received information on Sunday that three minor girls kidnapped from Sikkim have been kept in Garhi area in East of Kailash.
A raiding party managed to locate the house in Parkash Mohalla, in Garhi, where the girls were confined to a room by a woman, Srijana Subba Rai.
A case of kidnapping has been registered in Sikkim regarding the girls. Further investigations are on.
In another incident, the police rescued another 12-year-old Sikkimese girl from a house in East of Kailash and arrested Parlad Singh, owner of a placement agency, Sky Group of Companies.
Sikkim police and the parents of the kidnapped children have been informed.
All the children have been sent to a children’s home.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Sri Lankan troops seize rebel HQ
Government troops have been advancing on Kilinochchi for months
Sri Lanka's military have seized control of the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has announced.
He described the taking of the northern town as an "unparalleled victory" for government forces.
A pro-Tamil website confirmed the news but said the town was mostly empty as the rebel fighters had moved out.
A suspected suicide bomber later killed two airmen in the capital, Colombo, the military said.
Correspondents say the loss of Kilinochchi will be a heavy blow to the rebel group.
The town is of huge symbolic importance to the Tigers, who had assembled there the trappings of a separate state they want for the ethnic Tamil minority. The Sri Lankan army has for months been advancing towards Kilinochchi, which has been in the hands of rebels for the last decade.
Both sides have recently claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other in the north of the island.
But there have been no independent reports from the front line and it is impossible to verify either account of casualties.
Bitter fighting
"We should pay the gratitude of the whole nation to those heroic soldiers who achieved that victory," President Rajapaksa said in a nationally televised address.
He urged the rebel fighters to lay down their arms. The pro-Tamil website TamilNet reported the occupation of Kilinochchi, saying troops had entered a "virtual ghost town" as the civilian population and rebels shifted further north-east.
It said most of the buildings in the town had been destroyed by continuous military strikes and added that rebel casualties had been kept low despite the fighting.
In Colombo, a suspected suicide bomber attacked the headquarters of the Sri Lankan air force, killing at least two personnel and wounding around 30 people, including nine airmen, officials say.
Earlier on Friday, government officials said troops had entered Kilinochchi from three directions and predicted the town would fall within a few hours.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops had to overcome "enemy pockets" of rebel fighters.
On Thursday, the military said it had seized the strategically important junction of Paranthan, a crossroads north of Kilinochchi, in a bitter fight that lasted for hours.
It said the success at Paranthan had effectively cut the main supply line to several Tiger strongholds in the north of Sri Lanka.
Although the loss of Kilinochchi will be a blow to the Tigers, the head of its political wing, B Nadesan, told the BBC recently they would be able to continue fighting even if they lost the town.
The rebels would remain in possession of some territory to the east of the town down to Mullaitivu on the coast, although that too is under threat from government forces.
Correspondents say that while the government seems able to maintain the upper hand, heavy battles are likely still to lie ahead and there is concern about the fate of the large number of civilians in the Tiger-controlled north.
The rebels deny using them as human shields and reject allegations they are forcing people into their ranks to fight.
The scene of the bomb blast outside Sri Lanka's air force headquarters
Friday, January 2, 2009
Gagging the Fourth Estate in Northeast India
"Freedom” is a beautiful word. No man on earth would like to be deprived of it. For every one, human kind has searched for personal and group freedom, and in the process, have fought and killed to secure it.
As tribes, communities and governments; human beings have gone to war to secure “free” space for themselves. Over the years its implication on the human race have also gone through changes with the ever-changing “world order”.
Often, personal freedom has to give way to secure collective freedom like in the erstwhile USSR. Sometimes, individual freedom is allowed to flourish to encourage collective growth like in the USA. The world is divided on the opinion, of which is the better system?
However, whichever way the argument goes, it is increasingly becoming clear that individual decisions and opinions play a crucial role. It is said, “Your freedom ends where the other’s nose begins”. But often it is the other’s nose beyond which your freedom lies also.
It is here the media comes in as a major player. Media had come long way since its inception. Its growth is different in the different parts of the world and in India as well.
Indian laws do not have a specific mention of the freedom of press. It does not give a special right to the press but lets it draw its freedom from within Article 19 which provides all citizens with the right to freedom of speech and expression. Dr Ambedkar explained the position as, “The press is merely way of stating an individual or citizen.
