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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 192
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www.morungexpress.com
Tuesday, July 15, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4
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A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle Israel downs Gaza drone along southern coast [ PAGE 9]
–Khalil Gibran
World Cup changed my life: Shakira
MBC launches Ordained Ministers Pension Scheme
[ PAGE 11]
[ PAGE 8]
[ PAGE 2]
SC blocks execution of two in Dec 16 gang rape
Germany are World Cup champions [ PAGE 12]
GPrn/nscn commits to Geneva call’s Deeds
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Publicly pledges its commitment to ban landmines, sexual violence, gender discrimination and child recruitment
How to transfer money from cell phones? I don`t know -Please ask him!
The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn
Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Does the confusion around the appointment of Nagaland Governor reflect Delhi’s attitude towards Nagas? Yes
no
Others
TR Zeliang seeks Jaitley’s intervention Urges Union Finance Minister to bail Nagaland State out from financial crisis
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DIMaPuR, July 14 (Mexn): Nagaland chief minister, TR Zeliang, has urged the Union Finance Minister to bail the state out from the present financial crisis. Zeliang who called on the Union minister for Finance and Defence, Arun Jaitley, on Monday shared his concern on the financial position of the State, including the balance of current revenue (BCR) of 2013-14, stated a press release issued by PRO, Nagaland House, New Delhi. Zeliang informed the Union Minister that Nagaland had been particularly discriminated by the previous government as other North East states like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Sikkim were given more than the fund requirement to cover the BCR gap whereas Nagaland got a meager amount of Rs. 850 crores against the requirement of Rs. 1440.35 crores to square up the BCR gap. In response, Jaitley said that the States will be invited for budget discussion soon after the reconstitution of the Planning Commission, which will look into all aspects of financial problems facing various States, the release stated. The Nagaland minister for Environment & Forest, Dr Nicky Kire, also requested the Finance minister to assist the State in implementation of Japanese-aided project in Nagaland. The Union minister assured the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues that he would extend all possible help to Nagaland, the release added.
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Kashmiri protesters shout slogans against Israel from inside a police vehicle after they were detained during a protest in Srinagar, Monday, July 14. The protest was against the Israeli military operation in Gaza strip. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip launched an unmanned drone aircraft at Israel on Monday and Israeli air attacks killed four Gaza residents, as the conflict between the antagonists closed out its first week with no end in sight. The placard reads: “Killer of Humanity, Stop Killings in Palestine.” (AP Photo)
BJP veterans named governors in five states
new DelhI, July 14 (IanS): Five BJP veterans were Monday named governors of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Nagaland, which follows the resignations of the governors of four of the states after the Narendra Modi-led government came to power. The Rashtrapati Bhavan said the new governors were Ram Naik (Uttar Pradesh), Balramji Dass Tandon (Chhattisgarh), Keshari Nath Tripathi (West Bengal), Om Prakash Kohli (Gujarat) and Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya (Nagaland).
Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya as new Governor of Nagaland
The governor’s posts in these states fell vacant after the resignations of B.L. Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), M.K. Narayanan (West Bengal) and Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland) and the transfer of Kamala Beniwal from Gujarat to Mizoram. Naik, 80, was the cabinet minister for petroleum and natural gas in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1999 to 2004. He was earlier a minister
of state for railways, home, and parliamentary affairs. Tandon, 85, is a former deputy chief minister of Punjab and has also headed the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. Tripathi, 79, is a former lawyer in Allahabad High Court who has thrice served as speaker in the Uttar Pradesh assembly. He is a former state unit president of the BJP. Kohli, a retired Delhi University professor, has been a Rajya Sabha member
and was also a former president of the BJP in Delhi. Acharya has been a member of the working group on the northeastern region of the BJP. According to the party web site, he has been a co-convenor of the Overseas Friends of BJP. An official communique said the appointments of Naik, Tandon, Tripathi and Kohli “will take effect from the dates (they) assume charge of their offices”. A separate communique said Acharya has also been asked to discharge the functions of the governor of Tripura, where incumbent Vakkom Purushothaman has resigned.
rio for re-look at look east Policy
MuMbaI, July 14 (bS): Nagaland’s former chief minister and MP elected to the 16th Lok Sabha Neiphiu Rio on Monday hoped that the Modi government will be able to give a much needed push for the development of Nagaland and north east in general. He emphasised the need to revisit the Look East policy so that government plans are implemented in a time bound manner by taking north eastern states on board for the benefit of the people. Rio criticised UPA’s 10 year rule at the Centre for the development deficit and its neglect to Nagaland and other NE states. Rio, who represents Naga Peoples’
Front, has already extended his support to the NDA government at the Centre. ‘’NDA government has shown its commitment to extend its support to north east with the allocation of Rs 53,706 crore in the budget. The government has proposed a sports university in Manipur. I hope that the government will lay emphasis on increasing rail and road connectivity in Nagaland and other north eastern states and also promote hydro power projects to harness the potential of 3,000 MW,’’ he noted. He added that Centre and north eastern states can together promote investments in tourism and processing of medicinal plants.
In this image released by Geneva Call, GPRn/nSCn representatives are seen signing the Geneva Call’s three Deeds of Commitment in the presence of Geneva Call.
Geneva, July 14 (Mexn): The Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Nagaland/National Socialist Council of Nagaland (GPRN/NSCN) headed by Gen. Khole Konyak and Kitovi Zhimomi on July 10, 2014 signed Geneva Call’s three Deeds of Commitment on “protecting children in armed conflict, banning anti-personnel mines, and prohibiting sexual violence and against gender discrimination.” The July 13, 2014 statement issued by the Programme Director for Asia of Geneva Call stated that “through these signatures, the GPRN/NSCN publicly confirms its commitment to protect civilians from the effects of armed conflict.” It said that the GPRN/NSCN,
“which is in a ceasefire with the central Government, is fighting for the self-determination of the Naga people.” Chungkhojang Singson, Convener of the National Political Advisory Committee of the GPRN/ NSCN was quoted as stating: “Today, the civilian population suffers and faces so many untold hardships. Children are exploited and women are dehumanized. By signing the Deeds of Commitment, the GPRN/NSCN shows its commitment to respect and take up this challenge to protect the civilian population.” As part of this process, the GPRN/ NSCN further stated that it will ensure “that the obligations within each Deed
of Commitment are disseminated to all members and communities, and are mainstreamed in its regular training curriculum.” Based on the three Deeds of Commitment, the GPRN/NSCN has “pledged not to allow children under 18 to be recruited or used in hostilities and to ensure everything is done to provide children access to education and other services.” The GPRN/NSCN also reaffirmed its determination “to strictly prohibit any form of sexual violence and to work towards eliminating gender discrimination.” Lastly, the GPRN/NSCN also committed “not to use anti-personnel mines or victim-activated explosive devices.” The Programme Director for Asia affirmed that “Geneva Call and its partners will continue to engage armed groups in the region.” It declared that the GPRN/NSCN is the fourth armed group in North-East India to formally adhere to specific humanitarian norms with Geneva Call, and expressed hope that it “will lead to more groups coming on board, thus making the region a safer place for civilians.” Geneva Call further informed that “the Kuki National Organization, the Zomi Re-unification Organization and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaac Muivah), all of them active in the same region, previously signed one or more of Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment over the past few years.”
Rio, who led a delegation of legislators, met the representatives of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture and sought their investments in Nagaland in the field of infrastructure, MSME, skill development. On the issue of insurgency in Nagaland, Rio said that the military has been quite pro-active to deal firmly with the issue. ‘’There is a 17 years of ceasefire. There is no terrorism neither bomb blasts in Nagaland. Insurgents are targeting military personnel and not civilians. By and large Nagaland is safe. Modi government is expected to take further steps to curb insurgency,’’ he noted.
62 live star tortoises seized from the Dimapur Railway Parcel office DIMaPuR, July 14 (Mexn): The Wildlife Crime Control Branch under Wildlife Division, Dimapur, seized 62 numbers of live star tortoises from the Railway Parcel Office, Dimapur, on July 12. O f f i c e r- i n - c h a r g e, Wildlife Crime Control Branch, Ailong Phom, who led the seizure informed that the tortoises were found concealed under fruits in two fruit crates parceled from Delhi. In a statement released to the media, OC said that the seizure was made with the active assistance from the personnel of Railways Protection Force posted at Dimapur Railway Station and co-operation from parcel office staff. Further investigation is on by the Wildlife Crime Control Branch of the State Forest Department along
Tortoises concealed in two fruit crates were parceled from Delhi
Indian Star tortoises seized by the Wildlife Crime Control Branch under Wildlife Division, Dimapur, from the Dimapur Railway Parcel Office.
with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Government of India to ascertain the trade network and appre-
hend those involved in the trade, the OC informed. The OC also informed that an officer from Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau, (WCCB), Government of India, has already reached Nagaland to pursue the case further. The Indian Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is highly prized specimen in illegal wildlife trade as an exotic pet due to the beautiful pattern on their shells. The Star Tortoises are found naturally in India in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. They are also found in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The trade in star tortoises is banned under Appendix –II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora. The Species is also protected under Schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act- 1972 which bans its possession and trade.
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Dimapur
Tuesday 15 July 2014
MEx File AR apprehends two with arms Kiphire, July 14 (MexN): The 46AR A-coy Kiphire post conducted a house raid at Kipongya Ward Kiphire town and recovered defected arms included 12 boar gun, 0.22 rifles, 0.22 pistol, magazines, empty cases and arms manufacturing equipments early this morning. In this connection, two persons were apprehended and handed over to Kiphire Police Station. A case has been registers and investigation is on.
The Morung Express LocaL MBC launches Ordained Training held on Eri and Ministers Pension Scheme Muga Silkworm rearing
DC Mkg on operation of buses MoKoKchuNg, July 14 (Dipr): Deputy Commissioner, Mokokchung, Murohu Chotso has issued an order directing all the NST buses, Night Super buses and all other lines buses passing through Mokokchung town to park/operate from the Inter State Bus Terminus, Yimyu Ward, Mokokchung with effect from 1st August 2014.
Dimapur Excise conducts raid DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): During the second week of July 2014, Dimapur District Excise conducted raid at Khermahal, City Tower, Signal Army Supply Road, Midland, Duncan Bosti, Burma Camp area and seized 1578 bottles of assorted liquor. Altogether, 27 people were arrested in this connection and were charged and penalised under relevant Section of NLTP Act '89. All the seized articles were deposited in the District Excise malkhana.
Estate officer Mokokchung informs MoKoKchuNg, July 14 (Dipr): Senior Assistant Estate Officer, PWD (H) Mokokchung, Er.L.Sashi Longchar has informed all Head of Departments under Mokokchung district to obtain permission order from the government so as not to create problems during issuing Clearance Certificate. It is also informed to those who have been allotted Government Quarter to obtain certificate for assets of the building from the DDO during the time of vacation of the quarter and to submit to the Estate Officer.
Meeting on gender responsive budgeting on July 16 C M Y K
KohiMa, July 14 (Dipr): The Department of Planning & Coordination has convened a meeting of Stakeholders’ Consultation on ‘Strengthening Gender Responsive Budgeting’ on 16th July 2014 at 10 a.m. in the Secretariat Conference Hall, Kohima. The programme is being organised by the Government of Nagaland in collaboration with the UN Women, New Delhi. All the Administrative Heads of Departments, Heads of Departments, the Departmental Gender Nodal Officers and members of the Gender Core Group are requested to attend the consultation positively.
NSCN/GPRN cautions DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): The business community, Departments and other taxpayers in and around Dimapur in general are cautioned that one Maj. Hokivi who has defected to Khehoi Camp recently is still engaged in collecting taxes in the name of NSCN-K Chaplee in-charge. In this connection, it is notified that Chaplee in-charge Dimapur shall not accept as official any truncations done with Hokivi. This was stated in a press release issued by Col. Akaho Zhimo, Chaplee In-Charge, Dimapur, NSCN/GPRN.
ABAM Executive Secretary Rev. Dr. Mar Atsongchanger and others during the launching of Ordained Ministers Pension Scheme at Mopungchuket Baptist Church, July 13.
MoKoKchuNg, July 14 (MexN): In a first of its kind initiative in the history of Ao churches, Mopungchuket Baptist Church (MBC) on Sunday instated its self-sponsored Ordained Ministers Pension
Scheme in the presence of the Executive Secretary of ABAM, Rev. Dr. Mar Atsongchanger. Through this Scheme, Ordained Ministers from the village after their retirement will be granted
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KohiMa, July 14 (Dipr): The Nagaland Commission for Women has informed through a press release that the Nagaland State Commission for Women in collaboration with National Commission for Women is organizing a One Day Seminar on ‘Marriage, Divorce & Inheritance’ at Town Hall, Ahthibung on July 16 and att Purana Bazaar Community Hall, Dimapur on July 18. The Commission requests the following Apex leaders of the following tribes to participate in the said programme: Kuki Tribal Council, KMA, Kuki Students' Union, all village VCCs, all town area GBs and DBs; Kachari Tribal Council, Kachari Mothers' Association, Kachari Students' Union, all village VCCs, all town area GBs and DBs; and Garo Tribal Council, Garo Mothers' Association, Garo Students' Union, all village VCCs, all town area GBs and DBs.
DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): A one-day training programme on Eri and Muga Silkworm rearing was organised by ATMA Dimapur on July 12 in order to upgrade the knowledge and skills of the youths and potential farmers. Resource person Khezeto, EO, Department of Sericulture spoke on the different methods of rearing silkworm. The participants were imparted knowledge on nurseries for raising som seedlings, seed grainage, rearing of Muga silkworm, reeling of muga cocoon, muga diseases, collection of DFLs, Chowki rearing, brushing, spinning and harvesting of cocoons, etc. They also visited Som plantations and silkworm rearing activities under Muga Farm School. During the programme chaired by Catherine, President SHG Federation, Niuland Block, welcome
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address was delivered by Demalu Hasnusa, BTM, Niuland Block. In a short speech given by Kahoto, a progressive Muga farmer he mentioned that after venturing into Muga silkworm culture with the plantation of som trees as host plant on a 5 acre area at Niuland town. Now, he has established two more farms at Ghotovi village with an area of 40 hectares with more than 93,000 numbers of Som tree plantations. He also received various awards for his contribution and dedication in Eri and Muga rearing. Therefore, he conveyed special thanks to ATMA Dimapur for supporting him by organizing trainings and various other programmes to motivate and support the younger generations. Around 30 participants attended the programme which ended with a vote of thanks by Moakumzuk, ATM, Niuland Block.
Empowering SHGs to enhance economic status
DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): With the mobilization of a large number of Self Help Groups (SHGs) particularly in rural areas, a one-day capacity-building programme for Self Help Groups was organised by ATMA, Dhansiripar block at Dhansiripar village on July 10. A press release issued by Sentinaro Longchar Block Technology Manager, Dhansiripar block, Dimapur said that the programme was organised with an aim to strengthen both old and newly formed SHGs, prompting them to play an important role in enhancing the capacity of self-reliance, reducing poverty levels and to let them establish linkages and networking with banks and
other departments. Ronchamo kikon, AO & BTT Convenor spoke on the topic “Promoting Quality book-keeping for Self Help Groups”. The resource person stressed on the importance of maintaining minute book, documentation file, Cashbook/Bank pass book and stock book in order to keep an accurate record of all activities of the group. He explained that maintaining good records and accounts will help them promote accountability especially when an SHG progress in terms of transactions and will also help create good linkages with banks and other departments. The resource person on the topic “Value addition of fruits and vegetables” was
Kenny, SMS, KVK-Jarnapani where she explained that preserving fruits and vegetables helps in decreasing wastage of food by preventing spoilage and decay and can be preserved throughout the year. She demonstrated and explained in detail the method of preparation of pineapple squash, lemon juice and preparation of Jackfruit chips followed by ingredients required, types of packing, bottling and sealing methods and storage of the product. She further advised the women participants to practice them as its preparation is very simple and the products can be easily sold which will help them gain additional income and thereby ensure greater economic security for their
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Participants and resource persons during the capacity-building programme for Self Help Groups held at Dhansiripar village on July 10.
family and for the group. HD Singh, Horticulture specialist, KVK, Jharnapani spoke on the topic “Horticulture based farming
models and intercropping of horticultural crops”. Total 60 participants participated in the training programme. Earlier, Sentinaro
Longchar, BTM Dhansiripar block, chaired the training and Jessy Murry, ATM Dhansiripar block, delivered vote of thanks.
Confiscated IMFL destroyed
NSCW seminar at Ahthibung and Dimapur C
monthly remuneration for life. This Scheme is being funded by the ‘Ordained Ministers Revolving Fund’ a consolidated fund which was generated with voluntary contributions made by well-wishers from Mo-
pungchuket village. Three eligible Ordained Ministers for the scheme received their entitlements today which were handed over to them after solemnization by Rev. Jongpong, Pastor of Mopungchuket Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Mar Atsongchanger while speaking at the occasion extended appreciation to the citizens of Mopungchuket village for taking the worthy initiative and hoped the same will be emulated for the benefit of all Ordained Ministers. ABAM has, as per sources, ordained 197 ministers till date out of which 15 were from Mopungchuket. There are 13 surviving ordained ministers from Mopungchuket. Details about the objectives of instating the Ordained Ministers Pension Scheme and its guidelines were presented by S.Wati Ozukum.
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R.Naresh AG (Audit) handing over charge to Athikho Chalai.Accountant General(A&E). Athikho Chalai, Accountant General (A&E), has taken over charge as Accountant General (Audit), on July 14 from R. Naresh, in addition to his normal charges. The handing over of charge took place in pursuance of an Order issued by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on July 1, 2014. R. Naresh is posted as Principal Director of Audit for South Western Railways, Hubli, Karnataka.
KohiMa, July 14 (Dipr): Upper Agri Colony Panchayats and the Youth Organization detected and confiscated 72 bottles of IMFL from a shop in a colony on July 12. The Councils members and mothers of the colony destroyed the confiscated IMFL after a small function at community Hall of the Agri Electrical Forest colony on July 14. The elders and the members present in the function appreciated the youth and the council office bearers for their efforts to check the sale of such prohibited item and keep the colony free from such evils and encouraged them to continue their good works in keeping the colony clean and free from social evils. The Chairman of the colony Atuo Metha said that this incident should serve as an example to others that the youth and the council members would always be vigilant to check the sale of such harmful items and The IMFL bottles which were detected and detected by Upper Agri Colony anti-social activities in the colony. Panchayats and the Youth Organization. (DIPR Photo)
Training on value-added fish products held
JaluKie, July 14 (MexN): The Department of Fisheries in its tireless endeavour to empower women folk with basic skills in setting up their own business units in various value-added fish products conducted a two-day training programme on July 11 and 12 at Jalukie Town. C. Dory Yanthan, SDFO Jalukie and staff along with resource person Sentinaro, FI trained the participants to make four products with special emphasis on pickle making, product packaging and food safety measures. All together 18 women trainees comprising of five SHGs and several educated unemployed youths successfully attended the training programme.
Unity College alumni members informed DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): All the alumni members of Unity College Dimapur are informed that there will be a social work at the college campus on July 18 and a friendly basketball match between the Alumni and the present Unity College students on July 18. Therefore, all the past and present students are invited to be a part of the said event.
