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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. VIII ISSUE 269
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www.morungexpress.com
[ PAGE 08]
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Tuesday, October 1, 2013 12 pages Rs. 4
Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change Manmohan drove home to Pakistan: Dialogue contingent on cross-border peace
Sandra Bullock vows to quit acting for son
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Accused stands trial for 2011 Kirha rape-murder DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The accused in the July 2011 rape and murder of a 21 year-old woman at Kirha village, Dimapur faced trial on Monday at the sessions court, Dimapur. The defendant, Bekuto alias Beto Zhimomi was arrested by the police a month after the incident occurred. During the hearing on September 30, the prosecution witness was crossexamined. Two more witnesses will be examined on November 1, it was learnt.
VIP Security: Kaito admits cooperation
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): Nagaland Home Minister, G Kaito Aye has acknowledged the state’s Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Advisors, Chairmen and MLAs for their co operation in the release of security personnel, pilot/escort vehicles attached to them. The Home Minister in a press note further acknowledged “the concerns shown by various high profile officials in the State that they had voluntarily released their security personnel/vehicles attached to them.” He expressed confidence that the detached security personnel and vehicles can be used for the maintenance of law and order in the State.
NFHRCC to survey Western Sumi sector
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DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The Nagaland Foothill Road Co Ordination Committee along with the Nagaland state PWD (Roads & Bridges) is scheduled to survey the Nagaland Foothills Road in the Niuland area under the Western Sumi sector on October 2. A press note from the Convener and General Secretary of the NFHRCC informed that this decision was resolved on September 28. The NFHRCC has directed all committee members and requested all leaders of Western Sumi Hoho, Kyong Lotha Hoho and ASTD to accompany the committee along with the departmental official and to assemble at 6:30 am at the NGHRCC Treasurers, Yashitsungba Aier’s residence in Kher Mohul, Dimapur. It added that the team will then proceed at 7:00 am towards Governor’s camp Doyang river.
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–Muhammad Ali
Ecotourism workshop at Yuvraj Mopungchuket Village underway returns to Indian [ PAGE 02] squad Syria: Amid rare unity, [ PAGE 12 ] UNSC mulls action
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lalu Prasad is held All govt tax transactions go online from october 1 guilty in fodder scam Morung Express news
Inverters are very expensive so I bought lamps instead!
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RANchI, SEP 30 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and 44 others were Monday convicted for illegal withdrawal of millions of rupees from the animal husbandry department in Bihar, in what is popularly known as the fodder scam, by a CBI special court here. The former Bihar chief minister faces a maximum punishment of a life term as he was convicted for offences of criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating and conspiracy, among other charges, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the 1996 case. The quantum of sentence against Lalu Prasad and 37 convicts will be announced Oct 3. Eight convicts were sentenced Monday itself. “Special Judge Pravas Kumar Singh found all the 45 accused guilty,” a CBI lawyer told reporters. Those convicted by the trial judge included former chief minister Jagannath Mishra of the Congress and Janata Dal-United MP Jagdish Sharma, for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.377 million from Chaibasa district treasury. After the division of Bihar in 2000, Chaibasa district is now in Jharkhand. Some of the fodder scam cases were transferred to the new state for trial. The court gave eight convicts
• Lalu sent to Birsa Munda Central Jail • Sentence to be announced on October 3
Indian politician and Rashtriya Janata Dal party chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav, center, arrives at a special court held by Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI, for a verdict in the 15-year-old “fodder scam” case, in Ranchi on Sept. 30. (AP Photo)
three years imprisonment and slapped fines ranging from Rs.50,000 to Rs.5 million on them. They included former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Dhruv Bhagat and former secretary of animal husbandry department K. Arumugam. After the day’s proceedings, Lalu Prasad was sent to Birsa Munda central jail in Ranchi. Lalu Prasad’s eldest son Tejsavi told reporters that the judgment would
be challenged in a higher court. Lalu Prasad reached Ranchi Sunday along with Tejasvi by a plane and stayed in the railway guest house. On way to court in the morning, the former Bihar chief minister offered prayers at the Durga temple on Ranchi’s Ratu Road. RJD leaders, including Lok Sabha member Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Prabhunath Singh and Lalu’s brother-in-law Sadhu
Petrol price cut by Rs 3.05, diesel to cost 50 paise more
against the rupee. In a parallel move, diesel price was hiked by 50 paise, excluding VAT, in line with the January decision of the government allowing oil companies freedom to raise prices in small doses every month to wipe out mounting losses. Today’s hike in the ninth since the January 17 and most of the losses on diesel sales should have been wiped out by now to make the fuel market priced. But the fall in rupee, around 25 per cent since April, has worsened the situation.
Yadav, were present in the courtroom when the judgment was pronounced. The verdict is crucial for Lalu Prasad and his political future since the central government ordinance that would have shielded convicted parliamentarians and legislators from disqualification may be withdrawn after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi trashed it. Related news on page 8
From October 1, the Department of Taxes of the Government of Nagaland will make all its services available online. All statutory forms will now be mandatorily issued through the internet via its website www.nagalandtax.nic.in. In collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Karnataka, the Department has developed a web-based application software termed ‘Taxsoft’ in order to provide various e-services to the taxpayers and citizens of Nagaland State. E-services available include registration, returns, electronic payment, refunds, check post operations, audit and assessment, issuance of statutory forms, transfer and cancellation of registration, declaration by dealers of their purchases and sales, declaration by dealers of their TDS deductions and way bills. While these services have been available to taxpayers since 2011, the option for manual procedures (offline issuance of Statutory Forms) will no longer be available from October 1, 2013. According to an official from the Department, the new system aims to
bring more transparency in tax transactions, as well as curb malpractices from both sides, i.e., the government and the dealer. As per the Department of Taxes records, since 2011, the e-services have been able to attract tax payments to the tune of Rs. 55.29 crores. The system cuts the amount of time spent by the dealer to pay taxes through the treasury, banks and the Department from 2-3 days to 5 minutes through their online account. However, the only authorized bank through which online payments can be made is the State Bank of India. Dealers and assessee can avail these e-services by obtaining a User ID and Password from their respective district/ward Superintendent of Taxes, after whose approval the dealers can directly get online forms printed from their account. The issuance of forms like C, F etc. will be facilitated by the ‘e-CST module’ under ‘Taxsoft’ through which dealers can request for online statutory forms, making use of their User IDs provided by the Department. This system has been developed by a team of NIC, Karnataka, in a way as to incorporate manual/ offline forms issued as well, where dealers had the facility to enter ‘interstate transaction details’ into the
system, thereby facilitating the Department to capture information on each transaction. The system has a facility of forms verification. Citizens/dealers can use this facility by clicking the link “FORM VERIFICATION” from the Department’s website home page and verify the genuineness of the forms issued online. While the Department of Taxes has conducted workshops in September to acquaint nearly 2000 dealers from the State with this “user friendly” online system, many dealers have raised apprehensions about the same and confusions remain. Uneasiness with using computers and the internet have been expressed by some of the dealers, not to mention the state of the internet and electricity in the State. To get around this, the Department has authorized nine Dealer Facilitation Centres in Dimapur (4), Kohima (3), Wokha (1) and Mon (1) to support taxpayers to avail e-services at a “nominal fee.” The Department of Information Technology will also aid the process with its 63 Common Service Centres that have been set up across Nagaland State to provide “various government-tocitizens services and government-to-businesses services.”
personnel did not check the power lines immediately, which left residents in the dark for the night. However, the exact cause for the blackout is not known as the power department could not be contacted. On Friday morning, the adjoining Changkikong and Japukong ranges were also affected. Power supply to Mangkolemba town was restored by Sunday evening; however Japfukong range is still reeling under darkness. The resident disclosed
that she had called the Junior Engineer (Power) incharge of the area to complain about the extended blackout out. “Whenever I call him (JE), he always replies the he will send them (department personnel) as soon as possible. But, the action seldom happens. He has not told me what the problem is,” she stated. There has been no official intimation by the power department till date for the reason of the blackout. Meanwhile, the people
are finding it extremely difficult to live without power supply. It was also informed that the citizens who cannot afford inverters have been chargingtheirmobilephones during the church services, as the generator is switched on during the service. “In Japukong area it’s normal for the supply to get disrupted for two-three days in a week. But blackout for five days and with no news of power being restored is really frustrating,” a resident of Longchem town lamented.
two could not spell the given words. When Mhayani’s turn came, she was asked to spell ‘Hierarchical,’ which she spelled correctly. “I was lucky because I got the spellings which I knew.” she says. The fourth child in the family of five, Mhayani hails from Wokha where her family resides. Her father is a State District Educational Officer (SDEO) at Bhandari and her mother is a teacher in a Government High School in Wokha. With the prize money, Mhayani has donated Rs. 10,000 to the student welfare fund in her school, paid her school fees, gave her tithe in the church and the rest she has deposited in her bank account. Mhayani feels that there is nothing that beats hard work but ultimately God should be in the picture. “Everything is possible if you try your best. Give your best but you should not forget God.” says Mhayani.
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): More than two months into the trial proceedings of the 2004 Dimapur twin blasts, three of the nine defendants named in the case sought acquittal from the charges filed against them. Appearing before the Sessions judge, Dimapur on September 30, the defendants, namely – Ranas Ali, Abdul Kalam and Shajan Ali sought discharge on grounds of alibi. According to the pleas of alibi, submitted by Ranas Ali and Abdul Kalam, the duo was not in Dimapur when the blasts occurred. They stated that they were both serving prison time in Diphu jail at the time. In the case of Shajan Ali, he stated that he was admitted at the district hospital, Dimapur when the blasts took place. Their pleas were however struck down by the judge under the conditions stat-
ed in section 34 (common intention) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal code. Shajan Ali and Abdul Kalam, according to charge filed by the police, were part of the group which planted the first bomb at the Dimapur Railway Station. Ranas Ali was charged of being part of the second group which planted the second bomb at Hongkong Market. It was further learnt that two separate charges were filed against the two groups as the places of occurrence fell within the jurisdiction of two police stations. The charges were however clubbed and considered as one as per the conditions stated in section 219 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The next hearing is scheduled on October 29. The judge fixed October 29 as the next date of hearing wherein statements of witnesses will be recorded.
Dimapur | September 30
fuel Price see-saw Five-day blackout in Japukong range
NEw DElhI, SEPTEMBER 30 (PTI): Petrol price was on Monday cut by Rs 3.05 per litre, the first reduction in rates in over five months and the steepest in over five years, while diesel prices were raised by 50 paise a litre. The price changes announced by oil companies are excluding local sales tax or VAT and will be effective midnight tonight. While petrol price cut has been made possible because of appreciation in rupee value against US dollar, diesel
rates are being hiked as per the practice of increase in rates by small monthly doses to cover losses. Since June petrol prices have been raised seven times, totalling Rs 10.80 per litre, excluding VAT as the rupee depreciated sharply
Morung Express news
Mokokchung | September 30
Residents of Japukong range under Mokokchung district are going through a hard time due to power failure since the morning of September 26, Thursday. One resident at Longchem EAC Hq disclosed that heavy rainfall for hours on September 26 was followed by the inevitable stoppage of power supply (A recurring trait in Nagaland). She informed that power department
World is ‘not ready’ Mhayani Murry: Spelling her way to victory 2004 Dimapur twin blasts: Three defendants submit pleas of alibi for aging population Vibi Yhokha
Kohima | September 30
Kristen Gelineau Associated Press
The world is aging so fast that most countries are not prepared to support their swelling numbers of elderly people, according to a global study going out Tuesday by the United Nations and an elder rights group. The report ranks the social and economic well-being of elders in 91 countries, with Sweden coming out on top and Afghanistan at the bottom. It reflects what advocates for the old have been warning, with increasing urgency, for years: Nations are simply not working quickly enough to cope with a population graying faster than ever before. By the year 2050, for the first time in history, seniors over the age of 60 will outnumber children under the age of 15. Truong Tien Thao, who runs a small tea shop on the
sidewalk near his home in Hanoi, Vietnam, is 65 and acutely aware that he, like millions of others, is plunging into old age without a safety net. He wishes he could retire, but he and his 61-year-old wife depend on the $50 a month they earn from the tea shop. And so every day, Thao rises early to open the stall at 6 a.m. and works until 2 p.m., when his wife takes over until closing. Thao’s story reflects a key point in the report, which was released early to The Associated Press: Aging is an issue across the world. Perhaps surprisingly, the report shows that the fastest aging countries are developing ones, such as Jordan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Vietnam, where the number of older people will more than triple by 2050. All ranked in the bottom half of the index.
Entourage, Confetti and Hierarchical were the three final words that made Mhayani Murry the winner of the 2nd Spelling Bee Competition in Nagaland. She walked away with a prize of Rs.50, 000 – one of the most coveted prizes for students in Nagaland. “I didn’t expect to win. I am still wondering. There were really smart competitors out there. I guess I just got lucky,” says seventeen year-old Mhayani who prepared for the Spelling Bee Competition for three weeks using an Oxford Dictionary. Mhayani who is currently studying in the 12th standard in Science stream at Model Higher Secondary School Kohima heard about the competition from her Vice Principal, where she was selected in a trial. “I used most of my free time reading the dictionary.
I took it to class and would read it in between classes.” she further adds. Mhayani had mixed feelings about the competition. It was both tough and easy for her. In the first round, they had to spell
Mhayani Murry
seven words, where she was able to spell four words. In the last three rounds, they had to spell one word each. In the final round, there were only three participants left and Mhayani was the last one in the serial number. The first
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2 Ecotourism workshop at Mopungchuket Village underway Dimapur
1 October 2013
Morung Express News
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International Day of Older Persons today KohIMA, SEPTEMBER 30 (DIPR): The International Day of Older Persons will be observed along with the commemoration of 50th year of Statehood of Nagaland by the department of Social Welfare on October 1 from 7:00 a.m onwards. Minister for Social Welfare, Kiyanilie Peseyie will grace the occasion by flagging off the walkathon at 7:00 a.m from Old MLA junction. A State Level function will be held in the Zonal Council Hall, Kohima at 8:00 a.m where awards will be given to two distinguished Senior Citizens-one male and one female. In addition, a special award will also be given to Neithonuo Liegise for distinguished service to aged persons. On the occasion various speakers will also be participating in the function.
A two-day workshop on ‘Strategic Planning and Capacity Building on Community Based Tourism’ got underway today at Mopungchuket Village under Mokokchung District today. The workshop is organized by Mopungchuket Community Tourism Society and sponsored by Mopungchuket Senso Mungdang. The resource persons for the workshop are RP Gurung, CEO of Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim, K Bhutia, Director of Kanchendzongpa Conservation Committee Sikkim and Amba Jamir, Consultant and Policy Analyst and SDFN. Stakeholders of the village including village council members, church leaders, teachers, cultural clubs, tourism committee, self-help groups, entrepreneurs, student community, are attending the workshop. The workshop is organized with the objective to conduct a participatory
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The Electoral Rolls has been prepared in accordance with the registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and a copy is available for inspection at the office of the ADC & ERO Dimapur, K Tarep Imchen, respective administrative officers and super-
visory officers and booth level officers. The qualifying date for the preparation of the Electoral Rolls is January 1, 2014. The ADC & ERO Dimapur has stated in a press release that if with reference to the stated qualifying date, there is any claim for inclusion of name in
the Roll or any objection to particulars in any entry, it should be lodged on or before October 31, 2013 in Form 6, 7 or 8 as may be appropriate. The ADC & ERO Dimapur stated that every such claim or objection should either be presented in his office of or the BLOs con-
cerned and area administrative officers and supervisory officers to reach him not later than the mentioned date. This notification was addressed to the electros of 1-Dimapur-I AC, 2-Dimapur-II AC, 3-DimapurIII AC, 4-Ghaspani-I AC, and 5-Ghaspani-II AC.
KohIMA, SEPTEMBER 30 (DIPR): RTI week will be celebrated in Nagaland along with the rest of the country from October 5 to 12. To create awareness and sensitise youth and future leaders about the importance of RTI Act 2005 as a tool for effecting good governance, the Nagaland Information Commission will be organising an interactive programme where the RTI short film and the RTI theme song will be screened/played in selected colleges in the State capital from 11 a.m. Kohima Science College on October 5, Kohima Arts College on October 8, Alder College on October 9 and Baptist College on October 10. In the district level there will be RTI slogan competition at the College and Higher Secondary Level. The RTI theme song and film will also be screened.
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): Nagaland minister for Youth Resources & Sports, Merentoshi Jamir, has said the solution to stabilize the fragile economy of the state lies in a shift to private sector and entrepreneurship. Referring to chief minister Neiphiu Rio’s speech in the last budget session that Nagaland’s economy is a “salary driven economy”, the minister also concurred that if salaries of the over saturated state government employees were to be withheld for a couple of months, then the state’s economy would crumble down (come crushing down). Merentoshi said with the saturation in government jobs and austerity measures introduced including the new pension scheme in the state where government employees
have to contribute an equal component of the pension fund, employment in the public sector was fast losing its sheen. In such a scenario, he said it was time for the youth of Nagaland to venture into the private sectors and entrepreneurship where there is no “retirement age.” Ironically, Nagaland which depends entirely on central funding has also the highest ratio of government employees in the country. The minister was addressing the inaugural session of the ‘Orientation programme for design clinic scheme for MSMEs’ organized by Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, here at Ana-Ki conference hall, Monday. Sharing his personal experiences, Merentoshi said before joining politics “I was also trying to establish my-
self as an entrepreneur and I know the problems faced by our entrepreneurs.” He also noted that Nagas sometimes have the wrong concept about business and entrepreneurship as they think that business should start with a bang with huge capital, instead of starting in a humble way and trying to capitalize on their innovations. Merentoshi, who is also the youngest minister in the present cabinet, however exuded confidence that in the next five to ten years, the state would have enough local entrepreneurs who would play a major role in sustaining its economy. He further expressed hope that the orientation programme Nagaland minister for Youth would go a long way in Resources & Sports, Meren- enhancing the quality and toshi Jamir, speaking at the productivity of Naga en‘Orientation. (Morung Photo) trepreneurs engaged in di-
verse sectors. Project head, Design Clinic Scheme, National Institute of Design, Shashank Mehta, in his keynote address said micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbones of any industry and that MSMEs contribute 94% of the total output of industries in the country. He said the objective of the scheme is to bring MSME clusters and design expertise to a common platform for solution on real time design problems. Director of Industries, Nagaland, Er. T Kire, in his address said it was encouraging to see young local entrepreneurs turning up in huge numbers to attend the programme. Earlier, Head, Centre for Industrial Extension IIE, Dr. Sriparna B Baruah, delivered the welcome address.
Screening of RTI film during RTI week
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The Morung Express
stakeholder consultation in the village, to discuss and develop a strategic framework so as to facilitate planned activities, as well as development of a system to ensure the sustainability of rural tourism in the village; To identify strategic partners, including tour operators and other tourist destinations in and around the district; and to conduct a basic capacity and skill development module for the villagers and the Mopungchuket Community Tourism Society. A striking feature of day-one of the workshop was the Appreciative Participatory Planning Action module of group discussion where the participants engaged in Three Ds – Discover, Dream, Design and Deliver. The day’s workshop was followed by a cultural extravaganza later in the evening. Mopungchuket village is a popular local tourist destination and recognized by the Government of Nagaland as a ‘Rural Tourist Village’ in 2007.
Mopungchuket | September 30
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ANCSU intending candidates informed Merali Fellowship, champion of the Dimapur Ao Baptist Church (DABA) Youth Ministry Hymnal Competition 2013 presents their song on September 29 last. Signal and Yongkum fellowship were adjudged second and third respectively of this annual hymnal competition where all the eight fellowships participated. Clueless Attention, Broken Mirror 13.1.13, Kongrolar, ARAI and others also performed during the event. Lipokmar Tzudir, Managing Director, Nagaland Conservatory of Music led the panel of judges and also exhorted the mass gathering. (Photo Courtesy: Toshi Longchar)
Electoral Rolls in draft prepared
‘Shift to private sector and entrepreneurship’
DC Kohima notifies on enforcement of traffic rules
KohIMA, SEPTEMBER 30 (DIPR): The Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, W. Honje Konyak has notified that as per the Regional Transport Authority Meeting, the District Administration along with the Police shall be conducting regular checking of under aged, untrained, and inexperienced drivers, use of mobile phones while driving, over speeding, over loading of taxis, enforcement of tinted car glasses as specified by Supreme Court, illegal usage of VIP beacon, name plates, flag post, illegal ‘no parking’, ‘reserve parking’, ‘for customers only’, and other unauthorized signboards. In this regards, all concerned are requested to cooperate with the law enforcing agencies.
