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Dimapur VOL. X ISSUE 29
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Give BJP full majority, PM Modi to Delhiites
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Sonam never wanted to use father’s name for career
By Sandemo Ngullie
Mmm...I think he`s going to a prayer meeting!
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NPSC chairperson retires after 6 years Our Correspondent Kohima | January 31
After serving the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) for 6 years (four year as member and two years as chairperson), NPSC chairperson, Kiihiipoyo Puroh today retired. The Commission today accorded the former chairperson a formal farewell. Puroh in his address called upon the staff to face the challenges with boldness and work together with understanding and maintain integrity and discipline to fulfill the aspirations of the younger Naga generation. NPSC secretary Sarah R. Ritse spoke on behalf of the Commission.
Court orders woman to pay one pound
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LONDON, JANuAry 31 (IANS): A Scotland court has ordered an Indian-origin former bank worker, who stole 120,000 pounds (about $181,000) from a client, to pay back just one pound because she has no assets, media reported. Satnam Kaur, 31, was working as a customer advisor at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Albyn Place, Aberdeen, when she took the money and transferred the large sums home to India in 2011, BBC reported Thursday. Kaur was jailed for a year at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last year after being found guilty. The court has now heard that the Crown Office and Indian authorities failed to find any money after a lengthy investigation, therefore, Kaur, who is currently awaiting deportation, was told to pay back one pound. “When an accused has no available assets at the time a confiscation case is settled, a nominal order for one pound is made against them,” a Crown Office spokesperson said.
Sunday, February 1, 2015 12 pages Rs. 4 – Leo Buscaglia
Baptist World Alliance Day on Feb 7-8 [ PAGE 2]
Serena wins 6th Australian, 19th major title
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Is he dead? Philippines awaits answer of costly raid
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reflections
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Change is the end result of all true learning
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Right of self-determination of InDIGEnEIty AnD the Nagas is “non-negotiable” MoDErn CulturE
‘We have our own knowledge & wisdom’ says follower of indigenous religion Krüna Vibi Yokha Kohima | January 31
84 years old Neisa Thol from Kidima village is a proud Angami Naga who believes in staying true to his roots. He is one among the few remaining people in his village (estimated to be sixty) who still follow the indigenous Angami religion Krüna. “Our Krüna (ancestor’s rituals/beliefs) should not be abandoned. This was once our parents and ancestors’ belief and religion,” exclaims Neisa. Although one of his sons converted to Catholicism, Neisa, his wife and their two sons still follow the Krüna and wishes to continue doing so. In his hearth, Neisa owns a Kheluoba- a unique seat that is only owned (and the right to sit) by individuals or families who have performed a feast of merit for the entire village. This kheluoba is more than a hundred years old, as Neisa mentions that the seat was owned by his grandfather. “Today lifestyles and culture has changed,” says Neisa. He mentions that the most baffling change for him is the increasing population juxtaposed with what he says is the early death of people, despite the abundance of food. “In the olden days, peo-
Neisa Thol.
ple reached the age of 100 and more. People lived to a century but today most people die at their 80s.” One of the rituals of utmost value in the Krüna, according to Neisa, is the ritual of the rooster which determines the fate of a village each year. This ritual is often conducted to prevent calamities
and epidemics in the village. After Sekrenyi, the consecrated/sanctified rooster is brought to a particular area where it is released and predictions are made in accordance to the movement of the rooster. If it crows and moves its feet in the dust, the year’s harvest is foretold to be good.
If it flaps its wings, it is foretold that the year will bring good health to the people. However, if the rooster does not make any movements or react, an epidemic is expected in the village. The rooster is then released and freed. “Old days were much better,” recalls Neisa, who served as a government teacher in his village and after retirement, continued to work as a farmer. After completing his eighth class in a Government School in Kohima, he joined the Naga struggle for freedom where he served in the Naga Army for four years. He was jailed for two years in the Kohima Jail by the Indian Army after which he left the movement and began teaching in the Government school in Kidima Village. On being asked about the dangers of losing the Krüna and ways to preserve it, Neisa replies, “If it is gone, it’s gone!!” However his concerned wife intervenes saying, “Christians are trying to convince us to convert,” hinting at the formidable task of trying to find a balance between preserving one’s culture and coping with the rest of a changing society. Neisa opines that the more religion enters a society, divisions also increase. “There are many denominations within Christianity. This has created rifts within our people,” observes Neisa. Strictly following one’s principles and rituals, is perhaps one much admired element in the ancestor’s religion. “We (Krüna) are often labeled as unwise but we are not. We have our own knowledge and wisdom,” asserts Neisa.
