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tuesDAY • MAY 30 • 2017
DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 146• 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
The good times of today are the sad thoughts of tomorrow North Korea fires one Scud-class ballistic missile as Japan protests
los aNgeles, May 29 (iaNs): Researchers from the University of Rochester in the US have identified a new way to slow down the growth of cancer cells, the media reported on Sunday. The new method, reported in the latest issue of the journal Science, involves a certain protein called TudorSN and the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, Xinhua news agency reported. On a closer look, the researchers found out how Tudor-SN is important in the “preparatory” phase of the cell cycle, the period when the cell gets ready to divide, according to the study. “We know that Tudor-SN is more abundant in cancer cells than healthy ones, and our study suggests that targeting this protein could inhibit fast-growing cancer cells,” Reyad A. Elbarbary, lead author of the study said in a statement. The findings were made in kidney and cervical cancer cells in the laboratory and are a long way from being applied to people. But the researchers said they could be the basis of a treatment option in the future.
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Djokovic makes winning French Open start
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WeAther WArnIng
Cyclone Mora approaches ne • Heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast on May 30 and 31 • NSDMA warns of 4445 km gusting to 65 km/hr wind speed Morung Express News Dimapur | May 29
Nagaland, along with the rest of the North East region, is expected to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall on May 30 and 31, as cyclonic storm ‘Mora’ over east central Bay of Bengal moved further north-eastwards. A weather warning issued by the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) informed today that Cyclone Mora will continue to track north- eastwards between 91° east and 92°east by May 30. As per the weather forecast of NSDMA and IMD, deep depression intensifying into cyclone Mora as of May 29 is centered at Latitude 17° N and Longitude 91.3° E, around 680 km south-southeast of Kolkata and 580 km south-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The NSDMA informed that on May 30, Tuesday, heavy to very heavy rain would occur in Nagaland with extremely heavy rainfall and squally wind speed of 44-45 km gusting to 65 km/hr. It advised people in the state to
take note of the weather warning and get regular updates of the weather at www.imd.gov.in. For any further clarification and support, stay in touch with the concerned District Disaster Management Authorities and Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority at 9555844253, the NSDMA informed. By May 29 evening, a notification from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that the
cyclone was travelling with a speed of 19 kmph, and is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. The IMD also predicted rainfall on May 30 at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places. Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in the North East, along with coastal West Bengal and the Andaman islands are set to be affected by the cyclone.
T R u T H
— Bob Marley
In the life of an Electrician
PAGe 09
US researchers identify new way to slow down cancer development
P o W e R
PAGE 12
‘Framework Agreement’ need not be disclosed now, CIC says
New Delhi, May 29 (PTi): The Central Information Commission (CIC) has allowed the Union Home Ministry to withhold information about a 2015 peace accord between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim. RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak had sought details of the “Framework Agreement” between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) on August 3, 2015. R N Ravi, Chairman, Joint Intelligence Committee and Interlocutor, told the CIC the ground situation was “sensitive and fragile”, and the “premature release” of the information would be “prejudicial to national security”. “The Government does not wish to lose the gains arising out of the Framework Agreement,” Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur quoted Ravi as saying. The transparency panel took a dig at the ministry, pointing out that it had taken the ministry months to identify that the records related to the agreement were under the Joint Intelligence Committee. Information seeker Nayak claimed that a press release after the agreement was signed had said the “details and execution plan” would be released shortly. But even after 18 months, the information was still not out. He said the extension of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the region last December buttressed the argument that that there was a gap between “official talk” and the situation on the ground. This was why it was necessary to put out “authentic information” on the agreement for the general public, Nayak said. He said there was growing uncertainty among the neighbouring states about
the contents of the framework agreement “which clearly indicates a state of confusion prevalent among the voters of the North-East”. Mathur noted in his order that the complainant stressed the need to disclose the details of the agreement for “public interest”. He said Nayak asserted that what could be disclosed to a legislature or Parliament could not be denied to a citizen under the RTI Act. “The framework agreement had been discussed by the interlocutor with the legislators of Nagaland and the same is, therefore, liable to be disclosed to the general public,” Nayak told the Commission. Mathur said while Nayak emphasised the immediate need for transparency for peace in the Northeast, Ravi said the framework agreement was in place, but the final agreement was yet to be arrived at. “In the present case, the sovereignty and integrity of India and the security and strategic interests of the State may be prejudicially affected. The public interest served by non-disclosure has to be weighed against the immediate public interest of disclosure,” Mathur said in the order. He said an immediate disclosure would inform the public and all stakeholders about the current status and “thus help to develop an understanding and trust in the Government and promote peace in the North-East region”. But between the two “competing public interests”, the Commission concluded that withholding information at this stage would help the government solve a long standing issue and bring about peace and prosperity. “This option is, therefore, more beneficial and is accepted by the Commission,” it said.
5 injured in Dimapur blast NE can strengthen stem cell donor base
DiMaPUR, May 29 (MexN): Five people were injured when an IED exploded on Monday night at a Pharmacy called ‘Ideal Chemist,’ located in Nyamo Lotha Road, Dimapur, adjacent to Breeze Restaurant. Police informed that the blast occurred between 7:05pm and 7:15pm. One of the five injured is reportedly in serious condition. Meanwhile Nagaland State Home Minister, Y. Patton has expressed anguish over the bomb blast and said that “such barbarous act was unacceptable especially when the entire Naga nation was longing for peace.” A statement from the Home Minister condemned the “horrific” and “criminal” act and said “we commit to expose the evil ideology of violence behind it and stand together with our fellow Nagas”. He said the government
would leave no stone unturned to book the criminals and asked the investigating agency to immediately take up the matter on priority. Patton also shared his sympathy with the injured persons and wished them a speedy recovery. The NSCN (IM) has also condemned the blast and said “such cowardly acts” are “nothing less than acts of terrorism and the culprits shall be brought to book.” In a press note, the NSCN (IM) said that “the culprits shall be hunted down by activating all the agencies of the NSCN/ GPRN. Only devilish and heartless people will commit such heinous crimes against the peace loving people. The prevailing peaceful atmospheres must be safeguarded and protected at all costs.” It meanwhile wished speedy
recovery to the injured and asked the public to co-operate so that all forms of terrorist acts are checked to ensure the innocent people to live in peace and harmony. The Dimapur District GBs Association also urged the Dimapur Police to investigate the matter in a serious manner and book the culprits at the earliest.
Shutter down protest from 6:00am to 6:00pm today The Nyamo Lotha Road Business Association, the EDBA, DCCI, BAN and the Dimapur Medical Dealer’s Association while condemning the blast, have informed that businesses in Dimapur and adjoining areas till two and a half mile, would down their shutters on May 30 from 6:00am to 6:00pm as a mark of protest. They further asked the law enforcing agencies to take quick action.
Morung Express News Dimapur | May 29
Say a person has a cancerous blood disorder. The person is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation; at the same time requires a stem cell (or bone marrow) transplant to regenerate or replace the cells destroyed during the therapy. For the transplant, the patient will in all certainty require a donor with a matching genetic makeup. While the treatment process itself is tough, finding a donor having a matching genetic makeup as that of the patient would be like re-enacting the proverbial ‘needle in the haystack’. This is where the role of gene pool registries comes in. The world population today has crossed the 7 billion mark but as per statistics there are only around 25 million donors registered to various stem cell registries or banks set up around the world.
India despite its huge population is also not faring well in this aspect with only around 4 lakhs donors registered in its 4 known stem cell repositories. Stem cell repository advocates believe that augmenting the number of donors will go a long way in treating Leukemia, Aplastic Anaemia, Thalassemia etc. Genebandhu, a New Delhi based not-for-profit organisation is endeavouring in this direction. Kapil Gupta, co-founder and project co-ordinator of Genebandhu said that the aim of the organisation is to maintain a registry of stem cell donors from within the country. Currently, Gupta is in Nagaland to spread awareness and mobilise support for strengthening the stem cell donor base in India. Speaking at an awareness programme at Eden Hospital in Dimapur today, he said that Genebandhu presently has 13,000 registered donors in its registry and aims to take this
number to 1 million by 2020. While informing that Genebandhu is one of only four organisations involved in the field in India, Gupta said the organisation “as a registry works with various hospitals to help find donors for patients” or Matched Unrelated Donors. He shared the idea of using India’s huge population to the advantage of stem cell therapy, which is available in only a few big hospitals in India. “When we have an extensive donor base in the registry the chances of a patient finding a match will increase.” It also entails that a patient in India will not have to look for donors abroad, which generally involves a huge financial toll on the family. Finding a match abroad, for instance from the USA, he said would currently cost Rs. 30-40 lakhs, excluding hospital expenses. The cost would get cut by almost a third if a match is
found in India. As for the north-east, he said that the region has yet to have a registered donor. The people of region can begin by registering, he said, while emphasising that patients from the region have greater chance of finding “matches (or donors) sharing the same gene pool.” To register, one has to start early, preferably between the ages of 18-35. “Once a registered donor cross the age of 55, the person’s database is removed from the registry,” he informed. Stating “A lot of partnerships” will be required to maintain a robust stem cell donor registry, Gupta said that Nagaland can contribute too. “The idea is to make people aware and register,” he said while adding that he will be addressing students at two colleges in Dimapur on Tuesday and more as Genebandhu’s endeavour proceeds.
Breaking Stereotypes: ‘ALIFE initiative’ kicks off ntC asks PM to invite nnPgs
Morung Express News Dimapur | May 29
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The journey to the top has not been easy for supermodel Ketholeno Kense Vihienuo or renowned classical musician Nise Meruno: ‘breaking stereotypes’ being one of the challenges. In the first live edition of the talk show ‘ALIFE initiative’ on the theme ‘breaking stereotypes’ held here at Kuda Café Monday night, the two Naga stars shed light on how they overcame the shackles of ‘stereotype’ to finally live their respective dreams. ALIFE initiative is a collaboration between three likeminded grass-root social organizations namely Serendip Guardian, PathFinders and CAN Youth. For Nise Meruno, breaking stereotypes means envisioning something beyond the common or ordinary. As a child, the musician confessed that he was not a bright student and while most boys
Supermodel Ketholeno Kense Vihienuo and renowned classical musician Nise Meruno, with the organizers of the ALIFE initiative in Dimapur on May 29.
his age played the guitar or football, he preferred to play the piano, which many during those days thought was “feminine” and off the beaten path for boys. “But I found my forte in music (and piano) and music became my shelter”, he said. Ketholeno also admitted that Naga society’s stereotype view of the profession of a model as “not morally respectable” was
quite frightening. “Initially, I cried a lot after hearing gossips, some even from my close relatives…such stereotype comments I don’t face in the mainland, only back home”, the lithe model said. She said most people are unaware of the tough and tortuous routine a model has to undergo daily. “Glamour is just one percent, 99 percent is hard work”, she added.
On how they finally got their big breaks, Nise said his big moment came out of the blue when he was in Delhi years ago to pursue a career as a flight steward. One night he was invited to perform in a concert and the response was so overwhelming that he was flooded with invitations and he never looked back. Ketholeno said after winning the NE Super Model contest in 2011, her
career took a turn when she won the Hunt for the Kingfisher Supermodel 2014. However, despite the fame and accolades, both said their first priority in life is “family” and not their careers. On the theme, the organisers said “Stereotype is one issue among many which we are surrounded with. An issue we don’t talk about or we don’t realize what stereotyping is. It has become a part of our lives and its impact on people’s live are huge. Our words and actions may be a blockage to someone’s growthpsychologically, professionally and socially.” “Through the ALIFE talk, we look forward to bring out stories of people who have experienced and undergone a journey of confronting issues and have overcome those fears, and when shared can help others bring in a deeper understanding of the issue and its impact,” the organizers added. Vitono Gugu Haralu was the talk host for the talk.
Working group for dialogue
DiMaPUR, May 29 (MexN): The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) submitted a representation to the Government of India, when it met the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on May 19 in New Delhi. In its representation, the NTC asked the PM to take decisive action towards resolving the Naga political problem by inviting the Working Group of 6 Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), comprising the NNC/FGN, GPRN/NSCN, NSCN/ GPRN (R), NNC (Parent Body), NNC/ GDRN (N/A), and NPGN/NNC (N/A). Terming the formation of the Working Group as a “positive development towards peace,” the NTC stated that initiating official dialogue would be “in the interest of the Nagas as a whole in the context of Naga contemporary politics.” It informed that “now, the 5 NNPGs except the hesitant NNC/FGN led by Thinoselie and Shinga have agreed to have political negotiation if so invited by GoI.” “Besides, the Working Group has entrusted NTC to shoulder the role of mediation between the NNPGs and GoI for political settlement,” it revealed. The NTC appreciated the Prime Minister’s positive response that the crucial peace process “will be carried forward to a practical level with renewed effort for a lasting solution to the protracted Naga po-
litical problem.” “While keeping the aspirations of the Nagas alive for the wellbeing of posterity, the GOI is expected to have genuine negotiation with all stakeholders to work out the basis of what is giveable and acceptable in the contemporary political situation,” it stated. The NTC representation meanwhile asserted that lasting political solution would be acceptable only through inclusive dialogue. “The bare truths are that NSCN (IM) led by Th. Muivah is just one of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) which does not represent the rest of the other NNPGs. Besides, NSCN (IM) is neither authorised by the Nagas of Nagaland to negotiate and enter into any agreement with GoI for the destiny of the State of Nagaland,” it said. Regarding the Framework Agreement, the NTC said that the signed document “can neither be parallel nor placed above the Constitution of India.” “Should any issue concerning the interest of Nagaland State be settled out of the ongoing exclusive dialogue, it will tantamount to undermining the existence of the Nagas of Nagaland. In view of these facts, the NTC has made itself clear without ambiguity to one and all that such settlement without taking the people of Nagaland into confidence will be ultimately rejected under any circumstances,” it stated.
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NAGALAND
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
In the lIfe of an electrIcIan
Vishü Rita Krocha Kohima | May 29
B
eing an electrician may not be the most glamorous career or the first choice that a student would pick for a livelihood, but the indispensable part that electricians play in almost every aspect of our lives is undeniable. Even with risks and dangers that come along with this profession, Pove Lohe is one licensed electrician who has committed himself to improve the life conditions of people by lighting up homes. Hailing from Sakraba village under Phek district, he is a Class 12 dropout, who resolved to do something with his life despite this one time failure. The 28-year old completed his high school in the village prior to pursuing his higher secondary in Pfutsero College. He came to Kohima in the year 201 during which, his energy was also diverted to electricity. “I remember earning a sum of Rs. 150 when I first began”, he enlightens. He was also trained in the field for a period of 2 months.
Pove Lohe
During this time, he along with others engaged themselves in wiring the Urban Development Headquarter in Kohima. He was further part of the team who were instrumental in wiring the Sumi Church in Kohima. “After 3 years of such experiences, I started working on my own”, he expresses. Since 2013, he has been working as an ‘independent electrician’ as he would call it. The year 2013 is also significant for him as he got his license that year after appearing for a
practical and an oral exam at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Kohima. Over the years, he has lighted over 70 homes and is keen on continuing in the field with the same zest and vigour. However one of the concerns he shares is the deduction of percentage by the Power department. ‘A 20% deduction is made on non-locals without license and also on us with license, even if we earn it individually”, he states while impressing upon that it is not fair.
Pove Lohe has always wanted to be in business and although he insists that he is yet to succeed, he is definitely getting there. In the meantime, he feels that there are young Nagas who are also interested in becoming electricians, but observed that most of them expect to earn big money overnight. “This attitude has to change”, he expresses with concern while indicating that everybody has to learn and grow and eventually get to the top. A youth who firmly believes that there is no end to learning, he continues to learn both with experience and reading. “I read about it online whenever I get the time and update myself on the techniques of electricity”, he puts across. Currently, he is engaged in putting up solar street lights in the wards and colonies in Kohima. *Year of Construction Workers (YOCW) is a joint program of the Government of Nagaland in partnership with YouthNet, Zynorique and the Department of Labour & Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
‘Sustainable peace possible through women’
Nagaland Catholic Women Association participants with some of the resource persons during the seminar conducted from May 26 to 28.