NIDC bids adieu to MD
KohIMA, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): In the ensuing election to the office of the All Nagaland College Students’ Union for the tenure 2013-15 on October 4 during the 16th Biennial General Conference at Phek Government College, all the intending candidates for any post must produce a forwarding letter from the principal, head of the college or institution certifying the bonafide studentship of the college they are representing and a no objection to their intention. All intending candidates are requested to take note and come with the letter. This was informed in a press release issued by ANCSU president Vilhousielie.
Application open for Sainik School Punglwa
PEREN, SEPTEMBER 30 (DIPR): The application forms for admission into class VI and IX, at the Sainik School, Punglwa from October 14 to November 30. For class VI, students born between 2nd July 2003 and 1st July 2004 and for class IX, born between 2nd July 2000 and 1st July 2001, can apply. The application forms is Rs. 400 /- for general and Rs. 250 /- for SC/ST category. Model question papers of the last two years are also available for purchase at the school office on all working days from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The last date for submission of forms is December 7, 2013 and All India Examination will be held on January 5, 2014, at Kohima, Dimapur and Punglwa. For details log into www. sainikschoolpunglwa.nic.in
CANSSEA Dimapur Unit informs
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The CANSSEA Dimapur Unit has requested DDOs under Dimapur district to collect Rs 200 each from all employees and membership fee from 2010 onward @ Rs. 50 and submit on or before October 10 to Temjentoshi, Jt Director, Geology Mining and T Hekuto, registrar Dte. Land Reemds and Survey. CANSSEA Dimapur Unit general secretary in a press release stated that inspite of repeated request, so far only few departments such as taxation service association, comm., taxes DPO social welfare, DCO Art and culture DEO Evaluation have submitted one time contribution and membership fee towards Silver Jubilee Fund of CANSSEA.
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CEAF Exam conducted
ABoI, SEPTEMBER 30 (DIPR): Children Education Assistant Fund Examination (CEAFE) for the year 2013 was conducted at two centre- GHSS, Mon and Aboi in Mon District on September 28. Total number that appeared the exam was Class IX (236) and Class V (238). This examination was conducted peacefully under the direct Supervision of Rongsenlila, DEO, Mon. Assisted by nine selected invigilator including faculty members of GHSS, Mon and Aboi.
DKSU general meeting on Oct 2
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): Dimapur Kangching Students’ Union (DKSU) general meeting will be held on October 2 at 11:00 am at the treasurer’s residence, Mao Colony, Kuda village. All the students from class 11 to post graduate are requested to attend the meeting along with membership fee without fail. DKSU president Konjai T Phom has also requested the advisors to attend the meeting.
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ENPUK seminar on Oct 2
KohIMA, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): Eastern Nagaland People’s Union Kohima (ENPUK) will be organising a seminar on ‘Frontier Nagaland Statehood Demand’ on October 2 at State Academy Hall, Kohima at 10:00 am. ENPUK president David Thingchum in a press release has requested all college students and interested public from Eastern Nagaland living in Kohima to attend the seminar.
IMFL seized and destroyed in Mon
Outgoing NIDC MD, Nihoto Sohe speaks during the farewell programme on September 30 as General Manager, Bendangtoshi Longkümer (Right) looks on.
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DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): Nagaland Industrial Development Corporation (NIDC) bid adieu to its 19th Managing Director. The outgoing MD, Nihoto Sohe, who first joined as a Project Manager, was given a warm send off by the staffers on Monday, September 30. Speaking at the farewell programme, Sohe, who is retiring after 28 years of association with the NIDC, expressed his satisfaction of having joined the corporation, which has given him so much. Reminiscing on the days past, he said that there were low as well as high phases in the course of his career and in the process, sentiments might have been hurt. That however, he said is part of life and which he hoped would be forgiven and forgotten as professionals. Commenting on the posi-
tion of the NIDC at present, he said that the corporation is not as dynamic as it had been some 10 to 15 years back. There is however, no denying the fact that it cannot regain itself, he added, and become the spirited and dynamic entity it used to be. General Manager, Takuyangba Jamir, speaking on behalf of the management, described Sohe as “an asset to the corporation”, while adding that his services to the NIDC will always be cherished. NIDC Officers Association said that with retirement, a new innings might have begun for Sohe yet the contribution he has made towards the association will always be remembered. The Commissioner & Secretary, Industries & Commerce will take interim charge of the NIDC till a full-time MD is instated.
MoN, SEPTEMBER 30 (DIPR): The Excise field personnel of Mon Hq have been holding surprise checking at various point during the month of September 2013, led by Yohan Konyak Asst. Inspector of Excise, Mon and his team have seized (IMFL) 400 bottles of MC Rum, 750 ml and 150 bottles of cannedbeer, Kingfisher 650 ml. All the accused persons were arrested and booked under NLIP 1989 Act. The seized article were deposited at the Excise Malkhana for destruction. In this regard the excise Officer headed by Superintendent of Excise, Mon warned all the liquor offender not to violate prohibition Act as strict checking and searching would be carried out in all suspected area within Mon District. They further appealed all the NGO’s under Mon District to give full co-operation in discharging Excise personnel duty and function in the days to come.
KCCI and trade union meeting on Oct 4
KohIMA, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): A general meeting of the Kohima Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) and all trade unions within the jurisdiction of Kohima Municipal Council will be held on October 4 at 12:00 noon in the KMC Conference Hall. KMC CEO Elizabeth Ngully in a press note has requested all concerned to attend the meeting without fail.
Students’ Capacity Enhancing Programme on October 4
WoKhA, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The Don Bosco Alumni Association, Wokha Unit will be conducting ‘Students’ Capacity Enhancing Programme’ on October 4, at DBHSS Youth Centre, Wokha, with Limasunep Jamir, IPS, (SP Wokha) as the special guest. DBAA Wokha General Secretary, Erenbeni Kikon in a press release stated that the resource persons for the programme would be N Janbemo Humtsoe, President, DBAA Wokha, and Dr. A Yanrenthung Jami, Medical Officer, DMM Hospital, Wokha.
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Regional
The Morung express
1 October 2013
CAG criticises Arunachal health department Itanagar, September 30 (ptI): The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has criticised the health department of Arunachal Pradesh for lack of strategic plan for long term health care requirement of the state and roadmap to create the required infrastructure and facilities needed. According to the latest CAG report which was tabled in the state Assembly on September 23, deployment of available manpower in the department was not rational as there was excess deployment at hospitals in urban areas depriving the rural population of other districts from proper health care services. During 2007 to 2012, the department could not spend the allocated funds and the total unspent provisions under plan expenditure during the period were Rs 32.13 crore, the report said. Bio-medical waste plants in six districts of the state were yet to be operational and bio-medical waste were disposed off in unscientific manner,
the report pointed out and added that the objective of tele-consultation and dissemination of information, which could have benefited patients in peripheral and rural hospitals, could not be achieved as machinery and equipment worth Rs 4.52 crore for setting up of the telemedicine system were lying idle. "Several equipments remained idle as the same were purchased without providing the complement infrastructure and manpower required for their functioning," the report said. Moreover, the department incurred avoidable expenditure of Rs 70.06 lakh on procurement of medicines and inadequate facilities resulted in unhygienic storage of drugs and medicines in hospitals and other health units. Medicines were distributed and utilised by hospitals and other health units without carrying out quality testing. The two drug de-addiction centers in Lohit district remained nonfunctional even after in-
curring huge expenditure on their establishment for want of trained manpower, the report said. The state government with an aim to eradicate the menace of drug addiction rampant in the district, set up two de-addiction centers at Tezu and Lathao. The Tezu centre was established during 20002001 with central assistance of Rs 8 lakh. The Lathao centre, established way back in 1970-71, has been used as primary health centre (PHC). "An estimated Rs 3.5 crore was proposed for improvement of infrastructure in the Lathao centre during 2008 and accordingly the first phase instalment of Rs 1.3 crore was released in the same year under SPA (special plan assistance). However, the centre was handed over to the department by water resource development (WRD) department, the construction agency, in March 2010 and since then it was lying idle for non-de- An artisan paints idols of Hindu goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival in Guwahati, ployment of trained man- Assam on Monday, September 30. The five-day festival commemorates the slaying of a depower," the report added. mon king by goddess Durga marking the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Abdomen operation instead of mouth: Doctors face action 3rd World Zomi Convention
agartaLa, September 30 (IanS): The health department of the Tripura government has served notice on several doctors and other staff of a hospital here after a patient's lower abdomen was opened and the urethra operated upon instead of a mouth biopsy, a minister said Monday. The incident occurred at a government medical college in the state capital recently. Four doctors and three other medical staff have received notice in the matter, state Health Minister Tapan Chakraborty said. "The health department has served showcause notices to four doctors and three health staff. After getting the replies to the notices, the govern-
Four doctors and three other medical staff recieve notices ment will take stern action against the erring medical personnel," Chakraborty told the Tripura assembly. "The committee headed by a director in the health department found negligence by the medical team which conducted the erroneous operation," the minister said. The minister said the error occurred as the medical college had another patient by the same name, who was admitted with urethra-related problems. The issue
rocked the ongoing monsoon session of the Tripura assembly. Pressure from civil society groups has forced the government to probe the matter. Following the advice of senior doctors, Ratan Das, 53, a small-time trader from southern Tripura, was admitted to the Gobinda Ballav Pant Medical College and Hospital earlier this month. He was to undergo a biopsy of his mouth. But doctors conducted surgery on his lower abdomen and ure-
UBC youth initiate social work
thra instead. Another patient by the same name, Ratan Das, 45, with abdomen and urethra-related problems was also admitted to the hospital, the minister said. Trader Ratan Das's wife Jhulan filed a complaint with the police, health minister and other authorities, seeking action against the medical staff responsible for the error. The East Kotwali police is probing the matter. Cutting across party lines, legislators belonging to both the ruling Communist Party of IndiaMarxist and the Congress have been demanding strict action against the negligent medical staff, so that such incidents do not happen again.
ImpHaL, September 30 (nnn): The 3rd World Zomi Convention will bring varied personalities, organisations and political leaders of different ideologies under one roof, which will commence from October 25 at Churachandpur district headquarters in south Manipur. Union minister and AICC member Oscar Fernandes, former Mizo separatist leader and exMizoram chief minister Zoramthanga, leaders of United Naga Council (UNC), All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO) representatives, Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh and others are expected to participate in the threeday mega event.
NOTICE
Whereas application under succession Act 1925 for grant of Succession Certificate for the estate of Lt.E.Litsemo Lotha(deceased), has file by Smti.Tsenasali Lotha relation wife R/o Oriental Colony to draw his Family Pension, Bank Account, Landed Property etc,who expired on 5/9/13. Patta No.390, Dag No.464, Block No.10, Mauza No.2 Notice is hereby given that any person having interest in the administration of the estate of the said deceased, may if he/she so desires appear in this court on the said day of 30/10/13. Deputy Commissioner Dimapur: Nagaland
ZION HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE
Meanwhile, a pre-mega programme christened as 'A Lead Up Event' has been planned on October 5, which is 20 days before the actual event. The 'Lead Up Event' will be held at SYO Hall, Simveng under the theme, 'Marching on...be a blessed nation'. In the run-up to this three days programme, the Zomi Council under the chairmanship of LB Sona is spending sleepless nights preparing for the success of the Convention. According to the programme, cultural troupes from Meitei community and the Nagas will present their items during the Convention. Well artistes bands will also showcase their best during the Convention.
UROLOGIST FOR CONSULTATION/OPERATION Dr. JOY N. CHAKRABORTY MS.DNB (Surgery), DNB Urology, FRCS consultant Urologist from Guwahati will be available for consultation on 09th October 2013 (Wednesday).
*** LASER TREATMENT AVAILABLE FOR URINARY STONES***
Volunteers during the UBC Youth initiated social work.
UKHrUL, September 30 (mexn): UBCyouth, in its second year initiative of ‘Ukhrul Town Beautification Campaign’ undertook a social work starting from September 27. A press note informed that the area covered in the campaign includes the most visited public places from Mini secretariat to Gandhi Avenue. The last leg of the campaign will be carried out on October 2. Dr. Shailesh Kr. Chourasia [IAS], the Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul visited Gandhi Avenue to interact with the Christian youth leaders and the volunteers. “We have had too many seminars and talking, it is time for us to act” he quipped. He encouraged the young people and appreciated their efforts to keep the town clean and healthy, saying, “roads are the images of this town, and we will be referred to by its appearance.” He fur-
ther encouraged to continuing spreading awareness to the public. Young volunteers braved the rain by cleaning drainages and picking up plastics and distributing pamphlets to people. Worshang Hungyo [IAS], SDO of Ukhrul also visited during the cleanup of Mini Secretariat area and extended his support and appreciation for the initiatives, the UBC-youth are taking to keep the town clean. The Christian youth leaders maintained that poor management of wastes, both liquid and solid is a severe threat to the public health concern and cleanliness. The youth leaders updated that, they had formed a sub-committee and that they are preparing their findings and suggestions to manage both solid & liquid wastes efficiently. The report will be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner and other
concerned organizations to take necessary measures and safeguard public health and environment.
Patients requiring Consultation/Operation for Urinary problems, Prostate, Kidney & Bladder Stone may contact the Reception for Registration. For Registration, please contact 03862- 231864, 227337, 224117
NAGALAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION KOHIMA. Dated Kohima, the 30th Sept.2013.
ADDENDUM/CORRIGENDUM
NO.NPCS/ADVT/NON-TECH/1-2010: Reference to the Commission’s Advertisement NO. NPSC-2/2013 Dated 17th June, 2013 and Notification No NPSC/ADVT-TECH/1-2010 dated 4th July 2013, the following posts shall be added/decreased under NCS,NPS,NSS & Allied Services, 2013. ITEM NO. 6: (a) 1 (One) post of Child Development Project Officer (Class-I Gazetted) under Social Welfare Department. (b) 3 (Three) posts of Supervisor (Class- III Non-Gazetted) under Social Welfare Department. ITEM NO. 7: 2 (Two) posts of Senior Inspector of Cooperative Societies. SICS, (Class-III Non-Gazetted) under Cooperation Department. ITEM NO. 8: 15 (Fifteen) posts of Junior Divisional Accountant. JDA, (Class-III Non Gazetted) under Treasuries & Accounts Department. ITEM NO. 9: 1 (One) post of Research Assistant, (Class-III Non-Gazetted) Reserved for Angami tribe, under Art & Culture Department. ITEM NO. 4: The number of Posts of Inspector of Taxes (Class III Non-Gazetted) under Taxation Department has been decreased from 12 (Twelve) Posts to 8 (Eight) Posts vide Finance Department (Revenue Branch) Letter NO.FIN/ TAX/23/79(Pt) dated Kohima, the 10th September 2013. QUALIFICATION : Item No. 6, 7 & 8: Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline including Divinity from Recognised University. Item No. 9: Graduate preferable with one of the following subjects History, Anthropology, Sociology, Geography & Economics. SCALE OF PAY : Item No. 6(a) : PB-3, Rs. 15,600 – 39,100, GP- Rs. 5,400. Item N0. 6(b), 7, 8 & 9 : PB-1, Rs. 5,200 – 20,200, GP- Rs. 2,800. AGE AS ON 01-01-2013 : Minimum Maximum. Item No. 6 to 9 : 21yrs. 30yrs. Provision to exercise post preference will be given to the candidates after declaration of the Mains examination result. Other terms and conditions of the Advertisement referred to above remain the same. Sd/- SARAH R. RITSE Secretary, Nagaland Public Service Commission, Kohima.
KoLKata, September 30 (IanS): The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading a separatist movement in West Bengal's Darjeeling hills, Monday said the central government has convened tripartite talks Oct 23 on the Gorkhaland issue. "I am happy to get a call from the central government for tripartite talks on the long pending demands of the Gorkhas. The talks are scheduled on Oct 23. The GJM believes that our demand can be solved with dialogue. "We are also appealing to the centre for withdrawing central forces immediately," GJM chief Bimal Gurung said on his official Facebook page. The GJM-led Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee (GJAC) -a forum of proGorkhaland parties which has been carrying out an intensified movement demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland, Sep 10 suspended its agitation till Oct 20 in deference to the ap-
Dimapur
peal by union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to facilitate tripartite talks. Following hectic parleys by the GJM with the central leadership, Shinde earlier in the month assured the Gorkha outfit of tripartite talks on the issue. On July 18, 2011 a tripartite agreement was signed between the Gorkha outfit and the state and central governments creating the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), an autonomous hill council with the GJM at the helm. However, the GJM has maintained that the GTA was "not autonomous" and said it will be "repealed at an appropriate time". Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has taken a stern stand on the Gorkhaland issue and ruled out any division of the state, has been cracking down on the GJM-led movement by deploying central and state security forces and arresting over 1000 Gorkha leaders and activists.
KOHIMA OLD AGE HOME
Wishing All Senior Citizens (60 plus)
Happy Long Life, Active and graceful Ageing. On 1st Oct 2013 “International Day for older persons”. (NEITHONUO T.LIEGISE) Founder & Managing Director
ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE JAKHAMA VACANCy
Walk-In Interview
for a temporary teaching position: 1. Economics For more information, contact 09436437544 or email: stjosephc@gmail.com
BAPTIST HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL TSEMINYU: NAGALAND
Silver Jubilee Celebration
INVITATION The BHSS family extends our cordial invitation to all the former Headmasters, Teachers and students to attend the Silver Jubilee Celebration on 6th of October 2013 at Tseminyu Town Baptist Church, Tseminyu from 10:00 AM onwards. Principal Contact: 9436062900
NEUROLOGIST FOR CONSULTATION Dr. R.R. Das MD DM (Neurology) from Guwahati will be available for consultation on 5th October 2013 (Saturday). Patients requiring consultation may contact the reception for registration.
3 Tripartite talks on Gorkhaland issue October 23: GJM Tuesday
Christian Institute of Health Sciences & Research, 4th Mile, Dimapur VACANCIES 1) Librarian (MSc in Library & Information Science)- 1 post 2) Medical Officer- MBBS with possibility of sponsorship to CMC Vellore 3) Material Resource Officer/Manager-MBA with minimum 3 years or MA with minimum 5 years experience in material resource management Candidates should submit the prescribed application form along with their supporting documents by 12th October 2013. Application form can be downloaded from our website-www.cihsr.in And address it to The HR Department, Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research, 4th Mile, Dimapur-797112 Or e-mail to:hrd.cihsr@gmail.com Contact Number: 03862-242555 (Extn no. 2209)
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND
DIRECTORATE OF EVALUATION NAGALAND: KOHIMA
NO.EVL/TPT/27/2010
Dated Kohima, the 30th Sept’ 2013
Loss of Government Vehicle The Government vehicle No. NL 10 7560 belonging to the Evaluation Department was lost on 28th September 2013 in New Market area, Kohima. The vehicle was detailed for official duty for Sustainable Mountain Development Summit. Details of the vehicle Type of Vehicle : Bolero SLX Colour : Rocky Beige Registration No. : NL 10 7560 Chassis No. : MA1PS2GAKA5D70711 Engine No. : GAA4C32244 Finders may please contact Directorate of Evaluation, A.G. Road, Kohima, Nagaland. Phone nos. 8014057262, 9612170228, 9436016708, 9436063516. (W. Chubala) Joint Director
C M Y K
4
Dimapur
public discoursE
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Honda launch limited edition variant of Brio GPRN/NSCN NEW DElhi, SEptEmbEr 30 the company aims to enhance sales Marketing & Sales, Jnaneswar Sen clarifies (AgENciES): Honda Cars India during the festive season. The new said in a statement. Honda Brio Ltd (HCIL) launched a limited edition variant of its compact car Brio priced at Rs 4.92 lakh (Ex-showr o o m Delhi) as
variant, which comes with various features including black interiors and new upholstery, also marks the second anniversary of the car in Indian market. “We are delighted to introduce the new ‘Exclusive’ edition of Brio with black interiors. It is our constant endeavor to provide freshness to our products and create excitement in the market,” HCIL Senior Vice President,
has been very well received in the Indian market and has cumulatively sold 54,095 units in the last two years since its launch, Sen added. The company said the new variant will have an ‘Exclusive’ emblem and would be available in three colours--Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver and Rally Red. Other features of the car include door visor, exhaust pipe finisher, back-up sensor and illuminated side-step garnish, the company said. Besides Brio, HCIL sells various car models, including sedans City, Accord, Amaze and sports utility vehicle CR-V in the country.
