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09/16/2009: "Expedite peace talks: Congress Eastern Mirror"

Expedite peace talks: Congress Eastern Mirror

KOHIMA, (EMN): The State Congress today urged the centre to expedite the Naga talks in the interest of all parties engaged in the peace process.
NPCC president KV Pusa, while stating that several rounds of talks have been held at different levels which has failed to hammer out a solution, underscored the need to take forward the Naga peace process with a collective effort. Stating that the GoI is sincere to address the Naga issue by accommodating the desires and aspirations of Naga people within the ambit of constitution of India, he quoted the PM as saying that the UPA government wants to find a solution to the Naga issue during this tenure.
“Solution to the Naga problem should be honourable and acceptable to both Nagas and the Government of India,” Pusa said, addressing the DCC Kohima executive meeting at Congress bhavan in Kohima.
The NPCC president stated that without collective effort and consensus view on the issue, solution would continue to elude the Naga people. Hence, the 60 Naga legislators have decided to come together and voice to the centre the Naga aspirations for early solution, he said.
He also urged the centre to invite all Naga groups for talks.
Pusa further said his party had met Prime Minister Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and other central policymakers to apprise them on the need to expedite the Naga peace process and expressed optimism that New Delhi would not ignore the voice of the Naga people.
The Congress chief also called upon his party workers to work towards ushering in peace and progress in the State so that future Naga generations could live in peace.
Meanwhile, toeing the central party line, Pusa urged for an austerity drive across the State and asked party functionaries to create awareness in their respective constituencies.
Indian Army on ‘Operation Alert’ along China border, (IANS):
NEW DELHI The Indian Army has mobilised its troops to forwards posts in Jammu and Kashmir and along the northeastern border with China in an exercise named Operation Alert, a defence official said Wednesday.
“About 50 percent troops on the Line of Actual Control have been mobilised to forward posts. The mobilisation would last for nearly a month,” a senior Indian Army official told IANS.
The mobilisation of Indian troops has come close on the heels of a high-profile war game launched by the Chinese army. China had deployed close to 50,000 troops in its biggest cross-country tactical mobilisation exercise that has sent alarm bells ringing in India as it is seen as Beijing’s efforts to improve its ability to deploy troops in Tibet whenever reinforcements are required.
However, the Indian Army officially refused to term the mobilisation as a counter to the Chinese army’s exercise. “Operation Alert is an annual exercise conducted during this time of the year to undertake the maintenance of the forward posts,” another Indian Army official said.
In the past months, there have been several reports of Chinese troops intruding into Indian territory in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir creating anxiety about Beijing’s aggressive designs.

Tibetan bodies irked at Chinese stand Assam tribune
DHARAMSALA– With China expressing strong opposition to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Tibetan organisations today said India should not bow down to Chinese pressure and cancel the trip, reports PTI. “We sincerely hope that India does not cancel the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh as it will really turn the tide in China’s favour,” Tenzing Dharpen of Tibetans’ Women’s Association told visiting mediapersons here.

“This will be like bowing to Chinese pressure.This will be very unfortunate,” Tibetan Youth Congress president Psewan Rigzin said.

The groups claimed that last year the government had stopped the Tibetan spiritual leader from visiting Arunachal Pradesh but this time the Indian government seems firm on its stand.

The Tibetan government-in-exile yesterday said that China’s objection to the Dalai Lama’s planned visit to the state was like stopping a person “going from one room to another in one’s own house”.

Tibetan prime-minister-in exile Samdhong Rinpoche had accused the Western powers of “appeasing” the Communist government due to “economic” considerations.

On the Tibetan spiritual leader’s planned trip to Tawang in November, which has sparked strong opposition from China, Rinpoche had said, “If Beijing is reacting, why is India worried?

“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and India is a sovereign democratic nation. A person living here on permanent basis for the last 50 years has every right to visit any part of India,” he had said.

Focus on NE in World Bamboo Congress Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Sept 16 – The focus of the World Bamboo Congress, starting today in Thailand, will be to promote and develop Brahmaputra-Mekong Valley axis for sustainable bamboo development, reports PTI. World Bamboo Organisation (WBO) president Kamesh Salam, who is also the Director of Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), told PTI the brainstorming session at Bangkok would benefit India’s Northeast the most as it produces over 70 per cent of bamboo of the country.

“The focus this time is on cooperation between South Asian countries and India as there are too many commonalities between them in the case of bamboo development,’’ Salam said.

The focus till now was on China, but this time it would be on South Asian countries and as such Arunachal Pradesh Governor General JJ Singh and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio are leading their States along with a large contingent of bamboo experts from the Northeast to the conference.

The conference is a major event for the WBO which has declared September 18 as World Bamboo Day with experts from all over the world likely to explore possibilities of mass utilization of bamboo as replacement of timber to play its role in climate change.