RBI Gov directs probe into HIV may stay hidden alleged currency transfer in quiet’ immune cells DImAPur, JANuAry 31 (mExN): Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Ranghuram G Rajan has directed the concerned department to look into allegations regarding foreign currency transfer under the name of Nagaland state Chief Minister, TR Zeliang. This was informed in a letter from the RBI Governor, dated January 23, 2015, to the Nagaland CM. It may be recalled that the Chief Minister had, on January 16, urged for the RBI Governor to look into the matter. CM attempting to divert issue: Noke NPF Meanwhile, the NPF led by Noke Wangnao stated that the Chief Minister has “tried to evade the issue and made every attempt to divert the issue by saying that he would welcome any investigation.” “He has even written to the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) asking the RBI to look into the matter,” a press note from the party’s media cell stated. It however reminded that the “exposure reveals transfer of money from Singapore to Hong Kong and from Singapore to Kuala Lampur. It did not involve money transfer from India to abroad; therefore the question of the RBI investigating the transfers does not arise.” The CM writing to the RBI, according to the Noke led NPF, is “only eyewash… to mislead the public.” If the CM is serious about welcoming any investigation, it urged that “he should call a meeting of the State Cabinet and approve for an independent investigation by the CBI into any transfers of black money, especially black money involving awarding of contracts to oil companies for Nagaland.”
WASHINGTON, JANuAry 31 (IANS): In what could lead to a cure for HIV, researchers have found that the human immunodeficiency virus may stay hidden for years in certain “quiet” immune cells. Drugs for HIV have become adept at suppressing infection, but they still can not eliminate it because the medication in these pills does not touch the virus’ hidden reserves, which lie dormant within infected white blood cells, the researchers said. “It has recently been shown that infected white blood cells can proliferate over time, producing many clones, all containing HIV’s genetic code. However, we found that these clones do not appear to harbour the latent reservoir of virus,” said study author Lillian Cohn from Rockefeller University. “Instead our analysis points to cells that have never divid-
ed as the source of the latent reservoir,” Cohn said. HIV belongs to a family of viruses that insert themselves directly into the host cell’s genome where they can hide out quietly after the initial infection. HIV mostly targets CD4 T lymphocytes, a type of T cell involved in initiating an immune response. When HIV integrates itself into the genetic code of a CD4 T cell, it may produce an active infection. “If a patient stops taking antiretrovirals, the infection rebounds. It is truly amazing that the virus can give rise to AIDS 20 years after the initial infection,” Cohn said. The reservoir of latent virus may be hiding out in a type of CD4 T cell: long-lived memory cells that help the immune system remember particular pathogens, the researchers pointed out. The study appeared in the journal Cell.
noke nPf slams ‘false propaganda’
DImAPur, JANuAry 31 (mExN): The Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) led by Noke Wangnao has termed recent statements from the Chief Minister and Dr Shurhozelie as “unfortunate.” The party stated that both the CM and the President of the Shurhozelie led NPF have “dragged the name of all the top leaders of the country including the Prime Minister… It is nothing but their last desperate attempt to keep their camp together.”
A press note from Spokesperson for the Noke led NPF, Imkong L Imchen quoted the CM as saying that “there is no point in going for a compromise with the members led by Noke and Kaito.” However, Imchen said that “our doors remain open to all our party men and women to come and join the majority.” He further alleged that the CM and Dr. Shurhozelie are “solely responsible for the disqualification of the BJP MLAs.” “How-
ever, they have time and again sold off the image of the Speaker, by putting the whole blame of the disqualification episode on the Speaker’s head,” Imchen added. “They have perhaps not forgotten that the state’s machinery and legal adviser were used to contest against the BJP in court to uphold the disqualification of BJP MLAs even though the BJP was very much part of the state government,” he stated. Imchen further alleged
that Dr. Shurhozelie had “refused to entertain the BJP for seat sharing in the assembly elections despite having a coalition with the BJP and had insisted on so called friendly contests in all the seats where the BJP had fielded candidates.” He also claimed that the CM and Dr. Shurhozelie are “resorting to false propaganda” and held them “fully responsible for damaging the relationship between the BJP and the state government.”