LG aims Rs 200 cr revenue from 4G-ready G2 smartphones gUrgAON, SEptEmbEr 30 (pti): Korean technology major LG expects to garner revenue of up to Rs 200 crore by 2014 from its 4G ready smartphones LG G2 that it launched today at a price starting from Rs 41,500. “We have set a target to capture 10 per cent of smartphone market share by end of 2014. At LG we innovate by learning from customers. LG G2 is an example for that. We are initially targeting Rs 150-200 crore revenue from G2 alone,” LG India Managing Director Soon Kwon said. The company has launched two models of 4G ready LG G2-one with 32 GB internal storage and other with 16 GB storage capacity. The 32 GB model of LG G2 is the highest priced model from LG’s stable in India. The storage capacity of both the phones is not ex-
pandable but LG is offering 50 GB of cloud storage free on the phones throughout the lifetime of product. “G2 is 4G ready and support TDD LTE frequency for which companies in India hold spectrum. Once the network is ready, we can upgrade these devices to support 4G. They will not have to buy new device for accessing 4G service. At present G2 will support 3G,” LG India’s Marketing head Amit Gujral said. Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel BSE -2.11 %, Aircel and others have spectrum for 4G services that can be provided using TDD LTE technology. As part of innovation in the phone, LG has introduced control keys at the back of the device and removed them from side panel.
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his press statement is issued to clarify on the 24th Sept. incident at Khumishi village where there was a standoff between the Naga Army and the NSCN (K) boys. On that particular day, the Naga Army fired a few shots in the air to let the NSCN (K) boys sense the presence of GPRN/ NSCN and in order to avoid confrontation. Immediately the Assam Rifles turned up into the scene. But the Naga Army honoring the ceasefire agreement retreated back. Prior to blank firing in the air, the Naga Army did not realize the presence of the Assam Rifles in the area. Ministry of Information & Publicity (MIP) GPRN/NSCN
“Do Not Come Home With Empty Hand”
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his is to highlight my humble opinion on the Naga National Movement without bias or to point fingers at factions or Naga leaders past and present. The appeal is made to all Naga citizen with the hope that one may find not too difficult to recapitulate the past circumstances leading to where and how we were yesterday to how and where we
Honour Elders: International Day of Older Persons
Background context:
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he United Nation has rightly declared the 1st October every year to be celebrated as the International Day of Elder Persons across the globe remembering their great contributions to the humanity of mankind in their prime of life. Despite the importance of the day in other parts of the world, in Nagaland, the people especially the youth have to go a long way to realize the noble vision of the world body. Consequently, the elders in the society are left to the pathetic state to fend for themselves alone. Having seen the vacuum , the Good Shepherd Ministry observed the day in 2001 for the first time in Nagaland as a wake up call of loving the Lord Jesus Christ who really cared for all equally including the older persons. Survey about the status of elders in the society and their welfare
After the celebration of the aforesaid day, the Ministry conducted a survey as to whether the Nagas honour elders in the society according to their culture and tradition. In the olden days, the Nagas honoured the elders in the society to the maximum. The head portion in a hunting expedition went to the oldest member of the hunting team. The biggest size of the fish caught in a fishing expedition went to the oldest number of the fishing team. Unfortunately, today despite the education, civilization and the modernization, they have forgotten such fine tradition and culture despite the slogan, “Old is gold”. The modern state is called, “ Welfare State” who does various activities for the welfare of the citizens especially the older persons who could not do much to sustain themselves. Hence, the State should stand to protect them, give due honour and assistance in all possible ways. In-
stead of looking after them, as per a reliable source the State Government is continuing to misuse even the meager old age pension which belong to the older persons. Shame on the welfare state, instead of welfare, it has become extortion of the welfare fund to the older persons. Hope the State will immediately stop such shameful corruption in the near future. State of Elders in church Well, the secular world without God may indulge in such shameless corruption even exploiting the helpless elders. But atleast people expect the church, the body of Christ who propagate “Love” as the greatest will fill up the gap. Because the Bible, the law of Christ command the Christians to honour the elders, the parents both in the Ten Commandments and the New Testament which is filled with love to the poorer , helpless, orphans, underprivileged , the elderly. The children have been specifi-
cally commanded to obey the parents in all respects to receive their blessings. But instead of obedience, honour and respect, parents continue to receive insult, condemnation and rejection. The crux of the question therefore remains, “Are you obeying the law of God or the law of Satan with full of vicesdisobedience, rebellion, violence, condemnation, persecution, destruction etcetera ? On this auspicious day, the 90 per cent Christians must repent for their sins of commissions and sins of omissions especially to the elders , the aged parents who have done their best for the welfare of their generation in their prime of life. Wake-up call to honour elders Dear sensible citizens, especially the 65 per cent youth of the society, let us honour elders and receive their blessings. History is full of such events. Let us not receive curse by displeasing,
dishonouring the elders. Let us remember the universal maxim, “Old is gold”. Let us preserve them, obey them, honour them, give their due share-love, respect, honour , in cash , kind and al possible assistance when they are alive. When they are gone, your presents will be useless. Let us rectify our foolish mistakes of even extorting their due shares. Instead extorting let us give, because in giving we receive. Let us love them and be loved by them. Let us recognize them and get their recognition. Let the great International Day of Older Persons bring the many old blessings which we have missed to receive from the elders. May the elders live long to pray for the young so that they may be able to live abundant life in the world. May the Almighty God bless us abundantly on the great day through the prayer of the elders. Dr. E. Renphamo Lotha GSM
The Morung Express
are today. It would mean an honest relook without bias at the past historical reality extending a little over half a century. The history clearly revealed that our forefather though not educated were already politically conscious much before they came into contact with the emissaries of GOI, Sir Akbar Hydari, the then Governor of Assam and Sri Gopinath Bordoloi, the then Premier of Assam in June 1947. It was they who negotiated with the GOI and sign an agreement known as 9 Points Agreements. The Nagas were not under any princely state but were under its own rule and therefore the agreement was not instrument of accession though it bears similar meaning. Under the 9 Points Agreement the Nagas were to remain under the Indian Union after Independence on conditions that all the Naga inhabited areas were to be amalgamated under one Administration Unit and that Naga areas earlier transferred out of Naga Hills District by the then British Govt. were to be returned to Naga Hills. However, the GOI failed to fulfill its commitment. Moreover no importance was shown to it as it was not even mention in the constitution enacted in 1950 whereas other similar agreements e.g. Art. 370 dealing with Kashmir was clearly mentioned. This led the Naga National leaders to conclude that ‘Indian cannot be trusted’ and thus in 1951 decided to take all steps to
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protect its freedom through plebiscite. Thus, Naga Movement for secession directly emanates from the failure of the GOI to fulfill its own written commitments made to the Nagas in 1947 9 Points Agreement and even the 16 Points Agreement of 1960. Today the GOI is holding peace talk with various Naga Leaders but without showing any sign of fulfilling past commitments it has made in writing to the Naga National Leaders in the past. In the given scenario therefore, it is becoming increasingly improbable to expect any solution to the long drawn Naga issue at this stage. On the other hand the Naga National leaders must also realize that the infighting and factionalising the Naga National Movement into many groups is only helping the GOI to escape from the responsibility of its own misdeeds. In view of the above it is high time the Naga National Leaders must come together as one under one Ato Kilonser (P.M.) and one Yaruwo (President) instead of holding on to so many factions. This is also precisely the reason why even as early as in 1992, the Angami Public Organization (APO) has courageously made a clarion call to all factions to unite or face non-cooperation. The message is still ringing loud and clear. Do not come back home with empty hand. T L Angami
Support For ACAUT and Foothill Road
aga society today is beset by many issues, some of which have profound and interlocking bearing on the economic, social, cultural, political and institutional fundamentals of our society. The issue of illegal and multiple taxations, as a case in point, has been a shared concern for many. This issue, thanks to the initiative of the ACAUT, has been rightly given greater public attention in the recent times. Like any other pressing issues, this too found its way into the Chakhesang discussion group on facebook. Ideas and concerns in various forms and tones were exchanged and to give the supporting voice of the members a public outlet through local print media is the logical outcome of the discussion. The initiative of ACAUT is certainly noteworthy given the complex socio-economic-political scenario of our society. How the public responds to this issue and how this would be addressed or resolved in turn will reflect what kind of future awaits us. Will our leaders represent or suppress the will of the people? The proposed ‘Foothill Road’ project made potentially implementable with the initiatives of various tribal organizations (spearheaded by Ao Senden) and participation of the State government is yet another issue that got its due appreciation from the participating members. There is a resurgent optimism that despite seemingly insurmountable and intractable problems afflicting our society, such problems can be tackled when different segments of our society come together with a unity of vision, purpose and direction. Issues like taxation or road referred to above are not just a matter of wishful thinking but workable issues that deserve the utmost attention and support of one and all. It is hoped that common good of the people would continue to guide such endeavors. Moderators: Rozelle Mero, Dr. Sao Tunyi, Rilo Therie, Vezo Luruo
Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.
_
LEISURE
Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box co ntains the digits 1 through 9.”
SUDOKU Game Number # 2664
DAILY CROSS WORD
CROSSWORD # 2676
Answer Number # 2663
DiMaPuR Civil Hospital:
STD CODE: 03862
Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital) Dimapur hospital Apollo Hospital Info Centre: Railway: Indian Airlines Northeast Shuttles Chumukedima Fire Brigade Nikos Hospital and Research Centre Nagaland Multispecialty Health & Research Centre
KOhiMa
Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home:
232224; Emergency229529, 229474 227930, 231081 233044, 228846 228254 231864, 230889 228400 232106 227607, 228400 232181 242555/ 242533 224041, 285117, 248011 230695/9402435652 131/228404 229366 22232 282777 232032, 231031 248302, 09856006026
STD CODE: 0370
Northeast Shuttles
100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202
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PhoNetic AlPhAbet
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ACROSS
E E u R O B E R T P T O D u E y
1. Dishes out 6. Lummox 10. Does something 14. warning signal 15. Possess 16. not aft 17. Big 18. Portent 19. Chimney channel 20. narrow-minded 22. a door fastener 23. Little bit 24. Pee 26. Response 30. a gold coin of ancient Persia 32. Bread maker 33. Open to arguments 37. Diva’s solo 38. Birds of peace 39. Bright thought 40. Reasoning 42. handouts 43. inn 44. Cantankerous 45. Contemptuous look 47. genus of macaws 48. Blend 49. Make pregnant
56. Verse 57. Lacquered metalware 58. Bedouin 59. ancient Peruvian 60. atop 61. Call forth 62. adolescent 63. Bristle 64. Captured
DOWN 1. French Sudan 2. Distinctive flair 3. Sourish 4. Therefore 5. Ore refinery 6. a combination of 3 notes 7. Tibetan monk 8. Baking appliance 9. False teeth 10. adversity 11. Part of the large intestine 12. armistice 13. Search 21. hearing organ 25. Tear 26. garments of goat hair 27. not 28. an outer surface 29. Meteorologist 30. Satan
31. air force heroes 33. Thorny flower 34. Doing nothing 35. Swerve 36. not difficult 38. waste 41. Furrow maker 42. Fishing net 44. Mineral rock 45. Rock 46. Daughter of a sibling 47. Sporting venue 48. Expectoration 50. Brood 51. Conspiracy 52. Exploded star 53. Out of control 54. give and ____ 55. Biblical garden
Ans to CrossWord 2675
CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862-282777/101 (O) 9436012949 (OC) WOKHA: 03860-242215 (O) 9402643782 MOKOKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/101 (O) 9856872011 (OC) PHEK: 03865-223838/101 (O) 9402003086 (OC)
MON: 03869-290629/101 (O) 9856248962/ 9612805461 (OC)
Toll free No. 1098 childline
O
DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/101 (O) 9436601225 (OC)
TUENSANG: 03861-220256/101 (O) 8974322879
ChiLD wELFaRE COMMiTTEE
W
KOHIMA: 0370-2222952/101 (O) 9436062098 (OC)
ZUNHEBOTO: 03867-220444/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC)
08974997923
MOKOKChung:
FiRE StAtiOnS
STD CODE: 0369
Police Station 1: Police Station 2 :
2226241 2226214
Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home: Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):
2226216 2226263 2226373/2229343
TAHAMzAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade
222246 222491
CHEVROLET CARS PRICE FOR OCTObER ‘2013 CaR MODELS
STaRTing PRiCE
SPARK 1.0 MCE
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The Morung Express
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Campaign to save the Amur ‘Holistic healthcare is a vital concept’ Falcons reach churches
Pastor of AG Church, Pangti signs to save the Amur Falcons.
Wokha, September 30 (mexN): Wokha Forest Division organized ‘Save Amur Falcon Signature Campaign’ in all the seven churches of Pangti, Sungro and Ashaa after the Sunday devotional service on September 29. Owing to the large scale hunting of the migratory Amur Falcons in the past, in these villages, the Forest Department has been working strategically to avoid any such re-occurrence this year. Several awareness programmes have been launched to make the communities aware of the legal, ethical, economical and ecological aspects of conservation. One such activity for the purpose, the signature campaign, was organised in the Baptist, Saint Paul, Assembly of God, Christian Revival and Nagaland Christian Revival churches of Pangti and Baptist Churches of Sungro and Ashaa. According to a press release received here, the church pastors also delivered special ser-
mons to make the people aware about the Biblical perspective of conservation. The sermons emphasized on following the wise stewardship entrusted on man by God to maintain the sanctity of His creation. The congregation were reminded that “The Earth is God’s and everything in it”, while being encouraged to restrain from becoming atrocious rulers of creation. The pastors cautioned the congregation about the ill consequences of living a lavish life by over exploiting natural resources. The Church pastors also asked the congregation to live a life of the “Spirit” and not of “Sin”, for “the suffering in the present is not worth comparing to the glory in future” - Romans 8:19-22. They also advised the people to harvest only whatever is needed because excess will anyhow perish like the bread that got infested with maggots in Exodus 16: 4 and 20. Failing to comply with this may cause aversion from
Lions Club invites to its peace poster drawing contest
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): Lions Club of Dimapur has acknowledged the 18 schools of Dimapur who have already confirmed to participate in the Lions International 26th Annual Peace-Poster Drawing Contest to be jointly organized by Lions Club of Dimapur and Lions Club of Dimapur Blue Vanda at Lions Club, Midland, Dimapur on October 2. This year, the theme for the contest is “Our World, Our Future”. The Club has also requested any interested school of Dimapur district or youth group to take the spot registration for three of their best painting students in the age group of 11 to 13 years (born between November 16, ‘99 to November 15, ’02) for the contest. There will be cash awards for the local as well as international winners, informed a release issued by chairman of the contest Ajay Sethi. All the participating students and school representatives have been advised to be at the contest venue on Wednesday, October 2 by 10:45am in respective school uniforms. They should be carrying the proof of their Birth date, the note read. They have also been requested to bring their own pencils/ crayons/ pens/ markers/ paints/ chalk etc. Drawing sheet in the size of 18” x 22” will be provided by the Lions family. For any further clarification, contact Chairman Lion Ajay Sethi, NIIT Dimapur Centre, Near S. D. Jain Girl’s College or Lion Asha Agarwal on 94368-30885/9612171341, or write to them at aks_dmr@yahoo.co.uk.
God inviting “Disaster from North” - Jeremiah 4: 9 and 12. The life of the ‘Spirit’ is in favour of conservation and this will bring glory in the form of greater benefits like Ecotourism. Hence, our needs should not be met from wild animals which, otherwise, would result in an unbalanced ecosystem leading to disaster. The campaign was co-ordinated by Kamdi Hemant Bhaskar, IFS, DCF; Zuthunglo, IFS, ACF and Punseni Khing, RFO. A team of Natural Nagas led by its chairman Steve Odyuo and convener Renchio Jami helped in organising the activities and volunteered at all the churches. Supongnukshi Ao, DFO, Wokha Forest Division, thanked all the churches immensely for their kind co-operation. He also appealed to the churches in all the Amur Falcon bearing areas in Nagaland to hold similar kind of activities for effective conservation of this “spectacular” migratory bird.
kohima, September 30 (mexN): Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Imkong L Imchen has stressed on the importance of providing holistic healthcare by taking into account all factors relevant to the health of a person. In his address on ‘Holistic Health Care’ organised by the Indian Chamber of commerce in Kolkata on September 27, Imchen said holistic healthcare is a vital concept which deserves importance. Opining that medical science is perhaps the fastest growing industry in the world, he said that the cutting edge technology is being increasingly used to care for patients. “Doctors are today making diagnosis and treatment more precise and refined. It is true that modern medical care has been concentrated on use of technology and hospitalbased curative medicine,” he added. India, he said, has a long
and rich history of the concept of healthcare which goes beyond the present dominant understanding of modern medicine. In Nagaland as well, Imkong said that long before the arrival of allopathic medicine, there were various forms of indigenous health care practices and practitioners like herbalists, bone setters, masseurs, poison extractors, and divination healers. He said that the Government of Nagaland has been undertaking a number of interventions in healthcare which are in line with the concept of holistic healthcare. In shouldering the responsibility of health care, the Government of Nagaland has undertaken Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in a few places, he informed. He also maintained that the use of the churches in spreading health education to the people is a common feature in health care deliv-
ery in Nagaland. The church is the one place where most people meet on a regular basis; he said adding that it becomes a platform in the village where various types of public information is passed. This platform is used to disseminate health awareness messages (IEC) and Behaviour Change Communication (BCC), he stated. The use of church platform is also largely responsible for the spread of HIV awareness message and decrease in stigma towards HIV positive people, he asserted. Imchen also stressed on the need to understand the local context and tap the rich cultural and traditional knowledge of healthcare. “Healthcare has to be socially relevant and culturally acceptable to the people. If we integrate this with the modern advances in medicine, we will be able to provide holistic healthcare to our people,” he added.
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): CHILDLINE Advisory Board (CAB) Dimapur held its official meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Dimapur on September 30. The meeting was held to discuss various children related issues and the need to tackle those, in order to create a healthy child protection system and a child friendly environment in the State. A short PowerPoint presentation was given by the City Coordinator CHILDLINE Dimapur, which highlighted some of the critical cases of child
abuse, child labour etc intervened by CHILDLINE, various awareness and campaign activities initiated by CHILDLINE and achievements of CHILDLINE under the supervision of CAB. The Board deliberated on some important agendas and challenges necessary to be undertaken for the welfare and safety of children in the society. DC Dimapur and Chairperson CAB Hushili Sema urged all the departments concerned to continue to extend their support towards CHILDLINE Dima-
pur and also congratulated CHILDLINE Dimapur for their pro-active role and continuous effort towards children in need of care and protection. Some of the agendas included formation of School Management Committee (SMC) in all the government schools as per the RTE Act, formation of District Task force on child labour, formation of District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), incorporation of CHILDLINE weblink in the State police website etc. This was stated in a press release received here.