Dimapur, may 29 (mExN): Three days seminar was conducted on ‘Women in peace building’ by Nagaland Catholic Women Association in Collaboration with Peace Channel in Don Bosco Institute of Development & Leadership (DBIDL) Dimapur from May 26 to 28. The seminar was organised in order to educate and empower the women about their rights and train them on the skills and techniques of peace to work for peace building in the society. The resource persons for the seminar were Fr. Dr. CP Anto, Founder & Director of Peace Channel, Dr. Aküm Longchar, Editor, The Morung Express, Dr. Rosemary Dzüvichü, Head of English Department Nagaland University cum Advisor of Naga Women Association, Liangsi Niumai, Advocate, Director of Care-Centre for Environment and Rural Poor Dimapur, Samir Bordoloi, a freelance organic Farmer, Con-
sultant and an Agripreneur. The topics which were being stressed upon by the resource persons during the seminar were Skills & Status of Women in conflict situation, Women participation in conflict resolution & peace building, Role of women in peace building activities, Women as an agents for positive change and to bring peace in the society by improving the economy through organic farming. A press note stated that the seminar consisted of lectures, group discussions, peace celebration, audio visual learning sessions and different exercises to learn the importance of Truth, Mercy, Justice and Peace and to convey the message of our present society. Through different sessions the participants were being trained to be a good peace builder by empowering oneself, raise voice for voiceless, be a good book and be a source of inspiration for others, to work on organic
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
IMLILA IMCHEN THAPA (03/07/1974 – 22/05/2017) We, the family members of Late Mrs. Imlila Imchen Thapa, express our heartfelt gratitude to all who extended full support physically, financially and through prayer in our moment of grief. Moreover, it would not have been possible for us to bring our beloved back home without the active support of friends from near and far. We extend our special gratitude to; 1) Dr. Neikiesalie Nicky Kire, Hon’ble MLA. 2) Resident Commissioner and staff of Nagaland House, Kolkata. 3) Faith Hospital, Dimapur. 4) Police Department, Govt. of Nagaland. 5) Longkhum Union, Kohima. 6) Longkhum Union, Dimapur. 7) Gorkha Elders’ Forum, Dimapur. 8) Indreni Club, Chandmari , Kohima. 9) Upper Chandmari Panchayat Council, Kohima. 10) Upper Chandmari Women Organisation. 11) Upper Chandmari Youth Organisation. 12) Nagaland Gorkha Association. 13) Gorkha Public Panachayat, Kohima. 14) Kohima Gorkha Mahila Samity. 15) Gorkha Singhadevi Mandir Committee, Kohima. 16) Shree Satya Sai Sewa Samity, Kohima. 17) Matri Satsang, Kohima. We arenot ableto mention every individual/organization whose support were equally valuable. We pray to Almighty God to shower abundant blessing upon all. All well wishers are cordially invited to attend ‘RITUAL’ in honour of the departed soul on 03-06-2017 (Saturday) from 2 P.M. onwards and join us in prayer. Husband, Son & All family members
farming and improve the economy of our society by utilising the available natural resources and bring sustainable peace in the society. The seminar turn out to be a boon as well as an eye opening session for all the participants as they were being equipped with lots of beneficial inputs which will help them in attaining peace within oneself, in the family, society and the world at large. The seminar was attended by more than 80 women leaders from different Tribes, Region, and Parishes of Nagaland. The seminar thus concluded with two action plans i.e. every community/Parish/Region will conduct a training programme and get trained with the assistance of Peace Channel and Nagaland Catholic Women Association in promoting and skilling the women on peace building and dialogue. To form Women Peace Cell in different parishes of the dioceses.
Jubilee Memorial Education Merit Award 2017
Kohima, may 29 (Dipr): Kohima Longjang Senso Telongjem, Jubilee Memorial Education Merit Award, 2017, HSLC 2017 was held on May 28 at KLST Yim Ki (Agri Forest Colony), Kohima. Pangertoshi Pongen, in his welcome address gave a briefing on the formation of the award in 1994. He encouraged the students to study hard and be sincere to become a successful person in life. Delivering a speech on ‘manners and tradition’ Sr. Accounts Officer, Kohima, T. Simon Pongen said manners and traditions are the true qualities of the tribe which has been carried on through generations. Without this awareness we will destroy our own tradition, he said. Encouraging parents to instruct the same to their children, he expressed fear of nonrespect in the society in the absence of such knowledge. Winners do not do different things, they do it differently, he said, further urging the students to work hard at all levels. Merit awards were given away to 14 successful students including a special award of Rs.10,000 to Longsener Longkumar who secured the 19thposition in HSLC examination, 2017. The special award was sponsored by Director, IPR, Limawati Longchar. The programme was chaired by Moalong Pongen.
SBM Mkg touches District Jail Fellowship
(L-R) Pastor of Yimyu Baptist Church, Puryapang, Chairman of Mokokchung District Swachh Bharat Mission, M. Bendangnukshi Longkumer and Chaplain of Mokokchung District Jail Fellowship, Moa Walling are seen here at the site of the Mokokchung District Jail Fellowship. (Morung Photo) Morung Express News Mokokchung | May 29
Under the initiative of Mokokchung District Swachh Bharat Mission, the deteriorated roofing at Mokokchung District Jail Fellowship was repaired with brand new CGI sheets sponsored by the Yimyu Baptist Church, Mokokchung. The inmates of the jail had earlier requested SBM Mokokchung to help them
Care and support Society (C&SS) Mokokchung held a programme at Chuchuyimpang Baptist Church for distribution of wheelchair for people with disabilities (PWDs) supported by 44 Assam Rifles Mokokchung. The programme was chaired by Imkongnungchet CBRW, Director of C&SS Imchawati Kichu delivered the welcome note and introduction.
repair the roof during the inauguration of water supply and sanitary facility in the jail on April 4 last. The roofing above the 800 square feet chapel was so debilitated with leaks inundating the hall during rainy days. Apart from the CGI sheets, labour and all other costs were also volunteered and borne by the Yimyu Baptist Church. There are at present 38 inmates in the Mokokchung District Jail who attend the Fellowship regularly.
Lima Imsong, missionary (center) with the praise and worship team leading the congregation in prayer during the two day revival programme held at DABA Signal Fellowship. More than 350 young people attended the revival held on May 20 and 21.
Leo Club of Dimapur hosted the official visit of district President of Leo district 322D Leo Kamal Sharma on Sunday, May 28 at Lions Park, Midland under the chairmanship of Leo Dishant Sethi.
Nagaland Physiotherapist Association (NPA) 2nd General meeting was held on May 27 at Hotel Acacia where the programme was attended by the physiotherapists from across the state. The association has made it mandatory for all working and non working physiotherapists to register under NPA (Nagaland Physiotherapist Association) and IAP (Indian Association of Physiotherapist) respectively. For further details contact @ 7085176528/8729931462.
Kidima Students’ Union observes annual freshers day Kohima, may 29 (mExN): The Kidima Students’ Union (KSU) observed its annual freshers day on May 27 at Village Council Hall, Kidima. The speaker, Solesul Tholre Urban Development Officer, Mokokchung said that people have become smarter and more competitive and in order to succeed one should always be a step ahead of
others. He stressed on humility, discipline, honesty and sincerity and further encouraged the students to be smart while studying. KSU General Secretary Vilapa Vitso in a press release said that the programme was chaired by Asato Sachü. Kocünu Ltu invoked God’s blessings. Welcome address was given by Vingosal Sachü, President KSU followed by a special
song from Aldina Ltu. Zeneivile Ltu presented the statistical report. Menekunu Ltu spoke on behalf of the fresher’s while a speech on behalf of the senior was delivered by Kekuneil Ltu, Scientist B, National Science & Technology Council, Kohima. Vote of thanks was given by Peneizo Sachü. Keleseto Soleho and Vimhatonu Soleho were declared KSU Mr and Miss Fresher 2017.
CONDOLENCES The Morung Express extends our sincere condolences to our friend and colleague, Kikalemla, whose grandfather Imyangluba Jamir passed away on May 29, 2017. We are saddened by your profound loss, and our prayers are with you and your family during this time of grief.
May your family find comfort in knowing that he is at peace!
tuesday 30•05•2017
NORTH-EAST 3
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Manipur Guv Kuki Inpi Manipur flays Biren China warns India over Dhola-Sadiya bridge appointed as new JMI Chancellor Singh’s statement on SoO Newmai News Network Imphal | May 29
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki community in the State, has expressed its discontentment over the alleged statement of Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh terming the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement a “failure”. In a press release received here, KIM said while it had “high hope” on N Biren Singh led government in Manipur to resolve the “age old political issue” of the Kukis through dialogue, the latter’s statement reflect the “deplorable” attitude of the government. A tripartite SoO (Suspension of Operations) currently in operation between the Government of India, Government of Manipur (GoM) and the Kuki revolutionary groups under the umbrella of the UPF (United People’s Front)
and the KNO (Kuki National Organisation). “The Kuki Inpi Manipur and the general public have been consistently supporting tripartite SoO …with the feeling that the militant groups through dialogue can only ensure self determination for the Kuki people. However, the statement of the Chief Minister on Anti-Terrorism Day recently seems to reflect the feeling of the Government of Manipur to only confine the Kuki armed groups to their designated camps while the political issue remains unresolved,” KIM stated. It further alleged that there have been instances of killing of police commandos recently by NSCN (IM) and “constant ambush against Security forces by non SoO groups in Manipur”. There are IED blasts almost every week in Moreh, KIM pointed out urging the GoM to look into “these
acts of violence which are bigger threats” to the safety and security of the people of Manipur. The Chief Minister of Manipur “seems to overlook the larger threat” faced by civilians and undermines the Kuki armed groups under SoO, it added. The Kuki armed groups under SoO have not been “engaged in any ambush or killing against security forces after signing the SoO agreement,” KIM maintained. However, it lamented that “no remarkable political solution has been achieved for the Kukis because of signing the SoO pact.” “In fact, they have been living under pathetic condition in these designated camps deprived of basic necessities like drinking water, medical aid, ration and stipends to meet day to day necessities in these camps”. According to the Kuki
body, it is “deplorable” that the Chief Minister of Manipur “overlooked these sufferings and negligence” by the government towards the Kuki armed groups under SoO, and “terms the agreement a failure”. Instead they are dwelling in a pathetic condition in the designated camps with the hope that “their leaders would one day restore the Kukis’ right to self administration within the Indian Union,” it said. It is imperative, KIM stressed, for the Government of Manipur and the Chief Minister to reconsider their stand on the Kuki armed groups by expediting the political dialogue with UPF and KNO before they “choose to go back to the jungles.” “We cannot afford to lose peace and harmony in the hills that have been achieved because of the SoO agreement with the Kuki militant groups,” KIM asserted.
Beijing, May 29 (ianS): China on Monday asked India to be "cautious" and exercise "restraint" over building infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh, days after Prime Narendra Modi launched the country's longest bridge linking Assam with the state claimed by Beijing. "We hope India adopts a cautious and restrained attitude on the issue before the final settlement of the border issue with China to jointly control disputes, safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas," the Chinese Foreign Ministry told IANS.
"China's position on the eastern section of the SinoIndian border areas is consistent and clear," a statement in Chinese said. Modi last week opened the country's longest bridge over Brahmaputra river that connects Assam's easternmost region with Arunachal Pradesh, claimed and dubbed by China as South Tibet. "China and India should resolve territorial disputes through negotiations and consultations between the two countries," the Foreign Ministry said. China and India have a dragging border dispute. The 9.2 km Dhola-
Sadiya bridge will cut the distance and travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by 165 km and five hours. Analysts say the bridge will ensure swift movement of Indian troops in Arunachal Pradesh, which, therefore, will bolster India's defence along the China border. China has long been building infrastructure along the border unlike India, which, experts say, avoided building roads in the region, fearing a repeat of the 1962 war when the People's Liberation Army troops entered Assam.
Bodies of 2 students arrive in Mizoram aizawl, May 29 (PTi): The bodies of two students found dead near Panikhaiti Rail gate in Guwahati yesterday, arrived in Aizawl this afternoon. Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex Mizo student body, said the bodies would be taken to south
Mizoram’s Lunglei town for funeral scheduled to be held tomorrow at 10 am. R Lalmalsawma, a student of Physiotherapy and C. Lalhmangaihsanga, a student of Dialysis course at the Downtown University, Assam, were reportedly found dead yesterday morning
and their bodies were being brought to Mizoram. Police suspect homicide and investigation was launched into the gory incidence. Tension gripped the state though no reports of untoward incidence have been received from any parts of the state, police said.
new DelHi, May 29 (ianS): Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla has been unanimously elected as Chancellor (Amir-e-Jamia) of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) for 5 years by the university's court in a special meeting held on May 25, a varsity statement said on Monday. "Heptulla succeeds Lt. Gen. M.A. Zaki (retd.) who has completed his five-year term. Heptulla's tenure begins with effect from May 26," JMI said in a press release. After her new appointment, Heptulla will have to resign as Governor. Grandniece of India's first Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Heptulla has been a 5 time member of the Rajya Sabha between 1986 and 2012 and its Deputy Chairman for 16 years. She resigned as the Minister of Minority Affairs in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, on age grounds as the BJP in an unwritten code had fixed the maximum age for ministers at 75. Later, she became Manipur Governor.
Woman, her two kids burnt alive Meghalaya: BJP leader tries to allay fears on Beef ban agaRTala, May 29 (ianS): In a tragic incident in Tripura, a woman and her two minor children were burnt to death when their thatched home went up in flames following an LPG cylinder blast, police said here on Monday. The incident took place on Sunday night at Hrishyamukh, in south Teachers under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Manipur protesting against non payment Tripura, about 110 kms of their salaries for 9 months. They also attempted to gherao the office of the Education (S) from here. Police said Jhunu Deblocated at Lamphelpat in Imphal West district. The teachers also threatened to cease their nath, a small trader, had ilwork if their salaries are not paid at the earliest. (NNN Photo)
legally stored petrol in his home. While he was trying to fill some fuel in a container for sale, the inflammable liquid caught fire from a lamp near by, a police official said. Debnath's home was engulfed in flames as a cooking gas cylinder exploded in the fire. "Jhunu Debnath somehow managed to flee the blaze, but his wife and their two minor children were burnt to death," a police official said.
TURa(MegHalaya), May 29 (PTi): A senior BJP leader of Garo Hills area today tried to allay fears over ban of beef in the state, claiming that the party will never impose such a ban in Meghalaya. "In Meghalaya most of the BJP leaders eat beef. The question of banning beef does not arise in a state like Meghalaya especially in Garo Hills. BJP leaders in Meghalaya are well aware of the historical background and the con-
stitutional provisions over the Hill areas for which beef ban will remain un-imposed in Meghalaya," said the BJP Tura district president, Bernard N Marak in a release today. The BJP leader added that if the BJP came to power in the state next year, its motive would not be a beef ban but the regulation of rates and slaughter houses to allow for an ease in meat consumption. "Meghalaya does not have proper slaughter
houses to check the meat sold at the market places. Sometimes even deceased animals are also sold along with the fresh ones. These are failures of the government which needs to be checked and properly regulated. BJP will do everything that Congress government has failed in its time by establishing slaughter houses, checking meats, regulating high rates of meats and reducing it to a reasonable price," stated Bernard.