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Call for deputationists to be part of NeGD
KohiMa, July 14 (Dipr): National e-Governance Division (NeGD) is carrying out various activities in facilitating and supporting DeitY in Programme Management of National e-Governance Plan and implementing Capacity Building, Citizen Engagement, Awareness and Communication. In order to ensure that the tasks designated to NeGD are carried out in the appropriate manner, a team with judicious mix of professionals from Private Sector and Deputationist from Government, with the requisite skill sets to execute these schemes and mandate is positioned in NeGD. Here is an opportunity for Deputationists to be a part of the NeGD team and contribute for the cause of National
e-Governance Plan (NeGP) with your innovative skill sets, expertise and learning from your respective domain in the Government organizations you belong to. Log on to the hyper link http://deity.gov.in/content/negd-semt-vacancies and look for suitable positions according to your suitable Grade Pay and Skill set and apply to the vacancies that are available in the Advertisement / Circular. This information was received from G. Srinivas General Manager- HR /Admin. National e Governance Division Department of Electronics & Information Technology 4th Flr, Electronics Niketan 6, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road New Delhi-110003 dated 10th July 2014.
PTCSU conducts career guidance programme
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KohiMa, July 14 (MexN): The Phek Town Chakhesang Students Union (PTCSU) has successfully conducted felicitation cum career guidance programme on July 12 last at Phek Town Hall under the theme ‘’Choosing to enjoy learning.’’ Longdiba L. Sangtam EAC Phek, Dr. Illias, SDPO Phek and Dr. Wetshelo Tsuhah were the main speakers of the programme. Earlier, PTCSU president Kudukhoto Tetse-o delivered welcome address while PTCSU officials and others during felicitation cum career guidance programme on July Thepuvelhu Veswu chaired 12 at Phek.
the function. The function also witnessed special numbers from the students of Government Higher Secondary School Phek, Christian Home High School Phek and Nukuto. The programme was marked by presentation of certificates to the HSLC and HSSLC successful candidates. PTCSU ex-president Kozote Akami proposed vote of thanks. Ravelu Puro and Nusakho Chiero Associate Pastor PTBC, Phek pronounced invocation and benediction prayer respectively.
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REgional
The Morung Express
Tuesday
15 July 2014
Dimapur
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Tangkhul apex body petitions Manipur Governor IMPHAL, JuLy 14 (NNN): The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex Tangkhul civil body has apprised the Governor of Manipur to revoke the CrPC 144 clamped in Ukhrul town and to immediately withdraw the Manipur security forces deployed in the town. The TNL in its memorandum said today that on July 12 one M. Ngalangzar, Member, Autonomous District Council was shot dead at Finch Corner, about 22 km away from Ukhrul district headquarter, by unidentified individuals. It said following this, on July 13, at around 4 AM, Manipur police commandos and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) from Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Imphal, bypassing the district authorities of Ukhrul raided and ransacked the office of the Wung Tangkhul Region (WTR), a public liaison office of the NSCN (IM). Further, 8 cadres
Naga bandh in Manipur from July 15 midnight
of the NSCN (IM) were arrested. The same day, July 13, at around 7 am, Section 144 CrPC was imposed in and around SENAPATI, JuLy 14 (NNN): The United Naga Council (UNC) has announced a 24-hour bandh Ukhrul district Headquarters in 'Naga areas' of Manipur from the midnight of July 15 in protest against what it called 'the military on the purported excuse of “ap- strength show' of Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh against the Nagas and also for the immeprehension of nuisance and dis- diate implementation of 'Alternative Arrangement'. UNC general secretary Gaidon Kamei while turbance of public tranquillity in addressing to some media persons here said that the latest 'military strength show' of Ibobi Singh Ukhrul Headquarter due to the is presently prevailing in Ukhrul town. Gaidon Kamei said this is not the first time the Manipur killing of M. Ngalangzar.” Hun- government has been harassing the Nagas. dreds of Manipur police comAccording to the UNC leader, in the year 2010 when NSCN-IM general secretary Th. Muivah wanted mandos and IRB personnel were to visit his native village Somdal, Ukhrul district. "On May 6 that year Ibobi Singh detailed large number of deployed all over Ukhrul district Manipur security force at Mao Gate in the Manipur-Nagaland border to block the NSCN-IM leader and Headquarter creating a warlike thereby murdering two promising Naga students," Gaidon Kamei pointed out. He also said that many situation and an environment in people have become handicapped due to the bullet injuries of the Manipur police commandoes. Again, which the safety and security of on May 28, 2011, Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh blocked the then Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu the civilians was highly threat- from entering Manipur. "Rio was to launch the Naga People's Front (NPF) at Senapati but Ibobi again ened, the TNL alleged. The TNL sent large number of security force at Mao Gate creating history of one chief minister preventing another also said the same day, on July chief minister from going to one state," he added. Meanwhile, the UNC general secretary said the 24-hour 13, at around 3 pm a submission bandh to be begun from July 15 midnight will be a democratic and a peaceful agitation. Educational instiwas made to the Deputy Com- tutions, media, electricity, medical services will be exempted from the purview of the bandh. missioner, Ukhrul, for immediate withdrawal of Section 144 commandos and IRB. However, going on for the last 17 years. The alim (IM) has brought peace for ceasefire agreement between the the Naga people. However, the CrPC as the very fact of promul- it is yet to be revoked. "Sir, as you are aware, the In- Government of India and the Na- communal Government of Magating Section 144 CrPC and the withdrawal of Manipur police do-Naga peace talks have been tional Socialist Council of Nag- nipur (GOM) has, at every level
and every occasion, intensely opposed and done everything in its power to deny the Nagas their right to live a peaceful dignified life. The decisions and actions of the GOM clearly show that it is highly communal, anti-peace, and violate the rights of the people," the Tangkhul apex body's memorandum to the Governor stated. “The present situation in Ukhrul is a creation of the communal government of Manipur and not of the people. We are compelled to conclude, given the communal history of the actions of government of Manipur, that its actions are nothing but an attempt to derail the Indo-Naga peace process. “The raid on the WTR office, aside from being highly provocative, is a direct attempt to deny the Tangkhul Naga people their quest for peace and justice. It also violates the ceasefire agree-
Malaria claims 68 lives in Tripura Curfew on in Baksa, army on stand by AGArTALA, JuLy 14 (PTI): The outbreak of malaria in Tripura since last month has claimed 68 lives and affected over 30,000 people, Health Minister Badal Choudhury said today. "One more death was reported from Shantirbazar area in South Tripura district yesterday and the toll rose to 68 since last month," he said. The total number of malaria patients rose to 30453 in the period, a press statement issued by the
Health department today said. Doctors and medical staffs were camping in the malaria prone areas, mostly in tribal inhabited areas. Choudhury said the Border Security Force and Tripura State Rifles personnel were cooperating with the medical teams working in the remote areas and one helicopter was pressed into service for carrying health workers and patients. The stock of drugs was adequate, the statement said.
Former Assam CM resigns as AGP chief
GuwAHATI, JuLy 14 (PTI): The army remained on stand by and indefinite curfew, clamped since the kidnap and killing of four persons by suspected militants, remained in force for the third day in Assam's Baksa district as three persons were arrested in connection with the crime today. "The curfew is continuing and no fresh incident has taken place so far. The situation is under control," Baksa Additional Deputy Commissioner Bhawani Prasad Sharma told PTI. Baksa deputy commissioner Vinod Seshan said that three persons were arrested in connection with the kidnap of the four persons who hailed from neighbouring Barpeta district. "The three were arrested for helping suspected NDFB(S) militants in the kidnapping of the four persons," he said. All the four bodies were
Three arrested in connection with the kidnap and killing of four persons by suspected militants fished out of Hakuwa river and not Beki as was said earlier. One of the bodies bore a bullet mark, while the others had cut marks, Sharma said adding the post mortem was conducted today. The killed included two teenaged boys, who were among seven people, reportedly lemon traders from Barpeta district, who had gone to Labdungri market in Baksa. They were kidnapped by suspected NDFB(S) militants and did not return. He said the strength of police, CRPF and paramilitary forces deployed in Salbari sub-division and Anand Bazar area have been increased and a massive manhunt has
GuwAHATI, JuLy 14 (IANS): Former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta Monday resigned as the president of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) after its debacle in the recent general elections. The two-time former chief minister said his decision came in the wake of the party's poor performance in the recent panchayat polls and the Lok Sabha election, where the AGP failed to win even a single
Lok Sabha seat. "We have fared poorly in the recent elections. I have decided to step down, taking responsibility for this poor show. Our working president Atul Bora will take the responsibility from now on," Mahanta told reporters after a meeting at the party headquarters Monday. Mahanta, however, said he will not resign as a legislator and continue working towards revamping the party. The regional party, which ruled
Assam to implement FSA
Tripura editor found guilty in triple murder case
GuwAHATI, JuLy 14 (PTI): The Assam government will implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state from September 1 this year. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today where senior officials of the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, the nodal department for implementing NFSA, apprised him of the measures taken for implementing the scheme, an official release said here. Gogoi urged officials to ensure smooth implementation of the scheme so that it reaches the targeted beneficiaries. He directed the officials to ensure sufficient quantity of commodities in 'Amar Dukans' and to take effective steps for prevention of hoarding and blackmarketing of goods. The meeting decided to bring onions and potatoes in the list of essential commodities to curb hoarding. The Chief Minister suggested setting up of 'Farmers' Market' to ensure that farmers sell their produce to consumers directly and get the right price.
AGArTALA, JuLy 14 (IANS): An Agartala court Monday found a Tripura newspaper editor-cumowner guilty in a year-old triple murder case, a government lawyer said. Kripankur Chakraborty, additional district and sessions judge of west Tripura district, held Sushil Choudhury guilty of killing three of his employees May 19, 2013. "Choudhury is found guilty under sections 120 (B), 109, 302, 113, 111 and 201 of the IPC. Under these sections, the maximum
the state twice after storming to power in 1985, failed to win a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls. Many senior leaders, who were instrumental in forming the party, distanced themselves from it in the last few years. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chandra Mohan Patowary and Hiten Goswami resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party expressing dissatisfaction over Mahanta's leadership.
punishment could be either death sentence or life imprisonment," special public prosecutor Dilip Sarkar told reporters after the judgment in a packed court. He said the judge would announce the quantum of punishment July 17. Choudhury, 72, editorcum-owner of Bengali daily Dainik Ganadoot, along with one of his woman employees was arrested weeks after the murder of three employees. Choudhury was the main accused. Niyoti Ghosh, wife of Balaram Ghosh, the slain
city last year. Niyoti Ghosh and her 13-year-old daughter witnessed the murder of Balaram Ghosh, who was stabbed to death by two assailants. The culprits fled from the scene on a motorcycle. The other two were killed because of a property dispute, police said.
SUMMER GUITAR CRASH COURSE BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE
Office of the Jalukie Pumling Mipui Organization
Headquarter: Jalukie, Nagaland FELICITATION
Jalukie Pumling Mipui Organization felicitates Shri. T.R.Zeliang, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Govt. of Nagaland on being elected to the prestigious Office of the State. It is our sincere belief that the people of the land progress, prosper and flourish under your leadership. May Almighty God want you good health, wisdom and long life to fulfill the aspiration of the people. The JPMO also express appreciation to the Zeliangrong Baudi, Nagaland for organizing Grand Felicitation Programme in honour of Chief Minister of Nagaland on 7th July 2014 at Jalukie Town. The organization is delighted to witness such a warm reception accorded to Hon’ble Chief Minister by different organizations, unions, Associations, Societies, NGOS, etc on this auspicious day and hope that community continue to remain steadfast and united for the common cause of the people. (HEITAHUNGLE) President Jalukie Punting Mipui Organization Jalukie: Nagaland.
(KIGUM) Secretary Jalukie Pumling Mipui Organization Jalukie: Nagaland.
GOVERNEMNT OF NAGALAND
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER DIMAPUR : NAGALAND
ORDER
Dated 14th Jul 14
No.REV-13/93-D/4873-84: In view of the certain complain of anomalies in the entry of names of the affected land owners, commission & omissions in the compensation list/items in connection to the extension of 4Lane NH 29 (Dimapur to Kohima) under Dimapur District jurisdiction, all the Village Council functionaries & concern land owners are hereby directed to be present physically on the spot to authenticate the compensation list and any rectification thereof as per the under mentioned scheduled. Hereinafter no case for rectification shall be entertained whatsoever. Sl. Date No. 1 17th July 14 2 18th July 14 3 19th July 14
driver of the newspaper's office vehicle, turned approver in the case and was let off. Niyoti's husband, manager Ranjit Choudhury, a former BSF employee, and proof reader Sujit Bhattacharjee were murdered in the newspaper's office in the heart of the capital
Villages New Chumukedima Kukidolong Jharnapani
4 5 6 7 8
21st July 14 22nd July 14 23rd July 14 24th July 14 25th July 14
Medziphema village/town Pherima A Pherima B Tsiepema Piphema
Further, the effected land owners are also informed to submit their respective Bank Account details (photocopy of bank passbook) along with their passport photograph (6 nos) during spot verification. The team of following officers including ADC Medziphema, EE PWD (Housing), Manager (NHAI), EAC Rev & LRSO Dimapur shall be present at the respective Village Council Hall by 9 am onwards This is for strict compliance. Sd/-N.HUSHILI SEMA, IAS Deputy Commissioner Dimapur: Nagaland
THEORY AND PRACTICAL
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been launched to nab the culprits behind the Friday night kidnap of the four persons and their subsequent killing. The curfew is relaxed for two hours in the evening daily for 'iftaar' by the Muslim community as this is the month of 'Ramzaan', he said. Army has been on stand-by since Saturday and conducted area dominance exercise yesterday after three bodies were fished out. The first one was recovered on Saturday. Yesterday, nine people were arrested for attacking and critically injuring a police official while taking the bodies for postmortem. In another incident the police had to fire in the air at Anand Bazar area to disperse a mob which ignored the curfew to protest against the kidnap. Assam government has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs 8 lakh for the families of the each of those killed.
ment between the government of India and NSCN (IM). “In view of all these serious development, we on behalf of the Tangkhul Naga people, demand: That Section 144, CrPC be immediately revoked as its promulgation defeats the very logic for its application. That the Manipur police commandos and IRB currently deployed in Ukhrul district headquarter be withdrawn immediately,” TNL’s memorandum stated. TNL further asked that the arrested cadres be released without any condition and the properties and documents seized from the WTR office be immediately returned and status quo of the WTR be restored. “These demands should be addressed within twenty-four (24) hours of the receipt of the memorandum failing which we will be compelled to take democratic civil actions,” TNL stated.
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PRESS RELEASE The Christian Education Department, Ao Baptist Church Darogapathar (ABAD) held its second two day revival on the 12th & 13th of July on the theme Heaven’s inheritors. Miss. Alemla Apong, Founder Director of Children Evangelism Foundation was the main speaker and was accompanied by the CEF Praise & Worship team and Miss. Achila Imchen & Mr. Maong as Counsellors. It is a continued effort of the Christian Education Department, ABAD, on the importance and necessity of encouraging a child to grow on true Christian beliefs, and moral values between the age group of 6 years to 14 years. The CED, ABAD, extends its deep gratitude to all the well wishers, friends and individuals who have supported us through prayer all throughout the revival. Thank you once again for making the revival a grand success and God Bless you all.
4
Dimapur
businEss
Tuesday 15 July 2014
Modi govt slaps $579 mn addl penalty on Reliance Industries
New Delhi, July 14 (Pti): The government has slapped an additional penalty of $579 million on Reliance Industries (RIL) for producing less than targeted natural gas from its KG-D6 block, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said today. With this, the total penalty on RIL for missing the target in four fiscal years beginning April 1, 2010 now stands at a cumulative USD 2.376 billion, the Minister informed the Lok Sabha today. The penalty is in the form of disallowing costs incurred. The Production Sharing Contract (PSC) allows Reliance Industries and its partners BP Plc and Niko Resources to deduct all capital and operating expenses from the sale of gas before sharing profit with the government. Disallowing costs will result in government’s profit share rising by USD 195 million from 2010-11 to 2013-14, he said. In a written reply to a question, Pradhan said gas output from the Dhirubhai-1 and 3 gas field in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block was supposed to be 80 million standard cubic meters per day but actual production was only 35.33 mmscmd in 2011-12, 20.88 mmscmd in 2012-13 and 9.77 mmscmd in 2013-14. This year the output has been only 8.05 mmscmd. His ministry on July 10 is-
sued a notice disallowing USD 579 million in cost for output lagging targets in 2013-14. The government had previously issued a notice to RIL disallowing a total of USD 1.797 billion in costs for falling short of production during 2010-11 (USD 457 million), 2011-12 (USD 548 million) and 2012-13 (USD 792 million). Pradhan said the issue is currently under arbitration. “The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has also raised a claim of additional profit petroleum to the tune of USD 115 million to be paid by the contractor, on account of disallowance of cumulative contract costs of USD 1.797 billion, till 2012-13,” he said. After including cost disallowance in 2013-14, the total additional profit petroleum claimed from RIL comes to USD 195 million, he said. “GAIL and Chennai Petroleum (who buy oil and gas produced from KG-D6 block) have been directed to remit the sale proceed of crude oil/ condensate/natural gas from KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) block which falls due immediately into the Government account so as to recover an amount of USD 115,263,612 at the rate of 50 per cent by each company and deposit the same with the government,” he said. The Minister said RIL had put up production facilities to produce 80 mmscmd of gas but “has failed to adhere to the ap-
proved field development plan in terms of drilling and putting on stream the required number of wells.” His ministry and its technical arm DGH blames nondrilling of committed wells for the production lagging targets while RIL and its partners say unexpected geological complexities like sand and water ingress led to output fall. Pradhan said his ministry has issued notices to RIL on May 2, 2012, November 14, 2013, February 2, 2014, and July 10, 2014, and advised it to comply with the approved USD 8.8 billion investment plan for D1&D3 fields to meet the targets of gas production. It has also been asked to “forthwith remedy the default and to remit the additional profit petroleum of USD 195 million cumulative up to 201314,” he said. “The contractor of the block KG-DWN-98/3, RIL, has invoked arbitration against the action of the Ministry of disallowing the cumulative development costs. The government has also appointed its arbitrator and the issue is currently under arbitration,” he said. Stating that RIL had not adhered to the PSC provisions, the Minister said actual gas production has been less than capacities created at huge cost, resulting in under- utilisation of facilities and creation of surplus inventories. “The government has is-
sued notice for proportionate disallowance of cost of production facilities based on the cumulative shortfall in gas production vis-a-vis Addendum to the Initial Development Plan (AIDP),” he said. In the AIDP, RIL had committed to invest USD 8.8 billion in developing D1&D3 field and producing 80 mmscmd of gas. “The contractor (RIL) was repeatedly asked to adhere to the approved AIDP,” Pradhan added. The PSC allows RIL and its partners BP Plc and Niko Resources to deduct all capital and operating expenses from the sale of gas before sharing profit with the government. The creation of excess or unutilised infrastructure impacts the government’s profit share and this is sought to be corrected by disallowing part of the expenses incurred. The move to ask Chennai Petroleum, which buys crude oil from the KG-D6 block, and GAIL India, which purchases KG-D6 gas, to deduct USD 115 million from payments due to RIL, comes after the company not agreeing to deduct the disallowed costs from total expenses incurred before calculating the government’s share of profit petroleum. The government’s profit share would rise by USD 195 million if all of the USD 2.376 billion of disallowed costs is deducted from expenses incurred.