CAB discusses various child issues
Monalisa’s second edition of poetry to be released Oct 2
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): The second edition of two volumes of Monalisa Changkija’s poetry – Weapons of Words on Pages of Pain and Monsoon Mourning will be released by Fr. Sebastian sdb, Professor, Department of English, Nagaland University, on October 2, 3:00 pm at the conference hall of NEZCC, Dimapur. Monalisa is a poet, writer and editor of Nagaland Page,
Besides releasing the book, Fr. Sebastian sdb will also make a power-point presentation on Monalisa Changkija’s poems. Professor Avakisit, Government College, Mon, will also present a review of her poetry. The second edition of Monalisa’s poems Monsoon Mourning was funded by the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), as a part of its year-long Silver Jubilee celebration.
The two volumes of poem also include literary analyses of her poetry to enable students of English Literature and poetry lovers to understand her poetry. It may be mentioned that some of Monalisa’s poems are included in the syllabi for High School students by the Nagaland Board of School Education, in the English Literature Undergraduate and Post-Graduate courses of the Nagaland
University, and in the M. Phil (English) course of the North Eastern Hills University. The first editions of Monalisa’s first and second volumes of poems Weapons of Words on Pages of Pain and Monsoon Mourning were published by Write-On Publications, Dimapur, in 1993 and 2007 respectively. The second editions of both her volumes were published by Heritage Publishing House, Dimapur.
Free medical camps held at Indo-Myanmar villages Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): Department of Underdeveloped Areas successfully culminated the 2nd and 3rd phase Joint Venture Free Medical Camps in collaboration with IGAR (N), Medical Department and District Administrations for BADP blocks of Meluri, Pungro, Noklak and Thonoknyu on Sep-
tember 11, 13, 24 and 26 respectively with the theme, “Reaching out to them”. District Medical Department and Assam Rifle doctors who rendered their services for the Indo-Myanmar border block villagers were Captain Dr J. D. Bhalerao, 1AR accompanied by Maj S. Gupta, 1AR, Captain Dr Praveen
Jayarajan, 23AR, Dr Medotseituo Whuorie, MO Phor, Dr Nungshi Imchan, MO Laruri, Dr Holiba A. Anar, MO, Pungro, Dr Philip, MO, Shamator and Dr Chem Khiamniungan, MO Noklak. Altogether 976 patients availed medicines, minor dressings, injections and various ailment treatments, stated Director, Directorate of Under-
developed Areas Alan Gonmei in a release. The Joint Venture Free Medical Camps were exclusively meant for border area villagers through Border Area Development Programme (BADP) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Border Management, GOI.
moN, September 30 (Dipr): The long awaited health mela for the people of Monyakshu was conducted successfully on September 29 where a total of 1059 patients- 150 patients for Gynecologist, 172 for Pediatrician, 146 for Dental, 90 for eye test, and 501 availed general check up. Inspite of the tiresome jour-
ney, the team worked hard providing services to the needy. Dr. UK Konyak CMO, Dr Supongmenla Walling DPO (RCH&UIP), Dr MK Roy, Dr. Chingo, Dr. Pankathang, Dr. Shokwang and Dr Rukuwe led the team. There were eight nurses, 2 lab-techs, 2 from Malaria department, other NRHM staff. The Mela started at 6 am with a short programme in
the Church. Pongchai, BPM Tobu chaired the programme. Chairman VC, H. Sangti greeted all the Medical Team with a warm welcome and thanked the District Health Society (DHS) for bringing Health Service Providers along with medicines to their doorstep and that it is very beneficial for the people who cannot afford to go to the District Hospital and
also because of the bad road condition. Expressing gratitude to the people of Monyakshu, Dr. Supongmenla thanked the village for the hospitality and the arrangements. After which, Dr. UK Konyak elaborated on the topic “Prevention is better than cure”. Church deacons flagged off the programme with a mass prayer.
1059 patients avail health mela at Monyakshu
Kipili welcomes Vitamins Angels delegates from America Body recovered in dimapur
kohima, September 30 (Dipr): Parliamentary Secretary for power C. Kipili Sangtam and his wife hosted dinner in honour of Vitamins Angels delegates from America at his official residence, Kohima on September 29. In the formal function, C. Kipili Sangtam stated that Vitamin Angels is visiting the most remote places in the State and helping the rural people, especially infant and mother of eastern Nagaland. He encouraged them to go forward and do more good things for the nation. Kipili said that despite varied world advancements, there are many people who are still backward. Kipili expressed gratefulness to the American team for their efforts in securing the lives of infants and mothers nutrition to
the rural eastern Nagaland. He assured that the people of eastern Nagaland and Nagaland as a whole would give continuous support to their works. Stating that many people in Nagaland are not aware of the achievement of the health care programme, he encouraged the eastern women organization to give more awareness in health care focusing the work of Vitamin Angles. Earlier, Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation (ENWO) former president and now advisor, Asangla Cholong said that during her tenure, the eastern women started many programmes in continuous association with the Vitamin Angels. Asangla stated that association with Vitamin Angels not only secures the lives of
thousands of infants and mothers, but more importantly, bring awareness of importance of infants and mother nutrition to the rural masses of eastern Nagaland. Asangla said that Vitamin Angels’ medicine distribution not only secure the survival of infants, but also ensure future free of diseases, which can impair their growth. She also said that the initial improvement in lowering the infants mortality rate followed by the enthusiasm among mothers and families to enroll themselves and their children in Vitamin Angels programmes bring them a great sense of reward. Programme advisor India, Dr. Shilpa Vinod Bhatt (MD) said Vitamin Angels offers vitamin-A supplements to qualified non-
governmental organizations. He said it currently works with more than 110 NGOs in India that deliver vitamin-A to more than 3,100,000 children under 5 years of age. The Vitamin Angels approach is designed to be complementary to similar efforts by the government of India and consistent with accepted best practices adapted for local use. Dr. Shilpa programme disclosed that Vitamin Angles supported ENWO and targeted to reach out to 44,265 children (6 months to 5 years) in four districts of eastern Nagaland during 2011. She further informed that Vitamins Angels has visited across Mon, Longleng, Tuensang and Kiphire and visited local district hospitals, villages and communities.
Dimapur
5
MEx FILE LCS&RTI pays homage, closes office today Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): Life Consumer Society & RTI Dimapur District (LCS&RTI) has mourned the sudden demise of Kivito Achumi, Advisor of the society and one of the founding members of it. A condolence note issued by the press secretary of the society informed that he was an advisor of the RTI cell till his death. “The society will never forget his good deeds towards the society,” it acknowledged. In remembrance of the deceased, the society also had silent prayer led by its president Khekuto Tuccu on September 30. The society further condoled with the bereaved family members. It prayed that the almighty god grant them harmony. The society also informed the office staff that the office will remain closed on October 1 as a respect to the departed soul.
YAN executive meeting on Oct 2
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): The Youth Association of Nagaland (YAN) executive meeting will be held on October 2 at 2:00 pm. All the executive members have been asked to attend the meeting without fail.
Training on Micro Irrigation postponed
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): Training on “ Micro-Irrigation “ to be conducted by NERIWALM, Tezpur at the Directorate of Horticulture, Nagaland, Kohima, scheduled on October 3 and 4 has been postponed to October 7 and 8 respectively. Therefore, the AOs, AIs and AFAs nominated for the said training programme have been informed to report on October 7 at 9:00 am at the Directorate of Horticulture, Nagaland.
Capacity building on SREPs preparation at SAMETI
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): MANAGE Hyderabad is organizing a five days capacity building programme on preparation/re-visitation of SREPs, SEWPs and Operationalization of SREPs and ATMA at SAMETI, Medziphema from October 7 to 11. In this regard, the Director of Agriculture & State Nodal Officer, ATMA Nagaland has informed all the districts ATMA Project Directors to attend the same positively along with one DPD from each district.
Evaluation Department’s vehicle lost
kohima, September 30 (mexN): Government vehicle belonging to Evaluation Department, bearing Regd. No. NL 10 7560 was lost on September 28, 2013 in New Market area, Kohima. The vehicle was on official duty for Sustainable Mountain Development Summit, said Joint Director, Directorate of Evaluation W Chubala. Details of the vehicle are: Bolero SLX, Colour – Rocky Beige, Registration no – NL 10 7560, Chassis No. MA1PS2GAK5D70711, Engine No. GAA4C32244. Finders have been requested to contact Directorate of Evaluation, AG Road, Kohima, or call 8014057262, 9612170228, 9436016708, 9436063516.
Life Consumer Society and RTI Dimapur District informs
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): Life Consumer Society and RTI Dimapur District has informed all the public and business establishments that Aaron Zhimo was its office assistant for sometime, but the society terminated him in first week of June “for his anti social activities”. Therefore, it has asked any individual or business establishments to report to the office or any other law enforcing agency, if they find him doing any activities in the name of the society.
Excise Kohima seizes liquor
kohima, September 30 (mexN): The Excise duty party at Peducha, during the period from September 23 to 30 seized 228 bottles of 750 ml IMFL under NLTP Act ’89. The superintendent of Excise & Prohibition Kohima informed in a press release that the accused were penalized under NLTP Act and the seized articles were deposited in the superintendent of Excise & Prohibition office Malkhana Kohima.
DCC general secretary informs
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): General Secretary of District Congress Committee (DCC), Dimapur has informed that DCC in consultation with high command has constituted the following for smooth functioning of the party in the district. All concerned have been requested to be in touch with the president of different organizations. The District Youth Congress will be led by Itovi as president and Khutovi Ayemi, District Seva Dal chief will look after all the activities under District Seva Dal. Arang Pongen has been appointed as NSUI president of Dimapur district. Hence, all matter relating to NSUI will be dealt by him, the general secretary informed. All the party workers and well wishers have been therefore requested to co-operate with the above mentioned officials.
Youth Congress presidents informed
Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): All the youth Congress presidents in Dimapur I, II, III and 4th Ghaspani and 5th Ghaspani II are informed that the last date Dimapur, Septem- Age – About 28 years of submission for name list of four members from each ber 30 (mexN): An un- Complexion – Dark constituency to represent their respective constituenidentified dead body of a Height – About 5’6 ft cies at the District Youth Congress (DYC) is October 6. non-local male was found Hair – Short/ Black below Flyover Bridge near Dress – Cotton vest and or- Therefore, all the youth Congress presidents have been requested to submit the name list positively on or berailway tracks here on Sep- ange coloured half-pant tember 30. According to a If anyone has any in- fore the due date. press release issued by Ad- formation about the dead NSCW legal awareness campaign ditional Superintendent of body, contact the OC, East Police/PRO, the particulars Police Station, Dimapur at Dimapur, September 30 (mexN): The Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) will be orof the deceased are: 03862 – 227607. ganising legal awareness campaign on ‘Statutory Rights of Women’ at Sao Chang College, Tuensang on October 4 at the College premises and Wangkhao College, Mon on October 8 at Council Hall, Mon respectively from 10:00 am onwards. This was stated in a press release issued SDO (E), Electrical Sub-division No 1 Er. Namheu Khate has by NSCW secretary Motsuthung Lotha.
COrrigenduM
clarified that in a press release issued by him on September 26, regarding raid on theft of electricity by electrical consumers, the offender Panna Bhattacharjee should be read as Rahul communication and not as stated. He has regretted the error.
Spelling Bee organizers clarify
Organizers of the 2nd Nagaland Spelling Championship, Extempore & Elocution Competition 2013 have clarified that Celina Tuccu, second position holder in the recent competition is from Don Bosco Higher Secondary School Dimapur and not Kohima as published. The “inadvertent error” has been regretted.
Naga Hoho federal assembly on Oct 10
kohima, September 30 (mexN): All federating units of Naga Hoho are informed that the Hoho's federal assembly will be held on October 10, 11:00 am at Vivor Hotel, Kohima to review yezhabo and discuss nomination committee report to finalise the new office bearers of Naga Hoho. The hoho deputy speaker in a press release has informed all the federating units to depute official representative without fail.
6
IN-FOCUS
The Power of Truth
The Morung Express TuEsDAy 1 OcTObEr 2013 vOl. vIII IssuE 268
I
The Voice
n recent times, Naga society has been hit by a constant barrage of sexual violence against women. These experiences are being internalized, creating conditions to cause deep wounds within its moral fiber, and pushing society into a state of paralysis. Sexual violence such as rape negatively impacts and concerns the entire society. And indeed, the Naga society as a whole is still found wanting in adequately responding to these situations which is threatening the entire population, half of which are women and girls. Sadly, there seems to be an underlying tone of resignation expressed by the lack of urgency to find solutions to this ever-present menace. This resignation may stem from a deep shame and feelings of guilt. Additionally, the failure to act – beyond public condemnations – raises serious questions about the Naga concept of well being and its vulnerability. The absence of civil and community action combined with the government’s silence in evolving necessary pro-active measures that effectively and efficiently address crimes against children and women may only reinforce chauvinistic thinking and encourage further gender based violence. This chauvinistic thinking is yet another remnant of our colonial past where all aspects of the colonized persons were considered to be inferior to the colonizer and warranted extinction. The Nagas’ are still reacting to this in the present era. The ongoing crisis disempowers their existing capacity to comprehend and constructively address both the violence, as well as, the imperative to ensure justice. The failure to decisively address the rising violence perpetuates further criminal activity while putting at risk the relevance of Naga Jurisprudence and its Justice system. Now is the time for deep introspection at all levels of Naga society. The government, as well as social and political institutions and organizations are being called to recognize and respond appropriately to this crisis. The increasing violence against women takes place at various levels as it is both systemic and domestic. Naga society needs to recover its voice in order to ensure greater responsibility for protecting, affirming and developing the rights of women, children and all marginalized persons. This implies developing a Naga justice system that can draw on the strength of its customs and traditions, as well as thrive independently by embracing democratic principles and values of restorative justice. Indeed, the present crisis in Naga society is pervasive and has intruded into every home and institution, touching everyone. An effective collective response is required to reverse this downward spiral. What is required today is constructive self-criticism, and a genuine or honest evaluation of where we are and where we wish to go based on pragmatic value-based actions. If not, the continuing inaction may contribute to sexual violence becoming an institutionalized norm, in the same way that coexisting with killing, corruption and extortion have become expected in our prevailing situation. It is up to us as Nagas to use our voice and say enough is enough!
lEfT WING |
Nury Vittachi Source: IANS
Each of us has six doubles
A
top police officer showed reporters a photo of a wanted criminal - without realizing that it looked exactly like him! Citizens of Kuala Lumpur were highly amused to see senior assistant commissioner Ku Chin Wah issuing a warning while holding up what seemed to be a "selfie". Theories are flying that the criminal and the embarrassed cop are twins separated at birth, said reader Wendy Tong who sent me the links. Since there are seven billion people on earth, scientists say each of us has SIX exact doubles, she added. I'm tempted to find one of mine and move into his neighbourhood so I can blame him for the extremely large number of stupid or dangerous things I do (as a married men, I get regular reminders of these). The Global Times reported that bus company employee Liu Yonggang of China was told that he had an exact double: same eyes, same hair, same number of eyes and ears, etc. He met the guy, Zeng Yong, and learned that they even shared the same birthday. "We're brothers," they realized, stunned. And then: "No. We're twins!" Yes, I know what you're thinking. Add an orchestral soundtrack and this is word-for-word the screenplay of the Disney film "The Parent Trap". I hate the way real life keeps stealing stories from books and movies. Can we not take a class action lawsuit against Fate? Does Fate not respect copyright? And of course there was that Canadian couple who noticed that their adopted Chinese daughter Lily looked exactly like their friend's adopted Chinese daughter Gillian. The Chinese authorities said they were not related. But it quickly became obvious that the girls were identical twins, taking their first steps on the same day. As they reached the age of six, one of the dads told an ABC reporter: "Both girls like clothes." Well, that clinched it for me. In that instance, the Chinese authorities were wrong. The odd thing is that Beijing recently passed a "false rumors" law making it illegal to say anything untrue. Yet they do that every day! Here's an actual quote from Li Baodong, Chinese ambassador based in New York: "China has never restricted freedom of speech. There is no media censorship. We guarantee full religious freedom, and journalists, lawyers, human rights advocates have full freedom. The public can express their opinions freely and nobody will be punished or investigated for making opinions." No reporter was able to write this down as we were all rolling on the floor laughing. Asian laws are strange. In India recently, a man was arrested for "drinking tea in a suspicious manner", the Times of India reported. The case made it all the way to a court in Mumbai, where the judge threw it out. Pity. I would have liked to have seen the arresting officer demonstrate how exactly one can drink tea in an arrestable way. It may be that most of us do this regularly without realizing it, dicing with danger. If you do get arrested in India for drinking tea in a suspicious manner, I suggest you use this line: "It wasn't me: I have a twin I knew nothing about." And if they don't believe you, tell them to contact Kuala Lumpur's Ku Chin Wah.
THE EDIT PAGE
C O M M E N T A R Y
Morung Express News
‘Need to campaign for one tax, one govt’ One tax to all the faction is not the solution, says Naga writer
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Khekiye K. Sema
he Naga times are pressing. While there once was a unified cause, the unity that could have brought a solution by now seems absent. The time is right to unite, says retired IAS officer and an increasingly-seen courageous intellectual, Khekiye K. Sema. It is in unity that Naga individuals will be in a position to address the present, and be prepared to face the future. In that, “One tax to all the faction is not the solution, one tax to one united government is! And the people must have the courage to stand up for One tax, One Government,” says K. Sema while speaking to The Morung Express recently. In order to have all the citizens of Nagaland understand this philosophy of ‘One tax, one government’, there has to be a serious mass awareness campaign. He asserts that individually everybody is afraid. “I’m saying this because these are things that matter to us, we have an opportunity to have it said because the more people understand it, there will be more abilities to build up a momentum where the right thinking, the right attitude and the right approach can begin to impact the destiny we are looking for. And as long as people are not aware of it, each person thinking individually is not going to have any kind of an end result. It has to be a collective effort.” Strengthening the Naga Hoho One way to strengthening the collective is by strengthening and re-engaging institutions that exist for collective expression. “The Naga Hoho is the apex body in which all the Naga tribal Hohos are affiliated,” reminds K. Sema, bringing back the imagery of his oft-used discourse. “They should collectively call all the tribal Hohos for serious brainstorming from where they can go back to the people and generate the issue of why one tax for one government should be taken into account so
T
he lack of land rights is a crisis not just for local people but for all of humanity, warned organisers at an international conference in Switzerland. Evidence shows that without more land under local control, our ability to tackle climate change, fight poverty, increase food availability and preserve cultural and biological diversity will be seriously impaired, said Andy White of the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) at the opening of the Community Land and Resource Rights conference Sept. 19-20. Some 200 participants from 40 countries applauded a goal of doubling the amount of land recognised as owned or controlled by indigenous peoples and local communities by 2018. There is a global rush to control land for logging, minerals and agricultural plantations, said Duncan Pruett, policy advisor on land rights for Oxfam, one of the conference organisers. “We need to secure the rights of the people who live on the land. This is an age-old problem whose urgency only increases as the demand for resources skyrockets,” Pruett said. In many developing countries, governments claim control over more than 90 percent of the land even though indigenous peoples and local communities have lived there for hundreds and thousands of years. In fact, one in three hectares of lands governments have granted commercial concessions to is already used and occupied by indigenous communities, a new analysis released here shows. The Munden Project used geographical information system (GIS) mapping technology to analyse over 153 million hectares of concessions in 12 countries in Africa, Asia and
that the factions can unite. Even if it is by force they have to be united. The Naga Hoho has the authority to unite all the tribes of Nagaland.” That is the kind of decision, K. Sema feels, the tribal hohos must take and recreate the 1951 plebiscite. “We can have a similar kind of mass decision like the plebiscite of 1951. The Naga Hoho can induce the mass desire and the mass will to say that all factions must unite.” The momentum for this, according to him, can be generated through each tribal Hoho going back to their tribe, organizing massive public rallies, getting a public decision on what the people will for. “Once all the tribes are united, the force of the 1951 plebiscite will be gained all over again and also in the emergence of one Naga National Government,” K. Sema reiterates. “There needs to be collective effort where we have to say and mean it. If we are not able to do this the factions will continue to do what they want. We will continue to be cowards cursing them in our kitchen but unable to do anything about it. Everybody is afraid to say anything because they are afraid of the gun and they don’t want to say anything in the press or individually.” Taxation But Naga politics has the tendency to put people into cycles that are not as easily escaped. “Taxation is really draining the potentiality of the Nagas, and there is no way our younger generation can ever grow under the atmosphere of taxation.” This critical vicious cycle, explains K. Sema, that is operating in Nagaland will continue until and unless the Nagas see the future clearly, and the kind of problems that needs to be solved. And it boils down to the same point: unity. “It is impossible to expect the factions to unite on their own. They have got all privileges they want free of cost. Why should they want to change their comfort zone?” K. Sema further adds, explaining why peoples’ unity is first of all important. This is what will act as an “inducement” wherein the Hohos, NGOs and civil society must have a debate and decide to end the present system of taxation that makes everyone’s lives “hard to live.” “Nagas should refuse to pay any tax as long as the factions continue to be divided. The people should throw a challenge to the factions,” reiterates K. Sema. Citing the example of the French Revolution, K. Sema, who is a student of History, further explains why. The end result of the French revolution was, he narrates, that the poor people who formed the majority ended up executing their king. The people were still being taxed even though they had been reduced to social and economic degradation. Even in Nagaland, poor people are a majority, and they have not found the courage or the platform to express themselves so far. “When you have reached the point of your toleration, when every penny that you have is taken away from you and when you have nothing to eat, with nothing more to lose, anger will rise. That was the kind of situation that faced France during the revolution; the masses stood up because they could no longer tolerate the kind of extortion and burden of tax for the king’s pleasure. And that is exactly what is happening to us: the factions are all having a gala time enjoying themselves with all the ill-gotten money from taxing people and they don’t care about sovereignty,” says K Sema, adding that for the factions, “sovereignty” is nothing more than a word. “They use the word as a cover to resemble some kind of legitimacy to tax the people but in terms of real output there is absolute zero output, or even minus zero
output for that matter. As long as we allow them to continue with this, Nagas will slowly but surely emerging into the mafia system of USA.” “Unluckily for us Nagas, we have landed properties and we are not as desperate as the French common peasants. Because of that little advantage that the Nagas have, we may have not reached the breaking point but even if we do not reach it, the sensibility of the issue must begin to prevail.”