The three-day event will feature three days of lectures, presentations and demonstrations related to bamboo propagation, product application, sustainability and environmental properties and economic development.

The topics covered include architecture, construction, plantation management, landscape design, regional reports and other presentations and demonstrations related to bamboo propagation, product application, sustainability and environmental properties along with economic development, Salam said.

“The World Bamboo Organization’s mission is to promote and support the use of bamboo as a sustainable and

alternative natural resource through the development of partnerships and alliances,’’ he said

The WBO also aims to create mechanisms for global communication, information exchange and technology transfer.

Originally founded as the International Bamboo Association (IBA), the idea for an international coordinating body for bamboo practitioners was born out of discussions at the 1991 International Bamboo Workshop at Chiang-mai in Thailand.

The IBA was consequently established at International Bamboo Congress in

Japan in 1992. The IBA had been the coordinating platform for bamboo people around the world with its primary responsibility being the International Bamboo Congress and International Bamboo Workshop.

These two distinct gatherings have been merged with the World Bamboo Congress and the IBA has reborn as the World Bamboo Congress.

Assam rebels threaten to go underground (IANS):
GUWAHATI Separatist leaders from various groups Wednesday warned that cadres in ceasefire mode in Assam were getting restive and threatening to go underground again as New Delhi was taking no steps to further the peace process after entering into a truce.
At least eight influential rebel groups in Assam are operating ceasefires with the central government.
“If the central government thinks that operating a ceasefire is enough, then it would be grossly wrong. Already cadres are getting restless with no signs of peace talks starting,” Mrinal Hazarika, leader of the pro-talk faction of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), told IANS. The Alpha and Charlie companies of ULFA’s 28th battalion, the most potent striking units of the outfit, announced a unilateral ceasefire July last year.
The pro-talk faction has since given up their demand for sovereignty and are instead seeking greater autonomy. “We have already submitted our charter of demands to the central government, but there is no response yet.
Already, a few of our cadres have deserted us to join the ULFA once again and if there is further delay in holding peace talks, more such cases would take place,” Hazarika said.
Among the prominent militant groups in Assam operating ceasefires with the government are the ULFA pro-talk faction, the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), two rival factions of the Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD), the United People’s Democratic Solidarity, the Adivasi Cobra Force, the Birsa Commando Force and the Karbi Longri National Liberation Front.
“Dragging the peace process would be counterproductive in the long run. It is time the central government takes urgent steps to expedite the ongoing peace process with various groups or else the situation would be grave,” DHD chief Dilip Nunisa told IANS.
The DHD entered into a ceasefire with New Delhi in 2004.
“Our cadres are getting impatient by the day and with New Delhi delaying the process, the situation might aggravate,” Nunisa said.
As of now, just two of the main rebel groups are active in Assam -- the ULFA and a faction of the NDFB led by Ranjan Daimary, believed to be operating out of Bangladesh. Over 360 militants belonging to Dima Halam Daogah (DHD-Jewel) have surrendered along with a huge cache of hi-tech foreign made weapons, during the past four days.
Among those who surrendered arms were Daniel Dimasa, Daku Dimasa, David Dimasa and Nalo Dimasa who were considered as hardcore militants.
The centre had set September 15 deadline for the militants for laying down arms to start any peace talks.
“It is good that the government is able to operate ceasefires with many of the groups, but then they should also try and continue with the peace talks so as to ensure permanent peace in the region,” said G.M. Srivastava, former Assam police chief.
More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam during the past two decades.

Bamboo a tree in India: Rio (NPN): DIMAPUR,


Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio addresses the 8th World Bamboo Congress in Bangkok, Wednesday.
Pointing out that the north eastern region of India accounted for about 66% of the country’s bamboo resources, Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio Wednesday drew the attention of the World Bamboo Congress being held at Bangkok, the problems that the country was facing on the regulatory issue stemming out of the definition or conception of Bamboo.
Rio said bamboo was defined as a tree in India and therefore treated at par with timber and other forest produces thereby restricting not only its transit and harvest but affecting the entire process of the development of bamboo as an economy.
The chief minister called for legally recognizing the Bamboo for what it was - a ‘grass’ and accordingly given the status of an agricultural crop. According to Rio, recognizing the Bamboo as a grass would facilitate its cultivation and economic use at a much faster pace than what was taking place today.
Rio expressed hope that the Bamboo Congress would address the issue. He said that the raw stock of bamboo in the region was conservatively valued at Rs. 5,000 crores or about 1 (one) billion US dollars. He also extended a warm welcome to all investors to India and the NE region and assured them that there was enough scope for benefit and gain.
The chief minister also highlighted the launching of the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) and the National Mission on Bamboo Application (NMBA) for the holistic development of bamboo in the country. He said that the NMB was launched for bamboo cultivation while NMBA was launched for developing the technologies and applications for bamboo based products. Highlighting such progress, Rio however said “we have miles to go to reach the levels attained by other countries.”
He also talked on the necessity of global sharing of knowledge and transfer of technology related to bamboo, both for its cultivation and application.
Rio in his speech mentioned about the problem of gregarious flowering of bamboo - Dendrocalamus Hamiltoni in 2004 to 2006 and then Malocanna bacciferra from 2006 onwards in northeast. “I was surprised that there were not many people from around the world to study the phenomenon in our region of the world,” he said. The chief minister expressed confidence that all the participants of the 8th World Bamboo Congress would go away as wiser people and in the spirit of global co-operation and collaboration to create a world that was woven together by the magic of Bamboo.