June wholesale price inflation eases to 4-month low
New Delhi, July 14 (ReuteRs): India’s wholesale price inflation eased to a four-month low in June after the new government curbed farm exports, but a growing risk that drought will shrivel summer crops could encourage the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to keep interest rates on hold. Wholesale prices rose 5.43 percent year-on-year last month, their slowest pace since February, compared with a 5.80 percent annual rise forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. In May, prices rose 6.01 percent from a year earlier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected in May amid anger over persistently high inflation, particularly food inflation, has ordered a crackdown on hoarding to hold down food prices and set limits on the export of staples, such as onions and potatoes. While those measures helped cool food inflation to 8.14 percent in June from 9.50 percent the previous month, vegetable prices still recorded a double-digit
gain during the month. Adding to inflationary worries are prospects of a first drought in five years and turmoil in Iraq, which have increased the risk of a run-up in food and fuel prices. Weak rainfall in India since the monsoon season started last month has already driven up prices of basic food items, such as milk, potatoes and tomatoes and could further delay a decision by the RBI to cut interest rates and ease the flow of credit to the economy. “We continue to remain cautious on the (inflation) trajectory given the scanty rainfalls witnessed across different parts of the country,” said Upasna Bhardwaj, an economist at ING Vysya Bank in Mumbai. “At the same time, pick-up in demand is further likely to keep the core prices under pressure leaving no room for RBI to ease monetary policy at least through this year.” RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan held benchmark interest rates at 8 percent at
the June policy meeting. He has raised rates three times since taking charge last September. The next policy review is due on August 5. Last week, Rajan said the central bank was “determined” to make sure consumer inflation, which it tracks to set lending rates, follows a “glide path” lower. Economists in a Reuters poll forecast that consumer price inflation probably eased to 7.95 percent last month, down from 8.28 percent in May. The government will release the consumer price data at 5:30 p.m. A flare-up in global crude prices also runs the risk of aggravating India’s inflationary woes as the country imports nearly 80 percent of its oil. Brent crude bounced off of threemonth lows on Monday to stand above $106 a barrel on fears of supply disruptions amid new and continuing violence in Libya and Iraq.
_
LEISURE
Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”
SUDOKU Game Number # 2936
The Morung Express
Public DiscoursE An open letter to IGAR (North), Kohima
I
am writing this letter to you as a concerned citizen and express myself with candor in the larger interest of the public for your kind perusal and redress. This letter addressed to you is in connection with the very unfortunate incident which happened to me on 12th July 2014. It was around 2:45 to 3:00 am in the wee hours when I was woken up by banging sounds of my residence gate and the repeated sound from the door bell. So I got up and opened the gate to find my house under siege by 19 AR personnel. I was clueless and in utter shock. Without any explanation, they rushed inside my building and started asking me whether I was a contractor to which I replied that I was a State Government servant. I provided evidences to them through my official ID card, as well as the details of my family. My wife is also a Government servant and we have a four year old son. We live with a domestic helper who is a girl. That’s my family. Now, even after ascertaining my identity, the jawans insisted for a search at my house to which I had no clue of their intentions or the suspicion they had on me. They started bringing out accusations against me that the criminal they are looking for, lives in the very building I reside and that the ID of the criminal matches with that of mine. God only knows from what source they have received such information. Now, the source of information becomes very questionable and doubtful. This needs to be thoroughly studied. It might be someone who wants to assassinate my character or someone who has done so out of hatred or jealousy. The provider of such information needs to be made known to public if the accused is found free from guilt. And I will seriously pursue it even to the extent of finding justice in the court of law where even you sir, will be answerable. For once I thought that these sorts of false statements and accusations they make might be their tactic to bring a person under submission. But why should I? And what am I afraid of if I am innocent? My house is still open to ‘search’ if my integrity is still doubted. Having said all that, a thorough search was carried out inside my building including the Government vehicle attached to me. They even persuaded me to disclose if I own any arms to which I told them that I do not own any arms whether licensed or unlicensed. And after all, what and where is the connection between and the logic behind me possessing arms and a crime committed elsewhere by a criminal? After the entire search, no illegal possessions were found with me. They noted my details including the Government registered vehicle attached to me. After failing to book me or arrest me, though they tried through every possible means, the Commanding Officer, who was unable to provide justifications and reasons for their unpopular almost draconian laws and actions meted out to us, shook my hands, said sorry and left with his jawans after more than four gruesome hours. Now, I am not bothered with the accusations or suspicion they have claimed or had on me because I know who I am and the society with whom I live know me and my family who can testify of it. But what if I am being targeted as a suspect today what will happen to me or my family next? And still worse is, the humiliation and pain me and my family went through which had done more harm and this will
take a very long time to heal. The sight of my 4 year old son having woken up in utter shock to see armies in the bedroom and crying with his mother reoccurs right in front of me again and again. Sir, I am sure you do have a family. The trauma my family underwent that fateful morning can be understood by one and all. Above all, my image as a responsible pers on has been tarnished to the point where I may not be able to bring back people’s confidence in me. Therefore, I as a public and a responsible citizen would like to question you on the following points so that the innocent public is protected and is not humiliated in the manner I was in future. 1. On what ground was my house singled out and brought under siege and searched? 2. Is it justifiable that on mere suspicion, without any search warrant, a house can be searched randomly even after proving one’s identity? 3. Does the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) grant such power/powers to the army to operate in that line when ceasefire is in place with the GOI? 4. Can the army rely on the information provided and operate accordingly even without ascertaining the source and authenticity of information received? 5. Is this the attitude of “Friends of the hill people”? 6. Are there any ways or mechanisms that can/ needs to be developed whereby such ‘siege and search’ can be avoided so that the innocent public is not harassed and humiliated unnecessarily to the point I was, just out of mere suspicion? This is me, a very aggrieved and concerned citizen, Mr. Ketusielie Kuotsu Angami Father’s name : Kelhutsieko Kuotsu Tribe/community : Angami/Naga Marital status : Married with one son Age : 38 years Profession : Government servant Designation : District Fisheries Officer, Wokha Address : House NO. 193-D, Sector-D, Officer’s Hill, Kohima town. Village: Mezoma My social status: 1. I am also the Joint Secretary of Western Angami Gazetted Officers Krotho (WAGOK) and bona fide member of Angami Gazetted Officers Krotho (AGOK) 2. I am the Advisor of Nagaland Fisheries Technical Association (NFTA) and a bona fide member of NFTA. 3. A bona fide member of Mezoma Welfare Forum (MWF). 4. A permanent resident of Officers’ Hill (Thegabakha) and a bona fide member of Officer’s Hill Colony. I hope my personal bio-data is clear and self explanatory to my personality and character. Sir, this letter has been issued in the interest of the public with the hope that such unfortunate incidences do not occur in future, though I for one was unlucky this time. Hope your esteemed authority will kindly take note and take necessary steps for peace loving citizen like me. Thank you. Kelhutsieko Kuotsu Kohima
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.
DAILY CROSS WORD
CROSSWORD # 2942
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 Chumukedima Fire Brigade Nikos Hospital and Research Centre Nagaland Multispecialty Health & Research Centre
Answer Number # 2935
KOHIMA
Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home:
232224; Emergency229529, 229474 227930, 231081 228846 228254 231864, 224117, 227337 228400 232106 227607 232181 242555/ 242533 224041, 248011 230695/9402435652 131/228404 229366 282777 232032, 231031 248302, 09856006026
STD CODE: 0370
Northeast Shuttles
100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202
PENCIL ARTIST WATERCOLORS RULER CRAYONS PAINT PAPER COLLAGE MONTAGE SHAPE SIZE TEXTURE TONE LINE CREATIVITY DRAWING PAINTING SCULPTURE POTTERY PHOTOGRAPHY GRAPHICS GOUACHE PALETTE BRUSHES EASEL
R
D
V K R D R A W I N G L E S A E
I A U E T T E L A P R O C S P
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V T E X T U R E R I P M P O L
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E I R G I A U W U N H F E L J
D S K S V W S N T T O F N O E
A
I T O C I U H P P I T V O C H
G T G I T R E A L N O P T R G
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L Y C H A C S P U G G Z N E R
P R R P E O L E C I R G I T K
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Y E A A R L I R S H A D A A F
R T Y R C L C D Z C P F P W A
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Z T O G L A N E P A H S N P R
M O N T A G E N I L Y E Z I S
I P S J E E P E H C A U O G H
ACROSS 1. Murres 5. Assistant 9. Male offspring 13. Lease 14. It delivers babies? 16. Notion 17. Magma 18. A tart fruit 19. Untidyness 20. Thrall 22. Winners 24. Go on horseback 26. Satan 27. A part of a broadcast serial 30. Angel 33. Prisons 35. Districts 37. Gist 38. Nigerian monetary unit 41. Regret 42. Panache 45. A lofty peak 48. A type of organic compound 51. Noblewoman 52. Amount of hair 54. Alert 55. Estranged 59. Name of a book
62. Residence hall 63. Daddies 65. Conceited 66. Let go 67. Remains 68. Matured 69. Dispatched 70. If not 71. Not more
DOWN 1. Website addresses 2. Genuine 3. Constant 4. Recurrence 5. American Sign Language 6. Bit of gossip 7. Vaulted 8. Wears away 9. Alike 10. Poems 11. Where a bird lives 12. Back talk 15. Scoundrel 21. Biblical kingdom 23. Former Italian currency 25. Biblical garden 27. Feudal worker 28. Gutsiness 29. Historic period 31. Portion
32. Drags 34. Take in slowly 36. Views 39. Tear 40. Again 43. Try 44. Ripped 46. Tidy 47. Not departure 49. Some tides 50. What’s left behind 53. Flower part 55. Contributes 56. Old stories 57. Weightlifters pump this 58. Not nights 60. Untruths 61. Terminates 64. South southeast Ans to CrossWord 2941
CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862-282777/101 (O) WOKHA: 03860-242215 (O) 9402643782 MOKOKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/101 (O) 9856872011 (OC) PHEK: 03865-223838/101 (O) 9436012949 (OC)
MON: 03869-290629/101 (O) 9856248962/ 9612805461 (OC)
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O
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TUENSANG: 03861-220256/101 (O) 8974322879
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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
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LOCAL
The Morung Express
ANHTU Kiphire warns to impose ‘No pay, no work’ Kiphire, July 14 (MexN): All Nagaland Hindi Teachers Union, Kiphire unit (2012-13 batch) has warned that it will impose “No pay, no work” by July 21 onwards if their pending salary is not paid. In a press release, ANHTU Kiphire unit appealed to the State government to release the pending salary (from March till date). It also asked for release of arrears and implementation of ROP with effect from March. The unit expressed that teachers serving in the district have been facing lots of hardship due to the
pending salary for more than four months. The release issued by Liose Sangtam, general secretary of ANHTU Kiphire unit stated that Kiphire district is one of the remotest districts in Nagaland where some villages are located without road connection and teachers posted in such villages have to go to school on foot. The release alleged that the central government has already sanctioned the amount for payment to the teachers up to March, but the State government has kept it pending without any reason.
Dr. TM Lotha assures help to villagers
Tuesday 15 July 2014
union ministry endorses Nagaland afforestation & eco-devp project
New Delhi, July 14 (MexN): Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang today called on Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar and apprised him of the “Nagaland Afforestation and Eco-Development Project” under JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). TR Zeliang asked for the project to be included in the rolling plan of 2014-2015, informed a press release issued by Media Cell, Chief Minister’s Office. The chief minister briefed the union minister about the JICA officials’ visit to Nagaland in June and the plan for economic development on Jhum land in the State which will rejuvenate the degraded forests. He explained on how
TR Zeliang and Dr Nicky Kire with Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on July 14.
the project will bring sustainable green cover and impact the majority of the population who are so lely dependent on subsistence Jhum cultivation and forest resources for their live-
lihood. In this regard, he urged the Environment & Forests Ministry to intervene in the execution of the JICA project in Nagaland. TR Zeliang also discussed about bringing Intanki For-
est Reserve to the status of National Park. According to the release, the Union Minister said that such investment should be welcomed in the State and popular developers like JICA should be encouraged to carry out such adventurous programmes. He assured his full support to Nagaland government in achieving its goal in forestry sector and also endorsed the same to the Finance Ministry for necessary clearance and extended positive response for the project. TR Zeliang was accompanied by his cabinet colleague Dr Nicky Kire, Minister for Environment and Forest and Joyti Kalash, Resident Commissioner, Nagaland House, New Delhi.
National workshop underway at NU Kohima campus
Suspension bridge over Nzsu River in Yanthang Village under Wokha district which was inaugurated by Dr. TM Lotha on July 10.
woKha, July 14 (MexN): Parliamentary secretary for tourism Dr. TM Lotha has assured the villagers of Yanthang Village under Wokha district that, he, as their representative, would try to provide whatever possible help for development of the village and asked them to steadfastly extend cooperation to the government. Inaugurating a suspension bridge last Thursday at Yanthang Village, some 36 kilometers away from Wokha town, the parliamentary secretary expressed hope that the bridge over Nzsu River would ease the difficulties faced by the villagers. The villagers would become
closer and united and the village economy would thrive, he expressed. A press release from PS to the parliamentary secretary further informed that Dr. TM Lotha also stated that the Village Council and the Village Development Board there would coherently work to avail all the developmental facilities from the government. “So let me know what I can do for you,” he asked the villagers and assured them that he as their MLA would see that all possible help reach them. Leaders of the Village Council, VDB and large number of Yanthang villagers attended the inauguration of the suspension bridge.
KohiMa, July 14 (MexN): A three-day long national workshop on “Capacity Building on Translating Policy into Practice” got underway today at Nagaland University (NU), Kohima Campus, Meriema. NU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. A Lanunungsang while declaring the workshop open underlined that Nagas as rural based people have high potential, as such, educators should identify the rural-social capitals. He opined that all policies should be translated in relevance to the soci-
ety so the policies are applicable and can be effectively implemented. Soibam Nepola, Capacity Building Unit, ASER Center Delhi also gave an overview on the main findings on the progress and status of ASER under the RTE Act and also on the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) of Nagaland 2013. The first day of the workshop witnessed baseline case study, quiz for the participants on RTE Act, historical background of the Act, overview of the RTE Act, orientation of field
work along with discussion and group activities of the participants. The workshop will also be marked by field work in schools and villages by the participants along with presentation on field visit guidelines, group work compilation of data, field work presentation and other activities. The inaugural function was chaired by Prof. Buno Liegise, Department of Education, NU and was attended by ASER members along with dean, School of Humanities and Educa-
tion, faculty members of Education Department, NU and several active research scholars of NU Kohima Campus. The programme is being jointly organized by ASER and Department of Education, Nagaland University. ASER is the research wing of Pratham, a national NGO which deals in facilitating the existing structures of primary education mostly in rural areas. It is active since 2006. ASER mainly looks into the learning level of students in rural areas.
Training on value-added Naga Hoho to take up NSDZ issue fish products held JaluKie , July 14 (MexN): The Department of Fisheries, in an endeavour to empower women folk with basic skills in setting up their own business units in various value-added fish products, conducted a two-day training programme on July 11 and 12 at Jalukie Town. C. Dory Yanthan, SDFO Jalukie and staff along with
resource person Sentinaro, FI trained the participants to make four products with special emphasis on pickle making, product packaging and food safety measures. All together 18 women trainees comprising of five SHGs and several educated unemployed youths successfully attended the training programme.
KohiMa, July 14 (MexN): With regard to the Nagaland Special Development Zone (NSDZ), a consultative meeting was held between Naga Hoho and Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on July 14 at Hotel Cimorb, Kohima. A press release from Communication Cell, Naga Hoho informed that NPCC highlighted pertinent issues related to the resolution passed in the Assembly and the concerns were well received and taken by the Hoho. The Hoho expressed its willingness to take up the matter with appropriate authorities and political parties before the NSDZ issue becomes a living reality for the interest and welfare of the Nagas, the release stated.
Dimapur
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MEx FILE ANSTA condemns July 12 assault Kiphire, July 14 (MexN): The All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) Kiphire unit has strongly condemned the July 12 incident, where Jongshe, alleged to be a Srgt. Major in NSCN (IM) “attempted to murder” Shepentsu, carpenter at GHS Salomi. In a press statement, T.S.Thripongse Sangtam, vice president, ANSTA Kiphire unit termed the incident “too extreme” and “inhuman act”. The ANSTA Kiphire further questioned all the Naga Political Groups, “If you kill, torture your own brothers and sisters in the name of independence then for whose independence are you fighting for.” The vice president has urged the higher authority of NSCN (IM) to take stern action against the erring cadre so the organization’s name is not tarnished. The association also prayed for the speedy recovery of the victim who is undergoing treatment.
RCN general meeting on July 18 DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): The term-end general meeting of the Rongmei Council Nagaland (RCN) will be held on July 18 at Mhainamtsi Village Council Hall at 9:00 am. Therefore, RCN president James Akham has requested all the executives, council assembly members, unit members, leaders of all frontal organizations, public leaders, village authorities, govt. officers, and all concerned to attend the meeting.
WSBAK expresses grief DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): The Western Sümi Baptist Akükühou Küqhakulu (WSBAK) has expressed grief at the demise of Reverend Nitovi Assümi on July 12. In a condolence message, WSBAK executive secretary Rev. S Vitoshe Swu stated, “The late reverend faithfully served in the Lord’s ministry since 1948 and was serving as a Home Evangelist at Toluvi Baptist Church when he passed away.” He was 94. The WSBAK further expressed deep sadness at his demise and prayed for the family and those dear to him.
WSKH meeting postponed DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): President of Western Sumi Kukami Hoho (WSKH) has informed all concerned that the hoho meeting convened on July 15 at hoho office, Chekiye village has been postponed to July 18 owing to demise of one of the executive members on July 14.
AR apprehend two with arms DiMapur, July 14 (MexN): 29 Assam Rifles under the aegis of Headquarters 6 Sector Assam Rifles launched an operation in Supply Road, Dimapur on July 11 and apprehended one individual with arms. The person identified as Akash Barman (31), resident of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal was in possession of one 7.65 mm pistol with magazine and assorted ammunition. Assam Rifles in a press release informed that the operation was launched based on specific information about movement of armed individual. The apprehended individual alongwith the recovered items was handed over to Sub Urban Police Station, Dimapur. Meanwhile, on July 10, 29 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ 6 Sector Assam Rifles launched an operation in 4th Mile, Dimapur and apprehended one person identified as Kaito Sumi (42) alongwith one .22 rifle and assorted ammunition. The apprehended individual alongwith the recovered items was handed over to Diphupar Police Station, Dimapur, informed the release.
Public SPace
Vocationalising Higher education in North east
A
mong many other challenges being faced in the spheres of socioeconomic development by the north eastern region of India, the challenges faced in the field of higher education is the greatest. This has been caused by the dearth of higher educational institutions in the region, for which, the community people of Nagaland or north eastern India for that matter, either have to give up thought of educating themselves or have to go outside the region for obtaining it. For lacking of higher educational institutions offering technical and professional careers in this region, students prefer to move to outside for professionalize themselves for employment. The community people of this region, thus spent huge budget annually in higher education, while sending their children and wards to the metropolitan cities outside every year. This is a common scenario, for Nagaland, and as well as for the entire region of north east India. This factor although look very sound, but in reality it does not appear to be so, as virtually, it drains out human potential and resources from this region creating a vacuum because students studying outside hardly come back home again. Education during the 21st century AD, is much more than reading and writing. In today’s context education is the most powerful and dynamic instrument for achieving self reliance in society by facing the social and economic challenges emerging with the scientific and technological development globally. It
is in this area, for promotion of higher education and as well as achieving the objective of mass education by transmitting the paradigm of higher education to all sections of people, The Global Open University Nagaland, with its 115 different vocational, skill based and job oriented courses, has opened up doors of education for all. The Global Open University Nagaland, has made it possible for the people of the region to be more realistic in planning education as a means for attaining self reliance by pursuing vocational educational careers for self employment. Today, society looks up an educational institution, as a place from where ideas and visions flow to individual and society. The educational institutions today, are supposed not only to certify the youth for merely completing degree, but also empower them for the future challenges to be faced by them. An educational institution, in today’s context, has to certify that empowerment of knowledge for inherent growth of a student within himself from powerlessness to a position of power that make the youth self reliant with his knowledge, skill and self confidence. For this, an educational education has to offer curriculum favorable for job opportunities and thereby eradicate poverty. Such objective is possible only when youths are provided with opportunities to unfold their potentials for employment. Educational institutions with such objectives and curriculum can only make this possible in society.