After Everest Anshu Jamsenpa sets sights on unclimbed peaks KaTHManDU, May 29 (ReUTeRS): A 38-yearold Indian climber who made the fastest double ascent of Mount Everest and became the first woman to reach the high-
est point on earth twice in 5 days, says she will now turn her attention to smaller unclimbed peaks. Anshu Jamsenpa, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, climbed Everest
by its Southeast Ridge route on May 16. She repeated the feat on May 21, beating a record set by a Nepali woman, Chhurim Sherpa, who made the dual climb in seven days in 2011.
ADMISSION NOTICE
Mountain View Christian College, Kohima
FELICITATION
The Office of the Northern Angami Students Union (NASU) would like to convey our heartiest congratulation to all the successful candidates of Northern Angami Students in HSLC and HSSLC 2017 and also wishes all the very success in the near future. HSLC Toppers: 1. Thejavinuo Guozi Seyie (Top 11), Greenwood School, Dimapur. 2. Philomina Rutsa (Top 16), Don Bosco Hr. Sec. School, Kohima. 3. Khrietuo Kire (Top 16), Mezhür Hr. Sec. School, Kohima. 4. Visienuo Dzüvichü (Top 16), Don Bosco Hr. Sec. School, Kohima. HSSLC TOPPERS: 1. Vilakienyü Liezietsu (Top 8), Mezhür Hr. Sec. School, Kohima. And the Office also extends its fullest encouragement to all the candidates who were not able to cross the bar. Let not failure be the end but a challenge to prosperity. Sd/- Zekuosa Zhale Edu. Secy. NASU
Sd/- Aneizo Keditsu Info & Publicity Secy. NASU
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND
OFFICE OF THE ADDITIONAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER PFÜTSERO: NAGALAND
No.Jud-4/SC/2014/272
Dated Pfro, the 24th may 2017
NOTICE
Whereas VECHOPRALU W/o LT. MOHUYO Asst. Teacher, Education Department of Kikruma Colony has applied for issue of Succession Certificate under the Indian Succession Act 1925 to draw the family pension, Service benefits, etc belonging to LT. MOHUYO of Kikruma Village, who expired on 21-12-2016. Therefore, notice is hereby issued inviting any claims and objections from the public pertaining to the above mentioned property and the same to be submitted to the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner Pfutsero, within a period of 30 days claims and objections within the stipulated time, Succession Certificate will be issued to the applicant as prayed for. ZENEIKHONUO VIMERO Additional Deputy Commissioner, Pfutsero
AFFILIATED TO NAGALAND UNIVERSITY Near BSF Camp. Below ATI Office: Kohima ARTS AND COMMERCE Contact No: 0370-2280071/8256923734 Classes Admission Install (quarterly) 11&12 5500 3000 B.A (Gen) 6500 3100 B.A (Hons) 6800 3200 Hostel Monthly fee - 3500
AFFIDAVIT Regd.No: 347
I, Shri. APHIAN S/O, MEITHON declares before the court that my name has been inadvertently entered in my bank account as APHIAN KAMEI which is also correct. Both the names, APHIAN, APHIAN KAMEI represent the same person. Therefore, I declare that my name shall be APHIAN for all my official correspondence. Deponent
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND DIRECTORATE OF ART AND CULTURE NAGALAND: KOHIMA
NO.AC/ESTT/APT/329/2017-18/1078
Dated Kohima, the 29th May 2017
NOTIFICATION
This is to inform that the Department Screening Committee interview the recruitment in various Grade III & IV post outside the purview of NPSC under the department of Art and Culture, Nagaland, Kohima is scheduled to be held on 8th June 2017. Therefore, all the candidates who have submitted their application are requested to come along with 3 (three) passport to collect their Admit Card and necessary information on 5th, 6th & 7th June 2017 during office hours from the Directorate of Art and Culture, Bayavu Hill, Kohima, Nagaland. It is to note that under any circumstances, the department will not entertain issuing ofAdmit Card apart from the above given stipulated dates. (Chubala Sangtam) Joint Director & HOD, Art and Culture, Nagaland, Kohima
Indian mountain climber Anshu Jamsenpa, who climbed Everest twice in five days, attends her interview at a hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal on May 27. (Reuters Photo)
Both ascents are expected to be certified by the Nepali government this week, a tourism department official said. Anshu, who like many people in the Indian state is known by her first name, also climbed the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) summit
twice in 10 days in 2011. She climbed it again in 2013. A motivational speaker and trainer in mountaineering, Anshu said she felt an emotional attachment to Everest. "When I go high up I rediscover myself and can realise the strength of my mind," she told Reuters
LOST NOTICE
HESTIA PG FOR GIRLS
I, Akivito H Achumi am applying for a duplicate copy of Class 12 Admit Card (CBSE) as I have lost it. Name: Akivito H Achumi F/Name:Hukato V Achumi Roll No: 3641127 School: Delhi Public School,Dimapur
in Kathmandu over the weekend after returning from the mountain. Now she has a new goal - to summit Kangto, the highest peak in Arunachal Pradesh, which is 7,042 metres (23,103 feet) tall and has never been climbed, and other unclimbed peaks. She said people had been telling her to take on the so-called seven summits, the highest peaks on the seven continents. "But before that I want to climb other virgin peaks in the Himalayas," she said. The mother of two began her expedition in April with a blessing from the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who gave her a hug. "That long hug had a magic," she said. "I could not tell him anything. I became speechless."
Duncan, Opposite Ramakrishna Society, Dimapur (Secure, Hygienic, Spacious rooms with inverter facility for fan & light) Contact:9774742833
KOHIMA BIBLE COLLEGE Associate Member of ATA, Affiliated to NATA & Approved by The Govt. of Nagaland P.O. Box – 482 Kohima: Nagaland
Born Again, certain of your call to the ministry, and have the commitment to serve the Lord; you are welcome to Kohima Bible College -The first established Bible College in Nagaland and God’s own ordained place in training men and women for the Global mission. The College: Is Bible-centered, Christ-centered and gives special emphasis on the deliverance ministry and to walk in the Anointing work of the Holy Spirit. Is committed for Spiritual quality with Academic excellence. ADMISSION OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING COURSES: Courses offered
Master of Divinity (Regular & Extension) Bachelor of Theology Pre- Theology Course • •
Eligibility
Duration
B.Th / B.A. / B. Sc
2 years
HS (+2) / PUC
3 years
HSLC
4 years
Under Matriculate
1 years
New Admission for the Academic Sesion 2017-2018 is going on. Admission forms can be obtained from the College at the office hours (10:00 am to 3:00 pm).
For more information contact: (M)- 9436011961/8575733192
4
tuesdAY 30•05•2017
business
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
‘India leads globally in adoption of biometric tech’ new Delhi, May 29 (PTi): With advancements in the field of biometric technology, India has topped globally in adoption of biometrics techniques, says a report. “On an average, people in India (9%) are three times more likely than any other country (3%) surveyed to have used ‘iris recognition’ to identify themselves,” said the HSBC’s recent ‘Trust in Technology’ report. It said people in Asia and the Middle East are ahead of the West when it comes to the adoption of new technologies due to greater understanding and optimism leading to more trust. The report was compiled from research representing views of 12,019 people from 11 countries and territories --- Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, UK and the USA. The trust in technology and its adoption are driv-
en not only by consumer trends, but can be encouraged by wider governmental support, it said. The Indian government first launched the Aadhaar Project, a biometrics programme, in 2009, creating the world’s largest biomet-
ric data set, said the report. The accelerated adoption of fingerprint recognition in the East, a widespread consumer technology, highlights the contrasting perspectives, it added. People in China (40%) are the highest adopters of
fingerprint technology, followed by India (31%) and the UAE (25%) among the countries surveyed. On the other hand, just 9% of people in France and Germany, and 14% in Canada have used fingerprint technology to identify them-
selves, the report noted. “Consumers living in countries in the East seem to have a better understanding and greater trust of emerging technology, and how it can benefit their lives. The speed of change and the insatiable rate of adoption put the likes of India, China and the UAE leaps ahead of most Western markets,” HSBC India Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management Ramakrishnan S told PTI here. In the case of India, a national mind set of openness coupled with government support for the roll out and promotion of new technology has had a transformative effect on the nation, he said. The regular use of traditional technology like using password feature is most common in West, it said. When it comes to money management, people in India (50%) and China (4%) agreed that computers can provide more accurate advice than humans, while it
Google Play Music offers 120 days’ free subscription
was just 18% in Canada, and 21%in the UK, it said. Further, it revealed that Germany has the lowest adoption of smartphone or tablet banking with only 4% claiming that phone banking is their preferred way of banking as compared to 9% in Hong Kong and 15% in the UAE. However, the report said while there are clear reasons to be optimistic about the adoption and attitude of countries in the East to new technology, this is not the full story. About 50% of people in China own a fax machine and 39%of people in India own a pager, the highest percentages of those countries surveyed. While the East has overtaken the West in attitudes and adoption today, data, however, suggested that progress across the region is hugely uneven with the differences most likely between the rural and urban areas.
San FranciSco, May 29 (ianS): Google is offering a four-month free subscription on its music streaming service Google Play Music for new subscribers, allowing users to scan up to 50,000 songs from their music library. Typically, Google offers a 90day free trial when a user signs up, but the offer has been extended by one month, the Verge reported on Sunday. Users can listen to custom radio stations on their computer or mobile device using Google Play Music service. However, users who use the free service face ads on their app, unlike those subscribers who pay around $10. Such users can also listen to over 35 million songs, download music to listen offline, and get access to YouTube Red. Though Google has offered similar deals in the past, it was not clear how long the deal would remain active.
NIIT Tech appoints Sudhir Singh as CEO designate
new Delhi, May 29 (PTi): Software services provider NIIT Technologies today announced the appointment of Sudhir Singh as CEO designate. “Sudhir would be based in the US and shall report to Arvind Thakur. Arvind will transition his current CEO related responsibilities systematically to Sudhir during the year,” NIIT Technologies said in a BSE filing. “With his grounding in the consumer industry, experience across large and medium organisations, global exposure, understanding of multiple service lines, and involvement with M&A, Sudhir is ideally suited to take our company on to its next level of growth,” NIIT Technologies CEO & Joint MD Arvind Thakur said. Singh joins the company from Genpact where he was the Chief Operating Officer of the IT Services & Capital Markets Business. Prior to Genpact, Sudhir worked Rs 27,999. Flipkart is also offering a dis- with Infosys in the US in various sales and client portcount of 23 per cent on iPhone 7 (32 GB) folio management roles. and selling it at Rs 45,999. Buyers can also avail additional discount of upto Rs 15,000 on exchange when buying Apple phones. iPhone 7 (Jet Black, 128 GB) is priced at Rs 54,499. iPhone7 Plus (Black, 128 GB) is being sold at Rs 67,999. Again, there’s a dis- new Delhi, May 29 (ianS): Aiming to capture count of upto Rs 15,000 on exchange. 10 per cent market share in the 4K TV segment, PanThere are discounts on electronics. asonic India on Monday launched a new line-up of Among the best deals listed on Flipkart 2017 4K Ultra HD TVs along with the UA7 sound syswebsite is the Micromax 81cm (32) HD tem. The 4K television series -- EX750 and EX600 -- is Ready LED TV which is being sold at a dis- designed to deliver better picture quality and sound. count of 45 percent at Rs 12,999. Micro- “2018 marks Panasonic’s 100th year and you will see max 101cm (40) Full HD LED TV is priced a powerful mix of hardware and software innovaat Rs 22,499. Among cameras, Canon EOS tions that’s born from decades of experience and 201300D DSLR Camera is being sold at Rs year collaboration with Hollywood from Panasonic,” 21,990. Canon EOS 1200D priced at Rs Manish Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India 21,990 has already been sold out on Flip- and South Asia, told reporters here. The spectrum of kart website. Nikon D3400 DSLR Camera screen sizes ranges from 43-inch to 65-inch across the is priced at Rs 29,499 with a discount of 20 4K models. Panasonic also showcased their ‘future per cent. Buyers have the option of buying of display screens’ - Invisible TV at the launch event the cameras on EMI too. here. EX750 flagship model will be available in 65There are discounts on air condition- inch at Rs 310,000. The TV features a new “Cinema ers, appliances, clothing, shoes. There’s Display”, 550nits super-bright panel, HDR1000 and upto 60 per cent off on Puma, Reebok is powered by the “Studio Colour HCX2” processor shoes and 30 - 70 per cent on Nike and which has been tuned by experts at the Panasonic Adidas shoes. Flipkart is also offering 25% Hollywood Lab. The EX600 series range will be availcashback for customers making the pur- able in 55-inch, 49-inch and 43-inch screen sizes at Rs chase using Facebook’s fintech company 178,900, Rs 141,000 and Rs 78,900 respectively. With PhonePe. Buyers who use Citi Bank credit 1,300Hz processing, the EX600 series is adept at hanor debit card to make transaction during dling fast-moving action scenes. Featuring a hexagothe ‘Best Summer Shopping Days’ can nal box design, UA7 sound system has 10 speakers, delivering 1700W of sound. avail 10 per cent cashback.
7th Pay Commission: Central government Flipkart begins ‘Summer Shopping Days’ sale employees may hear about pay hike soon new Delhi, May 29 (inDia ToDay): Central government employees who have been waiting for an update on their pay hike are pinning their hopes on a meeting of Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) scheduled on June 1. Officially confirmed by Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha, the meeting is meant to decide on recommendations over allowance structure. For the past few weeks, central government employees have been on the tenterhooks as reports have repeatedly suggested a final decision on the 7th Pay Commission recommendations about allowances could be taken anytime soon. However, it remains to be seen when these recommendations will be finalised and submitted to the cabinet. Meanwhile, a report on OneIndia says that the final draft of the allowance structure is likely to be formulated by the E-CoS in a
meeting today. Although not confirmed by government sources, the meeting is supposed to focus on keeping HRA rates as demanded by the central government employees. Increase in basic pay and payment of arrears on revised allowance rates are also expected to be feature in the agenda. The 7th Pay Commission proposed to bring HRA rates down to 24%, 16% and 8% for XYZ cities respectively, as opposed to the 30%, 20% and 10% being demanded by the staff. The E-CoS is supposed to ponder over recommendations in this regard by Committee of Allowances. The Lavasa Committee has proposed HRA to be pegged at 27%, 18% and 9% when DA crosses 50% and 30%, 20% and 10% when more than 100%. Disappointed with the pay panel recommendations, central government employees and pensioners are hoping Lava-
sa Committee to bring about some good news. No clear signs could be seen as to whether the E-CoS will adhere to the Lavasa Committee recommendations, or not. The Committee was formed under Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa to screen the recommendations made by the pay panel regarding allowance structure. The 7th Pay Commission has suggested radical changes in allowances, many of which were not taken well by the central government employees. It had suggested that 52 allowances out of a total of 196 should be abolished completely and 36 others should be subsumed under existing allowances. Once the recommendations are finalised, the findings of E-CoS will be consolidated during the meeting and June 1 before sending to the Union Cabinet for their approval on the same day.