Sovereignty-The old and new generation There is always more to be said on “sovereignty,” which has remained evasive from the region for far too long. But then, it has come to be meaningful in different ways for different stakeholders. “The undergrounds have become affluent all in the name of sovereignty,” feel K. Sema. “If there had been a constructive result of taxation, then it would have been okay but continuous taxation with no explanation to the people on the use of money has simmered anger. If the purpose no longer exists, it is meaningless to talk of Sovereignty. Sovereignty cannot be achieved through unreasonable means that have been adopted now. That is the decision that the Nagas must take.” K. Sema feels that the present generation does not really look at Sovereignty with “intensity” which “our first generation worked and sacrificed for. They look at the Naga national movement as a fairytale.” For him, “My generation is perhaps the last generation to have seen the struggle and the sufferings of the movement.” “What do the younger generation know about the struggle? It is just another story being told. The real pain and suffering is not real to them. The young generation is not really committed to the serious feeling that leaders [of the older generations] experienced during their time, the meaning of real struggle is absent among them.” He adds that the Government of India is adding fuel to fire by giving endless funds. Easy money has become so convenient that the young generation looks at everything in terms of crores. “They are likely to sell sovereignty. They will not take the issue as seriously as the first generation people. Isak and Muivah must understand that they do not have the luxury of time and neither can they entreat God for time extension, it also means they must come down from the high horses they are riding, and look at reality because the younger generation may not be able to handle issues like sovereignty and it is important that they should come to some conclusion in their time.” What Sovereignty was in the fifties and what it is now are two different pictures. Therefore, explains K. Sema, leaders of all the factions must be brought together in an honorable way so that one government can talk about exactly what kind of negotiation is going on, debate among themselves and renegotiate. “They can use their brains instead of guns. Isak and Muivah must understand that they do not have all the time in the world. They must use their God-given sense to accommodate all the leaders and bring in the cohesion of thinking process within before bringing it to the GoI. If they can do this, at least there can be a positive conclusion.” Going back to the grassroots The real strength for all this, for K. Sema, will be derived from the rural, where “our strength lies.” “We have to go back to the grassroots. They haven’t been given the opportunity to express themselves. They do have an opinion but not the mechanism to ventilate it,” he says, and it is this that must be given strength so that they can take the real work forward.
Making Local People stewards of the Earth stephen leahy
Inter Press Service Latin America. It found that 31 percent of all commercial concessions (by area) are overlapped in some way by community-claimed lands. Businesses and investors in these concessions often do not know the land is occupied because there are few formal land titles in much the developing world. This often leads to protests, confrontations and violence, the report noted. From an investment perspective, “legal, civil and sometimes violent opposition to projects can impair profitability” by preventing and disrupting operations, said Lou Munden, head of the project. Banks, investors, insurers and companies don’t factor in this reality when they assess or value the risk of a project, Munden told IPS. If the 31 percent of concessions with overlaps are in agricultural production, some five billion dollars of investments are at risk, he calculated. Those numbers ought to grab the interest of the business community, Munden said. If companies want to reduce their risk and avoid disruptions they would be wise to work directly with local communities first, said Rukka Sombolinggi of the Indonesian indigenous organisation Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN). “We are not opposed to develop-
ment but it has to be the right kind of development in the right place,” Sombolinggi told IPS. There are places that are too sacred to local people to allow any development. To get certainty and stability over the long term, companies need to work with local people, she said. Thanks to AMAN’s efforts, Indonesia was recently forced by its constitutional court to acknowledge that indigenous people had a legal right to their lands. The government had designated millions of hectare as “state forest lands”. Now at least four million ha, including those with commercial concessions, is supposed to be re-allocated back to local people. That is a major victory for indigenous people around the world, said Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, executive director of Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education). The reality is that lands and forests in indigenous territories are in better hands with local people than governments, Tauli-Corpuz told IPS. This is borne out in a recent study that revealed tropical forests under strict protection by governments have far higher rates of deforestation than those under the care of local communities. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) study compared peer-reviewed case studies in
WRITE-WING
16 countries and found that government-protected forests, including national parks, suffered six times greater rates of deforestation. “When done properly, the benefits of community-based management can be seen over the long term, leading to greater conservation participation, reduced poverty, increased economic productivity and the protection of many forest species,” said study co-author Manuel Guariguata, CIFOR’s senior scientist. Meanwhile, indigenous territories are under tremendous pressure either for new land to grow food or to extract minerals, oil and gas. “National and state governments are often part of the problem,” said Tauli-Corpuz. “We are trying to push the international community to get states to recognise our right to our lands.” That may be starting to happen, says Andy White, RRI’s co-ordinator and an Interlaken conference organiser. RRI is a global coalition more than 150 organisations working on forest tenure, policy and market reforms. “People trying to protect their traditional lands are still being killed or forcibly removed. But we may be at a tipping point favouring community land rights,” White told IPS. Peru, Belize and other countries are recognising those rights. Land disputes in India, Cambodia and elsewhere are driving political change. Some parts of the corporate sector are supporting land rights. Last July in Ireland, governments in the G8 group of wealthy nations made “unprecedented commitments” to secure land rights and improve land governance, he said. “The conditions are right for a historic step and overcome a major obstacle to improving the well being of people and the planet,” White said.
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7
TuEsday
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
1 OctOber 2013
S
eptember 25 marked a full decade since Edward Said left us. While one can’t pretend to grapple with what his remarkable legacy means today other than superficially and at a tangent, some sort of accounting - of emotional and intellectual stock taking - seems in order. Indeed, for the many who have been inspired and stirred by Said’s words and ideas, the past decade presents a sombre and sobering portrait of the ills, ironies and injustices he diagnosed and combatted with such verve and energy for so long.
Palestine and the peace process Said’s commitment to the Palestinian cause is wellknown. Indeed, it is often the only thing some people know about him. However, it is important to remind ourselves that his loyalty and self-abnegation in the service of the cause were never the products of unthinking chauvinism or nationalistic stupour. His humanist ideals shaped his political approach and he explicitly framed his vision for Palestine as a quest for justice, peace and dignity, rather than through dogmatic ethnic or religious claims to the land. On visiting Jerusalem in the mid-90s he wrote, “There is something unyielding about the place that encourages intolerance; all sorts of absolute religious and cultural claims emanate from the city, most of them involving the denial or downgrading of the others”. Of course, such lofty equanimity earned him the opprobrium and enmity of many people on “both” sides of the conflict. Also worth remembering as we mark this sad anniversary, is that Edward Said was one of the earliest, and most trenchant, voices daring to puncture the enforced circus joviality greeting the Oslo Accords of September 1993. While many supporters of the Palestinian cause succumbed to the pressure of closing ranks behind a supposed “national Palestinian interest”, he was unafraid to unmask the charade for what it was, a “Palestinian surrender.” His deep reservations were routinely denounced and decried by the Palestinian Authority’s mouthpieces and conduits – painting him as an ‘anti-peace’ Cassandra - to the point where people feared for his safety whenever he visited the West Bank. His attacks on the ‘gangstersism’ and moral bankruptcy of Arafat’s ruling edifice saw his books banned in the Occupied Territories, with xeroxed copies of his writings surreptitiously circulated in Samizdat fashion. Rather than be deterred, however, he redoubled his attacks on what he insisted was a “poor deal for Palestinians,” one that allowed Israel to continue its colonial enterprise while outsourcing the job of keeping Palestinians under control to a corrupt and utterly-dependant Palestinian Authority security apparatus. In the post-Oslo era, he was the first to make direct comparisons between Israel’s accelerated settlement policies and South Africa’s Bantustans. Israel’s by-pass road networks, he wrote in 1996, made it “possible for Israelis to punctuate West Bank life without having to see Palestinians,” reminding him of “the South African roads that skirted the black townships.” In 2000, his calls grew more urgent and disconsolate, “what does it mean to speak of peace if Israeli troops and settlements are still present in such large numbers?” he asked, “Has the world been deluded or has the rhetoric of ‘peace’ been in essence a gigantic fraud?” Critics attacked him for bringing negativity, for being hasty and premature in condemning Oslo as a sham. Time has proven him right. Today, as the world marks twenty years of the 'peace process', Said’s prophetic warning has been vindicated beyond his darkest and most pessimistic imaginings. In the period between September 1993 and September 2003, the “Peace Process” illusion has meant the following for the Palestinian reality on the ground: 7000 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, more than 12,000 Palestinian homes destroyed and 441 miles of the ‘Apartheid’ Separation Wall built. More devastatingly, in the twenty years since the “fashion show vulgarities” of the Rabin-Arafat handshake, Israel has transposed more than 250,000 settlers onto the very same West Bank it continues to insist will be handed back to the Palestinians so they can have their state. As Said warned would happen, Israel’s aggressive settlement policies have utterly destroyed the possibility for a 'Two State solution.' Today, few serious commentators disagree. For those seeking to understand who is to blame for this, one can instance Said’s repeated indictment of the international community’s complicity in this unfolding injustice. As he wrote a couple of years before his death: “A few people, myself included, have tried to chronicle what has been going on, from the initial Palestinian surrender at Oslo until the present, but in comparison with the mainstream media and governments, not to mention the status reports and recommendations circulated by huge funding agencies … who have played along with the deception, our voices have had a negligible effect except, sadly, as prophecy.” As one watches the on-going plight of the Palestinian people, one can’t help but feel acutely the cruel absence of this ablest and most eloquent of advocates. The past decade has seen Gazans choked and starved in their
I
t’s nothing new for rich, powerful people to blame the poor for problems mostly caused by the rich. It’s a great way to shift the debate away from themselves and onto the victims of their policies and practices, which – coincidentally – usually increase their wealth and power at the expense of everyone else and the environment. During the Irish potato famine, 1.5 million people died and a similar number emigrated. John Power, my great, great granddad was one of those forced to leave his country, his culture, his home and way of living because of the famine. He was one of the lucky ones. But what caused the famine and this great tragedy? There were two basic reasons, natural and man-made: the decimation of the potato crop by blight and Victorian free market capitalism; it was the latter which had the greatest impact. The famine would likely not have occurred at all if it were not for a number of policies forced on the “aboriginal” Irish people by the British government led by Sir Charles Trevelyan, who was more concerned with modernising the Irish economy and testing new free-market principles (ring any bells?) than the starving Irish. At the time of the famine, Trevelyan's economic policies led to Ireland exporting about fifty shiploads of food produce a day. This, combined with other policies such as land acquisition, the Corn Law, absentee landlords and the 1690 penal laws (only repealed in 1920), lead many authors – including Tim Pat Coogan in his recent book – to conclude the Irish potato famine was either direct or indirect genocide: “the delib-
PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE
Edward Said- 10 years on Hicham yezza
A decade after his premature departure, Said’s life, in all its “disorganised, scattered, uncentred” richness will continue to radiate moral and intellectual sustenance, as well as untold surprises and delights
Edward Said
open-air prison, simply for daring to vote the wrong way. In the West Bank, Palestinians are ensconced in forever shrinking cantons, as Israel steals more of whatever little land they had been promised two decades ago. It’s worth also noting that the “Arab Spring” has not been kind to Palestinians, either. Treated with suspicion inside and beyond their own borders, they continue to endure the same humiliations and travails of years past. “The basic difficulty” Said wrote in 1996 “is that for a Palestinian being pushed around by young people with rifles, it does not finally matter whether the soldiers are Arabs in countries like Egypt, Syria and Jordan or Israeli Jews on the West Bank or in Gaza. As an individual one feels alienated and demeaned.” These words remain as apt and true today as they were on the day he wrote them.
Orientalism 2.0 At the junction of politics and culture, Edward Said’s work in anatomising the systemic and critical role that cultural orientalist discourse plays in facilitating imperial domination and control - arguably the centre of his intellectual enterprise - remains as potent as ever. For the two decades before 9/11, Said had chronicled the centrality of the “terrorism” discourse as a key tool in the imperial rhetorical arsenal, used “to justify everything ‘we’ do and to delegitimise as well as dehumanise everything ‘they' do”. In the decade since his death, the “War on Terror” paradigm has been used to justify every abuse of human rights and civil liberties under the sun, including secret renditions, torture, extrajudicial killings and state spying on an unprecedented scale. Said has helped shatter the illusions of “objectivity,” so dear to proponents of western official political and cultural ideologies. “Facts do not at all speak for themselves,” he pointed out, “but require a socially acceptable narrative to absorb, sustain and circulate them.” Such narratives continue to be erected and consolidated today, as the west’s military excursions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere routinely invoke the need to “bring democracy”, preserve “human rights” and end the “plight of women” across the Muslim world. Meanwhile, the demonization of ‘the Arab’ in western discourse and culture continues apace. Cultural tropes representing Middle Eastern men as uncouth, untrustworthy, cowardly, bumbling and morally deficient continue to abound. This isn’t to pick on the easy targets of lowbrow American TV, with their vast panoply of madeyed, incoherent, screaming, and inscrutable brown men. Even cultural efforts that are praised for their sensitive and respectful treatment, such as last year’s multiple-Oscar winning ‘Argo’, can’t seem to be immune. One scene in that film shows Iranian officials being comfortably outwitted by supposedly nervous American naïfs using trickery that would have struck any real-life 5 year old as pathetic. (Needless to say, that Iranians aren’t Arabs is often treated as a barely relevant footnote in most western cultural production and discourse.) Of course, one sees this, too, in portrayals of the Arab or Muslim woman, still a favoured object (that word again) of western fantasy: as captive or brainwashed victim in need of rescuing, or submissive creature deserving of pity, or as an exotic vixen to be lusted after, often all of the above. Similarly, there continues to be a systemic tendency to classify Arab and Muslim women as either ‘good’, ‘brave’ ones (usually signposted as ‘westernised’ or ‘west-friendly’) or ‘oppressed’ and ‘in denial’. One thinks of the western media’s unanimous embrace of Malala Yousefzai, the brave teenager shot by the Taliban, and how it sits at an odd angle
to the silence it continues to reserve for the hundreds of anonymous Malalas maimed or killed by American drones over the past decade, whose names and faces and voices will never grace the covers of Time Magazine. Indeed, how can one watch the current “debate” in Europe over the Islamic veil – that scary noun, the ‘Niqab’ - without remembering Said’s withering scorn for similarly “patronising and silly” western initiatives, many spearheaded by engaged intellectuals such as Simone De Beauvoir, to save Iranian women from the ‘Chador’ (another scary term) three decades ago? In 1987, Said remarked that “the only stories about the Arab world that seem to be worth printing or portraying concern violence, inordinate wealth, and intransigent opposition to Israel.” Little seems to have changed. In the news media, one does not have to look far, either, to see that orientalist representations - with their “repertory of images” invoking a “Timeless Orient” - are alive and well. Last week, a Washington Post writer, affecting to lampoon a recent interview by Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, chose to do so by mocking Arabs as imbecilic, illiterate, dodgy buffoons, (insulting “Nigerians,” too, for good measure). A few weeks earlier, David Brooks, one of the New York Times’ star columnists, defended the anti-Morsi coup in Egypt by insisting that democracy was wasted on Muslims. “It’s not that Egypt doesn’t have a recipe for a democratic transition” he explained. “It seems to lack even the basic mental ingredients.” Talking on a major US news network in early September, bestselling author and commentator Ann Coulter, discussing public international outrage over news of a chemical attack in Syria, declared herself puzzled. “Someone needs to explain to me,” she said, “why gassing Arabs is such a bad thing". Of course, beyond a few half-hearted ripples, none of these incidents seemed to have registered on the mainstream media’s radar. As Said showed, however repugnant such individual prejudices and sentiments were, it is the silent acquiescence of western culture at large to these manifestations that should be denounced and called out.