The press has no special rights, which are not to be given to, or which are not exercised by the citizen in his individual capacity.
The editors of a press or the manager are all citizen and therefore, when they choose to represent any news paper they are merely exercising their right of expressions and in my judgement no special mention is necessary of the freedom of press at all”.
Keeping in view, Indian authorities also like other countries have put reasonable restraints. Similarly, North-Eastern states; Assam, Nagaland and Manipur too has seen enough “reasonable restraints” being exercised on to the press.
The office memorandum of the government in these states was one amongst many. It effectively barred all government officials from speaking to the press even it may be of grave concern to public safety.
It was, however, removed on protest but it cannot be said it was not tried. But what is more crucial in case of the press in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur is its freedom of functioning within conflict zones.
Perpetual conflict atmosphere has meant an existence of several pressure prints. The pull and push of the pressures have taken a toll on the press in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. Consequently the formation of strong unity amongst its practitioners has become a must.
The Editors’ Guild of India (EGI) and The All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union, the apex media bodies exists not so much as to fight for the wages of its reporters but to collectively meet all the challenges confronting the press in the states.
The challenges come from all angles; the governments, the miscreants, both state and non-state actors and even from NGOs and Clubs. Journalists in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur have been shot dead and not accounted for. They have been kidnapped and threatened.
Press units have been ransacked and closed down by armed insurgents, local mafias and so called ‘War Lords’. Press personnel have been threatened and beaten up by these ‘War Lords’ while on duty.
Press in North Eastern States are less free than elsewhere in India. Journalists working in this conflict ridden states are caught in a Catch 22 situation; they are often becoming the targets of state and non-state actors, leading to the gagging of press freedom.
The latest, in the series of attack on Journalists, unidentified gunmen killed - Jagajit Saikia (30) the district correspondent of the Assamese daily, ‘Aamar Ahom’ on 22nd Nov and Konsam Rishikanta in Imphal on 17 Nov 08.
Saikia was shot barely 300 meters away from police station in the heart of Kokrajhar town and Konsam Rishikanta, a trainee sub-editor in Imphal Free Press was shot at Longol in Imphal West. Rishikanta is the fifth journalist to be killed in Manipur by gunmen in the past few years.
No individual or group has made any claims regarding these killings so far. People gossip and say, these were the cases of personal animosity but few doubt it. The stark feeling is such media related killings are carried out by so called revolutionists who do not follow their diktat and time and again have been showing their muzzle power to these poor journalists.
Reporting conflict has become the greatest challenge for journalists in this part of India which has been reeling under the impact of insurgency for almost more than half a century.
There have been many glaring instances; murder of investigative journalists, ULFA’s threat to NE Television, UGs threat to the Sangai Express newspaper on Jul 31, 2007 in which the proscribed party kept a bomb at the newspaper office against the Daily’s denial to publish the organisation’s press release. Such professional hazards confront journalists of the region 24h a day.
There is an alarming scene and cause of concern when we look at the cumulative figures since 1997 to 2008 of the violations of the freedom of press in these North-Eastern states by non-state actors. Many of these violations are effective techniques to gag the Fourth Estate either not to reveal disturbing truths or to warn the journalists’ fraternity to follow the track- the pressure group opted for.
During the past few years, there were number of cases of murder, attempt-to-murder, more than 30 cases of arrests/detentions, 40 cases of threat/harassment to media persons and few cases of even taking hostage of newspaper and television news editors.
Media which is considered as the ‘fourth pillar’ of the democratic system along with the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, is by far the organisation working under pressure 24 hours a day vis-à-vis the other three.
To work as a journalist in this part of the country in such an unspeakable situation itself is playing a dangerous game but their contribution must be applauded by the public.
The aftermath of killing of Konsam Rishikanta is that the people of Manipur have not only condemned such killings but they are also unhappy for being deprived of their morning ‘khabar paper’ due to their closure of print and electronic media.
The author having mulled over the situation, expect from all sections of the society to support the freedom of voices raised by print and electronic media fraternity and ensure that this “Fourth Pillar” of the democratic system is not gagged.