leisure
CROSSWORD # 3958
SUDOKU
Answer Number # 3954
Panasonic unveils 2017 line up of 4K Ultra HD TVs
std code: 03862
DiMaPUR ACROSS 1. A piece of information 6. Shower alternative 10. Conceal 14. A kind of macaw 15. Hairdo 16. Dwarf buffalo 17. Greatly pleasing 19. Flows 20. Highly seasoned fatty sausage 21. Belief 22. A climbing plant 23. Not together 25. Floral leaf 26. Cap 30. Besmirches 32. Inshore 35. Commemoration 39. Wicker material 40. Evening event 41. Honorable 43. Final 44. Environment 46. Stare 47. Delicacy 50. Close-knit group 53. Stop 54. Aye 55. Wears away 60. Decorative case 61. Foe 63. Start over 64. Applications 65. Ringworm cassia 66. Biblical garden 67. Benefit 68. Glacial ridge DOWN 1. Fathers 2. District 3. Gangly 4. Murres 5. Lava 6. Louisville Slugger 7. Aver
Simple Rules - Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Game Number # 3955
new Delhi, May 29 (agencieS): Sales are not over yet. Even though e-retailers Amazon, Flipkart wrapped up the ‘India’s Great Indian Sale’ and the ‘Big 10 sale’ respectively earlier this month, buyers who missed out could still look forward to Flipkart’s second sale of the season ‘Summer Shopping Days’ for discounts on mobile phones, electronics, fashion and other products. The Indian online retailer which is competing aggressively with US retail giant Amazon is offering major discounts once again even though there’s not as much excitement surrounding the sales as the ‘Big 10’ earlier this month. In the Big 10 sale which was announced to mark Flipkart’s 10th anniversary, Flipkart had gone all out with big discounts on smartphones iPhones, Google Pixel and other products. But in the ‘Best Summer Shopping Days’ three-day sale too, there are some good offers for buyers to consider. There are discounts on plenty of budget phones. Micromax Canvas 5 is available on a flat discount of Rs 7000 at Rs 7,999, Micromax Canvas 5 Lite is priced at Rs 6,499, Samsung On5 is being sold at Rs 6,740, Samsung On Nxt (64 GB) is being sold at Rs 14,900 . In the premium phones section, there are many discounts too. Sony XPeria Z5 Premium Dual (32 GB) is priced at Rs 32,990. There are good deals for smartphone users planning to switch to Apple. iPhone 6 (Space Grey, 32 GB) is offered at
8. Members of a governing board 9. Low, flat land 10. Reaping 11. Eskimo 12. An Italian woman of rank 13. Artist’s workstand 18. Pelvis 24. American Sign Language 25. Earlier in time 26. Unit of land 27. Jacket 28. Arithmetic 29. Appraisal 31. Church alcove 33. Implied 34. A Freudian stage 36. Diva’s solo 37. Chick’s sound 38. Not there 42. Permit 43. Clunker 45. A Christian celebration 47. Not here 48. Deserved 49. Avoid 51. Regulation (abbrev.) 52. Jagged 54. Wail 56. 1 1 1 1 57. A soft return in tennis 58. Feudal worker 59. Celebrity 62. Request
R
informAtion AnnuAl inseCt ArniCA lAurel bliss lids CAttAil little ChAr loose Comprehensive mAre CorreCt meChAnism CroChet north determine peACh drift peAl eAgle rAven fire sews floAt sign fluid stAnd gArden strive gArliC tower ginger wrong glut goose
D
(formerly senapati)
232224
emergency
229529 229474
mh hospital
227930 231081
fire brigade
2222952
faith hospital
228846
naga hospital
2222916
shamrock hospital
228254
oking hospital
2243339
Zion hospital
231864 224117 227337
bethel nursing home
2224202
northeast shuttles
08974997923
police Control room
228400
Police Traffic Control
232106
east police station
227607
west police station
232181
Cihsr (referral hospital)
242555 242533
dimapur hospital
police station fire brigade
222246 222491
KOHiMa
8575045501
Officer-in-Charge 8575045510 south ps
8575045502
Officer-in-Charge 8575045520 Zubza ps
224041 248011
8575045508
Officer-in-Charge 8575045518
Apollo hospital info Centre 230695/ 9402435652 railway
131/228404
Airport indian Airlines
229366 242441 225212
Chiephobozou ps 8575045506 Officer-in-Charge 8575045516 tseminyu ps
8575045507
Officer-in-Charge 8575045517 Khuzama ps
8575045505
Officer-in-Charge 8575045515
nikos hospital and research Centre
232032, 231031
Kezocha ps
nagaland multispecialty health & research Centre
248302, 09856006026
women Cell
eden medical Centre
248722 /248288, 9615945510
Control room
S
E
A
R
C
std code: 0370
KohimA ps/oCs Contact numbers north ps
Chumukedima fire brigade 282777
O
std code: 03871
Civil hospital
Answer to Crossword 3957
W
TaHaMZaM
H
8575045549
Officer-in-Charge 8575045538 8575045509
Officer-in-Charge 8575045519 8575045500 (Emergency No. – 100)
FiRE STaTiONS
KohimA south: 0370-2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) KohimA north: 7085924114 (O) dimApur: 03862-232201/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) ChumuKedimA: 7085982102 (O) 8732810051 (OC) woKhA: 03860-242215/101 (O) 8974322879 (OC) moKoKChung: 0369-2226225/ 101 (O) 8415830232 (OC) pheK: 8414853765 (O) 8413822476(OC) Zunheboto: 03867-280304/ 101 (O) 9436422730 (OC) tuensAng: 8414853766 (O) 9856163601 (OC) mon: 03869-251222/ 101 (O) 9862130954 (OC) Kiphire: 8414853767 (O) 9436261577 (OC) peren: 7085189932 (O) 9856311205 (OC) longleng: 7085924113 (O) 9862414264 (OC) we4 women helpline 08822911011 WOMEN helpline 181 CHiLD welfAre Committee Toll free No. 1098 childline
MOKOKCHUNG
std code: 0369
police station 1 police station 2 police station Kobulong police station tuli police station Changtongya police station mangkolemba Civil hospital
9485232688 9485232689 9485232690 9485232693 9485232694 9485232695 2226216
woodland nursing home
2226263
hotel metsüpen (tourist lodge) 2226373/ 2229343
CURRENCY NOTES buY (rs) sell (rs)
us dollars sterling pound hong Kong dollar Australian dollar singapore dollar Canadian dollar Japanese Yen euro thai baht Korean won uAe dirham (Aed) Chinese Yuan
63.1 80.79 7.83 46.89 45.51 46.8 56.36 70.37 1.79 0.0545 16.62 8.96
95.94 84.68 8.72 49.17 47.72 49.08 59.53 73.76 2.00 0.0608 18.52 9.98
tuesday 30•05•2017
NAGALAND
icsi announces 100% fee waiver for Ne students Career guidance seminar at Unity College, Dimapur on June 2 Dimapur, may 29 (mExN): The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is organizing free career guidance seminar at Unity College, Dimapur on June 2 at 1:00 pm. The institute has also announced 100% registration fee waiver for Company Secretary course for North East students. The ICSI team visiting Unity College comprises of Dr. Shyam Agarwal, President, ICSI; Makarand M Lele, Vice-President, ICSI; Ankur Yadav, Joint Secretary
(SG) Student Services, ICSI; Pravin Kumar Chhajer, ViceChairman, NE Chapter of ICSI; and Chiranjeeb Sarma Roy, Office In-Charge, NE Chapter of ICSI. A press release from Amit Pareek, Chairman, NE Chapter of ICSI informed that the seminar will include interaction with the faculty and students of Unity College and other colleges and schools by the ICSI dignitaries followed by a press conference at 3:00 pm. ICSI is a premier national professional body
constituted under an Act of Parliamentary (Company Secretaries Act, 1980), the release said, adding the institute functions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India. Set up to regulate and develop the profession of Company Secretaries, ICSI has its Headquarters in New Delhi and 4 Regional Councils in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi and 68 chapters spread all over India. The institute as part of its social responsibility
initiatives and alignment towards the initiatives of Government of India for inclusive growth of people from different parts of country is launching the 100% Fee Waiver Scheme for students from North Eastern States of India, the release stated. Fee Waiver Scheme This scheme includes waiving the fee for all the students registering for the Foundation and Executive Programme Stages in CS courses from North East
States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim) till March 31, 2018. All students belonging to North Eastern States who have passed the 10+2 Examinations and Bachelor’s Degree Examinations/ CPT of ICAI/ Foundation pass of ICAI COST irrespective of the percentage of marks shall be eligible for fee waiver while registering for Foundation Programme and Executive Programme Stage respectively.
All such students can take direct admission in Foundation and Executive stage as the case may be without paying any fees. To implement the scheme effectively, the release maintained, it is significant that the top dignitaries of the State join hands with the institute for the social cause. “This drive will not only benefit the students of Nagaland but it will also help them in joining CS as a career which is considered as one of the most coveted professions.”
Phek Govt College appeals North east Nss youth festival concludes amongst the eight North ers back at home. the Debate winners were: to restore power supply Eastern states. She spoke on her past First – Manipur, Second – Our Correspondent
phEk, may 29 (mExN): The Phek Government College (PGC) today reiterated its support to the demand of the residents of Bible Hill Colony, Phek Town, which has no electricity supply since May 2, 2017. According to a press release issued by Phek Government College Vice Principal, Besengulie Venuh, “the transformer has been damaged by the department personnel themselves and the wrath of the residents is boiling up for their unprofessional actions.” The absence of the Electrical Engineer and SDO at the station for weeks together has rendered the people unable to redress their grievances, PGC added. The college expressed dismay that it cannot function official matters due to lack of electricity. “At this crucial time when examination process is going on and results are to be declared, the absence of power supply has completely blocked online activities concerning all official matters,” the statement lamented. Therefore, the PGC requested the department concerned to immediately look into the matter and restore power supply at the earliest possible time.
Kohima | May 29
The North East National Service Scheme (NSS) youth festival concluded here today at Indira Gandhi Stadium under the theme ‘Learning Together.’ It was organized by the Department of Youth Resources & Sports, NSS cell Nagaland under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. Nagaland’s Youth Resources & Sports Secretary Anenla S. Longchari (IAS) while speaking as chief guest at the valedictory function stressed on the need to strengthen unity
MEx FILE Nagas planning to study in Pune asked to contact NSUP puNE, may 29 (mExN): All the Nagas planning to pursue further studies in Pune have been asked to contact the Naga Students’ Union Pune (NSUP) and get proper verification from the union regarding any assistance or admission related queries. The following union officials can be contacted: President - Wemese Khalo, 8805066582; General Secretary - Toshisangla Longkumer, 7066881178; Admission Committee Convenor - Rongsenshilu Jamir, 9146966373.
OADT recovers Yamaha SZ-R Dimapur, may 29 (mExN): The team of Operation Acceleration Dimapur Town (OADT) has recovered Yamaha SZ-R bike without number plate. Black and silver in colour, the bike bears engine number – 1PM3044575 and chassis number – ME11PM038C2044486. A press release from Major Simon, IO, OADT has informed the rightful owner to claim the bike by producing relevant document within five days.
Scooty found abandoned in Diphupar
Dimapur, may 29 (mExN): A scooty bearing registration number NL05-9788 was found abandoned on May 26 at 4th Mile, Diphupar near the road of E Khel lane- 1. Informing this in a press release, Diphupar Naga The Youth Festival in experiences in seeing the Nagaland & Assam; and Youth Organisation (DNYO) has asked the rightful owner to claim it within seven days with appropriate proof of Kohima, she said, em- culture of other states and Third – Meghalaya. braced a mixture of partici- further pointed out that The four-day long fes- documents from the organisation’s office. pation from different states the people of North East tival saw the participation providing fine platform for should follow the good ex- of hundreds of NSS volun- YBC Dimapur holds seminar for men other states to share and ample where cleanliness is teers across the northeastDimapur, may 29 (mExN): Yimchungrü Baptist experience the rich values, maintained as the first pri- ern states. cultures, traditional songs ority in life. The festival witnessed Church Dimapur organized men's seminar from May 25 and dances. In quiz competition various activities such as to 27 at GCYM, Diphupar 'B' with 3 renowned speakers Terming Mizoram and held during the festi- cultural exchange pro- Dr. Bendangjungshi, Dr. Moa Imsong, and Joshua, Pastor, Sikkim as the cleanest val, Arunachal Pradesh gram, seminars, yoga, tree DSBC. Held on the theme ‘Father is the image of God’, 47 fathers attended the seminar. The three-day long semistates, she urged other state claimed first while Naga- plantation, sightseeing. volunteers to take example land and Sikkim secured C. Theyo, State NSS Of- nar also witnessed sporting events such as volleyball and from them. second and third places re- ficer said the festival pro- badminton. The camp Director was QL Thronghokiu. Longchari further told spectively. vided an ample opportuthe participants that whatExtempore speech win- nity to the NSS volunteers Slogan writing competition ever they have learnt from ners were: First – Mizoram, to reason together through on Clean Election the festival must be shared Second – Nagaland, and exchange of traditional with their friends and oth- Third – Meghalaya, while songs, dances, lifestyle etc. kohima, may 29 (mExN): The office of the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer, Kohima will be organizing a slogan/quotation writing competition for young electors of Kohima district in the age group of 18 to 21 years on the theme ‘Clean Election.’ The three best entries will be awarded cash prize along with citations during Dimapur, may 29 (mExN): CHILD- uisite to render such care as per POCSO the National Voters’ Day celebration on January 25, 2018. LINE Dimapur organized a sensitization Act 2012, stated K. Ela, Director of CHILD- Interested participants may send their ‘Quote/slogan’ programme with the District Hospital Di- LINE Dimapur & Prodigals’ Home. She through SMS/WhatsApp to 9402041751 from June 14 to mapur medical staff on May 26 at the hos- also spoke on the legal provision, emer- 25, 2017 along with their name, age, gender and address. gency medical care, medical examination, pital’s Chapel Hall. Attended by nurses and doctors of the role of medical professionals, technique to CSUD informs students, hospital, the programme was held with an help child relax and role of medical profesdomestic helpers to register sional as expert witness. aim to sensitize the medical staff on the She further gave suggestion on creating role of hospital and staff regarding medical examination of a child as per Protection of child friendly environment in the District Dimapur, may 29 (mExN): Chang Students’ Union Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Hospital of Dimapur like the child friendly Dimapur (CSUD) has informed all the Chang students as corner in the Women Police Station, Dima- well as domestic helpers in and around Dimapur to regisAct 2012, Chapter VI of section 27. No medical practitioner, hospital or pur. “The Dimapur District hospital could be ter their names in the union. “Failing to do so, CSUD will other medical facility centre rendering the model and other district could replicate not be responsible in any untoward condition as per the emergency medical care to a child victim the same,” she said. Some suggestions for the Union’s resolution,” CSUD cautioned in a press release. shall demand legal or magisterial requisi- child friendly hospital were put up to be fur- For further details, contact 9089769221, 8794972977. tion or other documentation as a pre-req- ther discussed with the hospital authority.
All set for 27th NSF general conference Drive to sensitize medical staff on POCSO Act
Boosting rural economy through livestock rearing The 27th NSF general conference venue at Chungtiayimsen village.
mokokchuNg, may 29 (mExN): Tzürang Valley is buzzing with Naga scholars and student leaders as they converge for the 27th Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) general conference, which will commence on May 30 at Chungtiayimsen village. Union Minister for State Kiren Rijiju will be the chief guest on June 1, 2017. A press release informed that nearly 2000 delegates, guests and invitees from all over the country and abroad are expected to attend the NSF general conference. The
conference hall, which will accommodate nearly 3000 people, is completed and last minute decorations and arrangements are being done, it added. It was further informed that Zip Sound of Dimapur entrusted with the sound system and stage lightings has set up more than 1 lakh watts of sound equipment for the whole conference. The conference will witness different activities like panel discussion, debates, cultural extravaganza and also the election of a new team of office bearers.