DImAPur, JANuAry 31 (mExN): The Naga people are in a struggle against exploitation and domination, not just in this land but everywhere. “We are negotiating not only for the advantage of the Nagas alone but for all who are struggling elsewhere,” said Isak Chishi Swu, Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), in his message on the 36th Raising Day on January 31 at its headquarters in Hebron. Greeting the Naga people on the occasion, Swu reminded that “the right of self-determination of the Nagas is a righteous cause and inalienable. It is a God given right and non-negotiable.” Reiterating the NSCN (IM)’s commitment to ‘save the nation,’ he said that thousands have sacrificed their lives for “our aspiration” to live as an “independent nation” and “to betray these sacrifices will be a crime against our people and our history.” He pointed out that it is “in this compelling and crucial juncture in Naga history the NSCN is committed” to “save the nation.” Highlighting the internal dynamics of the movement, Swu maintained clarity that “the weak should not be lorded over by the strong.” He reminded the Naga people and others that “the issue of the Nagas vs. India and Burma (Myanmar) is not a contest of strength but upholding the historical rights of the Naga people against belligerent powers.” The Chairman recalled how “the enemy” launched a “stra-
tegic offensive when the Nagas were at their weakest in the battlefield and on the negotiating table.” He, however, remained “definite and resolute” that the NSCN (IM) will “not experiment the sovereign rights and existence of our nation by concluding an agreement of treason.” The Nagas were “forced to fight back in self-defense” due to the “military solution” that India and Burma resorted to. However, said Swu, “We will not allow any force to dictate terms on us. We will not be forced to lay down our arms and freedom. But we are ready for a negotiated political
NSCN (IM) reiterates commitment towards ‘historic and political rights’ of the Nagas
settlement acceptable to both. The price will be too much if the Indo-Naga issue is forced inside the battle ground again.” He stated that the ceasefire that was initiated in 1997 between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India has changed the “military approach” to the Naga issue, as well as affirmed that the Nagas are not “Separatist,” “Secessionist” or “Terrorist.” Swu assured the Naga people that “the NSCN will negotiate respecting the historical and political rights of the Nagas.” “A mutually acceptable political agreement based on respect for peace and honour is indispensable to usher in a lasting solution in the region and elsewhere,” he affirmed.
Litchi fruit suspected in mystery epidemic in India, inquiry finds
WASHINGTON, JANuAry 31 (PTI): A toxin in litchi fruits may be linked to a mysterious and sometimes fatal brain disease that has afflicted children in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and neighbouring districts since 1995, US researchers claim. An association between the illness and litchi fruit has been postulated because Muzaffarpur is a litchi fruit producing region, according to a report by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Indian National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and CDC investigated outbreaks of the illness in 2013 and 2014. “Clinical and laboratory findings in 2013 suggested a noninflammatory encephalopathy, possibly caused by a toxin,” the report said. A common laboratory finding was low blood glucose on admission, a finding associated with a poorer outcome; 44 per cent of all cases were fatal. A 2014 investigation has found no evidence of
any infectious etiology and supports the possibility that exposure to a toxin might be the cause, the report said. The outbreak period coincides with the month-long litchi harvesting season in Muzaffarpur. The 2014 investigation has identified the illness as a hypoglycemic encephalopathy and confirmed the importance of ongoing laboratory evaluation of environmental toxins to identify a potential causative agent, including markers for methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG), a compound found in litchi seeds known to cause hypoglycemia in animal studies. During May 17 - July 22, 2013, a total of 133 children were admitted to the two main referral hospitals in Muzaffarpur with illnesses that met the investigation case definition of acute onset seizures or altered mental status within 7 days of admission in a child aged 15 years. Of these, 71 per cent patients were from Muzaf-
farpur; other patients were from six neighbouring districts. Analysis of risk factors for death among 94 affected children showed that low blood glucose at admission was more common among those who died. Data collected during the 2013 investigation suggested that the illness was more likely to be a noninflammatory encephalopathy than an infectious encephalitis, and raised concern for the possibility of a toxin-mediated illness. Building on the 2013 findings, NCDC and CDC again investigated this syndrome in 2014. During May 26 - July 17, 2014, a total of 390 patients admitted to the two referral hospitals in Muzaffarpur with illnesses that met the same case definition used in 2013. Detailed clinical evaluation of 52 patients within 12 hours of admission elicited a history of generalised tonic or tonicclonic seizures in 100 per cent, researchers said. “The 2013 and 2014 Muzaffarpur investigations indicate that this outbreak illness is an acute noninflammatory encephalopathy,” the CDC said. The consistent finding of hypoglycemia among affected children underscores the importance of examining the possible role of compounds that might acutely result in low blood sugar, seizures, and encephalopathy, including the possible role of MCPG in litchis.
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