The responsibility of intellectuals Meanwhile, Said’s systemic and deep-cutting examination and questioning of the nature of the intellectual enterprise has produced some of his most important contributions. His criticisms of the prevailing intellectual culture of “experts” for hire, willing to peddle the ‘right’ opinions to the highest bidder, were not merely rhetorical. Throughout his life, he refused the never-ending requests and offers to take up positions as a “consultant,” both for governments and the corporate sector. He would no doubt be horrified today by the fantastical mushrooming over the past decade of an industry of western ‘experts’ and think tanks queuing up to “explain” the orient to themselves and each other. His despair at the poverty of analysis of the region (his Covering Islam is required reading for any aspiring foreign reporter) is unlikely to have been dampened by the endless reams of clichés and stock phrases (“old hatreds”, “angry mobs”, “savage histories”) that have littered coverage of the “Arab Spring” over these past two years (yes, including the “Arab Spring” tag itself). This allergy to linguistic abuses also included a marked impatience towards jargon and obfuscation, notably his disdain for the “sullen technological narcissism” of most post-structuralists and post-modernists. (Ironically, these reservations are often side-stepped by many a professed disciple and devotee, yet are more relevant than ever). What we seem to be missing (in both senses of the word) most today is Said’s moral and intellectual courage
as well as his unbounded sense of solidarity with the oppressed. For years, he was the most prominent, and thus most exposed, de facto spokesman of the Palestinian cause in the United States, at a time when it was an extremely precarious and lonely position. He endured years of intimidation, death threats, as well as abuse towards him and his loved ones, and did so with resilience and great dignity. He also showed great ability to work with others despite key differences, for the sake of a greater cause or purpose. Today, whether it’s debates on Syria or the battle against the neo-liberal economic behemoth, one can’t help but note how intellectual tribalism across the spectrum has become more entrenched than ever. Said’s courage was evident not only when he took on traditional adversaries, notably the votaries of power, but also in his willingness to challenge those from his “own” side, such as when he publicly called out, in the mid-80s, western anti-apartheid activists for avoiding “discussion of Israel when they criticise one of its chief allies, South Africa,” as well as the leaders of the anti-nuclear movement, “who have nothing to say about the Israeli nuclear threat.” This also included Said’s frank and trenchant verdict on the Israeli ‘Peace Camp’. “For years this stalwart bunch prodded, cajoled, coaxed Palestinians – myself among them – into believing that they were interested in peace”, he noted. Yet, when Oslo came and Israel accelerated its dispossession and colonisation project, “the peace camp essentially said nothing”. By the end of his life, he came to see the Israeli left’s modus operandi as one of “making all sorts of prize-winning declarations about peace while doing exactly the opposite on the ground.” Said’s bravery in challenging the Palestinian leadership extended to his attitude to the surrounding Arab regimes, notably in their treatment of Palestinian refugees within their borders. “To speak of Palestinians outside the Occupied Territories,” he pointed out “was to challenge the collective Arab narrative,” a narrative that wanted to keep the focus on Israel’s misdeeds rather on Arab political and moral failures. On a more personal plane, Said was as unstinting in his friendships as he was fierce in his feuds. Many will be familiar with his cold wars - against Bernard Lewis, V.S. Naipaul, Thomas Friedman and others - as well as his short, intense hostilities with others, often played out in rumbustious exchanges in the pages of literary journals. The lesson one ought perhaps to take from this – in a cultural age where intellectual controversies often seem empty and contrived - is the importance of taking ideas, and their consequences, seriously. In the years following his death, many were the moments where, coming across an intellectual controversy or a political news item, I would reflexively wonder whether he’d written or said anything about it in the recent past. Then I would remember he was gone, and that sense of irredeemable loss would hit me again with renewed gusto. I have since come across many who have experienced this very same strange process which seemed to combine obdurate denial - of the reality of his passing away - on the one hand, with one of defiant affirmation: of his continued and powerful presence as intellectual and moral guiding light for generations of students, colleagues, activists and comrades. In many ways, that reflex has not faded away. As the past decade has progressed, with its litany of political scandals, organised violence, intellectual coarsening and imperial arrogance, the Edward Said-shaped hole in the global conversation has continued to become sharper in its contours by the day. What would he have said about the obscene barbarities of Abu Ghraib? About Israel’s destruction of Gaza - by F16s and white phosphorous - in the dark winter of 2008-9? What would he have made of Wikileaks? Of Occupy? Of Edward Snowden’s unmasking of the globalised Security State? Of the US’s unending military excursions in the Middle East? What would he have made of Obama’s "kill list"? As the ‘Arab Street’ took to Arab streets, and the world watched decades-old political systems – built on corruption and cruelty and coercion - sway precariously under the weight of their own historical grotesqueness, one can easily imagine Said’s withering scorn at the west’s attempt to save its clients in Egypt, Bahrain and Tunisia, as well as his undiminished contempt for the absurd collection of dictators and oil potentates holding on to their thrones against the tide of history. A decade after his premature departure, Said’s life, in all its “disorganised, scattered, uncentred” richness will continue to radiate moral and intellectual sustenance, as well as untold surprises and delights. The vast and under-explored provinces of his oeuvre, his musical excursions as well as his unsurpassable literary map-making, will guide and console readers everywhere. Above all, for many in the Arab world, Said’s enduring legacy will continue to be this reinvigorated sense of pride and possibility that he instilled in all of us. In an age where being an ‘other’ remains the heaviest of crosses to bear, his ebullience and charm and defiance will continue to infuse the rising generations with strength and optimism and light. The injustices remain, but so will the resistance.
What about the Irish genocide?
erate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group”. Of course the British government at the time refused to acknowledge their instrumental role in bringing about mass starvation. Quite the opposite in fact, as the British upper and middle classes believed the famine to be a divine judgement on Irish agrarian inefficiency. They believed the unfettered market economy would allow the divine providence to set things straight (or the invisible hand of the market in today's language) and it would therefore be morally wrong to interfere. Trevelyan described the famine as “the sharp but effectual remedy by which the cure is likely to be effected...”. In other words, he believed the famine to be a natural rebalancing of an inefficient economy. Whether this market and religious ideology was merely a belief or an excuse, it is difficult to determine, because the economic policy preached and forcefully implemented by the upper class just so happened to massively benefit them financially. Ironically, the Corn Law brought in to financially protect English landlords who had colonised Ireland was certainly nothing to do with a free market. The law forced the export of corn from Ireland during the famine and slapped a massive tax on any imports [5]. The English upper class were literally profiting from the famine. They preached free market economics to the poor, whilst
sebastian Power
The exploitation of the Irish economy during the potato famine caused widespread devastation. With the justification of overpopulation, to what extent does David Attenborough echo these intentions in the present day? protecting themselves from this market. David Attenborough, Britain's most famous naturalist, much loved for his narration and presentation of BBC nature programmes, recently said in an interview to the Telegraph that it was “barmy” to send food aid to famine stricken countries. Using Ethiopia as an example, he said there were “too many people for too little piece of land” and that the world is “heading for disaster” due to overpopulation. To me, this sounds strikingly similar to Trevelyan - an Englishman attributing famine to natural causes, in this case overpopulation, in a country long hit by the impacts of imperialism. But is the privileged Englishman right this time? Is na-
ture to blame for famines in Africa or economic policies as before? Africa went from managing to feed itself in the 1960s and early 70s to being dependent on imports, food aid and Western charity today. Like Trevelyan's Ireland, the Reagan-Thatcher dogma of free-market and monetarist or neoliberal policies wreaked havoc in Africa during the late 70s onwards. Reagan and Thatcher were able to use their economic influence in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to force Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) on 36 of Africa’s 47 SubSaharan nations. The SAPs were imposed to restructure the economy towards exports in order to pay off Western debts, but since the 80s debt has increased by more than 500%. Officially, even the World Bank admitted this was a failure, at least in achieving their openly stated aims of debt reduction. Like in Ireland, there were the same winners and losers. The SAPs eliminated subsidies for small-scale farmers whilst the US and the EU protected their agribusinesses with billions of dollars of their subsidies. Western agribusinesses then dumped their cheap produce on African nations, forcing the unsubsidised local farmers out of business. The SAPs also favoured large scale farming practises in order to export cash crops to the West. Much like 1840s Ireland “the hungry starved as scarce land and water were diverted to provide luxuries for
rich consumers in Northern countries”. All the while Western corporations made, and continue to make, massive profits. Overpopulation isn't to blame either, as Ethiopia has far more agricultural land per person than any Western European country. According to a paper in the scientific journal, Nature, global population will peak this century at around 10 billion. The planet will be able to sustainably meet the needs of everyone, provided the richest, mostly Western, billion people stop unsustainably overconsuming [8]. This evidence clearly points the finger at Western over-consumption, not global or local overpopulation. Like Trevelyan, Attenborough is blaming the victims and not the manufactured causes of famine. Like Trevelyan, his ideas and the policies he supports disproportionately negatively affect impoverished people of a different ethnicity to himself. This is systematic racism. Like Trevelyan, he is shifting the blame from the richest, most powerful people to the poorest, most vulnerable. We are all shaped by our times, and few public figures in today's Britain would be as opely brutal as Trevelyan. But is not Attenborough's basic logic the same as Ireland's one time colonial administrator? And unlike Trevelyan, Attenborough is also a Malthusian and a patron of Population Matters who vociferously oppose immigration. At least Trevelyan allowed 1.5 million Irish to escape starvation, including my great, great granddad. We can't know what Attenborough would have said about the Irish potato famine were he alive in the 19th century. But we can continue to reject his logic today.
Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.
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Dimapur
NATIONAL
Tuesday 1 October 2013
The Morung Express
Lalu to appeal in HC, family alleges ‘conspiracy’
rANChi, September 30 (pti): RJD Chief Lalu Prasad will appeal in the Jharkhand High Court against his conviction in a fodder scam case, his family said today and alleged he had fallen victim to ‘conspiracy’ by his rivals. “We’ll appeal in the High Court. We have full faith in the judiciary,” Prasad’s son Tejeswi Yadav told reporters in Ranchi. “It’s a conspiracy and we’ll also go to the the people’s court and answer those elements, who have targeted our leader, in the upcoming election,” he said. In Patna, Prasad’s wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi said they do not accept him as guilty. “We do not accept him (Prasad) as guilty,” Rabri, who remained inside her official residence at 10 Circular Road in the Bihar capital throughout the day told a section of the media a little after after the CBI court at Ranchi delivered its verdict. The gates of her residence, which is only a stone’s throw from that of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, were closed since morning and the house wore a deserted look. “We will go to ‘janata ki adalat’ (people’s court) to seek justice for the RJD president,” she said adding her husband had fallen victim to ‘opposition conspiracy’.”CBI and police searched our house, inlaw’s house and other places. But did they find any money earned out of fodder scam? “Does a chief minister draw any money from treasury ? Is it not done by officials? ... A chief minister gets the budget passed in the assembly and does not himself withdraw from the treasury,” said Rabri Devi, who had replaced Prasad as CM in 1997 when he relinquished the post before going to jail in the fodder scam case. She had served as the chief minister again from 1999 for about a year and then again from 2000-2005. She, however, refused to name the ‘conspirators’ saying, “Everybody knows them.” “Leaders like Nitish Kumar and Shivanand Tiwari are in seats of power despite indulging in corruption,” Rabri Devi, now an MLC, alleged. Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad said the party would always be with Prasad. The special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh has set October three to pronounce the quantum of sentence to the former Bihar chief minister who faces a maximum of 10 years in jail.
Fodder Scam Highlights
Indian politician and leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lalu Prasad Yadav arrives at a special court held by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a verdict on fraudulent transfer of public money, in Ranchi, on Monday, September 30. (AP Photo)
Verdict a big blow to RJD in Bihar pAtNA, September 30 (the hiNDu): The verdict of the special CBI court in the fodder scam case came as a huge blow to the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, which was hoping to recover from a decade of isolation after the National Democratic Alliance split in Bihar. A pall of gloom spread over his residence at Circular Road in Patna. “This is most certainly a big blow for the party and the country,” senior RJD MP and senior leader Ram Kripal Yadav told The Hindu. Asked if the party leadership was in disarray after the conviction, Yadav said there was no crisis. “There is no leadership crisis. Senior leaders of the party will sit together and take a decision.” Speak-
Union Cabinet to meet on October 2, to decide on controversial ordinance New Delhi, September 30 (pti): The Union Cabinet is meeting on October 2 to take a call on possible withdrawal of the controversial Ordinance on convicted lawmakers, whose fate appears to have already been sealed after Rahul Gandhi’s strong denunciation of the measure. Government sources on Monday said that a meeting of the Union Cabinet has been convened on October 2 to deliberate on the Ordinance that seeks to protect convicted lawmakers by circumventing a Supreme Court order. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has forced the Congress to have a relook at the Ordinance after he called it a “complete nonsense” and said that it should be “torn up and thrown away.” The Ordinance is currently before President Pranab Mukherjee who is leaving on a foreign tour on October 2. The President has already met Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and Law and Justice Minister Kapil Sibal to seek clarifications about the Ordinance. An indication about the likely fate of the Ordinance was available when Nath said that Gandhi expressed the view of many many people in the party, obviously suggesting that the government should have a “re-look” into it. His deputy in the ministry Rajiv Shukla had also insisted that the party’s job is to give direction to the government. “In the last six decades, there have been a number of occasions, when party has got the government’s stand changed. Party’s job is to give direction to the government,” Shukla said.
President Pranab calls for rural growth strategy to end poverty
New Delhi, September 30 (iANS): President Pranab Mukherjee Monday called for a rural growth strategy in order to make a decisive impact on poverty and to trigger a development process that combines growth with equity. Addressing the 19th meeting of the governing council of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), Mukherjee said technology has to be the vehicle to bridge distances between rural and urban areas. “A rural growth strategy has become necessary to make a decisive impact on poverty and to trigger a development process that combines growth with equity,” he said. “Technology has to be the vehicle to bridge distances - not only in terms of geography, but also progress and development. The digital divide between urban and rural areas has to be broken. Technology-based solutions have to assist interventions in farming, healthcare and education,” he said. Calling for the efficient management of land, Mukherjee said: “Principles of community empowerment have to be adopted to increase the productivity of land, particularly rain-fed, degraded and waste lands. Climate change, energy security and environmental degradation have to be given priority in development initiatives.” “Our policies have to ensure people’s participation at various stages of programme formulation and implementation; transparency in the operation of schemes, and careful monitoring,” he said.
ing to a news channel, Prasad’s wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi said the fodder scam case was a political conspiracy. “What we feared has happened. Now we will go to the people’s court,” she said. “Our sentiments have been hurt,” RJD MP Jagdanand Singh told The Hindu. “This is a setback for the struggle of the poor. Prasad was a leader of the backward sections and that’s why he has always been undermined. But politically, the party has not been hurt in anyway. The people are with us. The party’s ideology has reached the grassroots level.” Having dominated the State politics in the 1990s, the RJD’s stake in power began decreasing. However, the party was able
to bounce back in 2000. After the Maharajganj by-polls, in which the RJD stole the show with a thumping victory, the party’s prospects for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were starting to look up. With Prasad in jail bubble has been short-lived. BJP The BJP pulled no punches and celebrated the verdict. Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who was the main petitioner in a PIL he filed in the Patna High Court in 1996, said, “Lalu got what he deserved. As you sow so shall you reap. Lalu had to resign from the CM’s post and he was arrested. Illeterate Rabri was thrust upon Bihar as CM. After exposure of the scam, corruption at the top level in Bihar was completely stopped.”
• The multi-million animal husbandry department scam in Bihar, popularly known as the fodder scam, surfaced in early 1996. • The Patna High Court, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), ordered a CBI probe in 1996. • Lalu Prasad quit chief ministership in 1997 when his name figured in the CBI investigation as one of those involved in a fodder scam case. • The CBI filed total 61 cases. Of these, 54 were transferred to Jharkhand after it was carved out from Bihar in 2000. • Lalu Prasad stood as an accused in five cases, including the RC 20 A/96 that related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.37.70 crore from Chaibasa district treasury. • The RC 20 A/96 case surfaced in January 1996 when Amit Khare, now on deputation to the central government, was then West Singhbhum deputy commissioner. Lalu Prasad was the chief minister of the state and the case was handed over to the state vigilance. • Lalu Prasad moved the Supreme Court against the order and the apex court asked the Patna High Court to monitor it. • The CBI lodged the case against 56 people, including Lalu Prasad, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, and 43 others for fraudulent withdrawal of cash from the Chaibasa treasury. • The CBI filed charge sheet in this case in 2000 and the trial of the case began. • After 13 years, the judgment date was fixed July 15 by the Special CBI court of Judge P.K. Singh. • Lalu Prasad moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court seeking change of judge of the case. Both courts dismissed his petition and directed him to complete arguments in the case before the Special CBI court. • Lalu Prasad’s lawyer completed arguments in the case Sep 17 and the court fixed Sep 30 as the date for the verdict. • On Monday, the Special CBI court held Lalu Prasad guilty in fodder scam. The quantum of punishment would be pronounced Oct 3, the court ruled.
Don’t arrest innocent Muslims, Shinde tells CMs; BJP attacks
New Delhi, September 30 (iANS): Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Monday asked all chief ministers to ensure that no innocent Muslim is arrested in the name of fighting terror, as the BJP termed this against secularism and demanded he be “sacked”. But the ruling Congress maintained Shinde’s letter was not an appeasement of the minority community. In a letter to chief ministers, the home minister said strict and prompt action should be taken against erring police officers when malafide arrests are made of any member of a minority community. “Some of the minority youth have started feeling that they are deliberately targeted and deprived their basis rights,” he wrote in his letter that was made public. “Government has to ensure that no innocent person is subjected to undue harassment,” he said. The home minister said a person wrongfully
arrested should be released immediately and suitably compensated and rehabilitated to join the mainstream. Shinde said the central government has been receiving representations about alleged harassment of innocent Muslim youth. He called upon the state governments to constitute special courts for trial of terror-related cases and give priority to terror cases over other pending cases. The home minister said law enforcement agencies should be satisfied about communal and social harmony while ensuring zero tolerance for terrorism. Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan is among the Congress leaders who expressed concern over wrongful arrests of Muslim youths in terror cases. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the order should be “withdrawn” as it against secularism. BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu demanded that Shinde should immediately withdraw the order
and apologise to the nation. “It is against democracy and against secularism,” he said. BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy said Shinde should be “sacked”. “The home minister has given direction to chief ministers not to harass any innocent Muslim youth. We believe if he had not referred to a community and said innocent Indian of any religion should not be harassed, it would have been better,” Rudy said. “We believe ministers who use such expressions should be dismissed for partiality and dividing the nation. So, we demand sacking of the home minister,” he said. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi, however, denied there was any move at appeasement. “If the home minister has issued such a direction, I appreciate it. It is not an appeasement at all,” said Alvi. Shinde’s move comes in the backdrop of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) accepting that there was no evidence against nine Muslim men who spent five years in jail
after they were accused of bomb blasts in Malegaon in Maharashtra in which nearly 40 people were killed in 2006. Communist Party of India’s D. Raja said they welcome the concern but the timing has to be questioned. “This should have come long back, not just before election season,” said Raja, adding “minorities cannot be wooed by the Congress party in this manner.” Raja pointed out that “there is empirical data which shows large number of young Muslims are put in prison without trial or charge-sheet for years together.” The minority affairs minister had earlier written to Shinde expressing concern over “wrong arrests” of Muslim youngsters in different parts of the country in terror cases. He had apprised the home ministry of the concerns expressed by various Muslim bodies that laws can be misused against minorities and urged that courts be set up to ensure speedy trial of all terror cases.
Govt mulls RTI immunity to all 1,444 parties MGNREGA workers to receive New Delhi, September “The proviso suggested have said the move is an exam30 (tNN): In order to shield six by the department of legal af- ple of the political class banding compensation for wage delay national parties from the RTI Act, the government decided to extend the immunity to no less than 1,444 registered political parties as it felt excluding only “recognized” entities would create an anomalous situation. The benefits to 1,444 parties are set out in a note submitted to the Cabinet under the signature of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as in-charge of the department of personnel and training that piloted the controversial amendment. Overruling the opinion of the law ministry that the exemption in the Right to Information Act apply to 52 recognized parties, the DoPT said this will lead to an “incongruous situation” by discriminating among political parties.
fairs would confine only to the 52 recognized (national/ state parties) out of 1,444 political parties registered with the Election Commission as on 18.01.2013. This will bring in an incongruous situation, which could be avoided by adding the explanation covering all the political parties registered with the Election Commission,” the Cabinet note said. The note is now available on the DoPT website in keeping with transparency initiatives adopted by the government and in response to widespread public interest in the issue. The note’s argument that there cannot be an apartheid among political parties will only bolster the case of the amendment’s opponents who
together to ward off any scrutiny of their affairs. The RTI amendment was referred to a standing committee of Parliament following BJP’s decision to oppose the move during the monsoon session. Thereafter, RTI activists have stepped efforts to get the amendments scrapped and the forthcoming round of state polls has increased the heat on Congress and its UPA partners as well. After Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s ambush of the government over the ordinance to allow convicted legislators to retain their seats, there is an expectation that he might mount pressure for withdrawal of the RTI amendment too.
rANChi, September 30 (AgeNCieS): Taking a serious exception to undue delay in payment of wages under MGNREGA scheme, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh issued letters to all chief ministers of the country, including Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren seeking their attention on the matter. In his letter, Ramesh has also highlighted the latest amendment to para 30, schedule II of the Act that makes payment of compensation to labourers compulsory in case there is a delay in payment of wages. Further, Ramesh has also stated that the act stipulates payment of wages within 15 days of closure of muster roll. However, there have been delays in payment amounting to Rs.2,700 crore which is around 25% of the net wage payment. Along with the letter, a copy of the gazette notification of the amendment which clarifies that the labourers under NREGA would be entitled for compensation on account of delay in payment has also been attached. This compensation would range from one fourth of the wage earned (read pending) to an amount equaling half of the wage earned and pending, depending upon the quantum of delay. “The state shall fix responsibility to the functionaries and time limit for each stage of wage payment process. In case of delay at any step, the compensation amount would be recovered from the responsible functionary/ agency,” the letter states clearly.