Nagaland govt pensioners informed kohima, may 29 (mExN): Office of the Accountant General (A&E) has informed all retired State Government officers/officials that pension and GPF Final payment cases settled upto the month of April 2017 have been uploaded on the AG Nagaland website - www.agnagaland.gov.in. The list has also been put up for display at the Public Relation Cell of the office and can be viewed on any working days during office hours, informed a press release from Sr. Accounts Officer, Information System Cell. Meanwhile, aggrieved pensioners or government officials with genuine problems have been requested to write directly to the Deputy Accountant General (A&E) Kahoto J Yepthomi via e-mail at kahoto_j@yahoo.co.in or agaenagaland@cag.gov.in or through a handwritten letter to the address given below for immediate clarification and redressal of their grievances – Kahoto J Yepthomi, (IAAS), Deputy Accountant General (A&E), Office of the Accountant General (A&E), Kohima 797001, Nagaland. They can also submit suggestions to strengthen the delivery system. The release further reminded that the Government of Nagaland has adopted Government of India’s OM dated February 18, 2015 regarding revision of NPA for pension on November 1, 2016 which was duly received by the AG office on February 21, 2017. Therefore, all pre-2008 (01-06-2008) retired medical officers/ doctors of Nagaland have been asked to submit Form-II duly countersigned by the Pension Disbursing authority along with a copy of PPO book as well as latest bank statement of pension drawn for revision of their pension.
kohima, may 29 (mExN): A three-day programme for rural economic upliftment through livestock and poultry rearing organised by Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, CVO Kohima and sponsored by NEPED, Kohima Branch was held from May 23 to 25 at the Pfüchama Village Council Hall. The programme aimed to promote the importance of rearing livestock in village/ rural areas, especially where the environment is suitable
for rearing of piggery, poultry etc. The team was led by Dr Joseph M. Angami, Deputy CVO and Dr Vilatuo Felix Rutsa, POU Member NEPED, a press release from the Pfüchama Village Council stated. Dr. Vivotuo Miachieo, Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), Kohima briefed the village farmers about the importance of self sustenance in order to uplift the rural economy through cattle rearing, piggery, poultry and
other livestock. He also emphasized on how Nagaland state depends on other States for consumption of raw meat and poultry products. The technical team comprising Dr. Atouzo Pienyü, Dr. Menguzenuo, Dr George, Dr. Keduozol stressed on the prospect of rearing pigs, poultry, rabbits and goatry with their experience and technical advices. Dr Elizabeth Yhome, V.S Vaccination in-charge vaccinated around 70 pigs and 20 dogs.
World No Tobacco Day to be observed in Dimapur Dimapur, may 29 (Dipr/ mExN): World No Tabacco Day (WNTD) will be observed in Dimapur on May 31. The function will be held at Salesian College auditorium, Dimapur with Deputy Commissioner Dimapur, Kesonyu Yhome (IAS) and Chief Medical Officer, Dimapur, Dr. K. Vikato Kinimi as chief guest and guest of honour respectively.
Highlights of the programme include keynote address by Dr. C. Tetseo, distribution of certificates, inter college prepared speech competition, and special songs. The programme will be chaired by Fr. Joe, (PNF). Commemorating the day, the District Public Relation Office, Dimapur will also screen anti-tobacco documentaries at strategic locations (City Tower,
Marwari Patti) to create aware- Officer, NTCP in the release expressed happiness that the ness amongst the public. observation of WNTD is going to be unprecedented as many Appeal to schools Meanwhile, the Dis- schools are going to organise trict Tobacco Control Cell events jointly and individual(DTCC), Dimapur in a press ly like rally and competitions release has requested all the all over Dimapur district. He schools to carry out some ac- also requested the schools to tivities to commemorate the send activity report to DTCC World No Tobacco Day 2017. or WhatsApp the same to toDr. C Tetseo, District Nodal bacco free institutions group.
Farmers Club organizes training in Henbenji Training for Scout TsEmiNyu, may 29 (mExN): Henbenji Farmers Club, Tseminyu organized one day training under the theme ‘Meet the expert’ on May 26 at the new church building complex of Henbenji village on May 26. The resource persons for the programme were Dr. Gwasenlo Tep, VAS, SDAO Tseminyu, Longma Yanger, SMS (Agri. Ext), KVK Kohima, and Arhunlo Semp, Development Officer, CRBC, Zumpha. A press release informed that Dr. Gwasenlo Tep spoke on piggery management and emphasized that the locally produced pork are insufficient to meet the demand
Masters,Guide Captains
of the state. As such, it is imported from outside creating big opportunity for piggery enterprise to emerge in a larger way. Longma Yanger spoke on group management. Contribution of individual efforts moulded together, he said, could strengthen the unity and mindset of
the Club members. Arhunlo Semp shared on financial planning and also encouraged the group members to work as a unit rather than having an individualistic approach. Sponsored by NABARD RO Dimapur, the training was facilitated by KVK Kohima.
kohima, may 29 (mExN): The Nagaland Bharat Scouts and Guides is currently conducting its basic course for Scout Masters and Guide Captains at the State Training Centre, Nerhema under the leadership of R Albert Solo, State training Commissioner (Scout) and I Amenla Soyah, State Training Commissioner (Guides). 55 school teachers from Kohima, Dimapur, Tuensang, Wokha, Longleng and Mokokchung are taking part in the training, which began of May 24 and will conclude on May 30. According to R Albert Solo, the trainees are being trained on the basic skills of Scouting and Guiding, to efficiently run a unit, to bring up young boys and girls under various disciplines, to make them active and responsible citizens of the country. Altogether, 73 campers including trainees, course trainees and state headquarter staffs are in the ongoing course.
Meetings & AppointMents
BAN Christian fellowship today Business Association of Nagas (BAN) has invited all its members and their families to attend the first official BAN Christian fellowship (BANCF) on May 30, 3:00 pm at Covenant Church, NMM Building, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur. A press release from BAN informed that BANCF is non denominational and its objective is to bring the Christian Naga business men and women together so as to encourage and get to know and understand one another “where Christ is the centre of our relationship and thereby learning to incorporate and practice our biblical principles and ethics in the day today running of our businesses.” The service will be led by Dr. Lulen Jamir (Convenor, BANCF) and the speaker will be Rev. Andrew Semp (Director, NMM).
Committee on Public Undertakings Tokheho Yepthomi, Chairman of the Committee on Public Undertakings, Nagaland Legislative Assembly has convened the first meeting of the newly constituted Committee for the year 2017-2018 on June 7, 11:00 am in the Assembly Committee Room to take stock of unfinished business of the Committee and also to chalk out the work programme for the said year. Therefore, all the Members of the Committee have been requested to attend the meeting.
public space
Recruitment Proceedings in Vigilance Commission KB Kimwang Konyak
I
Kohima
n reponse to the Notification from your Office of Vigilance Commission published on 27th May NO.E.VIG-23/2010 calling for interview in pursuance for selection for the post of L.D.A-cum- Computer Assistant for the eligible candidate from amongst Konyak tribe, I have few points to furnish as query before your authority with much anticipation. That Sir, if I am not too uninformed of the system of rules and procedures of appointments in Government services, the notification published from your department on May 27 calling for interview straight away by skipping away any formalities of Departmental exam for the said post of Grade III is in fact a total betrayal for the aspiring candidates. In fact how can one evaluate and choose the best and the most deserving person by applying this short cut way out? So, on what specific ground and as per which protocol the doubtful proceedings is taken should be made clear to the public from your end. The Morung Express “Public Space” is to provide space for diverse opinions to be expressed and heard. The opinions in the “Public Space” do not reflect the views and position of the newspaper nor the editor.
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IN FOCUS The Power of Truth
The Morung Express volume Xii issue 146
NURTURING COOPERATION – Taking Small Steps to Unity
T
he need for individuals, groups and communities to take affirmative steps toward unity is imperative in the Naga context. Remarkably, even though the Naga reconciliation process has been quiet for a while, the fact remains that the process involving the different Naga national political groups continues to hold. Despite difficult circumstances it has not broken and deteriorated into violence. The leaders of the various Naga national political groups are to be credited for their commitment and steadfastly upholding the spirit and intent of reconciliation. In context, the vision of reconciliation and unity is not a onetime event, rather it involves a series of achievable incremental steps in order to accomplish objectives. It is here that Naga civil society needs to help in furthering the process of reconciliation and political unity by developing several stages that are not only realistic but achievable and manageable. A step-by-step process will build trust based on friendships and relationships that will overcome the trust-deficit by breaking down fear, suspicion and distrust with more positive and affirmative values of openness, reciprocal trust, dialogue and solidarity. The ‘Naga Gathering’ of individuals from diverse backgrounds and organizations at Kolkata during the last week of April was a critical and timely intervention. Their statement A Naga Imperative: Retrospecting and Imagining (http:// morungexpress.com/naga-imperative-retrospecting-imagining/) contains a number of suggestions that can be developed into stages that builds into the larger process of purposeful unity. A foundational step in this process involves the need for Naga national political leaders and their groups to qualify the principle of forgiveness by entering into a new relationship of equality, trust and dignity with each other and with the Naga public. Ultimately, forgiveness is inherent to the reconciliation process and building political unity. Forgiveness needs to be simultaneously sustained and strengthened through an inclusive mechanism for cooperation that comes out of a process of dialogue. A mechanism for cooperation is essential as it would empower the process to relate and interact with each other and with the public by following the principles of transparency and accountability. This will catalyze the process of consciously creating democratic and safe spaces for dialogue and enabling an honest conversation on a shared Naga future with each other and with the changing world. Above all cooperation will help us realize our own strength in unity and the absolute truth that all Nagas need each other to evolve into a respected, dignified, free and democratic society.
lEfT WING |
Padmapriya Govindarajan The Diplomat
India’s debate over Electronic Voting Machines gains steam
I
tuesday 30•05•2017
n the month since the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections were held, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the polls, a recurrent debate over electronic voting machines (EVMs) has been running hot in India. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) blamed EVM tampering for its loss in those elections and debate on this point may finally be put to rest by early June 2017. BJP leaders have gone on record to say that the results were a seal of approval for their governance in the national capital and denied that the elections were anything but fair. Meanwhile, the Congress party, which faced a shattering defeat, saw local leaders take responsibility for their loss and offer to resign. The AAP on the other hand squarely stated that its defeat was a programmed and bugged victory, questioning the State Election Commission (SEC) and meting out allegations of fraud to shift blame for their loss. Initially, at a party leaders’ meet at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, it appeared that the party might change track since a significant proportion of their lawmakers had declared that they were prepared for a loss. However subsequently, after a demonstration where the AAP apparently managed to hack a replica EVM, allegations resurfaced in early May 2017. The Election Commission (EC) slammed and rejected these allegations, indicating that the machine was a mere replica and that the originals were foolproof. The AAP then held a so-called live demonstration of EVM tampering, where legislator Saurabh Bhardwaj declared that a simple change in the motherboard of the EC’s EVMs could have allowed for manipulation. However, as subsequent media reportage has argued, this could have only happened at the scale the AAP suggests if the EC had colluded in the process. While the EC rejected the AAP’s claims, the latter in turn called for an all-party probe. Finally, a hackathon was announced, where parties will be offered a chance to prove that machines used in the recent elections, under the same stringent conditions, could be tampered with. The Chief Election Commissioner also declared that future EVMs shall have voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) to prevent fraud. Ahead of this, the EC put together a demonstration of how EVMs work, even as some parties tried to push for a reversion to the old paper ballot system. The hackathon has been scheduled to begin on June 3, and both national and regional parties have been invited to nominate three people for the challenge. The Chief Election Commissioner has further responded extensively to questions regarding the foolproof nature of EVMs – tackling allegations at the levels of manufacturing, connectivity, and security. The AAP in the meanwhile has already started to push the EC on the kinds of restrictions placed on the hackathon. It would be unfair to dismiss this exercise as futile, as a test to the robustness of the electoral process is always welcome. But the AAP’s insistence that the EVMs are the sole overwhelming reason for their loss also makes this more political posturing than a test for India’s democracy. If the hackathon demonstrates a flaw in the machines, this exercise becomes effective and might open up the space for fixing important lacunae in elections. If the hackathon however shows the machines to be foolproof, this debate will not come to an easy end. The EC and the winning parties have the leverage to silence allegations that may crop up in the immediate feature. The AAP is
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
C O M M E N T A R Y
Garga Chatterjee
Federal autonomy is key to upholding Union
T
he death of J. Jayalalithaa has created a flux in Tamil Nadu politics where potential political and ideological re-alignments are in the works. Some of these can have long term implications not only for Tamil Nadu but also for the Indian Union itself. BJP is playing the role of a deal maker between the AIADMK factions. Megastar Rajnikanth's name did the rounds about him joining the BJP – a rumour that was squashed by the star himself. At the same time, the closeness of the BJP and AIADMK has thrown the Dravidian political space to the DMK like never before which, under the leadership of M.K. Stalin, has been upping the ante on Centre's renewed Hindi imposition policies. Soon, large sections of the nonBJP opposition, especially the various state-based political forces as well as the Congress and Left will converge in Chennai on the occasion of the elder Tamil statesman and DMK supremo, the Kalaignar M Karunanidhi's 94th birthday. The political significance of this congregation cannot be underestimated. While this happens, the Government of Tamil Nadu has come under serious criticism for bowing to the Centre, something that has been a point of utter shame in Tamil Nadu politics for decades. Compromising federal autonomy Since the transfer of power from British hands to select native hands in 1947, the Union government has systematically sought to destroy the autonomous powers and rights of States. Delhi has been largely successful in this in most places but it has always faced stiff opposition in Tamil Nadu. This is not a walk over state. Tamils are not a walk over people. Delhi's infringement on any rights of the Government of Tamil Nadu and hence of the Tamil Nadu people have typically met with stiff resistance, in political circles and among the public at large. Ever since the Congress was booted out of power in Tamil Nadu in 1967, no Delhi headquartered party has ever been able to wield any kind of central position in the Tamil political narrative. That continues to be true to this day. In terms of raising the first alarm on most issues of Delhi steamrolling state rights, Tamil Nadu has been the leader for decades and it marks the sophisticated understanding of the nature of the Indian Union and the relationship of its constituent ethno-linguistic nationalities to the Union. It has often marked the red line that Delhi dare not cross. It is this context one has to keep in mind when one looks at the furore that has erupted in Tamil Nadu about Union cabinet minister Venkaiah Naidu's recent interference in Tamil Nadu state government's internal affairs. Like an imperious sultan who has
come down to a conquered area to take stock of activities, Venkaiah Naidu made a statement while talking about ongoing projects in Tamil Nadu where the Union government has some money stake. He said, “Our co-operation depends on your operations. Otherwise there will be separation”. This is an extra-ordinary statement that goes against all rules and decorum of federal structure and is a slap in the face of the much touted PR line of “cooperative federalism”. Let us be clear about what this statement means. It means that the Union government is threatening to refuse to cooperate with a State government. Of course cooperation here means money. Central funds are not generated by Delhi. It is revenue it grabs from states. The states have a right to these funds – these are not acts of kindness or alms. This is especially derogatory to Tamils as Tamil Nadu contributes a huge amount of revenue to the Centre and gets a very small amount in return – no state is fiscally victimized by Delhi to the extent Tamil Nadu is. It is no secret that non Hindi states produce revenues. Delhi hands these revenues largely to Hindi states by using bureaucratic smokes and mirrors like the Finance Commission. So when Venkaiah Naidu said that to Tamil Nadu, it naturally struck a raw nerve. And it didn’t end there. Venkaiah Naidu overstepped the line when he was found in the Tamil Nadu State Secretariat reviewing scheme progress! And what was a sign of the compromised nature of the AIADMK at present was that Chief Minister E Palanisamy was found alongside Naidu during the review! The respected veteran bureaucrat M.G. Devasahayam said, “There was no need for a Union Minister to jointly review government projects with the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister’s post is high in stature in the States and at the most, such review can happen in a common place and not in the Secretariat. This is only [an instance of] a Union Minister trying to dominate a Chief Minister, against the federal structure of our country.” Naidu claimed that this was only a “departmental review” but never clarified why Karnataka or West Bengal or Kerala or Odisha never call him on such departmental reviews. Naidu is the Union Cabinet Minister for Housing and Urban Development. These two subjects are in the concurrent list and the role of the Union government is of a financer. The State is not constitutionally obligated to share details of its autonomous decision making. Delhi is not an owner whose contractor is Tamil Nadu such that it can go in and question Tamil Nadu on project progress. Similarly, Tamil Nadu or West Bengal ministers cannot go to Delhi and sit with Union cabinet ministers in
their departmental meetings and demand an explanation why funds were not released. Delhi routinely withholds funds without any explanation. It is sad but not illegal. The Union government and the State government do not share a parent-child or boss-underling relationship. They are equal stakeholders in a system where each stakeholder has a different function – that is the basis of Union, Concurrent and State lists. Within the Union affairs list, the Union government is autonomous. Within the State list affairs, the State government is autonomous. Neither is accountable to each other. Peace is maintained by one not stepping into other's domain. Venkaiah Naidu by his action and pronoucements in Tamil Nadu last week did just that. The fact that now Tamil Nadu government has given up so much space voluntarily shows the depth of political compulsion that AIADMK faces vis-a-vis the BJP. Given that BJP is only a marginal political force in Tamil Nadu, this disproportionate influence of BJP in government matters is a subversion of democracy. However much each faction of the AIADMK tries to claim Jayalalithaa's legacy, in practical terms, both O. Panneerselvam and E. Palanisamy have capitulated and bowed in front of Delhi on issues that J. Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister took an uncompromising pro-Tamil Nadu rights stand. These include giving up opposition to GST, not challenging NEET, signing up for UDAY scheme and most importantly, not protesting the allocation formula changes of the 14th Finance Commission that hugely transfers money from Tamil Nadu to high population growth states of the Hindi belt. Here, rights of a state have been bartered in exchange for holding on to political power. BJP has never had it so good in Tamil Nadu. Asserting federal autonomy While the first rank state in terms of protection of state rights gives up its core principles, one can witness the rise of other non Hindi states asserting their constitutionally guaranteed state rights like never before. In that, West Bengal is fast taking pole position. Both West Bengal and Kerala have now made Bangla and Malayalam respectively compulsory in all schools of all boards in their states. IAS and IPS officers of West Bengal cadre have now been instructed not to share any information with the Union government without prior permission on the State government. If that sounds odd, try the opposite test. Does any Union government bureaucrat in an official capacity share any Union government information with a State government without permission from the Union government? The answer is no. West Bengal has simply asserted a right that it had
and one that the Union government always enjoyed. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. West Bengal has severely curtailed central deputations of its bureaucrats. The official reason is that there are a lot of vacancies in West Bengal and not enough IAS officers. The real reason as discussed in political circles is that West Bengal wants to prevent an unholy nexus developing between West Bengal cadre IAS officers on central deputation and the Union government on sensitive matters of the State government that can be used to destabilize the state. Mamata Banerjee has also made it clear to West Bengal civil service officers that they work for West Bengal government and that Delhi cannot independently order them around. At the annual general meeting of West Bengal Civil Service (Executive) Officers Association, the West Bengal chief minister said, "Instructions are coming from Delhi these days. Remember that you work for the state (government). You inform us but do not implement things on your own." States do not have any similar advantage of getting state civil service officers to be sent on central deputation on a large scale to get information about inner workings of Delhi and reporting it to the State government. Any imbalance of power in a federal system is a recipe for disaster. In fact, regarding a situation very similar to Venkaiah Naidu's “review” of projects where there was a central funds component, West Bengal showed the door to two Niti Ayog officials that Delhi had sent to oversee “funds flow monitoring”. Mamata Banerjee responded strongly to this unilateral interference stating that "In the name of State Treasury Integration they (Centre) are trying to control the financial system of the state. This is undemocratic. They are an elected government, so are we. They don't have any right to interfere in our affairs. Previously they sent two officers for this purpose but we didn't allow them and now they are forcing it upon us." While Centre-State tussles are part of any federal system, we are increasingly witnessing deep structural invasions by Delhi into State government affairs. There are protests in many states with some being especially vocal like West Bengal and some erstwhile vocal ones like Tamil Nadu becoming silent due to the compromised political position of the ruling party. These times are crucial times for the long term future of the Indian Union. Federal structure is part of the basic structure of the Indian Union. An assault on the federal structure by incursion on state rights and interference in state government affairs is an assault on the unity of the Indian Union itself.