The Global Open University Nagaland, with its Headquarters at Dimapur and armed by its two wings at Wokha and Kohima, is embarking upon such objectives of vocationalising educational perspectives of the general masses and younger section of the society for bringing socio-cultural progress and economic sustainability in the region. By birth, The Global Open University Nagaland is a multidisciplinary institution of excellence of open and distance learning for providing education for all age groups in society. Its objective is education for all. But the principal objective of the university is planning of curriculum for fulfillment of the growing needs for the job oriented educational programs for boys and girls, besides senior Government employees and other sections in society such as parents senior citizens, who have no scope for undertaking formal education. Today people of all class want themselves to be educated. For this, The Global Open University Nagaland is developing its own curriculum for all age groups covering diverse vocational disciplines by providing capacity building, job oriented, vocational and other courses for self employment at Bachelor’s, and Master’s level keeping in view the empowerment of the new generation. Many under Matriculates, who had left their high schools long back, are now becoming graduates and thereafter post graduates, through the Bachelor Preparatory Program provided by this university.
This university has new courses of learning such as Road Construction Management, Environment Management, Ecology and Environment, NGO Management, Disaster Management, Remote Sensing, Valuation, Distance Education Management, Educational Technology Forensic Science, Fire Science, Green Technology, Nano Technology, Bachelor of Computer Applications, Master of Computer Applications, Management of Business Administration, covering altogether 115 different educational programs as and so on. For all these vocational, job oriented and employment centric courses this university has designed its study materials in book form which are unique. With this vision the university ever since its inception is running the Department of Hotel Management and Catering Technology and Department of Fashion Design Technology, under regular mode of teaching in Dimapur and Kohima campus respectively and offering B.Sc. Degree to students. With essence of hospitality, the discipline of Hotel Management, by this century, has emerged as one of the most chosen and lucrative profession in the world. The university has been doing its best to mould up the academic mind set and aptitude of the students in vocational disciplines. Apart from providing a learning environment through activities and visual aids, the Department has well furnished practical kitchens, muck mock restaurant, guest room, a library for the students, teachers and a
Computer Laboratory with wifi connectivity and in-house software classroom to enable the students for enhancing communicative and technical skills. The students can display their creative and technical talents in their professional service career. It is for this, since its inception in 2006, the results of all the batches of students from The Global Open University Nagaland have been most successful. All the students have got employment in the chain of the reputed national and internationally fame hotels and resorts in metropolitan cities in India and abroad. Of the four batches of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Department, the first batch of 15 students in 2008-20011; 18 students in 2009-1012; 12 students in third batch 2012-2013 and all students from the batch of 2013-14 must follow the previous record successfully and shall achieve 100 % placement record. The Global Open University Nagaland thus has achieved a coveted area of success in relation to employment of its students apart from their education. The other vocational disciplines where this university is focusing is the Fashion Design Technology. This region in India’s north east is known for traditional textile wealth. The community life alone in Nagaland owns a reputation for their handloom both within the country and abroad. The colorful hand woven shawls of various tribes, Naga Sarongs (mekhalas), hand bags, exquisitely and intricately designed
male and female costumes and garments have won world wide appreciation. Considering the significant cultural value of the traditional textile industry of this region, this university has opened up its in-campus learning in Kohima campus offering B.B.A in Fashion Design for students. The university has been taking up motivation and industrious programme of teaching for inspiring the students technologically to build up professionals and thereby educating the new generation of this region to venture into the traditionally rich field of designing textiles on a commercial scale, reproducing fabrics that represent the past, but fused with modern taste. The Master Students in this discipline are opening retail outlets in national level and have now been successfully offering a wide range of choice of utilitarian, commercial and artistic use with the basic elements Naga culture nationally and globally. The Global Open University Nagaland is building up its beautiful campus with residential hostel facilities for students and teaching faculties at Sodzulhou village on Dimapur Kohima road within Dimapur township, on the bank of river Chathe. The new campus with modern equipments and teaching instruments, will also bear such facilities for the students as banking, internet, postal service, dispensary, guest houses and so on. Objective of promoting Dimapur as the academic hub of the Global Open University Nagaland, lies in the fact that, Dimapur
in Nagaland is coming up as a sprawling city in the north east, and connected with the other parts of India by roads, railways and airways. For the students of the north eastern region of India, Dimapur is now a convenient city, for working nationally and globally. In the same time the Wokha campus will be also developed soon, as the main campus of The Global Open University. As a matter of fact, the north eastern region of India is lagging far behind in education to be self reliant. This region has to be empowered educationally with target of achieving self reliance for which vocational education is a prime sector of learning. In such areas of consideration, the Global Open University Nagaland has been playing a most significant role by opening its vocational and job oriented courses of learning for the students participants of the north eastern region. The vocational and job oriented courses of The Global Open University Nagaland provides a promising platform for attaining self sustainable job oriented career with ample employment opportunities. Students of the north east India may find in The Global Open University a matching educational institution for attaining promising service scopes in life. The courses of this university, which are unique in India, are offered here at a very low price which could be log on the website www.nagaland.net.in
The Morung Express is introducing “Public Space” as part of our intention to provide deliberate space for the opinions of the people to be expressed and heard through this newspaper. Nonetheless, The Morung Express points out that the opinions expressed in the contents published in the “Public Space” do not reflect the views and position of the newspaper or the editor.
Dr H.N.Dutta Vice Chancellor, The Global Open University, Nagaland Dimapur- 797112
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IN-FOCUS
The Power of Truth
The Morung Express TuEsDAy 15 July 2014 volumE IX IssuE 192
A matter of concern
T
he Forum for Naga Reconciliation’s most recent public statement that the Naga Reconciliation process is in “peril of self-destruction” is a matter of grave concern for all. Yet, this statement comes as no surprise since in recent times there have not been adequate demonstration of transformative leadership and statesmanlike qualities from the Naga leaders engaged in the process. Prudent observers would point out that Nagas have generally been proactive in asserting and maintaining their own positions and self-interests, but have been rather lackluster in actually identifying common ground and taking steps required for evolving consensus on shared needs. This characteristic of positional posturing, which is quite evident in the Naga style of leadership, is often a deterrent to any transformative process. This may be one of the causes leading to this prolonged stalemate, thereby, threatening the reconciliation process. Despite the limitations and shortcomings expressed in their statement, the FNR led Reconciliation process has been directly responsible for the de-escalation of factional violence. It has also gradually and indirectly contributed towards creating space for ordinary men and women to express their feelings and concerns in ways that have propelled and highlighted many importance issues in the public arena. Naga society is presently experiencing a heightened sense of public awareness, participation and dialogue. Issues such as corruption, taxation, gender violence, environmental rights, entrepreneurship, good governance, and public health are now receiving due attention. There is no doubt that the Naga Reconciliation process should continue in the interest of the common good and shared future of the people. However, the appeal of the FNR for people’s ‘active support’ and ‘decisive stand’ may well be the defining factor required in deciding the future of Naga Reconciliation. The Naga civil society organizations, traditional institutions and Churches need to find creative and bold ways of strengthening Naga Reconciliation and to take the process to all levels of the society. This includes creating safe and democratic space for expressions of truth telling and forgiveness. Simultaneously the Naga national groups (factions) need to be held accountable to principles and values of reconciliation. The Naga public needs to take a decisive stand in ensuring that all forms of confrontation and violence are stopped among the various groups. This will contribute towards rebuilding broken trust and restoring integrity and credibility to the process. Central to the question of integrity is the need to broaden the process by ensuring the inclusion of all other Naga national groups that have not yet been part of the reconciliation process. Consequently, while recognizing the difficulties faced by the groups it will be practical on the part of the FNR to establish a reasonable time frame within which the Naga national groups should implement a reconciled relationship. In the final analysis, it is the people who should have the final say in Naga reconciliation!
lEfT wiNg
Sleeping in Gaza A poem for Gaza Najwan Darwish
Fado, I’ll sleep like people do when shells are falling and the sky is torn like living flesh I’ll dream, then, like people do when shells are falling: I’ll dream of betrayals I’ll wake at noon and ask the radio the questions people ask of it: Is the shelling over? How many were killed? But my tragedy, Fado, is that there are two types of people: those who cast their suffering and sins into the streets so they can sleep and those who collect the people’s suffering and sins mold them into crosses, and parade them through the streets of Babylon and Gaza and Beirut all the while crying Are there any more to come? Are there any more to come? Two years ago I walked through the streets of Dahieh, in southern Beirut and dragged a cross as large as the wrecked buildings But who today will lift a cross from the back of a weary man in Jerusalem? The earth is three nails and mercy a hammer: Strike, Lord Strike with the planes Are there any more to come? Najwan Darwish, one of the foremost Arabic-language poets of his generation, was born in Jerusalem in 1978. He has worked as the editor of two cultural magazines in Palestine and was a cultural critic for the prominent Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar from 2006 to 2012. Darwish has been an organizer and advisor for many public arts projects, among them the Palestine Festival of Literature. In 2009, he founded a literary press in Jerusalem, and he is currently involved in establishing a new pan-Arab newspaper, where he will be the chief editor of the arts and culture section. In 2009, he was on the Hay Festival Beirut’s list of the “Best 39 Arab authors under the age of 39.” He lives in Jerusalem.
C O M M E N T A R Y
THE EDIT PAGE
Dolly Kikon
Things We Do with Land in Northeast India
O
n 8thNovember, 2013, a crowd of four hundred farmers including women gathered in a village called Bardhanara in Nalbari district (Assam) to interact with ecofeminist Vandana Shiva. It was her maiden visit to Assam and the crowd equally reciprocated her enthusiastic solidarity with the small farmers who had gathered that morning. The meeting was organized by a grassroots collective comprising students, farmers and journalists called GramyaVikas Mancha. It was not long before Assamese terms entered into Shiva’s presentation to describe the ongoing transformation of agriculture and the situation of the small and marginal farmers in India. Members from the audience spontaneously taught her Assamese names for pests, silkworm, beetle, butterfly and terms that constitute the everyday vocabulary of farmers across rural India and beyond. Interaction like the one that took place on 8th November 2013 calls for a reflection. The social world of small farmers, which includes women, in Northeast India is often subsumed within the dominant discourse of security and armed conflict. Land and natural resources shape the everyday relations in various ethnic conflict areas, and are central issues that fuel demands for the right to self-determination, and aspirations for autonomy. Yet, the lives of subsistence farmers, where a sizable number of them are women headed households, do not feature in the discussions about the future and development of Northeast India. They constitute one of the most vulnerable groups who will be bear the brunt of the social, political and the economic transformation that is unfolding in the region. The subsistence farmers who gathered in Bardhanara village in Nalbari district, reiterated how agriculture was becoming an increasingly unviable practice due to the realities of land alienation, starvation, and debt. Their anxieties resonated with the hardship that is sweeping all across rural India. What also transpired at the interactive meeting in Nalbari district was the urgency to address, enquire, discuss, and contemplate the future of the small farmers who had gathered there. Numerous questions that the audience put up for Shiva ranged from the international conventions on national policies on agriculture, to small land holdings. Questions about sustainability, livelihoods, and the dilemma of the subsistence farmer – especially for those who had transitioned to use pesticides, about reverting back to organic farming – were addressed to the visiting guest. As small and marginal farmers at the meeting discussed the grand projects of the state, the everyday realities of the subsistence farmers and their encounters with the state became more tangible to visitors who were there as invitees. Reflections During my fieldwork research between 20092011 in Nagaland and Assam, I studied the daily interaction between buyers from Assam and subsistence jhum cultivators from Nagaland, who brought their produce at the weekly markets along the foothills, the official and contested border between the states of Assam and Nagaland. The Naga subsistence cultivators, majority of who were women, also shared their experiences of insecurities in the hills of Nagaland that resonated with the discussions that had transpired at the Nalbari meeting on 8th November 2013. Stories of failed crops and poor harvest due to hybrid seeds were common, as were the challenges of the cultivators to negotiate the pressure exerted by the Nagaland government to introduce large scale commercial agriculture and mono-cropping in the state. Besides that, other common threads, such as the financial strains to sustain agricultural activities and the loss of soil fertility, highlighted the existing condition of the subsistence farmers in Assam and Nagaland. Irrespective of the ecological and demographic distinctions between the Brahmaputra valley and the hills of Nagaland, there is an increasing clarity on how the state plans to reorganize the agricultural sector across Northeast India in the near future. While the state in the valley had always extracted revenue from agriculturalists, the marginal farmers in the hills were exempted from paying agricultural taxes to the hill states. However, the increasing pressure to generate revenue independently of the grants provided by the central government, has pushed hill states in Northeast India to come up with policies that look at the farmer as a source of revenue and an agent of agricultural modernization. This requires, among other things, transferring to cash crop production and the privatization of land. Here, one has to exercise caution not to pigeonhole the experiences of marginal and subsistence cultivators as a one dimensional story of tilling the land. Anthropologist James Ferguson argues that agriculture is only one of the many things people do with land. Explaining this rationale, Ferguson points out that how small and marginal farmers in South Africa who are giving up farming since it has increasingly become an unviable occupation, continue to nurse the desire to own and have access to land (Ferguson 2013). Therefore, the ongoing global transformation of agriculture calls our attention to address the larger politics of land distribution, ownership, and land as an important distributive resource. Several insights emerged from my conversations with women headed households engaged in subsistence agriculture and trade in the weekly
markets along the foothills of Assam and Nagaland. Small women farmers were insecure about losing their cultivable fields to companies that extracted natural resources like coal, timber, and boulders. Simultaneously, they were also apprehensive of the prospective tribal landowners who were buying up large tracts of land to start commercial ventures like plantations, resorts, and as surety for bank loans. The experiences of women farmers, who trade in the weekly markets, show how the vulnerable and the poor in society are invisible in the dominant narrative of community rights and guarantees. Furthermore, these vulnerable social groups will be further marginalized, as constitutional rights and guarantees for citizens, are solely interpreted through an archaic understanding of customary laws that reinforce class and gender hierarchies. This is especially true in hill states like Nagaland, where under Article 371(A), women’s rights over inheritance and ownership of land and participation in traditional decision-making forums remain deplorable. Across rural Northeast India, households engaged in subsistence agriculture improvise to generate income from the land because it is impossible to sustain the household solely from farming. During the lean season, many households along the Assam-Nagaland border lease out their land to neighbors and itinerant groups, who would otherwise be denied access to forests and community land. The monetary transactions for such arrangements are meager and are supplemented with other activities. Communities in Northeast India, particularly women folk have a rich tradition of foraging for wild herbs, yams, mushrooms, and plants. They barter or sell them in the neighborhood and the weekly markets. This practice has been disrupted in several places as large tracts of community lands and the common reserves have been bought by corporations and private individuals for commercial ventures like mining, educational institutions, plantations, and for setting up factories. Often, state officials and agricultural scientists I met relegated the weekly markets as cultural remnants of pre-capitalist societies. However, these markets are located at the heart of global capitalist ventures like the tea plantations, oil refineries, and beside modern state establishments like security garrisons and administrative offices. Irrespective of the ways these sites rupture the dominant center and periphery model or the capital and pre-capital spatial divides, these markets attract thousands of buyers and sellers everyday. They not only play a significant role in supporting the rural economy but also maintain the social, economic, and political equilibrium among diverse ethnic communities. Thus, official perception of these weekly markets as cultural remnants reflects two things. First, it tells us how the state situates subsistence cultivators as retrograde citizens and cultural vestiges of a pre-capitalist society in the grand project to transform agriculture. Secondly, it reveals how the state’s rhetoric of development and progress in Northeast India is fundamentally flawed. Policy makers shift the onus of change on the subsistence and marginal farmers leaving them with alternatives that have nothing to do with agriculture. Rural households are discouraging the next generation of family members to become farmers. Instead, the youths are motivated to become computer technicians, beauticians, masseurs, or migrant workers. This reflects the way in which developmental programmes and agricultural policies are detached from the social realities and agricultural practices. Connections In Northeast India, the everyday practices of the subsistence farmers cannot be detached from the social and political history of the long drawn armed conflict since India’s independence in 1947. In the Naga areas, elders remember how the Indian security forces constructed check gates outside the villages and stamped the wrists of cultivators who headed out to their fields to monitor the movement of the residents. The cultivators had to show the inscriptions on their wrists to re-enter their own homes in the evening. As part of the counter insurgency operation, stories of the Indian security forces setting rice fields on fire during the harvest season or torching down community granaries across villages in Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Assam is part of an important political memory across Northeast India. Many households in rural areas in the Brahmaputra valley and its surrounding hills sent a family member to join the armed opposition groups, since India’s independence in 1947. In the Naga areas, it was not uncommon for siblings or fathers and sons from the same family to join the Naga armed movement, thereby compelling the household members to leave large parts of the cultivable land fallow. Support for the armed movement in Assam under the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) came from the rural peasantry across the Brahmaputra valley, who joined as cadres and supporters. The roots of the Mizo national struggle that started in the 1960s is located in 1959 famine that swept across the Mizo Hills. The protest movements and forums that were established to address and rehabilitate the starving villagers and cultivators during the famine formed the core of the armed struggle that lasted for two and a half decades till the mid 1980s. Similar stories resonates in the Imphal valley and the Garo Hills where the armed struggle emerged from a consciousness