Manmohan drove home to Pakistan: Dialogue contingent on cross-border peace
New York, September 30 (iANS): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for home Monday to face a host of domestic problems, including challenges from the party’s young guard that has sent his stock plummeting and raised questions over his continuance, but his camp here seemed satisfied that he was strongly able to convey Indian thinking in his talks with Pakistan as well as secure effective backing from the US on the issue of cross-border terrorism. At the much anticipated talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, here Sunday - both were meeting for the first time - there appeared to be agreement that the desired
forward movement in their relationship could not really move forward without restoration of peace on the Line of Control (LoC) and action on terrorism. As Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon summing up the meeting said it “was useful because it provided an occasion for high-level contact and discussion on the issues which are troubling the relationship, and this was necessary at this time”. But the key test as he suggested would be “how both sides take it forward over the next few months”. Pakistan did stress on continuation of the disrupted dialogue but the Indian side remained steadfast. “Manmohan Singh, of
course, mentioned terrorism and the need for effective action on bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to book,” Menon said. Sharif in turn assured that “that was indeed Pakistan’s intention” and, with the return of the judicial commission with evidence from India, action would be speeded up on bringing to book perpetators of the 26/11 Mumbai assault by Pakistani terrorists. Menon describing the talks as “useful and necessary” said “the basic understanding emerging from the meeting” that forward movement on trade, economic and other relations would be possible only after “the immediate issues and the immediate situa-
tion” were dealt with. On the other hand, Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Jalil Abbas Jilani, at a separate media briefing, termed the talks “positive and constructive” but took the line that a “peaceful sustained and uninterrupted dialogue” was the way to resolve issues between them. “There is no alternative to a peaceful sustained and uninterrupted dialogue. We need to have an interaction on a regular basis to address all our outstanding issues,” he said. Overall the Indian camp was satisfied over the tone and tenor of the conversation. The discussions were “free and frank”, diplomatese for differences, but Manmohan Singh
stuck to his guns - keeping peace on LoC and shutting the terrorism first before anything else. And when a new controversy about Sharif purportedly comparing Manmohan Singh to a “dehati aurat” (village woman) - mentioned by BJP leader Narendra Modi at his Delhi rally Sunday - in an off camera casual conversation with Pakistani journalists threatened to derail the talks, Sharif was quick to convey to the Indian camp that he never said that and his anecdotal remarks made off the cuff were distorted out of context by a Pakistani journalist. Earlier during his summit with Obama before the talks, Manmohan Singh was
able to win his backing on the issue of terrorism with the joint statement reaffirming their commitment to “eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, and disrupting terrorist networks”. Besides Al Qaeda Pakistan based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was clearly mentioned with call for “Pakistan to work toward bringing the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice”. Manmohan then followed it up with his address to the UN general assembly where again the message to Pakistan was loud and clear -- shut down of Pakistan’s “terrorist machinery” if it really wants to make peace.
This photo released by the embassy of Pakistan shows Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during a meeting Sunday September 29, in New York. (AP Photo)
INTERNATIONAL
The Morung Express
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Dimapur
9
Syria: Amid rare unity, UNSC mulls action UNITED NATIONS, SEpTEmbEr 30 (rEUTErS): After adopting a hard-fought, Russian-backed resolution to rid Syria of chemical weapons, the U.N. Security Council is now turning its attention to the country’s dire humanitarian crisis, putting to the test its fragile consensus on the conflict. The Security Council is considering a statement to try to boost aid access in Syria by urging Syrian authorities to allow cross-border deliveries from neighboring countries and asking parties to the conflict to hold humanitarian pauses in the fighting. Amid a newfound unity of the 15 members, which overcame a long diplomatic deadlock between Russia and Western powers on Friday to pass a resolution on Syria’s chemical arms, Australia and Luxembourg circulated a draft statement on the aid crisis. More than 2 millions Syrians, mostly women and children, have fled during the 2-1/2-year-old civil war, which the United Nations says has killed more than 100,000 people. Millions more inside Syria are in desperate need of help but aid has slowed to a trickle due to excessive red tape and violence. Only 12 international aid groups are approved by the Syrian government to work in the country and convoys of aid trucks struggle to meet demand, delayed by having to negotiate dozens of government and opposition checkpoints, U.N. officials say. Deputy U.N. council envoys are due to meet to discuss the proposed Security Council presidential statement
In this Friday, Sepember 27, 2013 photo, a displaced Syrian woman comforts her one-month old grandchild Fatima inside a stone house near Kafer Rouma, in ancient ruins used as temporary shelter by those families who have fled from the heavy fighting and shelling in the Idlib province countryside of Syria. Fatima was born just a month ago amid the ancient ruins outside Kafer Rouma, a village in northern Syria that has come under shelling by President Bashar Assad’s forces during the country’s civil war. Her family fled their home in the village to the giant stone blocks and centuries-old walls so that Fatima’s mother could give birth in relative safety. (AP Photo)
on Monday, said diplomats, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Unlike a resolution, a presidential statement is not legally binding. The draft text, obtained by Reuters, urges all parties to “agree on the modalities to implement humanitarian pauses, as well as key routes to enable promptly - upon notification from relief agencies - the safe and unhin-
dered passage of humanitarian convoys along these routes.” After the council unanimously passed the resolution on Syria’s chemical arsenal on Friday, Australian U.N. Ambassador Gary Quinlan appealed for members to quickly take action on the “ever-accelerating humanitarian catastrophe” in Syria. “Each day we delay creates
another 6,000 refugees,” said Quinlan, who is president of the Security Council for September. He called for the council to try to reach agreement on a statement this week. RUSSIA ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ The council has for months been discussing how to respond to the Syrian aid crisis. Western members recently decided to
pursue a statement on the issue rather than a resolution to avoid a likely showdown with Russia and China, diplomats said. Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and China have vetoed three Security Council resolutions since October 2011 that would have condemned Assad’s government and threatened it with sanctions.
After weeks of intense diplomacy between the United States and Russia, the council on Friday reached a rare agreement on a resolution that demands the eradication of Syria’s chemical arms but does not threaten automatic punitive action against Assad’s government if it does not comply. The draft aid text is based on a wish list that U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos sent the council last month that included allowing cross-border delivery, humanitarian pauses in fighting and advance notice of military offensives. Diplomats described the list as ambitious. The draft statement urges the Syrian authorities to promptly facilitate “safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need through the most effective ways, including across conflict lines and, where appropriate, across borders from neighboring countries in accordance with the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance.” While diplomats said there has so far been “constructive engagement” by Russia on an aid statement, others warned that Moscow was unlikely to back a council declaration urging Assad’s government to allow the delivery of assistance across borders. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said earlier this month that he was “very encouraging” of a council statement on the aid crisis, but he has also stated that Moscow would only support a push for cross-border access if agreed to by Syria.
ernment is opposed to crossborder access over concerns that weapons could be smuggled more easily to opposition forces. Some aid agencies are already operating across borders in rebel-controlled areas, diplomats said. The Security Council did reach agreement in April on an informal statement on the humanitarian situation in Syria after Amos gave a bleak assessment of the situation. The United Nations now says half of Syria’s 20 million people need help. Without specifically pointing a finger at either side of the conflict, that statement broadly “underlined the need to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance through the most effective ways, including where appropriate across borders in accordance with guiding principles of humanitarian assistance.” Europe’s aid chief, Kristalina Georgieva, on Wednesday welcomed the prospect of a Security Council statement, but added: “We are not giving up on the Security Council at some point coming up with a binding resolution on humanitarian access. British Foreign Minister William Hague said on Friday “it would be more stronger and more effective, of course, to have a resolution, as we have done on chemical weapons,” but in the absence of that he hoped a statement could be agreed. Human Rights Watch U.N. Director Philippe Bolopion said that while a presidential statement is weaker than a resolution, it would be a positive step HOLDING OUT HOPE FOR A by the council to make clear that BINDING RESOLUTION it will not tolerate the denial of Diplomats say Assad’s gov- lifesaving aid.
Militants kill students in Nigerian college attack Netanyahu warns White House about Iran
pOTISKUm, SEpTEmbEr 30 (Ap): Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an agricultural college in the dead of night, gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms, the school’s provost said — the latest violence in northeastern Nigeria’s ongoing Islamic uprising. The attack, blamed on the Boko Haram extremist group, came despite a 4 ½-month-old state of emergency covering three states and one-sixth of the country. It and other recent violence have led many to doubt assurances from the government and the military that they are winning Nigeria’s war on the extremists. Provost Molima Idi Mato of Yobe State College of Agriculture told The Associated Press that there were no security forces protecting the college. Two weeks ago, the state commissioner for education had begged schools and colleges to reopen and promised they would be guarded by soldiers and police. Idi Mato said as many as 50 students may have been killed in the assault that began at about 1 a.m. Sunday in rural Gujba. “They attacked our students while they were sleeping in their hostels. They opened fire at them,” he said, adding that most victims were aged between 18 and 22. Soldiers recovered 42 bodies and transported 18 wounded students to Damaturu Specialist Hospital, 40
kilometers (25) miles north, said a military intelligence official who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Two of the wounded later died, said Adamu Usman, a survivor from Gujba who was helping at the hospital. President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack in a televised “chat with the media” Sunday night, and questioned the motives of Boko Haram, which wants to impose Islamic law across Nigeria. He said he wondered whether the victims were Muslim or Christian. Usman said almost all those killed were Muslims, as is the majority of the college’s student body. Jonathan likened the assault to that on Nairobi’s premier shopping mall last week, where Islamic extremists from Somalia’s al-Shabab movement killed 67 civilians — but only after allowing many Muslims to leave. Boko Haram has said some of its fighters trained with al-Shabab in Somalia. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has said in video addresses that his group wants to end democracy in Nigeria and allow education only in Islamic schools. Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden.” Its uprising poses the biggest security challenge in years to this country. Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer and its most populous nation with more than 160 million people — almost equal numbers of which are Muslims and Christians. Boko
Haram militants have killed more than 1,700 people since 2010. “Sometimes you need courage” to confront such challenges, Jonathan said, accusing the extremists of choosing soft targets to embarrass his government. Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe state, where the killings occurred, indicated that the military crackdown is ineffective. “Although there is (an) increase in troop movement and military hardware deployment in the northeast, people are yet to see the kind of action on the ground that effectively nips criminal and terrorist activities in the bud,” he said in a statement. The extremists rode into the college in two double-cabin pickup all-terrain vehicles and on motorcycles, some dressed in Nigerian military uniforms, a surviving student, Ibrahim Mohammed, told the AP. He said they appeared to know the layout of the college, attacking the four male hostels but avoiding the one hostel reserved for women. “We ran into the bush, nobody is left in the school now,” Mohammed said. Wailing relatives gathered outside the hospital morgue, where workers laid out bloody bodies in an orderly row on the lawn for family members to identify loved ones. One body had its fists clenched to the chest in a protective gesture. Another had hands clasped under the chin, as if in prayer. A third had arms raised in surrender.
JErUSALEm, SEpTEmbEr 30 (Ap): Mortified that the world may be warming up to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking an unpopular message to the White House and the United Nations this week: Don’t be fooled by Tehran’s new leadership. Netanyahu contends Iran is using conciliatory gestures as a smoke screen to conceal an unabated march toward a nuclear bomb. He will deliver those strong words of caution — and fresh intelligence — in an attempt to persuade the U.S. to maintain tough economic sanctions and not allow the Islamic republic to develop a bomb or even move closer to becoming a nuclear threshold state. With the White House cautiously optimistic about its dialogue with Iran, Monday’s meeting between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama could be tense. “I will tell the truth in the face of the sweet talk and the onslaught of smiles,” Netanyahu said before boarding his flight
to the U.S. on Sunday. “Telling the truth today is vital for the security and peace of the world and, of course, it is vital for the security of the state of Israel.” Israeli leaders watched with great dismay what they derisively call the “smiley campaign” by Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, last week. Rouhani delivered a conciliatory speech at the United Nations in which he repeated Iran’s official position that it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon and declared his readiness for new negotiations with the West. Capping off the visit, Rouhani and Obama held a 15-minute phone call as the Iranian leader was traveling to the airport. By the end of the call, the first conversation between the nation’s leaders in 34 years, Obama was suggesting that a breakthrough on the nuclear issue could portend even deeper ties between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. and European diplomats hailed a “very significant shift” in
Iran’s attitude and tone. For Netanyahu, such sentiments are nothing short of a nightmare. For years, he has warned that Iran is steadily marching toward development of nuclear weapons, an assessment that is widely shared by the West because of Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium and its run-ins with international nuclear inspectors. The Israeli prime minister contends Rouhani’s outreach is a ploy to ease international sanctions and buy time. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran an unacceptable threat, given repeated Iranian assertions that the Jewish state should not exist. Israel has a long list of other grievances against Iran, citing its support for hostile Arab militant groups, its development of long-range missiles and alleged Iranian involvement in attacks on Israeli targets in Europe and Asia.
Muslims in hiding after sectarian strife flares
YANGON, SEpTEmbEr 30 (rEUTErS): Terrified Muslims hid in their homes in northwest Myanmar on Monday after armed police dispersed a Buddhist mob that torched houses and surrounded a mosque in the latest outbreak of sectarian tension. Clashes between majority Buddhists and Muslims have killed at least 237 people and left more than 150,000 homeless since June
2012. The violence threatens to undermine political and economic reforms launched in the two years since a quasi-civilian government replaced a military junta. The situation in the town of Thandwe was precarious after police restored order by firing shots in the air to break up the mob late on Sunday, said two security sources, who sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Thandwe,
260 km (162 miles) from the capital Yangon, is in Rakhine state, the worst-hit region. As in several previous bouts of communal unrest, a minor disagreement triggered an outpouring of anger, a local Muslim politician said. “We’re now scared and hiding inside our homes, like the previous times,” Kyaw Zan Hla, chairman of the Kaman Muslim Party, told Reuters by telephone, adding that about 200 people had joined the
mob, some wearing masks and carrying flaming torches. He said he had himself become embroiled in a row after he objected to a Buddhist man parking a motorcycle in front of his home late on Saturday and rumours spread that he had insulted Buddhism. Police reported no deaths or injuries from the incident in Thandwe, home to an airport used by tourists who visit resorts on the popular Ngapali beach nearby.
‘Xi hopes traditional faiths can fill moral void’
bEIJING, SEpTEmbEr 30 (rEUTErS): President Xi Jinping believes China is losing its moral compass and he wants the ruling Communist Party to be more tolerant of traditional faiths in the hope these will help fill a vacuum created by the country’s breakneck growth and rush to get rich, sources said. Xi, who grew up in Mao’s puritan China, is troubled by what he sees as the country’s moral decline and obsession with money, said three independent sources with ties to the leadership. He hopes China’s “traditional cultures” or faiths - Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism - will help fill a void that has allowed corruption to flourish, the sources said. Sceptics see it as a cynical move to try to curb rising
social unrest and perpetuate one-party rule. During the early years under Communism, China’s crime rate was low and corruption rare. By contrast, between 2008 and 2012 about 143,000 government officials - or an average of 78 a day - were convicted of graft or dereliction of duty, according to a Supreme Court report to parliament in March. Xi intensified an anti-corruption campaign when he became party and military chief in November, but experts say only deep and difficult political reforms will make a difference. Meanwhile, barely a day goes by without soulsearching on the Internet over what some see as a moral numbness in China whether it’s over graft, the rampant sale of adulter-
ated food or incidents such as when a woman gouged out the eyes of her six-yearold nephew this month for unknown reasons. “Xi understands that the anti-corruption (drive) can only cure symptoms and that reform of the political system and faiths are needed to cure the disease of corruption,” one of the sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions for discussing elite politics. Government agencies would moderate policies towards Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in the hope these faiths would also help placate the disaffected who cannot afford homes, education and medical treatment, the sources said. “The influence of religions will expand, albeit subtly,” a second source
said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. “Traditional cultures will not be comprehensively popularised, but attacks on them will be avoided.” Sceptics described such tactics as a ploy to divert blame away from the party for the many problems that anger ordinary Chinese, from corruption to land grabs. “Buddhists accept their destiny and blame their predicament on the bad deeds they did in their previous lives,” said Hu Jia, an AIDS activist and Buddhist who has been intermittently under house arrest since his release in 2011 after serving 42 months in prison for subversion.
enshrined in the constitution but the officially atheist Communist Party has no qualms about crushing those who challenge its rule. The party is paranoid and would remain vigilant against cults and feudal superstition, the sources added. China banned Falun Gong as a cult and has jailed hundreds, if not thousands, of adherents since 1999. Former president Jiang Zemin also defrocked and put under house arrest a six-year-old boy anointed by the Dalai Lama as the second holiest figure in Tibetan Buddhism in 1995. “Relaxation and suppression go hand in hand,” said Nicholas Bequelin, of New York-based Human GENUINE RELIGIOUS Rights Watch. “In China, reFREEDOM? ligion must serve the state,” Religious freedom is Bequelin said. “There is
In a sign of the changes Xi wants, Zhang Lebin, deputy director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs, wrote a commentary in July in the party’s mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, that said “treating religions well should become a common consensus ... and the right to practise religions should be protected”. The following month, Xi called for building both a “material and spiritual civilisation” - Communist jargon for growth and morality. Back in February, Xi met Taiwan’s top Buddhist monk, Hsing Yun, in Beijing along with a delegation of dignitaries from the self-ruled island which Beijing claims as its own. Meetings between top Chinese and religious leaders A “SPIRITUAL CIVILISA- are rare. TION” Hsing Yun was banned
greater religious freedom in China ... but to what extent is the party ready to allow genuine religious freedom?” Washington will also need convincing. In its 2012 report on international religious freedom, the U.S. State Department said Chinese officials and security organs scrutinised and restricted the activities of registered and unregistered religious and spiritual groups. Others think change is in the air. “This is for real,” Lin Chong-Pin, a Taipeibased veteran China watcher and former government policymaker, said by telephone. “To save the party and the state from the current crises, Xi must fill the spiritual void.”
from China in the early 1990s for giving sanctuary to a senior Chinese official at his temple in the United States after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. He is now a bestselling author in China. “President Xi and his family have feelings for Buddhism,” said Xiao Wunan, executive vice chairman of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, a Beijing-backed non-governmental organisation. Nevertheless, despite the emphasis on fostering more openness for traditional faiths, one thing in the world’s second biggest economy will remain the same. “Economic development is still the No. 1 (priority). Moral development is No. 2,” the third source said.
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Dimapur
SPORTS
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Naga girl excels in athletics DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): Aungkali from Sports Academy Dimpur, representing the east zone in the 25th National Inter Zonal Athletics Championships at Kerela from September 22-24 won the silver medal in high jump with a distance of 1.60m. She won a gold medal in the North East Games at Imphal in high jump with a distance of 1.55m. She won a silver medal in the East Zone Championships at Ranchi in high jump with a distance of 1.55m. She won a silver medal at the National Inter Zone Athletics Championships at Kochi in high jump with a distance of 1.60m.
Nadal keeps low key on reclaiming No.1 spot
BEIjINg, SEPTEMBER 30 (IANS): World number two Rafael Nadal has poured cold water on the talks over his chances of reclaiming the No.1 spot. "I don't know what exactly I need to do to become the No.1, but the only way I can do it is playing my best," reported Xinhua Sunday citing the 13-time Grand Slam singles champion. "It's something that not worries me today. Only thing that I am focus on is try to keep playing well." The 27-year-old Spaniard will replace Novak Djokovic as the top ranked men's tennis player if he makes it to the final of the China Open. However, it's not what's on Nadal's mind right now. Djokovic is unbeaten in three previous visits to the China Open - in 2009, 2010 and 2012, while Nadal has 22 straight hardcourt wins since coming back from injury earlier this year. Whose winning streak will be ended remains a question. "It's difficult to say. But I am going to try to keep playing well and work hard every day to be ready for the competition. If that happens, I hope to keep having chances to win a lot of matches," said Nadal. According to Nadal, a good opponent could be the motivation to reach higher. "A lot of great players during my career say that if you are not able to keep improving your level, your chances to keep winning and keep being in the top positions of the ranking is going to be not big," he said.