Documentary breaks silence on ‘madness’ of Sri Lanka civil war Demons in Paradise, which premiered at Cannes, tells the story behind the country's 30-year civil war Fiachra Gibbons
J
Agence France-Presse
ude Ratnam is worried how his film might go down with his fellow Sri Lankan Tamils. And he has a point. Demons in Paradise, which is premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, tells of the bloodbath that drove some Tamils to take up arms in the three decade-long insurgency that tore the island apart. But the documentary also shatters a taboo by insisting that some of most horrific violence the minority endured was at the hands of their supposed defenders, the Tamil Tigers. And the “hard truth” comes from the mouths of former Tamil fighters themselves. “By making this film I know that I will have to face harsh, perhaps even hateful criticism from both communities,” Ratnam said. “The Sinhalese will claim that I am betraying my country by stirring up the past that is best forgotten. The Tamils will insist that I betrayed our cause by revealing the atrocities committed by the Tamil Tigers.” Ratnam was five when the antiTamil pogroms of Black July began in 1983, sending him and his family fleeing north from the massacres in the capital Colombo. Tamil grievances and suffering were real, the director insisted. The problem was “the Tamil liberation movement turned out to be complete madness” with many groups vying for control. ‘Sun God’ leader As many as 20,000 civilians died as the Tigers – led by Velupillai Prabhakaran, whose supporters venerated him as the “Sun God” –imposed their
will through a bloody reign of terror in the Tamil-dominated north. Ratnam believes another 10,000 disappeared after being tortured or taken to camps. “If you don’t recognize that madness and just keep saying we were the victims, you are not facing the truth,” he added. By 1986, less than three years into the civil war, “people were more afraid of the Tigers than the army,” he said. “People were terrified of them… they reigned supreme as the gods of revolutionary justice.” In the film, witnesses talk of the almost daily public executions of “spies” and “traitors” in the Tigers’ stronghold of Jaffna. Opponents were also “necklaced” with burning car tires.
In one electric scene, Ratnam brings together rival former fighters to talk for the first time around a campfire about what they saw and did. If the film has a hero, it is his uncle, a former fighter who grew disillusioned with the struggle and risked his life to smuggle civilians out of Jaffna. He returned from Canada with Ratnam to the family’s ancestral village near Kandy for an emotional reunion with the Sinhalese neighbors who hid him during earlier anti-Tamil violence in 1977. “He’s a great man,” Ratnam said. “When I was 16 and I saw my people dying I wanted to fight. But he was the first to return and say, ‘This is wrong, it’s messed up. What is going on is madness’.”
WRITE-WING
Silence is imposed Ratnam, the son of an Anglican priest, said facing up to the “hard truth of what happened is essential” if Tamils and the majority Sinhalese are to move on. “Seven years after the end of the war, the victors are celebrated, general amnesia is encouraged and silence is imposed,” he added. “In a conflict that went on for 30 years nobody is innocent.” Because of the Tigers’ iron grip, “everybody got sucked into the ideology. The Tigers came to represent the Tamils, so if you are a Tamil you had to be a Tiger.” Ratnam took a decade to complete the film. Given the new Sri Lankan government’s commitment to freedom of speech, he said he hoped “they will allow the film to be shown.” “It is not going to be easy. Some of my close friends will be upset by it. It’s a big taboo. I don’t think I will be able to show my face in Tamil diaspora areas abroad (where support for the Tigers is still strong) … nor Tamil Nadu in India. “I am a Tamil, I don’t deny my identity, but identity also gets us into some lunatic positions that deny the facts or inconvenient truths. ‘Our people can’t be wrong!’ is the attitude.” Ratnam said he would be “much more comfortable back home” in Sri Lanka where people lived with the war to the bitter end in 2009. “Fear destroyed the lives of three generations” in Sri Lanka since British colonial rule, Ratnam said, when ethnic differences were used to “divide and rule.” “My uncle had a gun. I have a camera… I want to avoid a fourth generation being trapped in the snare.”
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TUESDAY 30•05•2017
PERSPECTIVE
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
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Sri Lankan sex ring in Haiti reveals cracks in UN system Katy Daigle and Paisley Dodds
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Associated Press
he general sat on a plastic lawn chair in the garden of his mother’s home, the scent of tropical blooms filling the air as he talked about the alleged rape and sodomy of a Haitian teenager by a Sri Lankan peacekeeper. There was no rape, insisted Maj. Gen. Jagath Dias, who was dispatched to Haiti to investigate the 2013 case. He may not have been the best choice for that job — Dias had been accused of atrocities in his own country’s vicious civil war. Dias didn’t talk to the accuser, he told The Associated Press, nor did he interview medical staff who examined her. But he did clear his soldier, who remained in the Sri Lankan military. It wasn’t the first time that Sri Lankan soldiers were accused of sexual abuse: In 2007, a group of Haitian children identified 134 Sri Lankan peacekeepers in a child sex ring that went on for three years, the AP reported in April. In that case, the Sri Lankan military repatriated 114 of the peacekeepers, but none was ever jailed. In fact, Sri Lanka has never prosecuted a single soldier for sexual assault or sexual misconduct while serving in a peacekeeping mission abroad, the AP found. The alleged abuses committed by its troops abroad stem from a culture of impunity that arose during Sri Lanka’s civil war and has seeped into its peacekeeping missions. The government has consistently refused calls for independent investigations into its generation-long civil war, marked by widespread reports of rape camps, torture, mass killings and other alleged war crimes by its troops. The U.N. has deployed thousands of peacekeepers from Sri Lanka despite these unresolved allegations of war crimes at home. This is a pattern repeated around the world: Strapped for troops, the U.N. draws recruits from many countries with poor human rights records for its peacekeeping program, budgeted at nearly $8 billion this year. An AP investigation last month found that in the last 12 years up to March, an estimated 2,000 allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation have been leveled at U.N. peacekeepers and personnel. That tally could change as U.N. officials update their records and reconcile data from old files. Congolese troops also have been accused of war crimes during their own longstanding war. As peacekeepers in Central African Republic, at least 17 have been accused of sexual abuse and exploitation. The situation in Congo, meanwhile, is so complex the country is hosting a U.N. peacekeeping mission to manage its own violent conflict while also sending personnel on peacekeeping missions to other countries. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan understands the predicament. When fighting gripped Rwanda, he struggled to find peacekeepers to help stem what would later become a mass slaughter that killed an estimated 800,000 people. “Sometimes the U.N. needs troops,” Annan told the AP earlier this month. “And they are so desperate that they accept troops that they will normally not accept if they had the choice.” RAPE CAMPS In the case of the Haiti sex ring, nine children told U.N. investigators of being lured into having sex in exchange for food and then being passed from soldier to soldier. One girl said she didn’t even have breasts when she first had sex with a peacekeeper at age 12. Over the course of three years, another child said he had sex with more than 100 Sri Lankan peacekeepers, averaging about four a day. The allegations of sexual abuse by Sri Lankan peacekeepers echo those of the
“I
was made a human shield as a child. I have carried this burden till now; today I feel the need to talk about it” The video of Farooq Ahmad Dar tied to an Indian army vehicle as a human shield may have got the attention of the world, thanks to social media, but this was not new to Kashmir. These stories just never came out. I am witness to this. I was made a human shield as a child. I have carried this burden till now; today I feel the need to talk about it. That evening in 1999, when I was hardly six or seven years old, Habib chacha – a craggy-faced old man in his 60s, who always seemed to be lost in melancholic thought – was assigned to inform every house about their waer the next day. “Sabes chu waer,” Habib chacha said in his croaky voice. Waer (convoy duty) was a diktat set by the Indian army at the time. Six men from each village were to search for explosives, clearing the way for patrol parties, on a rotation basis. This was the cheapest way out for them and they had the entire population of Kashmir at their disposal. As a child, I was always ready for cheap adventures and challenges. I thought of myself as no less than any superhero, with a toy gun to save the world. For me, ‘waer’ was just another adventure. I had no idea what it meant to be at waer until it finally happened to
country’s generation-long civil war against the ethnic Tamil rebel group, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which was fighting for an independent homeland in the island nation’s north and east. Eight years after the war ended, people are increasingly coming forward to give horrific accounts of camps where they say they were tortured and gang-raped. One Tamil woman said in testimony shared with the AP that she was kidnapped by masked men in plain clothes and taken blindfolded and gagged to what she thought was an army camp. “He removed all my clothes and forced me down on a mattress on the floor and tied both of my hands and legs apart with a nylon rope to iron bars on both sides of the mattress,” she said. She was held for about two months, and repeatedly raped. She described another of her tormentors, who was brought into the room she shared with four other girls. “He was asked to take his pick,” she told the International Truth and Justice Project, which issued a 57-page report in March documenting the alleged torture or rape of 43 people, some as recently as December. “He looked around and chose me. And took me to another room and raped me.” She identified him from a series of photographs of soldiers. The AP found that the man, an officer, went on to become a U.N. peacekeeper. The woman asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. The Sri Lankan army and the government declined to comment on the report. Sri Lanka has routinely denied that its forces have been involved in widespread torture or abuse. In interviews with the AP, Sri Lankan officials pointed to their new peacekeeping role in Mali as evidence that their military is beyond reproach. “If Sri Lanka is being invited to do this job, then that means all those issues have been dealt with in a way that everybody’s comfortable with,” Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said. That’s not exactly how the U.N. sees it. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the U.N. had few offers when it went looking for peacekeepers to protect convoys in Mali, one of the most dangerous U.N. missions in the world. “The only ones who offered soldiers were the Sri Lankans,” he said. Countries with better trained troops and human rights records have been reluctant to offer personnel for peacekeeping since 1993, when 18 American troops were killed in Somalia. The deaths were considered to be a key reason why the U.N. struggled to find help ahead of the Rwanda genocide in 1994. Robert O. Blake, who was the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka from 2006 to 2009, was one of many officials who pressed the Sri Lankan government for more transparency about the war crimes allegations. “As a peacekeeper, you are there to keep the peace,” Blake said in an interview last month. “If they themselves are guilty of atrocities, clearly they are not suitable candidates for peacekeeping operations.” WHAT CHILD SEX RING? The mustachioed general Dias gently batted at mosquitoes swirling in the damp heat of his mother’s garden as he described the barrage of allegations against Sri Lanka’s soldiers as unfair. The fact that few soldiers are ever prosecuted, he said, shows that few have done any wrong. “We can’t talk about an allegation. If there are facts, then let’s talk about it,” he said in the interview with the AP. “If a soldier has raped a woman, he should be court martialed, no doubt about it. But where is the evidence? Allegations are just allegations.” Dias led an army division whose troops were accused of attacking civilians and bombing a church, a hospital and other
humanitarian outposts in 2009, during the fierce last months of Sri Lanka’s civil war. He flatly denied the allegations, telling the AP that his 57th Division only targeted areas where rebels were firing on the troops. Yet, evidence presented against Dias by two human rights groups in Europe led authorities to threaten a criminal investigation in 2011 while Dias was serving as a deputy ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and the Vatican. He was soon recalled to Sri Lanka, and two years later was sent to investigate the alleged rape by a Sri Lankan peacekeeper in 2013. “A suspected war criminal is the wrong person to conduct an investigation into alleged crimes committed by a peacekeeper,” said Andreas Schuller with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, a Berlin-based group that helped launch the complaint. In 2015, the Sri Lankan government promoted Dias to army chief of staff — the country’s second-highest military post. He retired a few months later and now runs a private security business. Dias was not involved in the Haiti child sex ring investigation in 2007, when U.N. and Sri Lankan officials interviewed nine child victims who identified photos of at least 134 soldiers as their abusers. But Dias disputed both the U.N. investigative report’s findings, as well as his own government’s. Instead, he suggested that “an outside party” linked to the Tamil rebels was likely conspiring to damage Sri Lanka’s reputation. “None of the cases was, to my knowledge, serious at all. And none of the soldiers was ever prosecuted,” Dias said. “We didn’t find any person guilty on those accusations, right?” Yet following the report, Sri Lanka repatriated 114 of the troops. “I don’t think that was a good decision,” Dias said. After months of stalling, Sri Lanka finally acknowledged in a statement to the AP that its military had acted against just 18 soldiers implicated in the sex ring, and said that the U.N. considered the matter closed. The statement did not acknowledge that the U.N. investigation had implicated at least 134 men. It also contradicted another government statement four months earlier: that the army had dismissed one soldier, forced an officer to retire and imposed unspecified disciplinary action or punishments on 21 others “based on the gravity of the offenses committed,” according to an affidavit submitted to the U.N. Convention against Torture, a body that regularly monitors human rights conditions. The U.N., which corroborated the findings against the peacekeepers, says it does not know what happened to the children abused in the sex ring. A LEGAL BLACK HOLE U.N. sexual abuse in Haiti and elsewhere has threatened to shrink financial contributions for peacekeeping, particularly from the United States, which provides nearly 30 percent of the budget. After the AP published its investigation into the Haiti child sex ring last month, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the U.N. Security Council that “countries that refuse to hold their soldiers accountable must recognize that this either stops or their troops will go home and their financial compensation will end.” Part of the problem is that the U.N. lacks legal jurisdiction over its peacekeeping force, which now has more than 110,000 personnel, and instead relies on member states to prosecute crimes by their own troops. That means that justice for victims is often elusive, while the U.N. and troop-contributing nations can dodge blame when things go wrong.