that was predominantly linked to land, which became linked to questions of ethnicity, territoriality, and natural resources. Today, neither insurgent groups engaged in a ceasefire agreement with the government of India, nor policy makers who are driving the grand project for transforming the region acknowledge this history of the marginal and subsistence farmers. Their invisibility in the dominant political and social memory of the armed conflict that had been waged for the last fifty years and now the development vision, informs us about the current priorities set for developing Northeast India. Policy Frames In the last decade, government forums such as the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER), established in 2001 has been set up to plan, execute, and monitor the social and economic development schemes of the region. The national vision to determine the potentials and drawbacks of Northeast India is immense, given the manner in which the region has occupied a special place in India’s Five Year plans. The section on “Spatial Development and Regional Imbalance” in the Eleventh Five Year Plan Vol. 1 Inclusive Growth (2007-2012) devotes a separate segment to Northeast India and describes how development has been slow in the region. It defines all the states in Northeast India as “Special Category States”, which require special attention of the central government in areas of governance as well as social and economic sectors. The Eleventh Five Year Plan brought out by the government of India is a good document to gauge the urgency to develop the region. It is an official priority roadmap that spells out how to reduce the regional imbalances between the Northeast and other parts of India. Focusing on the need to stimulate an inclusive growth pattern, the focus of this official document is directed on special ministries like DoNER formed in the Ninth Five Year Plan. It commands the departments in respective states across Northeast India to meet the target of this national vision. The 2011 report brought out by the Twelfth Plan Working Group on Disadvantaged Groups, Including Women presents a dreary picture of farmers across India. It underlines how Northeast India along with eastern and central India has a high concentration of small and marginal farmers, who face several challenges such as the lack of the bargaining power in the markets to sell their produce, limited access to formal credits, and are often left out of the government training programs and other related state information to enhance their agricultural productivity and practices. The report further states how 83% of farmers in India cultivate less than 2 hectares of land with an increasing insecurity and threat of land alienation in the face of a growing number of developmental, urbanization, and industrialization projects. It explains how, due to the small plots of land disadvantaged farmers and women own, they do not have the financial resources to develop and improve their land. When this national concern is relocated to Northeast India, one finds how agriculture continues to remain a cultural artifact unless prospective farmers adopt large scale commercial cropping. One such venture is the potential for growing medicinal plants. This proposal intends to turn the region into a Garden of Eden like zone where the hills and valleys will be demarcated into medicinal plants, aromatic plants, and herbal plants for industries and pharmaceutical companies to cure the diseases of the nation. This national medicinal plants project, which has caught the imagination of economic entrepreneurs in Northeast India, situates nature and culture in the following manner. Nature in Northeast India as that which has to be exploited and used as vehicle to transport the remote, primitive, and backward region of Northeast India, while culture is categorized in the realm of the exotic tribal who sits in the weekly market detached from the social and political world. The interactive meeting that took place on 8thNovember, 2013 in Bardhanara in Nalbari district Assam and the reflections of women in the foothill markets reveal how the concerns and insecurities of marginal and subsistence farmers are connected to the larger political and social transformation. The growing threats of land alienation, declining number of household members engaged in agriculture, and the increasing indebtedness of small farmers has become routine narratives. One needs to interrogate whether the state in India is accountable to its citizens in militarized zones like Northeast India for the policies that address investment, development, and the distribution of its economic revenue. References Ferguson, James (2013) “How To Do Things with Land: A Distributive Perspective on Rural Livlihoods in South Africa”, Journal of Agrarian Change, 13(1): 166-174. Planning Commission, Government of India (2008) “Eleventh Five Year Plan Vol. 1 Inclusive Growth (2007-2012)”, Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Planning Commission of India (2011), “Twelfth Plan Working Group on Disadvantaged Farmers, Including Women: Final Report”, YojnaBhavan, New Delhi 110001 http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/ wrkgrp12/agri/wg_Final_Report_sent.pdf (last accessed 19 December, 2013)
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PERSPECTIVE
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TuEsday
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
15 JUly 2014
NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE
Obama: Be War-Weary, Not World-Weary
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Vicky Kelberer Foreign Policy In Focus
riticism of the Obama administration’s foreign policy approach has reached a boiling point. The president’s loudest critics— chiefly those on the hawkish right, but also so-called liberal interventionists—fault him for hesitating to use military force in a host of venues. They accuse him of isolationism, weakness, lack of vision, and a failure to project American power abroad. Preferring military intervention to diplomacy, they call for immediate air strikes in Iraq, without political pre-conditions—a call similar to their 2013 message about Syria, when President Bashar al-Assad allegedly used chemical weapons against his own people. And they also call for a harsher—presumably more militaristic—stance towards Russia, China, and the multitude of other adversaries the United States faces around the world. But what if the president’s diplomatic endeavors are not signs of weakness but of strength? And what if those moves actually reflect what the American public says it wants? In striking contrast to the criticism, it’s possible to see Obama’s second-term foreign policy as a qualified success story. Despite tremendous pressure inside the Beltway, he has refused so far to commit U.S. soldiers to combat in new open-ended engagements. Meanwhile he has gradually scaled back, if not yet abandoned, his administration’s controversial targeted assassination program. While at times Obama’s reactions to rapidly changing crises have seemed indecisive, his ability to adapt as the ground shifted beneath his feet has led to more diplomatic victories and fewer futile armed conflicts than the United States otherwise would have had. In an era in which innovative responses take precedence over established doctrines, prioritizing diplomacy over militarism has avoided protracted conflicts and senseless death. Weakness or Wisdom? The sharpest public criticism of Obama’s foreign policy has revolved not around long-standing challenges, but around momentous events that were—for the most part—unpredicted. The Arab Awakening, Syria’s bloody civil war, and the Ukraine crisis arrived largely unforeseen and had to be dealt with on an ad hoc basis. And on these fronts, minimizing armed conflict has overall been a good thing. The Arab Awakening came as a surprise to many—even to leading experts on the region where the uprisings occurred. Caught unaware by the tumultuous processes, and lacking credibility after a decade of disastrous Middle Eastern interventions, the United States had little capacity to ensure peaceful transitions to democracy. In Egypt, where the United States had the most leverage due to high levels of military aid, U.S. interests in geopolitical stability complicated efforts to hold the military accountable for its autocratic policies and overrode interests in ensuring democracy. Deep-seated fears of Islamist governments such as the elected Morsi administration rendered military autocracy more palatable, even to many Egyptians, and support for democracy less intense than it might otherwise have been. In light of the military’s abuses, the Obama administration will need to reconsider its support for the Egyptian government. But given the tumultuous politics in Egypt, the White House may have been wise to avoid openly picking a side in the short term. The Obama administration has also vacillated on its policy in Syria, where it did not fully articulate a framework for dealing with the civil war and the quickly escalating humanitarian crisis. Believing that the Assad regime would never go to such lengths, Obama issued his infamous “Red Line,” suggesting that the use of chemical weapons would trigger American intervention. Yet as many military experts have written, even in the horrific case of chemical weapons use in August 2013, far from improving the situation, an armed American intervention could have made things much worse. In the Russia-Ukraine dispute and the annexation of Crimea, Obama chose the wise course of diplomacy, sanctions, and international pressure rath-
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f the Israel-Hamas fighting feels like a rerun, that's because it is. This is the third round of Hamas rockets and Israel airstrikes since the Islamic militant group seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. And issues each time seem much the same: How can Hamas be compelled to stop firing rockets? Does Israel really have the will to reconquer a Hamas-ruled Gaza and oust the militants? Can the world tolerate Israel reacting with far deadlier force than the rockets themselves, as evidenced in the hugely lopsided casualty count that each time appears anew? This round of violence came after peace talks collapsed, Israel tried to scuttle a Palestinian unity government and violence ratcheted up. With the Gazans now suffering more, one might expect internal pressure on Hamas to end the rocket fire, which would likely bring the airstrikes to a stop. But in a region where honor is key, and with the two sides not talking, outside mediation is badly needed for a mutually face-saving cease-fire. In a strategic stalemate where neither side seems able to accept or defeat the other, here are some key issues at play:
er than destabilizing and dangerous armed standoffs between NATO and Russian forces or U.S. military exercises in the Black Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to project strength did not prevent the Ukrainian government from throwing out his lackey, President Viktor Yanukovych, and electing a new government. While control over the country’s eastern provinces remains tenuous amid (allegedly) Russian-backed uprisings, the result has surely been more positive (and less violent) than if Obama had pursued a more bellicose policy towards America’s longtime adversary. In short, in the major foreign policy cases of his second term, Obama has successfully avoided military intervention that could have made the circumstances far worse. Channeling the Public’s Will The avoidance of war can be interpreted not as a cowardly reluctance to engage, but rather as a fulfillment of what the American people elected the president to do. A recent Pew Research Center poll shows that more than half of Republicans and Independents and 46 percent of Democrats think that the United States already does “too much” to solve world problems. In fact, for the first time in 50 years, a majority of Americans (52 percent) think that the United States should “mind its own business internationally.” In the face of a stagnant economy, war weariness, and a general feeling that even supposedly well-meaning interventions come back to haunt the United States (Afghanistan, anyone? Or Libya?), pursuing interventionist policies would likely garner more political ire than the administration’s so-called “quasi-isolationist” policies. Diplomatic successes are often called isolationist simply because their processes and effects are less visible than those of armed intervention. But if the mark of a good negotiation is one in which all sides leave feeling as though they’ve been screwed over, it’s no surprise that dissatisfaction follows diplomatic solutions. But besides Washington pundits, who is satisfied by war? As Obama himself put it, “Why is it that everybody is so eager to use military force after we’ve just gone through a decade of war at enormous costs to our troops and to our budget? And what is it exactly that these critics think would have been accomplished?” Indeed, the use of military force has been at best sporadically effective to resolve international conflicts—and often calamitous. The diplomatic policies pursued by the State Department during Obama’s tenure, while lacking the “satisfying” sound of boots on the ground, have preserved a relative peace for U.S. troops and civilians alike. Obama wisely avoided armed intervention in Syria and Ukraine. And in large part, this approach reflects the wishes of the American public. Getting in on the Action Avoiding military action does not mean complete passivity, however. Pursuing the current policy of diplomacy over intervention, Obama can achieve concrete results in several areas. In the post-Arab Awakening Middle East, few countries require as much diplomatic attention as Egypt. Since the “election” of General Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi in June, it has become less and less likely that anything resembling a competitive democracy will take root in Egypt any time soon. But there is ample leverage here, since U.S. aid has historically been the Egyptian military’s—and thus the current government’s—lifeline. By conditioning aid on democratic milestones and inclusive governance, the Obama administration could moderate the new government’s brutish treatment of its liberal and Islamist opposition. Conditions for continued military aid should include eradicating extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrest, and torture, and strengthening the country’s judicial system and the rule of law. Threats to withdraw military aid should be linked to Egypt’s specific political situation rather than vague (and easy to manipulate) stipulations about military coups—although the administration already has the option to call a coup a coup and cut off aid to Egypt, a threat Sisi’s government should be made well aware of. Technical support in the form of political advisers and election monitors, as well as
expressions of support for the right to participate in elections, must be given equally to groups from all points on the political spectrum, including Islamists, who agree to play by democratic rules. And given the long road to democracy ahead, a long-term strategy should be designed to be sustainable under future U.S. administrations. Obama can also take a firmer stance on Syria—not by sending troops or weapons to do battle, but by creating a coalition of nations to fully fund humanitarian efforts by the United Nations (UN) and other agencies. By providing civilians caught in the crosshairs with the minimum aid requested by the UN, the administration can help ensure that the 10 million internally and externally displaced Syrians do not become a lost generation, a permanent refugee population, or a breeding ground for terrorists. The United States must commit to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population and assist the countries hosting almost 3 million refugees in the region to mitigate the effects of the three-year-old conflict. The Obama administration’s recent request for $500 million to aid “moderate” Syrian rebels is a step in the wrong direction, although it could provide political space in Washington for the president to pursue a partnership with Iran. In Ukraine, the Obama administration can also use non-military aid to show Russia that it does not intend to engage in armed intervention, but that the United States places high priority on Ukraine’s democratic success. This will do more to alleviate the current economic strains experienced by Ukrainians than bombing eastern cities to rid them of combatants ever could. Now, with gas supplies to Ukraine officially cut off by Russian gas giant Gazprom, Ukraine will need EU and U.S. economic support more than ever to keep its struggling population afloat. Avoiding Military Strikes in Iraq Of course, the conflict most likely to define Obama’s presidency will be the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, which came to a boiling point in June as ISIS and other insurgents overran the Iraqi city of Mosul and marched on towards Baghdad. While the Iraq war was a poorly conceived intervention that Obama finished rather than started, it left a country ripe for the sectarian violence we are seeing today. The first step towards bringing all of Iraq back under government control is to build a credible partnership with Iran, and to articulate a regional response plan. Iran has more influence over the Iraqi government than other countries in the region, and given its likely intervention in the conflict already, a U.S. partnership would ensure American influence in responding to the crisis. Saudi Arabia must also be incorporated in a regional response, and not allowed to fund a proxy Sunni war against Iranian-backed Shi’a groups. Without a political settlement to mediate Iraq’s sectarian, regional, and tribal divides, any peace brought by armed engagement would be illusory at best, and Iraq would most likely descend again into civil conflict once military intervention came to an end. No Time for Doctrines In today’s changing geopolitical landscape, the age of overarching presidential “doctrines” has come to an end, and a time of pragmatic diplomacy is at hand. On the “covert” front—the drone war, the deployment of special forces, and the quiet militarization of Africa, for example—much remains to be done to align U.S. foreign policy with the administration’s stated preference for diplomacy over war. But on the high-profile issues currently gripping the Beltway, the Obama administration’s policies reflect both the wishes of the American citizenry and a new paradigm in international relations—one that places primacy not on power but on peace, not on the winning of wars but on the avoidance of war. By reorienting U.S. foreign policy away from military intervention and toward successful cultivation of diplomacy, as well as the creation and enforcement of international agreements, future U.S. presidents can pursue policies that nurture lasting peace rather than fuel continual armed intervention and conflict. Speaking on behalf of the war weary, that sounds like a worthy long-term goal for what is still (but might not always be) the most powerful nation on earth.
Middle East crisis a strategic stalemate dan Perry
Associated Press PALESTINIANS ARE ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED Palestinians cast a wider net. For them the very situation in Gaza is unacceptable: since the Hamas takeover Israel has blockaded it by land from the north and the east, and by sea from the west, preventing air travel as well. Egypt completes the siege by keeping a tight leash on its border with Gaza to the south. The strip's 1.7 million people are crammed into low-rise shanty towns in a territory no more than 20 miles (35 kilometers) long and just a few miles (kilometers) wide. And even though Israel pulled out all soldiers and settlers in 2005, claiming this ended its occupation, Gazans depend on the Jewish state for electricity, water, communication networks and even the currency. For many Palestinians, even those who do not support Hamas, non-conventional means like rocket fire against their perceived tormentors are an acceptable response. At least, some reason, the world will take notice. Some 20 years of peace talks failed to yield an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, and with the collapse two months ago of the latest round led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, some fear the occupation of the West Bank may be permanent. Coupled with the dire situation in Gaza, the other part of the wouldbe Palestinian state, it is a situation that breeds despondency and despair.
FOR ISRAEL, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ROCKETS The Israeli point of view is that Hamas has grown accustomed to firing rockets and no country would tolerate such attacks. Doing nothing is not an option, and pounding Hamas hard enough seems to eventually win some quiet. It views civilian deaths in airstrikes as regrettable but blames Hamas for locating launchers and weapons at civilian sites. Israel's makes efforts to minimize "collateral damage," like warning calls to residents and preceding big attacks on buildings with smaller bombs, a practice dubbed "roof-knocking." Beyond this, Israelis see Hamas as a ruthless mortal enemy RARE CONSENSUS FOR NETANYAHU Israel is a society so divided that that cannot be accommodated and, due to its radical Islamic tenets, can normally it's hard to describe the Israeli point of view — but not so when it comes barely be reasoned with.
to Hamas and its rockets. That's a rare opportunity for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many Israelis dislike his policies toward the Palestinians in general, and some truly abhor the Jewish settlement of the West Bank which Netanyahu continues to promote. But the vast majority of Israelis distrust and despise Hamas — perpetrators of countless suicide bombings targeting civilians and plainly aimed, over the years, at derailing peace efforts by more moderate Palestinians. For Netanyahu, each round with Hamas offers him a genuine popularity that's otherwise elusive. HAMAS HAS FEW ALLIES Arab politicians will heap condemnation on Israel but few genuinely shed tears for Hamas. The Palestinian group is the local chapter of a wider political Islam that in the wake of the Arab Spring is under siege in much of the region, firstly in Egypt but also in much of the Gulf and beyond. Even one-time ally Iran has backed away, funding sources have dried up, and the West largely views it as a terrorist group. The Palestinian Authority recently set up a joint government with Hamas, but its animosity with the secular Fatah group of President Mahmoud Abbas runs deep. Hamas also has not accepted the conditions set by the world community to become a legitimate player: recognize Israel, abide by past agreements and renounce violence. DISPROPORTIONATE CASUALTIES In the battle for global public opinion, Israel may be a victim of its own success in preventing domestic casualties. Its Iron Dome missile defense system has shot
down incoming Hamas rockets, leaving many in Tel Aviv with the conflicting sensation of fear and the desire to post videos of the interceptions online. No Israelis have been killed in the past week, while more than 160 Gazans have died, many of them civilians. Similar ratios were posted during the last round, in late 2012, and also during the largest mini-war, that began in late December 2008. That buys Netanyahu time with domestic opinion — but international pressure can soon be expected for Israel to find a way to stop. And in the end Hamas may get renewed relevance and even some of its prisoners released. After all, part of its motivation currently is gaining the release of supporters who were recently rearrested in a West Bank sweep that followed the kidnap-killing of three Israeli youths that Hamas did not claim but was blamed on the group. Many believe Hamas is therefore not entirely averse to provoking Israel into its attacks. Public opinion matters somewhat less in the strip, which is hardly a democracy, than in Israel. And it is hard to see a scenario in which the populace rises up and topples the militants: Gaza is small enough to control and the alternatives have essentially been stamped out. ISRAEL PREFERS TO RULE THE SKIES Israel could probably change the game quickly by invading Gaza and rooting out its Hamas rulers, and Sunday already saw a small version of it with a first land skirmish inside the strip. But a true invasion would probably be a bloody affair and Israel has little stomach for great numbers of casualties. If it does go that route, a ground incursion likely would repeat the strategy of 2008-9, in which there was some ground fighting but the heart of Gaza City was not retaken and the Hamas leadership essentially left intact. And from the perspective of the longer term, Israel has no desire to again occupy the strip, as it did from 1967 to 2005. That leaves Israel with few attractive choices, which might explain why Hamas continues to fire the rockets: to poke Israel in the eye, and live to tell the tale.
“Arena of Mind” portrays a space for idea germination, a field where ideas from multi-disciplinary viewpoints fertilize the world of intelligence. The writers aspire to envision a new future by exploring the mind, discovering new seeds of insights and unleashing them to enlightenment.