Somdev qualifies for China Open, faces Verdasco
BEIjINg, SEPTEMBER 30 (PTI): Somdev Devvarman recorded yet another come-frombehind victory as he defeated higher-ranked Italian Paolo Lorenzi to qualify for the ATP China Open singles event. Ranked 97, the Indian ace recorded a 3-6 7-6(5) 6-3 win over his rival, who is placed 12 places above Somdev, in the second and final round of the qualifying event. Somdev had beaten world number 60 Robin Haase 2-6 6-4 6-0 in the opening round. However, Somdev faces an uphill task in the main draw as he has drawn world number 31 Fernando Verdasco as his first round opponent in the USD 3,566,050 hard court event. And if Somdev manages to get past the formidable Spaniard, his next opponent could be world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia. In the doubles event, Leander Paes and his Canadian partner Daniel Nestor have given the top billing and they will open their campaign against Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey. Mahesh Bhupathi and his Swedish partner Robert Lindstedt are seeded second and they face Djokovic and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
Supreme Court restraint order Srinivasan to continue
NEw DElhI, SEPTEMBER 30 (IANS): N. Srinivasan, though re-elected BCCI president Sunday, would remain unable to function as the board chief since the Supreme Court Monday declined to revoke its orders restraining him. The apex court bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to furnish its proposal under which Srinivasan will be allowed to discharge his duties mandated by the BCCI constitution while completely keeping off the probe into allegations against his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan of involvement in spot fixing and betting in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). The court said this after the BCCI pleaded that Srinivasan be allowed to discharge certain responsibilities as the board chief. Senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Cricket Association of Bihar, said they could respond to the suggestion by the BCCI only after receiving the concrete proposal in writing. The apex court was hearing a petition filed last week by Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma pleading that Srinivasan be barred from contesting the BCCI presidential election. He also wanted the SC to issue an interim ban preventing Srinivasan from being a member of any committee of the Indian cricket board. The petition was filed on the ground that Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan is being probed for placing bets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. The apex court allowed Srinivasan to contest the election but said that he cannot discharge his duties.
The Morung Express
Suarez leads Liverpool to victory SUNDERlAND, SEPTEMBER 30 (REUTERS): Luis Suarez marked his return to Premier League action with two goals to help Liverpool to a 3-1 win at managerless Sunderland that lifted them to second in the table on Sunday. The Uruguay striker, who returned from a 10-match ban for biting in the midweek League Cup loss at Manchester United, was making his first league appearance since being suspended for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April. He scored Liverpool's second in the 36th minute after Daniel Sturridge had opened their account eight minutes earlier with a controversial goal that went in off his upper arm after he had risen to try to head in a corner. Sunderland, bottom of the table with one point, got themselves back into the game early in the second half when Emanuele Giaccherini pounced after keeper Simon Mignolet failed to deal with Ki Sung-yeung's long-range effort. Suarez had to wait until the 89th minute for his second goal and it was Sturridge again who set him up for a simple finish that sealed Liverpool's fourth league victory of the season. The win put them on 13 points from six games, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference and two points behind leaders Arsenal. "On the back of a really tough game where we played well during the week (against United), today was always going to be a really physically demanding game for us," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told Sky Sports. "I thought the work we put in today was exceptional. To get the three goals and a few more chances to score, I thought we were really dangerous on the counter-attack. As a team we worked really, really hard." Sunderland, who sacked Paolo Di Canio last Sunday after a string of poor results and media reports of dressing-room unrest, started brightly and Seb Larsson hit the bar with a 24th-minute free kick. Despite an apparent improvement in both performance and spirits under their caretaker manager and former club captain Kevin Ball, the sign that it was not going to be their day came four minutes later. Sturridge's fifth league goal of the season will draw plenty of complaints from Sunderland even if none of their players protested at the time when the England international converted Steven Gerrard's corner with his arm. "I've obviously tried to head it but I guess my heading is not good enough, is it?" Sturridge said. "I've missed the ball, it's gone in off my arm but I wouldn't do that on purpose. Sometimes these things happen." There could be no argument over Liverpool's second goal as Gerrard's superb long pass picked out Sturridge on the right and the striker burst into the area to put a perfectly weighted ball across the goal for Suarez to tap in.
they finally got on the scoresheet through Giaccherini's quick thinking after Mignolet could only push Ki's shot straight to him. The hosts nearly drew level moments later when Craig Gardner's shot from range forced Mignolet into a superb save and they continued to press hard. Liverpool had chances to put the game out of reach but it took until a minute from time for them to re-establish their two-goal advantage. It was the result of a quick counter-attacking move following a Sunderland corner with Mignolet throwing the ball to Suarez, who ran forward before finding Sturridge on the left and the Englishman put the ball across goal for
Suarez to finish. Sunderland, still without a win this season, chose to see the positives in their performance with Ball saying the scoreline had flattered their visitors. "Today we saw a real hard-working, committed performance but I also think there was a lot of good football in there as well, I think we need to take heart from that," he told Sky Sports. "I'd like to think it bodes well for the future." Earlier in the day, Jonny Howson struck the first-half winner as Norwich City beat below-par hosts Stoke City 1-0. The visitors made their dominance count in the 34th minute when Howson's low, right-footed shot beat diving keeper Asmir Begovic, who should have done better, to give Norwich their first away win of the league season. Stoke were unlucky to have a penalty appeal turned down early in the second half when Kenwyne Jones went down after being tugged by Leroy Fer, who gave a refreshingly honest account of his actions. "Yeah, I pulled his shirt...just a little bit," the Norwich midfielder said after victory lifted his team to 14th place, level with Stoke on seven points POSING PROBLEMS Sunderland were fired up in the second half and from six matches.
Liverpool's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring his goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England, Sunday, Sept. 29. (AP Photo)
Arsenal ready to defuse Napoli's 'bombs'
loNDoN, SEPTEMBER 30 (REUTERS): Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told his players to watch out for Napoli's quickfire counter-attacks when the two high-flying sides meet at the Emirates Stadium in Champions League Group F on Tuesday. Wenger learnt a lot about the Italians when they drew 2-2 in a pre-season tournament and is also very familiar with their manager Rafael Benitez from the Spaniard's time managing in the Premier League with Chelsea and Liverpool. Napoli are unbeaten in all competitions under Benitez, who was appointed in May, and Wenger has identified the Italian side's breakaways as their big strength and earmarked diminutive Boto Chophy (13 years),student of Class VIII from Government High School PWD, Kohima, (second from left) who repre- playmaker Lorenzo Insigne sented the state under the aegis of Nagaland Taekwondo Association(NTA) to win bronze medal in the Light Middle weight as key to that threat. "He (Under-35) category in sub-junior category at the 31st National Sub-junior Taekwondo championships. is mobile, he is not tall but
DNSU 7th InterHigh School Sports Meet
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The DNSU is scheduled to conduct its 7th Inter-High School Sports meet, with the Theme “Soaring Together…” from October 3 to 5 at Govt. Hr. Sec School, Dimapur. Tovihoto Ayemi, Parliamentary Secretary IT&C, Technical Education, Science & Technology and Taxes has consented to be the Chief Guest in the inaugural session on Octover 3 and Hokivi Chishi, President D.C.C&I will be Guest of Honor in the Closing Ceremony on October 5. DNSU through a press note informed all interested institution(s) to avail its form from its Union office during Office hour i.e. from 10:00 Am- 4:00 Pm and further notified that the last date of submission will be on 1st October 2013. The discipline for the sports event will be Football for Boys and Basket-Ball for both Boys and Girls. It further informed all the participating institution / school that there will be a compulsory march-pass competition in the opening ceremony, and an award for the Best discipline School. Rehearsal for the participating School will be on 2nd October 2013 at 9:00 AM at the Venue. For any further information, one can contact the following member, Petevito Nakhro (Convener) 9774942515 or H. Toniho Achumi (Member Secy.) 9856683633.
quick and very good in the transition from defence to attack," Wenger told Arsenal Player. "He is a good dribbler as well and is an intelligent mover. That makes him an interesting prospect. "That's what struck me as well in the (pre-season) Emirates Cup - when they win the ball they come out very quickly with (Jose) Callejon, (Marek) Hamsik, Insigne and (Gonzalo) Higuain, (who) come out like bombs all the time they win the ball. "The transition from our side from offence to defence will have to be very quick." Premier League leaders Arsenal, who went two points clear with a 2-1 win at Swansea City on Saturday, have enjoyed an excellent start to the season including their European group opener when they beat Olympique Marseille 2-1 in France.
NVA volleyball tournament begins today
Organising secretary Jacob Yanthan (3rd from left) with other members of NVA at the preparation for the tournament at DDSC ground, Monday.
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The first senior open volleyball championship (men) will kick start on October 1 at DDSC public ground, Dimapur. Altogether 19 volleyball team would be vying for the championship trophy and prize money of Rs. 60,000. The DDSC ground is being
prepared for the three-day event which is being organised by the Nagaland Volleyball Association (NVA). The tournament will be inaugurated by parliamentary secretary for irrigation and flood control Y. Vikheho Swu at 9:30 a.m, Tuesday. Organising secretary Ja-
cob Yanthan, SDO Agri (Store) stated that the volleyball tournament is being organised for the first time by the NVA with the objective to promote local sports enthusiasts. He also expressed hope that more youngsters would participate in such events in the days to come. Besides
the trophies and certificates for the winners, Yanthan informed that team securing second, third and fourth positions will receive a cash prize of Rs. 40,000, Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 12,000 respectively. Meanwhile, CEO Orenthung Lotha would grace the closing programme as guest of honour.
Entertainment
The Morung Express
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Dimapur
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Harry Styles' sister to launch music career
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Taylor SwifT: i could go 'insane' from criticism Taylor Swift tries to avoid reading any positive or negative feedback about her music and people's opinions on her life because she insists it would ''lead to insanity''.
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aylor Swift insists she would go ''insane'' if she listened to criticism. The 23-year-old singer - who is known for writing songs about her failed relationships to various famous men including One Direction hunk Harry Styles, John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal - tries to block out any feedback about her music and people's opinions, positive or negative, on her life because she could ''easily''
be left unbalanced. She said ''You can be obsessed with the bad things people say and the good things, either way you're obsessed with yourself and I'm not - you can become unhinged so easily. ''Vanity can apply to both insecurity and egotism. So I distance myself, because I feel everything. ''The little I am exposed to hurts my feelings. The only things I can really control are my songs and my
behaviour. The rest If I focused on it that would lead to insanity.'' However, the 'I Knew You Were Trouble' hitmaker listens to criticism about fellow stars and believes Miley Cyrus should be forgiven for her controversial twerking routine at the MTV Video Music Awards last month, because she insists stars can still be a positive influence on fans even if they have made past mistakes.
She added to Glamour magazine ''There's room for role models who make mistakes. ''There's clearly room for role models who are made fun of at award shows. ''Not that I necessarily enjoy being poked fun at, but that's gonna happen to the fans, too. Whether in a board meeting or in school or on Facebook, where they'll get humiliated publicly.''
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he One Direction hitmaker's older sibling Gemma is allegedly planning to release an album in the hopes of taking over the charts like her superstar brother. According to the Daily Star newspaper, the 22-year-old aspiring singer has already recorded a demo, which has been the subject of online speculation amongst 1D fans for months. The blonde has been inundated with messages from eager Harry fans asking when they can hear her
music, but Gemma has so far kept quiet about her pop plans. Harry previously revealed his sister was very musically inclined and has been giving him advice about what bands to listen to. He said ''I actually get a lot of music from my sister, who's into all these bands. She's been downloading stuff that I get from her.'' The 19-year-old star treated his sibling to an all-expenses-paid holiday in the US earlier this year where she got a taste of fame thanks to access-all-
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areas passes for One Direction's gigs. He pulled out all the stops with the lavish trip, which was a present for graduating from Sheffield University in the UK with a First-class degree. A source recently said ''Gemma loves hanging out with her brother and keeping an eye on him. Harry is in awe of her because she's so brainy and got a first, plus the highest marks in the year. ''He gets homesick sometimes while on tour, so it's great for him to have her there for a while too.''
Sylvester Stallone refused Bollywood offer Miley Cyrus: H "I Don't Apologize for Anything"
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iley Cyrus' frequent nudity and constant twerking don't sit well with everyone. But, in Miley: The Movement, an MTV documentary airing on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the 20-year-old singer says defiantly, "I don't apologize for anything." And if you thought Miley's provocative performance the 2013 MTV VMAs was a "hot mess," yo u ' re n o t e n t i re ly wrong. "It's a strategic hot mess," she explains of
her crotch-grabbing, eyebrow-raising antics onstage. "If I wanted a raunchy sex show, I wouldn't have been dressed as a damned bear." (As you will remember, she was in a teddy bear onesie for the first portion of her and Robin Thicke's performance, but she then stripped down to nudecolored latex lingerie.) "How many times have you seen this play out in pop?" she asks. "Madonna's done it. Britney [Spears has] done it."
"I'm onto the next one," the "Wrecking Ball" singer says, adding, "Yes, I am very comfortable with my sexuality." The former Hannah Montana star laments that she "had to do something that didn't feel like me for so long." And the former Disney girl wanted to say goodbye to the squeaky clean image she used to try and maintain. "I just needed to let go of the past in a way," she says, "so I felt like I could be the bad bitch I am."
Not convinced? Pharrell, who worked closely with Miley on her upcoming album Bangerz, says she's more than just the image she's been presenting in these past months. "I'm telling you, the world thinks they know this girl but my thing to you is, don't be fooled," he says. "So when people are going, 'Why is she twerking? Why is she doing this?' Because she is a byproduct of America." You're welcome, rest of the world. Party in the USA!
Russell Brand Breaks Up With Jemima Khan
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hat was fast! Russell Brand's relationship with Jemima Khan ended as quickly as it began. Just 15 days after the British comic boasted that he was "eschewing all others" to be with the New Statesman editor, Brand announced they're no longer seeing each other during his stand-up show in Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 28. "I'm currently single," said Brand, who capped off the U.S. leg of his Messiah Complex world tour. The 38-yearold then locked lips with several fans who were seated in the front row.
upermodel Naomi Campbell dozed off less than 10 minutes into an interview with a British journalist and blamed jet lag for her fatigue. Campbell was in London ahead of the launch of the U.K. version of her reality modelling show The Face but it came in the midst of a hectic promotional tour which included stops in New York and Paris, France. She gave an interview to British newspaper The Sun but just six minutes into the chat, the journalist noticed Campbell's eyes had closed and she was dozing off. The supermodel, who recently walked out of an interview with the Radio Times, apologised for her sneaky sleep, saying, Sorry, really sorry. That wasn't your fault. I'm so jet lagged.
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Sandra Bullock vows to quit acting for son
andra Bullock, who adopted baby Louis in 2010, has revealed that she will quit acting if her work begins to negatively impact on her young son. The Oscar winning star told Vogue magazine that she doesn't want her son to have pressures brought on by what she does, so if she sees whatever she is doing is affecting him negatively, she will pack up and move to Alaska, Contactmusic reported. Bullock also revealed that recent false speculation suggesting she was dating her married security guard Peter Weireter has also made her question her future in the Hollywood.
ollywood action hero Sylvester Stallone was reportedly offered an action role in an upcoming Bollywood film but he refused the project. The 67-year-old declined the offer as it was clashing with the shooting schedule and release of his forthcoming film Escape Plan, said a statement. In 2009, Stallone made his Bollywood debut with Kambakkht Ishq. He featured alongside actors Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in the film. Escape Plan, an action thriller that also features Arnold Schwarzenegger, is distributed by PVR pictures in India and releases Oct 25.
The Morung Express monthly supplement ‘Opinion’ will be published on the third Saturday of every month. In the Opinion, you are the storyteller. Please share your story by responding to the theme of this month’s issue: “Social Networking And Change In Nagaland” Contributions can be in the form of photography, illustrations, photos of artwork, essays, first-person accounts, poetry, reported articles, and any other form of expression that can be printed. A PRODUCTION OF
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Tsonga beats Monfils to advance at Japan Open
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France returns the ball against his compatriot Gael Monfils during their first round match at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo on Sept. 30. (AP Photo)
TOKYO, SEPTEMBER 30 (AP): Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga needed four match points to beat Gael Monfils 6-3, 7-6 (8) on Monday to advance to the second round of the Japan Open. Tsonga fired 11 aces and didn't drop a service game in the match to improve his record to four wins in five tour-level matches against his French compatriot. After Tsonga got the decisive break of the first set in the second game, the second set went with serve until the tiebreaker. Monfils rallied from a 5-1 deficit to level the tiebreaker at 5-5, then fought off three match points before Tsonga sealed the victory. "I started well and played offensively," Tsonga said. "I know this is the only way for me to beat Gael." Tsonga began the year strongly, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semifinals at
the French Open. After finishing runnerup to Andy Murray at Queen's, however, Tsonga was forced to retire with a knee injury in the second round at Wimbledon and did not enter the U.S. Open as a result. "I have not played much in the last two or three months, so it will take me time to adjust," said Tsonga, adding that was cramping near the end of the match. In other first-round action, sixth-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain beat German qualifier Benjamin Becker 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) and Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine defeated Daniel Brands of Germany 6-3, 6-1. Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina was scheduled to play Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in a first-round match on Tuesday, when defending champion Kei Nishikori was due to meet Jurgen Melzer of Austria.
Yuvraj returns to Indian squad; ChEnnAi, SEPTEMBER 30 (PTi): Yuvraj Singh has been included into the squad announced by the BCCI on Monday for the upcoming limited overs series against Australia in October. Yuvraj last played for India on January 27 against England at Dharamsala and was dropped subsequently due to a poor run of form. Having undergone a rigorous physical training in France, a fitter Yuvraj made his comeback into the competitive cricket with a bang scoring 123, 40 and 61 in three List A matches against the West Indies A followed by a quickfire 52 against the same opponent in a T20 game. He carried on with his good form in the Challenger Series where he scored 84 against India Red and a 29 in the final. With his more than useful left-arm spin as back-up, Yuvraj is certain to play an important role in that Indian bowling line-up in the middle overs. Yuvraj replaced Dinesh Karthik, who didn't do much since his comeback save a lone half century in the Champions Trophy. Opener Murali Vijay, who hasn't set the limited overs stage on fire was also dropped from the squad announced by the selection committee headed by Sandeep Patil. One of the notable exclusions was pacer Umesh Yadav, who didn't do his case a world of good by performing poorly in the Challenger Series giving away 67 runs in 10 overs and a whopping 85 runs in 9 overs respectively in the two matches he played for India Red.
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pros Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir did not even come up for discussion but the selectors will be keenly following their performance in the fourday match against the West Indies A in Hubli, Karna-
taka from Wednesday. India will play one Twenty20 and seven ODIs against Australia starting October 10. However, the selectors decided to pick the squad only for the Twenty20 and first three ODIs.
Team for T20I/3oDIs:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Shami Ahmed, Jaydev Unadkat Bengal speedster Mohammed Shami, seasoned Karnataka seamer Ranganath Vinay Kumar and promising Saurashtra leftarm seamer Jaydev Unadkat were retained from the pace attack that played its last international series in Zimbabwe. Haryana paceman Mohit Sharma was dropped from the squad while Bhuvneshwar Kumar
and Ishant Sharma made a comeback after well deserved rest. Bhuvneshwar bowled India Blue to Challenger Series triumph with a four-wicket haul in the final. Young Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Perveez Rasool made way for senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while Amit Mishra held on to his place in the squad having
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taken 18 wickets in the last series against Zimbabwe. The reserve batsman's place in the squad was a battle between Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane with very little to choose between them. In the end, Rayudu who now plays for Baroda in Ranji Trophy, got the nod ahead of the Mumbaikar. According to a reliable source, the names of senior
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jDrnku djds nsf[k,] vPNk yxrk gS. Published, Printed and Edited by AkĂźm Longchari on behalf of Morung for Indigenous Affairs and JustPeace from House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur at Themba Printers and Telecommunications, Padum Pukhuri Village, Dimapur, Nagaland. RNI No : NAGENG /2005/15430. House No.4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur 797112, Nagaland. Phone: Dimapur -(03862) 236871, Fax: (03862) 235194, Kohima - (0370) 2291952
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