I Was a Human Shield Var Javid | The Wire
en to the hospital by my father and elder brother. It had to be either me or one of my sisters; I chose myself. There was terrible treatment in store for those who resisted – something I was then totally unaware of. If someone didn’t show up, the soldiers would call them to their camp and torture them with electric shocks, for instance and more. That night, I couldn’t sleep out of curiosity. I kept rolling over in bed, thinking of the millions of ways in which I could save the world with the magical powers of my toy gun. The call of our very own scarecrow (as people used to call him), Habib chacha, continuously reverberated in my head until the muezzin gave the azaan – my sign to get ready. I literally jumped out of bed to follow my sister, who had prepared nun chai (salt tea) and makai tcthout (wheat chapati). “Laej sai balaai,” (‘stay safe’) my sister said while brushing my head with her hand. She was worried, but back then I couldn’t understand why. I ran out with a chapati in hand and a piece of it in my mouth. I usually hid my toy gun in my waistband but this time, because of the excitement, I forgot to bring it along.
them one by one, eating makai tcthout and humming a tune. “Moul katie chhui? (Where is your father?)” Rashid kak asked me. “Haspataal (hospital),” I looked up at him and answered. “I will be going with you for our waer.” Looking at me with complete disapproval, Rashid kak said something that I can’t remember. “Jai Hind! Jai Hind! Jai Hind!” Aamir started shouting loudly when the army arrived. I repeated after him and the others, “Jai Hind! Jai Hind! Jai Hind!” Perhaps the biggest pleasure for the soldiers was to make Kashmiris shout ‘Jai Hind’. I could see fear and worry on the faces of the other five, but it didn’t bother me much. “Jai Hind! Jai Hind! Jai Hind!” they all kept sloganeering in unison and, feeling competitive, I kept doing it louder and louder. One of the army men then started beating up Gul kak, I’m still not sure why. I regretted having left my toy gun at home; I wanted to take revenge. “Where is your bastard father? Has he sent you to die?” one the army men asked me. He then came forward, pressed my cheeks tightly with his fingers and said, “Say something”. I replied quietly, “My mother is not feeling well. My father and brother have
Philip Cunliffe, a lecturer at the University of Kent and editor-in-chief of the International Peacekeeping journal, called the situation “a product of mutual convenience.” “Both sides are in a position where they can blame each other, which means that there’s no accountability ultimately,” Cunliffe said during an interview in the verdant commercial capital of Colombo. Last year, the U.N. announced it would not be accepting any more Burundian police to the mission in the Central African Republic because of allegations of serious human rights violations in their homeland, and that the military deployment was under review. Now, for the first time, the U.N. is undertaking expanded screening for individual Sri Lankan recruits, a process previously seen only on a much smaller scale for recruits from Burundi and Congo. When plans for a peacekeeping deployment to Mali were announced last year, both the U.N. and Sri Lanka suggested that nearly 1,000 Sri Lankan soldiers be included. That number has since been whittled to 200, Sri Lankan Brigadier Jayantha Gunaratne told the AP. The military said the sharp reduction was driven by a lack of necessary equipment. But a number of the troops also hadn’t passed the vetting, said Atul Khare, who heads the U.N. department that oversees the conduct and discipline unit. The enhanced vetting now looks at whether Sri Lankans recruits were attached to any battalions or contingents linked with alleged war crimes. Khare declined to say how many had been refused. “I would not want to comment on those who have been rejected, but yes — we have a strong policy of screening,” Khare said. “Does it mean that we succeed in the screening 100 percent of the time? No.” “WE ARE SHOCKED” In a jungle clearing about a two-hour drive from Colombo, a loudspeaker played the sounds of whooshing helicopter blades as dozens of peacekeeping recruits fanned out for a practice run, loading cargo into a small white sedan standing in for the chopper. Instructors at the training camp, a twohour drive from Colombo, said they have taken steps to address the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation since the child sex ring scandal in Haiti. “That was a black mark for our U.N. deployment,” said Lt. Col. Tiral de Silva, the camp’s chief instructor. But even de Silva said he was unaware of what actually had happened. “My understanding was it was the misbehavior of a few individuals.” Tamil lawyer K.S. Ratnavale, who recently argued for a rare conviction of three soldiers for gang rape, said prosecuting members of Sri Lanka’s popular military is often impossible due to victim intimidation, a lack witnesses and poor evidence collection. “We are shocked that the United Nations is encouraging these undisciplined and ruthless soldiers and deploying them in their peacekeeping force,” Ratnavale said. The U.N. recently lauded Sri Lanka for its “best practices” after the country agreed last year, under pressure from the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations, to a onetime payment of $45,243 for a girl fathered by a Sri Lankan commander stationed in Haiti. Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi, who signed the payment order last summer, told the AP he knew little about the paternity payment, or whether there had been any other such claims on Sri Lankan peacekeepers. He said, “I think in general we don’t have a bad record of our peacekeepers.” than anything else in the world,” he said. I nodded my head in surprise; I didn’t know what was happening. We had brought sticks with us from home, we were asked to walk ahead. We were scanning the path with our sticks and they were following us. “Saalon azaadi chaahate ho (You bastards want azaadi),” they were abusing us from behind, but we kept quiet and continued scanning the road. At one point, I was asked to go inside a culvert. “Go inside, little terrorist,” one of the army men ordered. I hesitated and stopped, but a harsh push from the back shoved me inside. It was dark, my whole body started trembling. I somehow pulled myself together and started crawling inside the culvert. Finally, after struggling for about ten minutes, I came out from the other side. My knees and ankles were bruised and bleeding. I’m not quite sure when I started crying. All I could say was “Moojae, moojae (Mother, mother)”. For the first time, my excitement for adventures turned into fear. I didn’t know that this humiliation would stay with me forever. But that was the day I realised that my toy gun has no power and I am no superhero. That evening, when I got home, I broke my toy gun with a stone. I no longer wanted to have super powers; I no longer wanted to save the world on my own.
TRIPLE TALAQ: BATTLE FOR ITS EXTINCTION IN INDIA Renthungo C Humtsoe Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pol. Sc., St . Joseph's College Jakhama
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ndia's supreme Court May soon take one of its most interesting and far reaching court decisions, one that could go down as pivotal in Indian history. At stake is the TRIPLE TALAQ_ a Muslim practice in which a Muslim man can legally divorce his wife almost instantaneously by uttering the Arabic word for divorce, ‘TALAQ’. Three times in a row. Many traditional Islamic interpretations of Muslim law, especially in South Asia, allege it to be legal. With some scholars deriving arguments in favor of this practice ... Contain in part from verse 229 of Sarah 2 of the Quran which states; “Divorce is twice; then keep her honourably or release her virtuously.” There are numerous alternative understanding of divorce within Islam that do not support the notion of triple talaq and it is banned or not practiced. In Many Muslim majority countries including Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Malaysia, Iran and Pakistan. Interestingly, the Wahhabi movement has also been opposed to the practice. However, in India Muslim personal law is governed independently, and there is no single civil law code for all of India's citizens. The body that regulates Indian Sunni Muslim Law ( Shias have a separate body) is the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). Which has strenuously resisted any attempt to modernize Muslim Personal law. Any attempt to change Indian Muslim Personal law has been met With claims by Muslim religious leaders that they constituted assault upon the rights and freedoms of the Muslim minority.
THE GROUNDS TO BAN TRIPLE TALAQ: Over the past seven years, the BHARATIYA MUSLIM MAHILA ANDOLAN (BMMA) has been working with hundreds of women who have been suffering as a result of unilateral divorce. What makes the conditions of the women worse are sanction from religious seminaries. Daral Uloom Deobo and one such revered seminary has often validated divorce given by a husband on the phone, by written communication, and also where a husband repeats the word “Talaq” thrice even in the absence of his wife . According to the findings of BMMA study, more than 90 percent of the 4,710 women interviewed wanted a ban on unilateral divorce. It has-been argued that triple talaq creates a power dynamic in a marriage which is greatly in favor of the men and oppressive to the women. For too long the Muslim community in India has been dominated by diktat from the clergy. And this happened because the country's political leadership progressively ceded space to Muslim Orthodoxy in the hope of reaping Political dividends. This in turn has marginalised modern Muslim voices and relegated Muslim women to second class status. The BHARATIYA MUSLIM MAHILA ANDOLAN (BMMA) takes the lead: The BMMA is an Indian Islamic feminist organization which brings forth the plight of the ordinary Muslim women in India who constantly live under the fear of being unilaterally divorced by their husbands. More than 50,000 Indian Muslim women and men have signed a petition demanding a total ban on “Un- Quranic” practice of the unilateral TRIPLE TALAQ and “NIKAH- HALAK .” SUPREME COURT AND CIVIL CODE: Supreme Court of India has announced that it will review the country's personal law code for Muslims,in what it says is an attempt to rectify any biases against women. The ruling party has long been an advocate of Common Civil Code and the Supreme Court has expressed itself in favour of it on several occasions. In 2014, the BJP had made uniform civil code on Poll plan but backed off, thanks to the compulsion of politics. Amid the raging debate on uniform civil code, the BJP government had made it clear that it will not be brought through the backdoor and without a general agreement. The Supreme Court and now the government are acting on the principle that the Constitution prohibits any kind of discrimination on grounds of religion. GOVERNMENT STAND: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi Publicly opposed the practice of Triple Talaq in the Muslim community, it was indeed a significant remark in the political history of India. At Mahaparivartan rally in Bundelkhand, Modi asserted that government had a responsibility to protect the constitutional rights of Muslim women from practices that degrade their status in the society. His statement comes after government's recent opposition to TRIPLE TALAQ and POLYGAMY. It welcome that has based its position on constitutional principles such as gender equality, no matter how intrinsically linked to traditions, can't override the Supreme Constitution of the country. Muslim women have become more vocal in recent times against the practice of Triple Talaq and polygamy and now the government has weighed in on their side. Its arguments in the Supreme Court that these are unreasonable and discriminatory, and deny gender justice enshrined in the Constitution are likely to figure in the Law commission report on a Uniform Civil Code for all Indians. Though the report is to be submitted only in 2018, the government's stand will strengthen the case against these practices that have worked against Muslim women, especially those who are poor and marginalised. CONCLUSION: Triple Talaq had been banned is more than 20 Muslim majority countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh while Polygamy was prohibited in Turkey and Turkmenistan among other countries. Indian Muslim makes up more than 14 percent of the country's 1.25 billion population, yet they are among some of the most marginalised communities. Social indicator amongst Muslim women such as literacy, mortality and employment rates are lower than the national average. Triple Talaq is unilateral , arbitrary and contravenes both the Constitution and the principles of gender justice in Islam .In a secular and Democratic country like India, religious law's could not overwrite the constitutional Right to Equality. “If reform had come from within communities,it would have been easier to evolve a Civil code.” Sub-
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Karti never influenced Modi's Berlin visit signals Asian pivot for Atlanticist Merkel FIPB: P Chidambaram New Delhi, May 29 (iaNS): Breaking his silence, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday asserted that his son Karti never influenced the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and dismissed as "false and baseless" the charges in the CBI case against Karti relating to clearance of an FIPB proposal of media company INX Ltd when he was at the helm in the North Block. Two weeks after his house in Chennai and some other premises were raided, Chidambaram issued a statement maintaining that it was clear from the FIR that he was the target, yet it did not name him. But he said he could say with absolute certainty that Karti had never met any officer connected with the FIPB and that he had no connection with the applicant company INX Media/INX News. "Anyone who has worked with me knows that no one would dare to influence my decisions. I had never allowed any family member to speak to me or to any officer of my ministry on any official matter. "It is therefore preposterous to suggest that a member of my family, with or without my knowledge, influenced, by corrupt or illegal means, the six Secretaries who constituted the FIPB. Such an allegation is a despicable slur on the six Secretaries of the government who constituted the FIPB at the relevant time." Chidambaram said the FIR alleged that there was a conspiracy involving public officials who were induced by corrupt and illegal means to grant the approval but yet the FIR does not name a single public
official. "The most ridiculous allegation is that the socalled gratification was a cheque for Rs. 10 lakh -- I repeat, a cheque for Rs. 10 lakh. (The cheque was in favour of a consulting company that had raised an invoice for work done, accounted for the income, and paid income tax on the amount.)," he said. As far as the FIPB cases were concerned, he said he had approved only those cases that were recommended by the FIPB and put up to him by Secretary, Economic Affairs. Chidambaram said his son and his business friends were being targeted. "I am indignant that some of the most distinguished civil servants of the country have been humiliated by the FIR. In the instant case, it is not one Secretary but six Secretaries (and the FIPB secretariat) who are being humiliated on a ridiculous charge on being influenced by an alleged gratification of Rs. 10 lakh," he said. The senior Congress leader said he was making the statement so that the "misinformation ema-
nating from Chennai" was exposed. "Ultimately, the course of law will expose the mischief makers. I have advised my son to fully cooperate with investigation and he will do so," he said. Chidambaram said two weeks have passed since a "false and baseless" charge was levelled against his son and some of his friends. He said not only did he observe restraint thereafter but he had also advised everyone concerned to observe restraint. "However, in the last two weeks, leaks and insinuations have been deliberately fed to a section of the media and maliciously circulated in the social media. In fact, I have obtained a copy of the FIR from the social media. The origin of these leaks is Chennai in my home state of Tamil Nadu." The former minister said the FIPB was serviced by a secretariat and it was chaired by the Secretary, Economic Affairs and included four other Secretaries of Industry, Commerce, External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs and the Secretary of the administrative ministry. Five of
them were among the senior most IAS officers and the sixth was a senior IFS officer of the MEA. He said each one of them had a long and distinguished record of service. The FIPB recommendations were submitted to the Finance Ministry where they were once again examined by the junior officers and then by the additional Secretary and the Secretary before the file was put up to the minister. Each file put up to the minister would usually contain a number of cases and recommendations of the FIPB and the Secretary, Economic Affairs. Chidambaram said at the relevant time, the FIPB was chaired by Dr D. Subba Rao, IAS, who later became the Governor of RBI. He was succeeded by Ashok Chawla, IAS, who later became Chairman of the Competition Commission of India. The other Secretaries were equally distinguished civil servants. He said anyone familiar with the working of the FIPB knew that no single officer can take a decision on any proposal. It is the collective decision of six Secretaries. Chidambaram said Karti was never a director or shareholder of M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited. The promoters/directors or ASCPL have, on more than one occasion, made it clear that ASCPL is their company and they alone were responsible for the business of that company. "They are business friends of Karti Chidambaram and have normal relations that is common among business friends," he said.