Violation of Human Rights in the North-East India
H
uman Rights are those fundamental rights, which every human being is entitled to enjoy irrespective of all artificial divisions and fragmentations of the human society such as; caste, class, color, creed, race, religion, birth, sex, and tribes etc. to build one’s personality. Man, a social being lives in the community of other human beings, brings forth the relations between man and man. In this context, there are many inbuilt systems in the North-East Indian society which without any hesitation and hitch violate Human Rights and the spirit of the society. There is the flagrant violation of Human Rights existing incidences of beating torture, rape, murder and the most cruel of which is rape. The most vulnerable sections are the women and children, the consequence of which is physical assault, social stigmatization, lost of one’s esteem, mental trauma, and potential pregnancy, lost of virginity, prospect of sexually transmitted diseases, anxiety and so on. The perpetrators go free, which is the saddest part, whereby, the criminal’s acts are not curbed, but encouraged. A year back, five to six churches were razed down by the government of Manipur in the capital – Imphal, on the ground of some developmental purposes, leaving a temple untouched, which was also located in the same area. This act of the government is nothing but discrimination of certain sections of the society particularly the minority. Here, the statement of Justice J.S. Verma (former Chairperson of the NHRC – India) fits right when she stated, “the bureaucrats and the enforcing agencies are the biggest violators of Human Rights in the Country”. Although a rape is reported every 21 minutes in India, law enforcing agencies fail to counter the crime. Despite efforts, measures undertaken, there are no signs for improving the condition for reducing or doing away with the menace. It is an appal to learn when political elites remark that, “Boys commit mistake: will they be hanged for rape?”, “boys will be boys”. This issue is primary importance of social, political life, where people of all walks of life have the responsibility to address the problem. The issue of Violation of human rights which is an existing issue is an interdisciplinary search which calls for the joint efforts of all social sciences inclusive of the government’s policy, the implementation of the role of the bureaucrats and the accountability of enforcing agencies with the collaborative joint venture of the Non–Governmental Organizations (NGO’s). This very effort to do away with this social menace is a noble initiative to enhance justice to all human beings affecting social political, economic and cultural life of the people. Early studies and researches have revealed the causes and have suggested positive solutions to it. However, there is the need to address the issue by looking into it from the Socio-political, economic and cultural aspects of our fast moving transitional media –technological world having its immense impact of our everyday life today. This is an issue concerning almost all the countries of the world. The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) adopted its resolution in 1948 (423- V) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with 48 states favoring it and with 8 states abstentions, With its formal inception in 1950, obligating all member countries to ensure the rights of its citizens. 10th December every year is observed as the International Human Rights Day and 08th March as International Women’s day. Doing away with the history of violation of Human rights in the NEI , studies, experiences have revealed and we have fresh reports of violations of Human Rights in Assam of ‘Witch Hunting’, ‘Gun Widow’ has entered the everyday lexicon in Manipur, ‘Taxation Survival’, in Nagaland, Gruesome murder in Meghalaya etc. In 2001, the Development of North–East Region (DONER) emphasized importance to accelerate development in the North–East India (NEI). NEI receives 10% of the Federal budget with 4% of the population of India for the purpose. In 2007, the United Nations on the elimination of discriminations against women (CEDAW) called upon Indian government to speed up efforts to forge consensus on the constitutional amendment reserving 1/3rd of seats in the parliament and state assemblies to undertake awareness, raising the importance of women’s participation in the decision making for society as a whole. The response to the 11th 5 year plan of the “Look East Policy”, have been very poor and pathetic. Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) June 11th 2013 urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to recall all the pending cases from defunct Manipur Human Rights Commission and not to forward cases to the states HRC including Manipur which have not been functioning because of the lack of quorum. In a letter to Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) on April 30th 2013, Nungshitombi Athokpam, the Deputy Secretary HRC Manipur stated that, “the office of the Chairperson and members of the Manipur HRC are vacant after 9th -05-2010 till date and not in a position to take up cases… therefore, it is to request your kindly move the NHRC for recalling cases for further proceedings in the NHRC….”. Keeping all these factors in view, the question is why has the government at the Centre as well as the state very passive? Why very little have been achieved? North – East India (NEI), a triangular shaped territory is cluttered between Nepal, Bhutan, china, Myanmar and Bangladesh connecting the mainland by a thin strip known as the chicken neck. It is the physical gateway between India, China and South East Asia. People of the North East today face many challenges such as ethnic conflicts, violence, militancy, Human rights violation, prolonged development, bribery–where deserving denied of the jobs by the political elite class, favoring it for their kith and kins. In a sentence, it has environmented Gun Culture. The international community lauds India as the largest democracy, but remains largely silent about Human Rights abuses within India’s border, and little is known about the North–East. The North-East, on account of the Arms Force Special Power Act (AFSPA), 1958 application, has 450,000 security personnel stationed in the region. Manipur, the smallest and the most militarized state in NEI, the security situation is comparable to parts of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. AFSPA is the heart of a feared security apparatus that underpins the De facto military rule in much of the NEI. For instance in 2009 media and the HRC in Manipur reported more than 300 extra judicial killings, not forgetting Fake encounters. Army given increasing power over development as a policy to win the hearts and minds of the people, developmental budgets siphoned off by vast unresponsive bureaucrats and corrupt political class have grievously added to the menace. Here, everyone is accountable. The National Crime Records Bureau said in its crime in India, that crimes against women in the eight NE states increased significantly last compared to the previous year. Nagaland saw an increase in the number of crimes against women while being the state with the lowest registration among Northeastern states. Manipur and Mizoram registered a downward trend and Assam leading the list in the NE and ranking seventh at all in India level. Despite organizations taking initiatives, measures to curb the violation of Human Rights in the state, lots need to be done. Karaiba James Department of Political Science, St. Joseph’s College Jakhama.
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Dimapur
NATIONAL
Tuesday 15 July 2014
The Morung Express
Indian Muslim youth being drawn into Iraqi conflict
New Delhi, July 14 (iANS): Hundreds of Indian Muslim youth, mostly from poor and vulnerable backgrounds, are lining up for visas at the embassies of some of the Gulf and Middle East nations with the aim of joining the ‘jehad’ in Iraq, according to diplomatic sources. Iraq alone has had to deal with nearly 2,000 applications from highly charged Muslim youth from all over the country, particularly Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, these sources said. When consular officials of one of the embassies informed some of these youth that it was not possible to give them visas, many said that “we will go, visa or no visa,” said a source, who spoke to IANS on the condition that neither he nor his embassy was identified. The volatile situation in Iraq and the Levant region is giving Indian security and intelligence officials plenty of sleepless nights because of the danger of a jehadi spillover to India as the “contagion” has the potential to spread through the Islamist arc from the MIddle East to China through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. As a result India has stepped up security dialogues and intelligence exchanges with a range of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Syria
Maharashtra concerned over four Muslim youth suspected to be in Iraq
Indian policemen remove students protesting outside the Israeli embassy, in New Delhi, on Monday, July 14. The protest was against the Israeli military operations in Gaza Strip. Israel launched its offensive last Tuesday in what it says was a response to weeks of heavy rocket attacks out of Gaza. On Sunday, Israel sent special forces into Gaza for a brief ground operation, its first in the latest fighting, in an attempt to take out rocket launching pads that could not be destroyed from the air. (AP Photo)
and South Africa, besides its regular strategic dialogue partners like the US, Britain, France and Germany. The close security cooperation resulted in National Security Adviser Ajit Doval making an unannounced visit to Iraq some weeks ago to secure the release of the Indian nurses in the conflict-torn country. Doval, a former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, who was brought out of re-
tirement and a job with a think tank, the Vivekananda Foundation, to become Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top security and strategic adviser, used his immense contacts in the region to get the nurses back at a time when their safety was hugely compromised. According to knowledgeable sources, the operation unfolded like a racy thriller, with the nurses being smuggled out of their small town provincial hospital, bang in the middle
of the Shia-Sunni conflict zone, dressed as Arabs. One ambassador from the region, who again spoke on background to IANS, said the Indian government was “deeply concerned” about the spreading conflict created by the Frankenstein’s monster-like emergence of the ISIS militia and their announcement of a “Caliphate”, and the lure it held for a lot of disaffected and indocrinated Muslim youth all over the world, as seen
by the presence in its ranks of scores of foreign fighters from Europe, Central Asia, Africa and Asia. Many of the youth seeking to go from India were, interestingly, not going to fight only for the Sunni fighters of the ISIS but against them as well, with sources indicating that they may have been mobilised by groups owing allegiance to Shia Iran and the Shia-dominated government in Iraq. The ‘import’ of fight-
ThANe, July 14 (iANS): The Maharashtragovernmentisintouchwiththecentral government over the disappearance of four Muslim youth from Kalyan town who are suspected to have joined ISIS jehadis in Iraq,HomeMinisterR.R.PatilsaidMonday. The state police have already shared its information and available intelligence on the sensitive issue with the central agencies, he said. “Yes, it’s true that the four youth are missing... there are missing complaints in Kalyan (Thane). There are also reports they may have been indoctrinated into the ISIS. We have shared our information with the central agencies,” Patil told media persons in Satara. Kalyan police, in Thane district, said investigations are underway with reference to the four separate missing complaints filed by the parents of the youth, identified as Arif Fayyaz Majeed, Aman Naik Tandel, Shaheed Farooqui Tanki and Fahad Tanvir Sheikh. Additional Commissioner of Police Sharad Shelar said the complaints were registered May 25, 26 and 27, and the probe is underway since. However, despite all efforts, there has been no breakthrough so far, and it is also not clear whether the four were known to each other, police said. Now, nearly a ing manpower from India marks the first time Indian Muslim youth are being drawn into a global jehad with likely frightening repercussions for this country. What they would repatriate back in terms of money, muscle and motivation for a whole range of disaffected groups warring against the Indian state for a range of causes, from Maoists to Northeast insurrectionists to Kashmir extremists, is a matter of grave concern for officials.
month-and-a-half after the police complaints, mystery continues to shroud the sudden disappearance of the four youth amidst apprehensions that they may have joined ISIS. All are educated, are in their mid-20s and cited various reasons, including employment options, for going to Iraq before their families lost all contact with them. Sheikh and Tandel are engineering students, Majeed is the son of a medico while Tanki worked in a call centre. At least one of them had given indications that he was headed to Iraq to join the ongoing war there alongwith proponents of the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS). After nothing emerged from the probe into the ‘missing person’ complaints, their distraught families are now planning to meet or contact higher authorities in the central government, including External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the issue. Police and state intelligence sources said that the four were reportedly part of a group of pilgrims which left Mumbai for Baghdad May 23. Police and intelligence agencies suspect that the youths may have been enticed online, through one of the Internet or some chatrooms where lot of propaganda material has been uploaded on the recent developments in Iraq.
“This is a serious development but not unexpected,” C. Uday Bhaskar, a strategic analyst who is a Distinguished Fellow, Society for Policy Studies, told IANS. “Over the last year, there has been an active attempt by the right-wing radical groups in West Asia to ‘persuade’ young Muslim youth from all over the world to join in the ‘jehad’ against the oppressor. Now this oppressor can be the much reviled US and the generic West; Jewish-Is-
rael, Hindu-India, or can take a sectarian dimension wherein the Shia or Sunni is targeted. “Given the demographic texture of the sub-continent, the wide disaffection among the youth and the instant communication that cyber space now provides and the emotive appeal of a righteous war such radicalisation was inevitable. “The challenge for India is to effectively and empathetically quarantine it,” he said.
Lok Sabha passes TRAI ‘Treat juveniles accused of rape on par with adults’ Delhi, July 14 (iANS): rapes, gang-rapes or murders should tion of Child Rights (NCPCR) chair- on account of the understanding of amendment bill amid walkout New Women and Child Development Min- be given equal punishment. There person Kushal Singh, however, said experts in child psychology and be-
New Delhi, July 14 (iANS): The Lok Sabha Monday passed a bill to amend the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act, paving the way for appointment of former panel chairman Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid a walkout by the Congress, CPI-M, RJD and AAP members. However, the Trinamool Congress, which had earlier opposed the bill, supported it on the floor of the house. The bill replaces an ordinance brought by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, soon after it came to power, to amend the act which prohibited the TRAI chairman and members from taking up any other job in the central or state governments after demitting office. A retired 1967 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Misra’s appointment as principal secretary will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister or till further orders, according to an order issued by the ministry of personnel. Before the bill was taken up for discussion, Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury moved a statutory resolution seeking disapproval of the house on the bill, but it was defeated. Moving the resolution, Chowdhury said: “We have no personal agenda in this. But the fact is that the government is not letting the legislature prevail. This is worrisome.” The Lok Sabha schedule had Trinamool MP Saugata Roy’s name listed alongside Chowdhury’s for moving the statutory resolution. However, Roy was absent when the resolution was moved.
Later participating in the discussion, Trinamool member Sudip Bandopadhyay said: “We support the bill. The prime minister can choose any officer whom he thinks fit.” The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, on its part, defended the bill arguing that the government was just correcting an anomaly in the TRAI Act. BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: “Why is this being opposed? There are other bodies like the Competition Commission of India and the Pension Regulatory Authority whose members can join the government after two years.” “The government has a right to correct this anomaly and this is the basic intent,” he said, adding: “If the prime minister feels that certain person needs to work with him, then this anomaly needs to be corrected.” Replying to the debate, Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “The anomaly was that a TRAI chairman can work under any commercial company but not the government. This was a palpable anomaly.” He asserted: “This is an attempt to bring parity. No one questioned the integrity of the officer in question.” However, Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the house, alleged that there was something more to this than meets the eye. “Why did you want only a particular person,” he asked. The Congress MPs, at this point, staged a walkout and were joined by the members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), RJD and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The house then passed the bill by a voice vote.
ister Maneka Gandhi’s stand that juveniles who commit rape should be tried as adults has evoked mixed reaction, with women’s and political leaders stressing widespread consultations but child rights organisations completely opposed to the suggestion. Speaking in Chennai, Gandhi said: “We are changing the law and I am personally working on it to bring 16-yearolds into the purview. According to police, 50 percent of the crimes are committed by 16-year-olds who know the Juvenile Justice Act.” The parents of the Dec 16, 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim, who died days after her brutal gang rape in a moving bus, welcomed the statement as one of the six rapists was a juvenile. “No criminal should be given special treatment only on the ground of being a juvenile. Every body who
should be no difference between juvenile and adult criminals,” the father of the 23-year-old victim told IANS. He said if such a law comes in existence, it will be helpful in controlling crime.
that changing the law and punishment was not a solution. “Right from the beginning we have held that lowering the age of the juvenile regardless of the crime committed goes
Child rights groups oppose Maneka Gandhi’s statement; activists seeks debate Agreeing with Gandhi’s statement to a point, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Mamta Sharma said: “The minister’s statement is fine to some extent, because according to police data, juveniles commit crime and they are let free. This is a debatable issue so experts, psychologists, etc. should hold debates and consultation on the matter.” National Commission for Protec-
against the basic philosophy of Juvenile Justice Act. “A separate act has been made for the children because there is scientific proof that children are not developed enough mentally and physically so to hold them responsible for the actions taken by them,” he said. Echoing similar feelings, a lawyer with the Juvenile Justice Board told IANS that the age of 18 has been fixed
Don’t doubt our intention on shredded files: Rajnath
New Delhi, July 14 (iANS): Parliament members should not doubt the government’s intention in destroying some files in the home ministry, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday after questions were raised about certain files being shredded by his ministry. “Don’t doubt the intention of the government in destroying files. We will not do anything that will disturb the flow of history,” Rajnath Singh said while giving clarification on questions raised
by Rajya Sabha members on the home ministry destroying some files. Members quoting reports sought explanation from the minister on 1.5 lakh files destroyed by his ministry recently. The home minister said none of the files was of historic importance. “I can assure as the home minister and as part of the Narendra Modi government, any link of history is not being destroyed,” the home minister told the upper house. He said it was a routine practice, and it was not the
first time a government did it. “This is not the first time that files have been destroyed in the home ministry. Files have been destroyed during the UPA regime also, it is a continuous process. “Files have been categorised as per the mandate of the manual of office procedure. It is a continuous process,” the home minister said. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader P. Rajeev raised the issue last week, to which Rajnath Singh in a statement Friday replied that only 11,100 files
SC blocks execution of two in December 16 gang rape New Delhi, July 14 (iANS): The Supreme Court Monday suspended the death sentence of Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, the two remaining convicts in the Dec 16, 2012, Delhi gang rape case, as it extended its March 15 order blocking execution of two other death row convicts - Mukesh and Pawan Gupta - in the same case. “We have to pass the same order,” said the bench of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice N.V. Ramana, referring to the March 15 order, as counsel for Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur urged the court to suspend their execution. The court declined to pass an order on Vinay and Akshay’s plea that in view of the amendment in the apex court rules, their plea should be heard by a 3-judge bench. They referred to a newspaper report quoting Chief Justice R.M. Lodha as saying that the president has given assent to the amended rules and from Aug 16, all appeals in death sentence cases would be heard by a three-judge bench. However, the court declined to pass an order, saying that the amended rules are
havioural patterns that “till such an age the children in conflict with law could still be redeemed and restored to mainstream society, instead of becoming hardened criminals in future”. Officials of Chetna, an NGO working for children, told IANS that they disagree with the minister’s statement. “We do not agree with what the minister has said. We request her to consult children and NGOs in this matter,” said Sanjay Gupta from the NGO. Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury said the issue needs detailed discussion and consideration. “To bring change... I support a nationwide discussion, it is something we need to discuss threadbare, we need to revisit and relook everything and keep it in the matrix of today’s time,” she said.
Victim’s father unhappy with SC ruling New Delhi, July 14 (iANS): The father of the Dec 16 Delhi gang-rape victim Monday said he was not happy with the Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the death sentence of two of the convicts. “I am not happy with the decision of the Supreme Court to issue a stay order on the high court’s decision to give death sentence to two of those gang-rape convicts,” the victim’s father told IANS. “The incident happened with my daughter. Despite the brutal act, she wanted to live but I failed to save her life. I have lost everything after her death. The Supreme Court judges should have feelings like me before taking any deci-
sion,” said the distraught father. He said his family members were shocked over the Supreme Court’s decision. “My last demand is death sentence to the convicts. I will fight for that,” he added. The Supreme Court Monday blocked the execution of Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, the two remaining convicts on death row in the Dec 16, 2012, gang rape case, as it extended its March 15 order suspending the death sentence of the two other convicts - Mukesh and Pawan Gupta - in the same case. The four convicts moved the Supreme Court, challenging the high court’s order.
yet to be notified. The court March 15 decided to keep on hold execution of the death sentence of Mukesh and Pawan Gupta, who had challenged the March 13 Delhi High Court order upholding their death sentence by a fast-track court. The execution
of their death sentence was suspended by an interim order of the bench of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh at a special sitting of the court. In the April 28 hearing of the plea by Mukesh and Pawan Gupta, the apex court bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice J.
ChelameswaraskedtheDelhigovernment to place before it all the records, including those of the trial court along with their English translation, in the gang rape case. The court also directed the listing of the matter in the second week of July for final hearing. On March 13, the high court bench of Justice Reva Khetrapal and Justice Pratibha Rani upheld the death sentence of Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay and Akshay. “Society’s abhorrence to atrocious crimes perpetrated upon innocent and helpless victims has resulted in the death penalty being retained on the statute book to remind such criminals that human life is very precious and one who dares to take the life of others must lose his own life,” the high court had said in its order. Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Ram Singh along with a juvenile were convicted of gang rape and assault on a 23-year-old physiotherapist student inside a private bus. The woman victim and her male friend were thrown out of the bus after the crime to die by a roadside.
were destroyed and these did not include files related to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Earlier, seeking a clarification, Rajya Sabha members asked if any other historic files were destroyed, and alleged that the government was trying to rewrite history. “Less than 45 seconds was taken on deciding on every file. Was it pre-decided? That is why the allegation of trying to rewrite history is made,” CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said. “India is the only country which has
no rules on transferring the files to the National Archives. We can find files of the Mughal era, and British period, but not of Independent India,” he said. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad sought to know if the files were recorded electronically. “Micro-filming of the files could have been done,” Azad said. Sukhendu Shekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress asked if there were any documents related to Subhas Chandra Bose that were destroyed.
Parliament passes bill to transfer Telangana land to Andhra New Delhi, July 14 (iANS): Parliament Monday passed a bill to transfer parts of Telanaga’s Khammam district to Andhra Pradesh in connection with the construction of the Polavaram irrigation project with the Rajya Sabha giving its assent to the measure. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha Friday, will transfer 136 villages, 211 hamlets and seven mandals of Khammam district to Andhra Pradesh, where they will become part of the East Godavari district. Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the members of the upper house that all precautions will be taken to protect the interests of tribals who will be affected due to the Polavaram project. “Socio-economic impact of the project has been taken into consideration. Andhra Pradesh government has assured Chhattisgarh and Odisha that there will be a protective embankment for as many villages as possible,” he said. However, despite the assurance of the minister, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs from Odisha walked out in protest. According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, this transfer will “enable the successor state government of Andhra Pradesh to have flexibility in the identification of areas for implementing the rehabilitation and resettlement aspect of the Polavaram Multi-purpose National Irrigation Project, as well as to ensure contiguity in the areas that form part of Andhra Pradesh and for administrative convenience...” The Polavaram project involves the linking of the Krishna and Godavari rivers.