DHD-J holds back arms - Jewel’s boys crumble but keep back-to-jungle option open; Returnee praises outfit OUR BUREAU The Telegraph



(Top) A DHD-J rebel surrenders and the deposited arms at Sontilla on Tuesday. Pictures by PTI and Eastern Projections
Guwahati/Silchar, Sept. 15: The Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) has held back an undisclosed number of weapons to ensure that it is not left high and dry if negotiations with the government fail to satisfy them.
Highly placed sources today said the DHD (J) had virtually admitted to this even while depositing 136 firearms by the 373 insurgents who have come overground. They also said that according to the outfit, there were no more cadres left to come overground.
“They have assured us that they will deposit the weapons in due course of time. We have no option but to believe them given the smooth manner in which they have come overground. They are keeping some arms in hand to ensure that they are not left high and dry if things do not progress according to their scheme of things and also for self-defence. They will, however, be under close watch,” one of the sources said.
The authorities in charge of maintaining law and order in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district, the outfit’s area of operation, appeared to be more or less “satisfied” with the number of weapons the DHD (J) handed over to police on Sunday and Monday.
The security forces had expressed doubts over the number of weapons the DHD (J) had offered to surrender when it wrote to the government for the talks and for placing its demands.
“All said and done, they have at least deposited 136 weapons which together can carry a lot of lethal punch... now that the cadres have come overground, it is a matter of time before we get hold of the concealed arms as well,” a police official said. He added that the security agencies were not overly bothered about a few arms being concealed here and there.
“We must move on in the larger interest of peace,” he said.
A few senior police officials said over phone from Haflong that the bulk of the arsenal deposited by the “returnees” were of the AK series and M16 rifles besides a few Insas rifles. The cadres had also surrendered some rocket launchers, grenades and wireless sets.
An official said at least 70 assault rifles formed the main weaponry among the assorted pieces of arms deposited, and that the outfit’s leaders had meticulously utilised the “underground avenues” through which such arms were delivered to them in a clandestine manner.
Most of these arms were procured by the outfit’s leaders and their emissaries from southeast Asia, particularly Myanmar and Thailand. These were then smuggled through the jungle trails stretching from Myanmar to Mizoram’s western flank.
Once the arms came to Champai district in Mizoram, the gunrunners from the Chin community oversaw the transfer of these to North Cachar Hills via Cachar district through National Highway 54.
The police said an arms smuggler, Lal Liana, 41, had over the years masterminded the quiet transfer of arms from Mizoram to NC Hills.
Sources in Mizoram police, who are in the know of things, confirmed that most of the arms used to be procured from Chaing Mai in western Thailand, described to be a veritable arms bazaar. The surrendered arms were placed in an armoury of the 5 Assam Police Battalion at Sontilla under the joint supervision of the DHD (J) and the district police.
The surrendered militants have been accommodated in two camps in Jatinga, about 10km from Haflong, and Kapucherra, 30km from Haflong.
Deadline ends, KSU to protest OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Shillong, Sept. 15: Meghalaya was today staring at an agitation by the Khasi Students Union after the latter’s 15-day deadline to scrap the cabinet decision to allow the Uranium Corporation of India Limited to carry out pre-development projects at the mining sites evoked no response.
As the deadline ended at 5pm today, the KSU decided to announce its agitation programme after a meeting tomorrow.
“As the government had not responded positively, the central executive committee of the KSU will meet tomorrow to discuss our future course of action,” KSU president Samuel Jyrwa said today.
He claimed that the rally organised by the KSU last evening at one of the mining sites in West Khasi Hills was well attended with several landowners rejecting the project.
“The landowners of Domiasiat and Nongtnger are against mining,” he said.
According to him, the landowners who are supporting uranium mining had been “paid” by UCIL.
On the rally at Iew Umdohlun, West Khasi Hills yesterday, Jyrwa said that the people who attended the meeting agreed with the views of the KSU that mining would only cause harm.
Besides the KSU, Langrin Youth Welfare Association and political party HSPDP also opposed the activity in West Khasi Hills.
According to Jyrwa, the UCIL-sponsored projects were not meant for the development of backward areas. He said that the Rs 209-crore pre-development project would only benefit the staff and family members of UCIL.
HSPDP president H.S. Lyngdoh criticised the 12 cabinet ministers for taking an “anti-people stand” on mining.
He said uranium mining would lead to health and environmental hazards, besides largescale influx of illegal immigrants.
Chief minister D.D. Lapang last night said that the government would not change its stand on the issue of uranium mining. The government had sent a letter to the KSU that the cabinet would not go back on the August 24 decision to allow the UCIL to carry out the spadework at the mining sites, he added.
Discussion on Bodoland University
: From our Correspondent
KOKRAJHAR, Sept 16: The BTC authority recently held a meeting with people of different field especially the academicians, educationists, Senior citizens, MLAs, ex-MLAs, retd Principals to discuss on the present status of Bodoland University, BB Engineering College and CIT, Kokrajhar.
The meeting was held in the DC’s Conference Hall, Kokrajhar, which was chaired by BTC chief Hagrama Mahilary.
The meeting after taking learned opinions and suggestions of the members present, decided and constituted a nine-member high power committees headed by BTC chief Hagrama Mahilary, as chairman and PK Hazoary, secretary education, BTC as member secretary. The meeting also decided that in each executive body or Board of Governors, there should be members from the BTC in the interest of smooth running of the institution.
The high powered committee will expedite work to address various shortcomings of the three institutions and for that matter will take up with the authorities concerned.
The Principal of the CIT, Kokrajhar, information that a total of 240 seats against the six courses introduced in the CIT have been sanctioned.
Regarding the status of BB Engineering College, the BTC chief informed that the affiliated approval has been obtained from the All India Institute of Technical Education. He further informed that, in regard to faculty and other appointments, the matter is now with the Finance Department, Asom for sanction. For infrastructure of the college on its 900 bighas of land at Kokrajhar, the Government has already sanctioned and released Rs 1.2 crore out of the estimated 10 crore.
The meeting was attended by Dy. chief Kampa Borgayary, education EM Emmanuel Mushahary, EMs– Sabharam Basumatary, Lwmshary Daimary, Majen Narzary, MLA Kamala Kt Mushahary, general secretary of Bodo Sahitya Sabha, PK Hazoary, secretary BTC, Carol Narzary, DC and Kokrajhar campus GU Registrar Dr Sekhar Brahma.
Insurgency has blemished ethnic brotherhood in state: Governor The Imphal Free Press