Tuesday
InTErnaTIonal
The Morung Express
15 July 2014
Dimapur
9
The spy who walked in from the cold BERLIN/WASHINGTON, JuLy 14 (REuTERS): For this year’s Independence Day bash the U.S. embassy in Germany picked the historic Tempelhof airport where an allied air lift 66 years ago kept Berlin’s citizens from starving during Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s blockade. After a year scarred by the revelations of mass U.S. spying on Germans, the Americans had hoped to toast U.S.-German friendship with rock music, ribs, burgers and beer. But that morning news had broken that Germany’s Federal Prosecutor had arrested Markus R., a 31-year old employee of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency (BND), on suspicion of spying for the Americans. Hours later, the German Foreign Office announced it had called in U.S. Ambassador John Emerson for talks and to deliver “a swift explanation”. For Emerson, hosting 2,500 guests that night, it was a pretty awkward party. Revelations by former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden last year that Washington spied on German officials - including bugging the phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel - had already brought relations between the United States and one of its closest allies to a new low. According to both U.S. and German officials, Markus R. was a “walk-in agent” - someone who presents himself on
his own to a foreign spy service and dangles an offer of secrets. The Germans say the CIA should never have accepted. “No intelligence service in the world can protect itself from the classic walk-in agent who offers their services elsewhere,” a German security source said. “But it is a highly unusual and hostile act for an allied intelligence service to accept such a walk-in,” the source added. According to both U.S. and German sources, Markus R. had a desk job at the BND’s vast headquarters in Pullach in southern Germany, working for a department responsible for the protection of soldiers serving abroad. “He may have been craving thrills or attention. He’d worked for the BND for about 8-10 years,” the German source said. He approached the CIA by email in 2012, offering to provide them with information. As he worked in an area responsible for handling message traffic between headquarters and the German agency’s out-stations around the world, he would have had access to a wide range of sensitive material. On receiving his email, Austria-based CIA officers answered him and arranged further contacts. Most were by email, but he told investigators he also met a CIA contact three times in Austria, across a border just an hour’s drive from Pullach.
During searches of his home, German authorities recovered a USB computer memory stick with 218 documents stored on it. Markus R. told them he had received 25,000 euros for the information, the German security source said. Committee Information To Berlin’s anger, he also passed on documents about a parliamentary committee set up in the wake of Snowden’s revelations to investigate the mass snooping on German citizens by the NSA. The deputy of one of the committee’s eight members had visited Snowden in Moscow last year, and its head, Patrick Sensburg, said its members had feared they might be spied on. The United States has refused to comment publicly on Markus R., but U.S. government officials privately acknowledge he had been in contact with the CIA and that the agency believed it had obtained valuable information from him. But in espionage lore, the biggest problem with “walk-in agents” is that you can never fully know who else they might be working for. In the case of Markus R, the reason the CIA’s man was finally caught was that he also tried to work for Moscow. Agents from Germany’s domestic intelligence service picked up an email he sent to the Russian consulate in Mu-
nich in late May this year, offering to sell BND documents to the Russians, according to German media and a U.S. source. The German agents replied to him, posing as Russians to lay a trap. The Germans told their American intelligence colleagues they had located a suspected Russian spy in the BND - not realising that the mole was working for Washington as well. Within a day, an email address Markus R. had used vanished from the Internet. Only then did the Germans realise their man had been working for both Cold War superpowers, German media reported. Markus R. was detained on July 2, and formally arrested and charged a day later. “We don’t take the matter of spying for foreign intelligence agencies lightly,” Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said. That would not be the end of the affair. On July 9 the Federal Prosecutor’s office said investigators were searching the Berlin home and office of a second suspected spy. The Defence Ministry said he worked in its headquarters. The second man has not been arrested. German media reported that a payment he received from an American triggered suspicions he might be an American spy, but U.S. officials familiar with the case say he was in contact with a U.S. State Department officer rath-
In this Oct. 25, 2013 file photo the American flag flies on top of the U.S. embassy in front of the Reichstag building that houses the German Parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany. Germany took the dramatic step of asking the top U.S. intelligence official in Berlin to leave the country, following two reported cases of suspected U.S. spying and the yearlong spat over eavesdropping by the National Security Agency. (AP File Photo)
er than American intelligence agents. According to the newspaper the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Markus R. had tipped off the Russian consulate that Germany was investigating whether the second man was a spy for Moscow. After the raid on the second man’s home, Merkel decided enough was enough. Under public pressure to act, the chancellor agreed with ministers to ask the head of U.S. intelligence
in Germany to leave - a highly unusual step. “This is as a result of ongoing investigations by the Federal Prosecutor and because of questions left open for months over the activities of U.S. intelligence in Germany,” her office said in a terse statement last Thursday. It is essential for Germany to work with western intelligence partners, in the interests of keeping German citizens safe, the statement continued. “But
for this, mutual trust and transparency are necessary.” Asked on German television how angry she felt on learning about the two cases, Merkel replied: “It is not about how angry I was. For me it is a sign that we have fundamentally different conceptions of the work of the intelligence services.” “We are not living in the Cold War anymore and are exposed to different threats. We should concentrate on what is essential.”
Thai junta’s pledge to send back Myanmar refugees sparks concern
BANGKOK, JuLy 14 (REuTERS): Thailand’s military government said on Monday it would send home 100,000 refugees who have been living in camps for two decades and more along the border with Myanmar, a move rights groups say would create chaos at a tense time for both nations. Thailand’s military overthrew the remnants of an elected government in May after months of sometimes violent street protests. Its National Council for Peace and Order has rolled out a raft of tough measures it says are need-
ed to restore order and has promised a return to democracy next year. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is emerging from nearly five decades of isolation under repressive military rule. Its nominally civilian government has talked about repatriating the refugees, but non-governmental organisations say they are concerned by a lack of infrastructure to help returnees rebuild their lives. “We are not at the stage where we will deport people because we must first verify the nationality of those in
the camps,” army deputy spokesman Veerachon Sukhontapatipak told Reuters. “Once that is done we will find ways to send them back. There are around 100,000 people who have been living in the camps for many years without freedom. Thailand and Myanmar will help facilitate their smooth return.” Last month, comments made by a junta spokeswoman threatening to arrest and deport undocumented migrant workers sparked the departure of more than 200,000 Cambodians, a key component of the workforce in fishing, con-
struction and other sectors. Thailand scrambled to reverse that exodus by opening service centres to help migrant workers secure work permits. There are also an estimated 2 million Burmese migrant workers, the largest contingent of such labourers in the country. But without any legal status or marketable skills, the refugees have long been seen as a burden by the Thai state. An estimated 120,000 Burmese refugees live in 10 camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border, according to The Border Consortium,
which coordinates NGO activity in the camps. Many fled persecution and ethnic wars as well as poverty and have lived in the camps with no legal means of making an income. Military Pressing For Repatriation An aid worker who has been helping the refugees said the Thai army appeared serious about its repatriation push. “The authorities said this time they are going to be very strict. It seems like they’re really pushing for
repatriation,” said the aid worker, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the issue. “The situation in the camps is very tense because people don’t know what’s going to happen.” The refugees fear economic and logistical difficulties in returning as well as sporadic fighting in parts of north and northeast Myanmar. In his weekly televised speech last Friday, junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said Myanmar and Thailand would oversee a smooth return home of refugees.
Desmond Tutu supports assisted suicide
LONDON, JuLy 14 (AFP): South Africa’s Anglican archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu said he supported assisted dying for the terminally ill, the day after the Church’s former leader backed a bill to legalise it in Britain. But the Church remains officially opposed to the legislation and has called for a public inquiry into the issue. Writing in Britain’s Observer newspaper, Tutu explained that he had been convinced by the case of Craig Schonegevel, a 28-year-old South African who suffered from neurofibromatosis and ended up killing himself because doctors were unable to end his life. lll “Some people opine that with good palliative care there is no need for assisted dying, no need for people to request to be legally given a lethal dose of medication,” said the Nobel peace Soldiers use a crane to lift an aft section of a helicopter retrieved from a pond following its crash in Prey Sar laureate. village at the outskirt of Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday, July 14. The chopper went down about 10 kilo“That was not the case for Craig meters (6 miles) south of Phnom Penh on Monday, sinking in a muddy pond surrounded by rural land and rice Schonegevel. Others assert their right fields. (AP Photo)
to autonomy and consciousness — why exit in the fog of sedation when there’s the alternative of being alert and truly present with loved ones?” He revealed that he had asked his family not to prolong his life artificially, and slammed the treatment of former president Nelson Mandela during his final days. “What was done to Madiba was disgraceful,” he wrote. “You could see that Madiba was not fully there. My friend was no longer himself. It was an affront to Madiba’s dignity.” Former archbishop of Canterbury George Carey on Saturday said he had changed his mind and would support a British bill to allow assisted suicide in certain cases. The current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has called the bill “mistaken and dangerous”. But Carey, who now sits in the House of Lords — parliament’s upper chamber — after leaving office as the spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans in 2002,
Israel downs Gaza drone along southern coast
JERuSALEM, JuLy 14 (AP): The Israeli military said it downed a drone launched by Gaza militants on Monday, the first time it encountered an unmanned aircraft since the start of its offensive last week, as new Israeli airstrikes pushed the death toll from Israeli airstrikes to at least 175. Israel began its campaign against militants in the Hamascontrolled Gaza last Tuesday, saying it was responding to heavy rocket fire from the densely populated territory. The military says it has launched more than 1,300 airstrikes since then, while Palestinian militants have launched nearly 1,000 rockets at Israel. The outbreak of violence followed the kidnappings and killings of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank last month, as well as the subsequent kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teenager in an apparent revenge attack, along with Israeli raids against Hamas militants and infrastructure in the West Bank. Three Jews were charged Monday in the killing of the Palestinian teen, whose death set off days of violent protests in Arab areas of Jerusalem and northern Israel. Police spokesman Micky
Rosenfeld says the three appeared before a court on Monday. He said the suspects admitted to abducting 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir and setting him on fire. Rosenfeld said they also re-enacted the murder. Abu Khdeir was taken on July 2 near his home in east Jerusalem and his charred body was later found in a forest. An autopsy found that he was burned to death. Israel’s Shin Bet security service said the suspects, whose names were not released, were motivated by revenge after the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers. Police are investigating three other suspects who remain under house arrest for involvement in the killing. Meanwhile, two Israeli airstrikes struck the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, killing four Palestinians, according to officials from the city’s European Hospital. The officials said Saddam Moamar, his wife Hanadai, and his father Mousa were killed by an airstrike that hit their house. Their neighbor, Maher Abu Mor, was killed in another airstrike while standing on the rooftop of his home, the officials said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media. It was not immediately clear why their homes were targeted. In all, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said that at least 175 people have been killed in Israeli air attacks, including dozens of civilians. No Israelis have been killed as a result of Hamas rocket launches, in large part thanks to the success of Israeli military’s ‘Iron Dome’ air defense system in intercepting the missiles. Several people have been wounded, however, including a teenage boy who was seriously injured by rocket shrapnel on Sunday. The Israeli military said the drone, launched from Gaza on Monday, was shot down in midflight by a Patriot surface-to-air missile along the southern Israeli coastline, near the city of Ashdod. In a statement to media, Hamas claimed it launched three drones at Israel on Monday, though the military insisted there was only one. Hamas said it has developed two types of drones — one for intelligence gathering, and one for delivering munitions. It also said it lost contact with one of the drones and that the targets in-
cluded the Israeli Defense Ministry compound in Tel Aviv. It was the first time the militant group publicly acknowledged it has drones in its arsenal. The use of drones with an offensive capacity could inflict significant casualties — something the rockets from Gaza have failed to do, largely because of the success of the Israeli military’s ‘Iron Dome’ air defense system in shooting them down. “Hamas is trying everything it can to produce some kind of achievement and it is crucial that we maintain our high state of readiness,” Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said. “The shooting down of a drone this morning by our air defense system is an example of their efforts to strike at us in any way possible.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the current Israeli operation could last for “a long time” and that the military was prepared “for all possibilities.” That includes a Gaza ground operation, which would likely cause heavy casualties in the coastal strip. But Netanyahu is coming under increasing international pressure to end the operation soon. On Sunday, U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon called for
an immediate cease-fire while U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry voiced American “readiness” to help restore calm. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continued to work behind the scenes to stop the conflict. Hamas has sent signals it may be ready to consider a cease-fire and has demanded that hundreds of recently arrested activists be freed as part of any prospective truce. For his part, Netanyahu is likely seeking to show the Israeli public that he has succeeded in significantly degrading Hamas’s ability to strike at Israeli targets before moving ahead diplomatically. Also Monday, a 21-year-old Palestinian was killed during confrontations with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of Samoa, near Hebron, Palestinian health officials said. Residents of the village said soldiers opened fire at a group of Palestinians who were throwing stones at them. The officials and the villagers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media. The Israeli army confirmed the death and said it was looking into the incident.
told Daily Mail that he had dropped his long-standing opposition. “The fact is I’ve changed my mind,” he wrote in a piece for the British newspaper. “The old philosophical certainties have collapsed in the face of the reality of needless suffering,” he explained. The former cleric, 78, said he would support the bill, brought by Lord Charles Falconer, which would allow mentally-capable adults to request help to die if they were suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live. It is due to be debated in the House of Lords next week. On Tutu’s comments, Falconer told the Observer he was “really glad that someone of his stature is taking part in this important debate.” “I very much hope that it will indicate that religion is not a bar to supporting this bill,” he added. The Church of England on Sunday called for an Royal Commission — a major public inquiry — to be held on the issue.
Water droplets soon to charge your smartphone NEW yORK, JuLy 14 (IANS): What if humidity in the air can be used to power your smartphones or iPads? With new findings that water droplets can generate small amounts of electricity, this appears possible in near future. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that when water droplets spontaneously jump away from superhydrophobic surfaces during condensation, they can gain electric charge in the process. Apart from charging electronic devices, the new system could also produce clean water. The device will have a series of interleaved flat metal plates that can be made of cheaper aluminium. “As water droplets jump, they carry charge from one plate to the other; if the two plates are connected through an external circuit, that charge difference can be harnessed to provide power,” said post-doctoral fellow Nenad Miljkovic and Evelyn Wang, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, at MIT. The system is based on earlier findings by Miljkovic and Wang that droplets on a superhydrophobic surface convert surface energy to kinetic energy as they merge to form larger droplets. This sometimes causes the droplets to spontaneously jump away, enhancing heat transfer by 30 percent relative to other techniques. They later found that in that process, the jumping droplets gain a small electric charge. In a practical device, two arrays of metal plates - like fins on a radiator - would be interleaved so that they are very close but not touching. “The atmosphere is a huge source of power and all you need is a temperature difference between the air and the device,” Miljkovic added. This will allow the device to produce condensation, just as water condenses from warm, humid air on the outside of a cold glass, he said in a paper published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
10
Dimapur
SPORTS
Tuesday 15 July 2014
The Morung Express
Spirit of football triumphs at Mkg Town Square
(LEFT) Football fans getting their faces and arms painted with the flags of their respective team at the stall opened during the screening of the FIFA World Cup 2014 final at Mokokchung Town Square. The event was organised by the I Love Mokokchung – football fans’ on July 14. (CENTER) Germany and Argentina football fans watching the World Cup final match at Mokokchung Town Square on July 14. (RIGHT) Home they went triumphant: German football fans, showing the victory sign, leave for home after watching the World Cup final match at Mokokchung Town Square on July 14. (Toshi Kichu Photos)
mokokChung, July 14 (mexn): Shouts of Argentina and German echoed along with the voice of the commentator as the FIFA World Cup 2014 was screened at the Mokokchung Town Square by the I Love Mokokchung – football fans on July 14 early morning. Fans of both teams donned their respective side’s jerseys and waved flags. At the
end though, the German fans jumped in jubilation as Mario Gotze scored the winning goal for Germany. The ‘I Love Mokokchung – football fans’ opened a stall for handing out flags of Germany and Argentina to the fans. The organizers spent sleepless nights hand-sewing the German and Argentinean flags for the final match. The organis-
ers also roped in some artists for face painting of the German and Argentina flags – there were long queues of people waiting for their turn to get their face painted. The district administration rendered their all out support towards the screening of the match, while the police provided elaborated security. There was no untoward incident
whatsoever, as all eyes were glued to the giant screen. “We are very happy that you have screened this match. And we also got the opportunity to watch it, otherwise we would have been out on our duty somewhere else,” said a police personnel to the media cell of the I Love Mokokchung group. There were some football fans from Longleng, Kohima
and even Zunheboto who came up to Mokokchung to watch the final match with their fellow fans at Mokokchung. There were also some foreign tourists seen mingling with the crowd and enjoying the epic match. After the match, the organizing members stayed back to clean up the litter. Meanwhile, Bendang Chingmir Convener of the Me-
dia Cell, ILM-football fans, on behalf of the organizers has expressed heartfelt gratitude to the district administration and the police for their logistical support, the DPRO for the Public Address System for announcing about the screening all over the town, and the fans for showing up to show their support. The organizers also expressed heartfelt gratitude
to the different individuals and business enterprises for their support both in cash and kind, and also the media houses for publicizing. Moreover, the organizers expressed sincere gratitude R. Aienla Aier and her family for their selfless sacrifice, and also the volunteers for rendering their help to make the screening of the match a grand success.
United Germany stands at the top of the world Faith in Action coach participates
Germany's Miroslav Klose poses with the World Cup trophy and his sons following their 1-0 victory over Argentina after the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 13. (AP Photo)
Rio De JAneiRo, July 14 (AP): United they stand, right at the top of the football world. And right on South American soil. Germany won its fourth World Cup title on Sunday, but its first since a country torn apart by political divisions at the end of World War II was finally glued back together. "It was always my dream to get on the summit and look down," said Miroslav Klose, a Polish-born Germany striker who is a perfect example of the country's unification and its diversity. "Incredible." The Germany victory at the iconic Maracana Stadium was special for another reason, too. The Germans became the first European team to win a World Cup in the Americas, coming after they humiliated host Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals and then got the best of Argentina and Lionel Messi 1-0 in the final. Along the way, Klose set the record for World Cup goals, scoring his 16th in the rout over Brazil to push himself ahead of Brazil striker Ronaldo. Klose didn't score on Sunday at the Maracana, however. Instead, it was the man who replaced him in the 88th minute, Mario Goetze, that did. Goetze's moment of brilliance, chesting the ball to control it and then volleying past Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero deep in extra time, was just another sample of the teamwork that has lifted this tightly knit Germany setup to the top. "The team did it beautifully," said Manuel Neuer, voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament. "At some point we'll stop celebrating, but we'll still wake up with a smile." After winning the World Cup title in 1954, West Germany turned itself into a powerhouse on the field. The west side of the divided nation later won the 1972 European Championship and then the 1974 World Cup, playing as the host. Another European title came in 1980,
followed a loss to Italy in the 1982 World Cup final. The West Germans again reached the final in 1986, but lost to an Argentina team led by Diego Maradona in Mexico. They got their revenge four years later, beating the Argentines in 1990 to win the World Cup for a third time. Their lone major title as a united country came at Euro 96, when they beat the Czech Republic in the final at another of football's grandest venues, Wembley Stadium. But they have come very close many times since, losing to Brazil in the 2002 final and reaching the semifinals in both 2006 and 2010. Argentina has now come up short against Germany in three straight World Cups. The Argentines also lost to the Germans in the quarterfinals at the last two tournaments. "This was our chance, and we felt that way," said Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano, perhaps the team's most important player behind Messi. "We couldn't do it. We have to lift our head and suffer the pain." For Brazilian fans, still hurting after the drubbing by Germany and still sad about the broken back that ruled Neymar out of the final games of the World Cup, Sunday's result comes with a sigh of relief. The five-time champions have now hosted the World Cup twice, and come up short both times. In 1950, Brazil lost to Uruguay in the final match, forever known around here as the Maracanazo. This year, after getting trounced by Germany, many Brazilians believed a win for Argentina, Brazil's biggest rival, would have hurt almost as much. Germany, by way of Goetze's goal in the 113th minute, took care of that problem. "You just shoot that goal in, you don't really know what's happening," Goetze said. "And then at the end of the match, having a party with the team, the whole country ... it is for us, a dream come true." This time, it's for all Germans.
in International Taekwondo courses DimAPuR, July 14 (mexn): Founder/Coach Master of Faith in Action, Deep Kumar, participated in the 35th Kukkiwon International Master Course from July 2 to 4 and the 14th World Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee Course from July 6 and 7 at Kathmandu, Nepal. A press release from Faith in Action Foundation’s President Benjamin Yepthomi and Asst. Gen. Secretary Husheto Zhimomi on behalf of the Faith in Action Taekwondo instructors informed that Master Kumar represented the Taekwondo Board of India and by participating in these International Taekwondo Master and Referee Courses, obtained official recognition from Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarter in South Korea. Approximately 140
Founder/Coach Master of Faith in Action, Deep Kumar, with Grandmaster Min Hak Seo of South Korea during the 35th Kukkiwon International Taekwondo Master Course from July 2 to 5 at Kathmandu, Nepal.
coaches from South Asian countries attended the courses at Kathmandu which was initiated by Grand Masters, Min Hak Seo, Kim Bong, Yenongdal Kwon, Kwangmun Ko and General Director from Kukkiwon. The event was organized by Nepal Taekwondo Association, the release stated.