Imphal, Sept 15 : Insurgency and ethnic strife amongst the different communities have blemished the long history of peaceful coexistence, unity and brother hood amongst the myriad groups inhabiting in Manipur.

This was stated by the Governor Gurbachan Jagat while inaugurating the golden Jubilee celebration of DDK Imphal at JN Dance Academy Imphal this morning.

The Governor further said Manipur is blessed with nature’s bountiful munificence consisting of abundant natural material and manpower resources.

Once the normalcy is restored, not only would the process of development be accelerated, but also the fruits of development would reach all parts of the state, especially the interior areas, he said.

DDK by dint of their topical and valuable programmes, would help in bringing about a change in various regards, he added.

The Governor further said it is happy to note the DDK entering its 50 years of rendering national television service in country and the golden jubilee is an occasion for celebration and introspection.

He said, DDK devoted to the public service, is one of the largest terrestrial networks in the World.

Today. flagship of DDK operates through a network of 1308 terrestrial transmitters of varying power reaching over 89% of the population. There are additional transmitters giving terrestrial support to other channels. And it has been estimated that DDK earned around Rs. 4 billion during the last financial year from commercial advertisement, he said.

It is heartening to note that DDK has given high priority to the development of TV service in North-Eastern. The hilly terrain in this part of the country makes it necessary to have a very large number of transmitters. As soon on August 1, 1999, there were 119 transmitters in the NE. Television studios have been established in the capital cities of all six state of Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. All these TV centres telecast original programmes for a duration of 60-90 minutes on week days, he added.

State government also mentioned that, DDK is also implementing a scheme for telecasting on National network and on the Metro network specially commissioned programmes highlighting the culture heritage of the people of the NE, the developmental activities and challenges faced in this part of the country.

Lastly, governor mentioned that, as visual media have a greater impact on the mind of the people, the DDK should produce more and more programmes not only for entertainment and education, but also for effective conveying the message underlying the futility of violence and the need for peaceful coexistence for all section to promote national integrity and development of the state he added.

State Information minister TN Haokip presiding over the function today mentioned that, state government is pressurizing the centre for getting extending telecast programmes of DDK Imphal by providing direct satellite linkange facilities, on the other and the function as also attended by the state health and family welfare minister Ph Parijat as guest of honour of the function today and delivered his speech on the importance services provided by the medias towards various aspects of development in country as well as in the state.