Officials of Faith in Action in this regard have conveyed congratulations to Master Kumar on his recent promotion to 4th Dan Black Belt on the attainment of International Mastership title and hoped that Master Kumar will spur the Faith in Action Taekwondo Academies to greater heights.
27th State Taekwondo Championship postponed
DimAPuR, July 14 (mexn): The Dimapur District Taekwondo Association (DDTA) has informed all the district presidents/secretaries under Nagaland Taekwondo Association (NTA) that the 27th Nagaland State Taekwondo Championship 2014 which was to be hosted by DDTA has been postponed. The organising committee of DDTA has stated that the 27th Nagaland State Taekwondo
Championship 2014 will be conducted from July 28 to 31 at State Indoor Badminton Stadium, Dimapur. DDTA in this regard appealed to all the affiliated members of NTA to bear with the inconveniences caused. For further queries, members may contact at 9436066705/9402738285. A press release from Anthony Lotha, General Secretary, DDTA (WTF) informed.
What worries? Brazil World Cup scores high Jayawardene to retire Gerald Imray
AP Sports Writer
B
razil's World Cup organizers can say it now: "Esta tudo bem" — it's all OK. What was everyone so worried about? After being plagued by doubts over whether the stadiums would be ready and stay standing, and if Brazil's people would join in the fun or try to spoil it, their tournament is a winner. Even if the Brazilian team fell disastrously short. Memorable games, fantastic goals and, overall, one joyous monthlong party from Copacabana beach to the Amazon jungle will be the story of Brazil 2014. The Associated Press takes a look back at the World Cup, rated as one of the best in years despite pre-event worries it could be one of the most shambolic. The games: They were great and the flavor of the football sweetened this World Cup. The goals flew in, giving the tournament a very healthy goal total and game average. The quality was high as well: Robin van Persie's diving header for the Netherlands, Lionel Messi's moments of magic for Argentina and James Rodriguez's audacious turnand-volley for Colombia will be remembered for World Cups to come.
And what about some of the results? The Dutch beating defending champion Spain 5-1. Little Costa Rica making the quarterfinals. And, even if devastated Brazil fans are desperate to forget it, Germany's 7-1 dismantling of the home team in the semifinals — an awesome display of power and precision. Apparently, the world was watching too: TV companies in the United States reported record viewing figures for a World Cup, some a 100 percent rise on previous tournaments. FIFA says there were more tweets from across the globe about the Brazil-Germany game Belgium soccer team supporters hold up masks of Brazilan soccer legend Pele before the than any sports event ever. World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Argentina and Belgium at the Estadio NacioThe stadiums: One of the two biggest headaches for Brazil coming into the World Cup. Ultimately, the stadiums weren't perfect, but they worked out. Chronic delays, accidents and worker deaths marred the construction of some of the 12 venues used across the vast country and at some, like Sao Paulo's Itaquerao Stadium, temporary seating had to be brought in. But that didn't detract from the football, and unlike South Africa last time, the stadiums were pretty much full to the brim. At FIFA's last count, Brazil's average attendance was set to be the second-highest in tournament history behind
nal in Brasilia, Brazil, Saturday, July 5. (AP Photo)
only the U.S. in 1994. Security & organization: FIFA and Brazilian organizers were given a rude awakening when nearly 100 Chile fans broke into Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium — the showpiece arena — ahead of a group game and rampaged through a media room, breaking down walls and causing havoc. The incident was deeply embarrassing. But widespread and violent street protests — the organizers' other main worry alongside the unfinished stadiums — never happened. Fears of a repeat of the outbursts of anger that overshadowed last year's Confederations Cup,
when over 1 million people took to the streets on one day, were misplaced. There were small protests but they were marginal to the World Cup. More than 25,000 police and soldiers secured Sunday's final, the biggest security detail in Brazilian history. There was no messing around. Transport & infrastructure: It should be remembered that Brazil broke many of its World Cup promises. When the country was awarded hosting rights in 2007, politicians vowed that $8 billion would be spent on 56 construction projects, including new airports, subway lines and other infrastructure. Fewer than 10
playing, football followers could explore the huge metropolis of Sao Paulo with its 20 million-plus inhabitants, the golden beaches of Rio de Janeiro or the jungles of the Amazon host city of Manaus in the far north. Many did all of them over the four weeks and still had the energy for the latenight bars and restaurants and their delicious but lethal Caipirinha sugar cane cocktails. Visitors did complain about muggings and credit card fraud, though. Some tourists may have also been surprised by the prices. A great experience, but not always a cheap one.
Just one thing: where was Pele? You can't say football, World Cup or Brazil without also saying Pele, the greatest player that's lived and the country's favorite son. And yet the three-time World Cup winner was a rare sight at the first showcase on his home soil in 64 years, the first since the great man was a nine-year-old kid dreaming of playing at football's main event. The star of the show for the closing ceremony should have been an obvious choice. Instead, organizers chose Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen to accompany former Spain international Carles Puyol in bringing the gold The fan experience: Unique. On those days trophy out onto the field at when their team wasn't the Maracana for the final. were completed in time for the tournament. Among those delayed was a road overpass in the host city of Belo Horizonte, which collapsed during the World Cup killing two people. The sometimes rickety existing metro systems in the biggest cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro did hold up, however, carrying supporters to stadiums without any major problems. The roads all over were often clogged but that's an old Brazilian issue and fans just learned to give themselves more time to get to those games.
from Test cricket
• 37-year-old will play last Test later this year • Former captain will continue to play ODIs Colombo, July 14 (AgenCies): The Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene, one of the sport’s modern greats, is to retire from Test cricket. The shock announcement that the 37-year-old has informed Sri Lanka Cricket of his decision, and is therefore set to play his last Test later this year, came on Monday morning. Ja y aw a rd e n e, who retired from the Twenty20 format along with his fellow Sri Lanka linchpin Kumar Sangakkara after their recent ICC World Twenty20 victory, will continue to play in one-day internationals – with a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand still on his agenda next winter. A board statement read: “Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that Mr Mahela Jayawardene has tendered his resignation from Test cricket. “Addressing a letter to the chief executive officer of SLC Mr Ashley de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene has
stated that he would like to retire from Test cricket after the forthcoming Test series against South Africa and Pakistan.” The former captain Jayawardene said:
“It was not an easy decision to make, given that it has been a great privilege and honour representing my country during the past 18 years. But I believe this is the right time.” Jayawardene, whose most recent series was last month’s surprise 1-0 win in England, has made 11,493 runs in 145 Tests at an average of above 50. He is joint sixth, alongside Sangakkara, on the all-time list of record run scorers.
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World Cup changed my life: Shakira C
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Ajeen Longchari and Asin Shurhuozelie performing at Patkai Christian College (Autonomous) during the concert organised by the Department of Music with other profound Musicians. (Photo Courtesy/Heutinggumbe)
Dave Bautista: Moving from wrestling to acting was risky
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ave Bautista has won several American wrestling championship titles, but he has now given up his "bread and butter" as he calls it, to risk it all for his superhero Hollywood debut playing the role of a warrior called Drax in Guardians Of The Galaxy, out later next month. "Acting is something that I always wanted to do. I don't know if there was one moment where I decided on it, but I fall in love with things that are really challenging.
When people tell me that I cannot do something, I get motivated to do it. Not to dismiss wrestling at all but when you step into the mainstream, it is hard to get people to look beyond you as a wrestler. The audition and screen test process lasted about four months. For me, at my age to leave behind my bread and butter (wrestling) was a big risk, but director James Gunn was wonderful to work with. He gives you a lot of freedom," says Dave.
Singer Shakira carries her son Milan after she performed during the closing ceremony prior to the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
olombian pop star Shakira, who performed at this year`s FIFA World Cup closing ceremony, said the tournament changed her life as she met her husband on the 2010 closer. The `She Wolf` singer, 37, who has an 18-monthold son Milan, with Spanish player Gerard Pique, 27, said they never would have met if she hadn`t signed up to sing the 2010 World Cup anthem `Waka Waka (Time for Africa)`, reportedly. I will never forget that I met the love of my life at the World Cup. If it wasn`t for the World Cup my son Milan would not be here, she said. This was Shakira`s third performance at the World Cup, as she previously sang at the closing ceremonies in South Africa in 2010 and in Germany in 2006.
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simon Cowell on a business, personal roll
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ife is good these days for Simon Cowell. "America's Got Talent," which he created and produces, reigns as summer's top-rated program and was renewed Sunday for a 10th season by NBC. It's part of a "Got Talent" franchise seen in 62 countries which, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, makes it the most successful reality show yet. Three weeks ago, he placed a good-sized bet on Germany to win the World Cup. And, to top it all off, he's reveling in first-time fatherhood with his infant son with his girlfriend, socialite Lauren Silverman. "He's amazing. We're in the Hamptons (in New York) at the moment, taking a break. He's 5 months old, learning to swim," Cowell said. Family life hasn't derailed attending to business for the British TV host and producer who's also the music executive behind such hit acts as One Direction. He's pleased, if unsurprised, that NBC renewed "America's Got Talent," which features Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel as judges and Nick Cannon as host. The series, a big-tent talent show for every sort of performer, has thrived while singing shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice" have suffered ratings erosion. "There's so many music shows on at the moment, there was always going to
Pakistani daily 'covers up' Shraddha Kapoor
be this problem of dilution. The whole reason we devised 'Talent' is it was supposed to be different," Cowell said. He attributes its success worldwide in large part to careful handling by FremantleMedia, its co-owner and producer with Cowell's Syco Entertainment. The program airs just once a year in each market to avoid wearing out the format's welcome. In contrast, he considers his U.S. version of "The X Factor" singing contest a victim of overcrowding, canceled by Fox after three seasons. Cowell said if he had it to do over again he would have insisted Fox choose between it or network sibling "American Idol." "Having two shows and 'The Voice' (on NBC) running at the same time was
way too much," he said. "If they had kept with 'X Factor' and had more confidence in it, the show would have done what it is in the U.K.," where it's a hit. That easy confidence, a Cowell trademark, may explain why he's planning on returning to the arena with another singing contest. It's been in development for about eight months and will have a new twist — he's keeping that secret — to distinguish itself from the competition, he said. He'll present the idea to U.S. networks when he thinks it's ready, he said, along with another talent show that he's working on that, like "AGT," isn't solely just music-related. Might he consider another project altogether, marriage to Silverman? "We'll wait and see," Cowell replied, politely.
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hraddha Kapoor was recently threatened with a media blackout by the miffed Mumbai paparazzi. Though that feud has since been resolved, the young actress is facing another blackout, across the border. Mirror has unearthed a picture of the actress which was published in a Peshawar-based newspaper, Daily Mashriq, on June 27.
The picture was clicked at a recent promotional event of her just-released movie, with Shraddha dressed casually in denim shorts and a top. But, the Daily Mashriq, which claims to be the largest circulated newspaper of the region, obviously felt that the outfit was too risque for its readers. And so they decided to digitally add on a pair of knee-
length black leggings and cover Shraddha's legs. When we forwarded the image to Shraddha, she laughed over it. The film production company's CEO, Tanuj Garg, who is familiar with the workings of the Pakistani press, said it’s a common practice in certain regions. Despite repeated efforts, the Daily Mashriq couldn't be reached for a comment.
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Germany are World Cup champions
German players celebrate with the trophy after the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Germany won the match 1-0. (AP Photo)
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 14 (AP): Germany won the World Cup. Host Brazil won a world of new friends. The now four-time champions, the first European team to win the World Cup on Latin American soil, earned the honor of lifting the most recognized trophy in sports with a tooth-andnail 1-0 victory in a final as terrifically entertaining as the tournament itself. For a 32-day showcase of football at its best, the winning goal was beautifully appropriate. Mario Goetze controlled the ball with his chest and then volleyed it into the Argentine goal, making difficult skills look so simple. Scored in the 113th minute, the mortal blow left Argentina too little time to recover. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, sitting in the VIP section, waved a clenched fist as Goetze celebrated. When referee Nicola Rizzoli blew the final whistle a few minutes later, Vladimir Putin reached across and shook Merkel's hand. The Russian president's country hosts the next World Cup in 2018. Another delighted German in the crowd was International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who'll be keeping a close eye on Brazil's next big organizational challenge: readying Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Games in 2016. Sepp Blatter, president of World Cup organizer FIFA, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff embraced as Germany's players went crazy with joy and Argentina's wept. One of the ironies of this World Cup is that even though the tournament will be remembered as a resounding success, it was a headache for Rousseff and Blatter to the end. As they handed over
Messi Wins GoLden BaLL, rodriGuez top sCorer List of aWards
Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina) Silver Ball: Thomas Muller (Germany) Bronze Ball: Arjen Robben (Netherlands) Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia) Silver Boot: Thomas Muller (Germany) Bronze Boot: Neymar (Brazil) Golden Glove: Manuel Neuer (Germany) Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, left, winner of the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper, stands with Argentina's Lionel Messi, right, winner of the Golden Ball award as the tournament's top player, after the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 13. (AP Photo)
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 14 (REutERs): Argentina captain Lionel Messi won FIFA's "Golden Ball" award as the best player of the World Cup after leading his team to Sunday's final and Colombia's James Rodriguez finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals. Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who kept a clean sheet as his side beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim their fourth World Cup, was awarded the "Golden Gloves" as the tournament's top keeper. Four-times world player of the year Messi had a quiet game by
his standards on Sunday but was the driving force behind Argentina's push to their first World Cup final since 1990. He scored four of their six goals in the group stage, set up Angel di Maria's winner in the last 16 against Switzerland and shouldered the burden of slotting home Argentina's first penalty in their shootout win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals. Messi also won four successive man-of-the-match awards against Bosnia, Iran, Argentina and Switzerland. A despondent Messi took little
YounG PlaYer award: Paul Pogba (France) FiFa Fair PlaY troPhY: Colombia
consolation in the award. "It's a sad prize which I won, because we wanted to lift the World Cup trophy for Argentina." While some pundits thought Messi looked jaded after the group stage and did not influence his team as much, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said he was a deserving winner. "I think Lionel reached the pantheon of the greats a while back,” Sabella told reporters. “Yes, I think he deserved it. He played a great World Cup to get us where he did. "I think it's very deserved.” Germany forward Thomas
Mueller was runner-up to Messi and Netherlands winger Arjen Robben was third. Mueller also came runner-up behind Rodriquez for the Golden Boot award. The Germany forward finished with five goals, one behind the Colombian attacking midfielder. France midfielder Paul Pogba was named young player of the tournament, while Colombia took the Fair Play award after receiving just five yellow cards in five matches in Brazil. FIFA also praised their positive play and the behaviour of their players and officials.
the 18-carat gold trophy to Germany captain Philipp Lahm, the Maracana Stadium echoed with an insulting chant aimed at the Brazilian president. There were resounding boos, too, when she was shown shaking the hand of losing coach Alejandro Sabella. Such protests were also heard at other stadiums during the tournament, demonstrating how the party atmosphere was a thin veneer
for grave public misgivings about $13 billion of spending on cup preparations. As sunset-pink clouds made way for night, and the teams treated the watching world to 30 minutes of extra time because they were still scoreless after 90 minutes, the iconic Maracana bathed in light looked like a spaceship landed between the hills, high-rises and favelas of Rio. The 74,738 fans had a
unified nation, having won as West Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990. In once-divided Berlin, a monster crowd said by authorities to be a quartermillion strong crammed in front of giant TV screens near the German capital's famous Brandenburg Gate. "At some point we'll stop celebrating but we'll still wake up with a smile," said Germany's Manuel Neuer, voted the tournament's
best goalkeeper. The biggest game in football attracted a good sprinkling of celebrities. David Beckham hugged Pele. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen snuggled with her husband, NFL star Tom Brady. Rolling Stones front-man Mick Jagger was there, too. Even with tiring legs as they played into extra time, the two exquisitely matched teams gave and sought no quarter. Photo provided by Germany soccer federation DFB shows,
1-0 in the final. "We started it with Juergen Klinsmann (after 2004) and then we continued it. Our biggest strength is that we improved throughout the years even if we missed taking that last step at tournaments." Germany made at least the semi-finals in the last two World Cups and European Championships after failing to get past the group stage at Euro 2000 and 2004. "We knew we would take that last step and we believed in it and today it finally worked," he said. Those setbacks led to the creation of a national plan to invest in youth centres for the sport with many players in Loew's current
team, including 22-yearold Mario Goetze who scored the extra-time winner against Argentina. "We were disappointed at times in the past but today there was only deserved winner. This team. It is a special moment because it was not just these days here but the entire 10 years," he said. Loew said during that time German players had to learn not to rely only on what he said were the traditional German virtues of working hard and battling until the very end. Young players had to learn more skills to be able Germany's head coach Joachim Loew celebrates during a victory lap after the World Cup final soccer match between to compete with foreign Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de clubs and national teams. "The Bundesliga has a big Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 13. (AP Photo)
part in this with its training centres," he said. "In 2000 and 2004, German football was at the very bottom. But we took action to invest in training, to become technically better. "The German virtues were not enough any more and we had to improve our skills." The first signs were visible at the 2010 World Cup when Loew fielded their youngest team in 76 years and their attractive attacking style won over many fans. "The clubs also have their share in this because they got younger and younger players into the first teams. They are doing great work A German supporter smiles before the World Cup final socand I have to thank them for cer match between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana that," he said. Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday. (AP Photo)
ball, especially Germans and Brazilians who didn't want Argentina, their neighbor and fiercest football rival, to win a third world title. They drowned out the Argentine fans' tireless, jaunty singing with piercing whistles and shouted "Ole!" when Germany players' had the ball, weaving their game of intricate passing. Fireworks ripped the skies to celebrate Germany's first World Cup title as a
World Cup triumph was 10 years in the making - Loew
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RIO DE JANEIRO, July 14 (REutERs): Germany's World Cup victory on Sunday was not just down to 50 days of good preparation for the tournament but was the culmination of a meticulously-planned long-term project, coach Joachim Loew said. Loew, who took over from Juergen Klinsmann in 2006 after their third-place finish at the World Cup in Germany, said were it not for the team's first-round exits in earlier tournaments their fourth World Cup win may have been delayed. "I think that we were 50 days together but this is a project we started 10 years ago," the 54-year-old said after his team Argentina
Former Spanish player Carles Puyol and Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen stand next to the World Cup trophy before the World Cup final soccer match between Germany and Argentina. (AP Photo)
from left, Germany's Mario Goetze and his girl friend AnnKathrin Broemmel, right, as they hold the trophy during the party of the German soccer federation after Germany beat Argentina 1-0 after extra-time in the soccer World Cup final to win its fourth title in Rio de Janeiro on July 13. (AP Photo)
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