New Delhi, May 29 (ReUTeRS): India is keen to attract more German companies to invest and improve bilateral relations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ahead of a twoday visit to Europe's leading economic power that begins on Monday. Modi's arrival comes a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel shocked many in Washington and London by saying Europe must take its fate into its own hands, implying that the United States under President Donald Trump and Britain after its Brexit vote were no longer reliable partners. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also visits Berlin this week, and the arrival of two leaders of rising Asian powers in the wake of Merkel's speech has prompted talk of an eastern pivot in previously firmly Atlanticist Germany. "Both (the German and Indian) governments are firmly committed to strengthening economic relations," Modi said in an interview with Handelsblatt newspaper. "I am very optimistic about our future
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi being received on his arrival, in Berlin, Germany on May 29. (PIB Photo)
partnership." Merkel's remarks, made to her Christian Democrat party's Bavarian allies in Munich, were all the more striking since Merkel, a fan of the United States as a teenager in Communist East Germany, has always been known as a convinced Atlanticist. "The times when we could fully rely on others are somewhat in the past," she said in a Munich beer tent to lasting applause from her Christian Social Union allies, making palpable her disappointment at failing to secure Trump's
backing for the Paris climate accord at the G7 summit. "We Europeans must really take our fate into our own hands," she said. "Of course in friendship with the United States of America, of course in friendship with Great Britain." In China and India, Merkel saw the possibility of a partnership in favour of action to slow climate change and to promote free trade, noted Handelsblatt, the newspaper of Germany's business elite. "After the disappointing G7 summit, the German chancellor is turning
her hopes for free trade and climate protection to India and China," the paper wrote on its front page on Monday. But Merkel's own, carefully chosen words, arguing that times of dependency were "somewhat" in the past, indicate that the pro-American chancellor's view is one that could yet be revised. "One thing is clear," wrote the conservative Bild newspaper, a strong backer of Merkel, in an opinion article. "In the future, America will continue to be our most important partner in economic, foreign and security policy."
1993 Mumbai blasts: Verdict against Abu Salem on June 16
MUMbai, May 29 (iaNS): A special court here will, on June 16, deliver its verdict in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case against mafia don Abu Salem and six others, it was announced on Monday. The seven accused were produced before Special TADA Court Judge G. A. Sanap here for an ongoing hearing on the judgement date. Besides Abu Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in 2005, the other
accused are Mustafa Dossa, Mohammed Tahir Merchant alias Tahir Takla, Abdul Qayyum, Karimullah Khan, and Riyaz Siddiqui. Abu Salem, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005 for the 1995 murder of builder Pradeep Jain, is currently lodged in Taloja Central Jail in Raigad. Earlier, in the same case, the special court had convicted 100 accused, including Yakub Abdul Razak
Memon who was hanged on July 30, 2015 and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who was let off the terrorism charges and tried under the Arms Act, served his full sentence and released from jail February 2016. On the afternoon of March 12, 1993, a series of 13 blasts in quick succession were carried at various locations in Mumbai city and suburbs killing 257 people and injuring another 700 plus.
The blasts were masterminded by absconder mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and carried out by his henchmen, absconder Tiger Memon and others. Some of the targeted locations included the Air India Building, Bombay Stock Exchange, Zaveri Bazar, then existing five star hotels, Hotel SeaRock and Hotel Juhu Centaur, and others, leading to public and private property worth Rs 27 crore damaged.
Cattle trade ban to halt beef Opposition slams Army Chief's 'dirty exports, lead to job losses war' comment, govt defends him New Delhi, May 29 (ReUTeRS): The Indian government’s ban on the trade of cattle for slaughter threatens $4 billion in annual beef exports and millions of jobs if the government does not revoke the stoppage decreed last week, according to two industry officials. In the latest setback to the Muslim-dominated meat industry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government decreed animal markets will only be able to trade cattle for agricultural purposes such as ploughing and dairy production. The ban is likely to further alienate Muslims, who make up 14 percent of India’s 1.3 billion people, and raise communal and religious tensions. Hindu hardliners and cow vigilante groups have been increasingly asserting themselves since Modi’s Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014. Most of India’s beef comes from water buffalo rather than cows, which are considered holy by Hindus, but local cattle traders and slaughterhouses have repeatedly come under attacks from activist groups that oppose the meat trade. “In the garb of the order that prohibits the trading of cattle at organised markets, the government has tried to impose a ban on the meat industry,” Abdul Faheem Qureshi, head of the Muslim All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, told Reuters. “Meat supplies will very soon grind to a halt in India and abroad if either the govern-
ment does not repeal this draconian order or a court does not step in,” Qureshi said. Government officials were not avaibale for comment. Indian meat traders, under the aegis of the Quresh Action Committee and other trade and industry associations, plan to petition India’s Supreme Court in the next couple of days to get the government order rescinded. “Exports will come to a halt because slaughterhouses will find it extremely difficult to buy cattle and we also apprehend widespread job losses in the sector, which supports millions of people,” said Qureshi. Abattoirs across India on March 31 called off a strike after four days when the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, ruled by Modi’s party, gave assurances that it would renew the licences of slaughterhouses and protect them against the attacks from cow vigilante groups. The slaughter industry stabilised after the strike but the latest order has unsettled trade again, said Priya Sud, partner at Al Noor Exports, which operates abbatoirs in Uttar Pradesh. The impact on exports will be more evident after a couple of months when the supply chain dries up, Sud said. India exported 1.33 million tonnes of buffalo meat in the 2016/17 fiscal year to March 31, worth about $3.9 billion. The exports were slightly up from the 1.31 million tonnes exported in the previous year.
New Delhi, May 29 (iaNS): Army Chief Bipin Rawat's remarks defending the use of human shield in Kashmir evoked on Monday strong reaction from opposition parties but a CPI-M MP drew flak for doubting the "capability" of the General. Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, however, defended Rawat and said he "totally agreed" with his statements and that the army should take any possible action as is the demand of the situation. The opposition parties criticized the Army Chief's statement that his men were fighting a "dirty war" which needed "innovative methods" to combat it. They said he should refrain from making political statements on internal matters. Defending Major Leetul Gogoi for using a Kashmiri youth as human shield from stone-pelters, Rawat said India was fighting a "dirty proxy war" in Kashmir
which is played in a "dirty way". Communist Party of India leader D. Raja said it was "unfortunate" that the Army Chief had become a subject matter of a political controversy. "Why is the army chief talking about the Kashmir situation," Raja told IANS. "It is not a law and order or a security issue; it is not an issue where the army can find a solution. "The other day, Rajnath Singh admitted that Kashmir is ours and Kashmiris are ours. It is for the political leadership to address the Kashmir situation," he added. About Rawat's remarks, CPIM leader Mohammed Salim said it was not the "voice" of the Indian Army which he had been hearing since his childhood. "This is not the voice which we can defend as Indians," Salim said. But Salim himself came under attack when he said that if the Indian Army chief had
termed the use of human shield as innovative, then "his capacity and understanding of the Indian society and his definition of innovativeness were questionable". Janata Dal-United leader K.C. Tyagi said he disagreed with Mohammed Salim's views. But he also asked General Rawat to "refrain from making political statements on internal matters". He said that while it was fine if the army did not engage with separatist organisations like the Hurriyat, it should not shy away from establishing a dialogue with the people of Kashmir. "His (Rawat's) statements may be challenging to the Hurriat, the ISIS or the infiltrators, but they should not seem to be challenging the people of Kashmir," he told IANS. Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said the "Kashmir problem" could not be seen "singularly from the prism of law and
order" but required continuous dialogue and a "human touch" with the disconnected youth. "When young students in their teenage years become stone-pelters, then the problem is much larger than branding them as potential threats. "Ultimately we need to recognise that they are the citizens of India and they have a right to be heard. And it is the responsibility of both state and central governments to ensure that it happens," Jha told IANS. Coming to the defence of General Rawat, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said: "I totally agree with the Indian Army chief's statement that the dirty war in Jammu and Kashmir calls for innovation. "To improve the situation in Kashmir, one should take any action that is needed as per the demand of the situation. That is what the Army chief said and I support him," he added.
Maternal education programmes could improve child learning: Study By Shreya Shah
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IANS | Indiaspend
iteracy programmes for mothers can not only improve their own learning skills but also impact their children's education, a recent study has found. During the one-year study, conducted in 480 villages of Rajasthan and Bihar -- states with the lowest female literacy levels in India -- mothers with children between ages five and eight were exposed to three kinds of interventions: Home learning, participation programmes in their children's education, and a combination of both. The results showed an increase of 11 percentage points in mothers who could recognise one-digit numbers for one of the interventions, and mothers were more likely to be involved in their children's education. As for the children, their math scores improved marginally as well. The study was led by Pratham, an education NGO, Cornell University and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Parental education is correlated with higher participation in formal schooling and better decisions to improve child learning.
About 30 per cent of adults above the age of 15 years were illiterate, according to Census 2011, the latest available data on nationwide literacy. Illiteracy is higher for females (40.7 per cent), and for those from the Scheduled Castes (39.6 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (48 per cent). "Even if kids went to school 100 per cent of the time, we are looking at only a couple of hours (of education a day). Several awake hours of children are spent at home, especially of younger children, often with their mother," said Marc Shotland, co-author of the study and Associate Director at J-PAL. Children from richer households -- and with better-educated parents -- have a learning advantage even if what they learn at school is not factored in. It is, therefore, necessary to look to the household to reduce inequities in children's education, Shotland explained. The study found that 58 per cent of mothers exposed to both kinds of interventions could recognise one-digit numbers. In the control group, where mothers had no such exposure, 47 per cent showed similar math skills. As for children, 60 per cent of those whose mothers had the benefit of both interventions were able to recognise one-digit numbers, as compared to the control group (56 per cent),
the study found. For improvements in child test scores, the authors cautioned that some of the impact of the programme could also be because some children attended classes along with their mothers and participated in the home activities. In the study, villages were randomly assigned to one of four groups between September 2011 and February 2012 -- one was a control group of mothers that received no intervention, the second group was exposed to a maternal literacy programme with daily language and math classes, the third group received home learning to become involved in their child's education, and the fourth group had the benefit of both. The average mother attended 25 and 27 classes in the maternal literacy programme and combined intervention, respectively, with an average attendance between three and five days a month out of the 12.5 classes held. Households were successfully visited about 16 times, on average, for the home learning and participation programmes, and mothers were present during 81 per cent of these visits, as measured during the second half of the intervention. An intervention targeting mothers might not be as cost-effective to improve child
learning outcomes in the short term as one directly aimed at the child, the authors wrote. The programme cost Rs 500 per mother. What these programmes do achieve is simultaneous targeting of maternal and child learning levels, they added. The potential larger and long-term effects of the intervention could not be measured, Shotland said. For instance, maternal education could lead to fundamental cultural changes in the household which could have long-term effects on the child enrolment in school and/ or learning. Some of these changes could be seen in the changing role of mothers in their children's education. Most mothers in the intervention and control group believed they had a role to play in their child's education. But mothers in the maternal learning, home participation, and combined intervention groups were 4.1, 3, and 4 percentage points, respectively, more likely to report being responsible for their child's education, the study found. Researchers found that the interventions did not have a significant impact on the time mothers spent directly helping children with lessons at home. But they had statistically significant impacts in other respects -- on the mother examining notebooks, talking to their
children about school, and talking to others about their children's studies. Home participation and combined intervention showed more mothers helping children with their homework. In 1998, the government of India launched the National Literacy Mission (NLM), with the aim of making 75 per cent of population literate by 2007, but fell short of its aims. In 2009, Saakshar Bharat was launched to "further promote and strengthen adult education, specially of women". The aim was to provide functional literacy to 70 million adults in the age group of 15 years and beyond, primarily focusing on women, and rural areas. Initially scheduled to end by 2012, the scheme was extended until 2017, covering 410 districts. The goal of the program was to raise the literacy to 80 per cent and reduce the gender gap in literacy to less than 10 per cent. Between August 2014 and March 2016, the government certified 22.7 million adults as literate, out of the 30.5 million registered for the programme, according to a year-end review from the Ministry of Human Resource Development in December 2016. For the financial year 2017-18, the Centre allocated Rs 320 crore for Saakshar Bharat -an increase of 31.1 per cent from the revised 2016-17 budget of Rs 244 crore.
tuesdAY 30•05•2017
WORLD
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
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North Korea fires one Scud-class ballistic missile as Japan protests SEOUL, May 29 (REUtERS): North Korea fired at least one shortrange ballistic missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure and threats of more sanctions. The missile was believed to be a Scud-cl ass ballistic missile and flew about 450 km (280 miles), South Korean officials said. North Korea has a large stockpile of the shortrange missiles, originally developed by the Soviet Union. Monday’s launch followed two successful tests of medium- to long-range missiles in as many weeks by the North, which has been conducting such tests at an unprecedented pace in an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the mainland United States. North Korea likely showing its determination to push ahead in the face of international pressure to rein in its missile programme and “to pressure the (South Korean) government to change its policy on the North”, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said. It was the third ballistic missile test-launch since South Korea’s liberal President Moon Jae-in took office on May 10 pledging to engage with the reclusive neighbour in dialogue. Moon says sanctions alone have failed to resolve the growing threat from the North’s advancing nuclear
South Korea questions six rescued N Koreans as it eyes engagement
People watch a television broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what appeared to be a short-range ballistic missile, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea on May 29. (REUTERS Photo)
and missile programme. The missile reached an altitude of 120 km (75 miles), Roh said. “The assessment is there was at least one missile but we are analysing the number of missiles,” he said. North Korea, which has conducted dozens of missile tests and tested two nuclear bombs since the beginning of 2016 in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, says the programme is necessary to counter U.S. aggression. The White House said President Donald Trump
MI5 reviewing practices after Manchester attack LONDON, May 29 (REUtERS): Britain said on Monday intelligence service MI5 was reviewing its processes following a suicide bomb attack which killed 22 people in Manchester, as questions continue over how much the authorities knew about the assailant. MI5 has launched two urgent inquiries into how it missed the danger posed by bomber Salman Abedi, the Guardian newspaper reported. The BBC said MI5 was alerted at least three times to his “extremist views”. A source had told Reuters last week that Abedi was one of “a larger pool of former subjects of interest” whose risk remained subject to review by MI5 and its partners. Interior minister Amber Rudd declined to comment on exactly what was known about Abedi when asked in several interviews on Monday. But in a highly unusual move for British authorities, she confirmed that MI5 was reviewing its practices. “I do think it is right that MI5 take a look at their processes to ensure that they work to the best of the possible limits to make sure that we keep people safe,” she told BBC television. Earlier, police made a 16th arrest in connection with the Manchester suicide bombing at a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande, the deadliest attack in Britain for 12 years. Britons head to the polls in 10 days’ time to elect a new government. Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives have seen their poll lead cut in the wake of the attack and after a U-turn over their social care plans for the elderly. Surveys suggest May - who as a former interior minister oversaw the police and domestic intelligence agency - might not win the landslide predicted just a month ago.
Sugary diet may up risk of cancer: Study NEw yORk, May 29 (IaNS): Love to eat a sugar rich diet? Beware, it may fuel various forms of cancer by giving them the much needed energy to multiply, researchers say. The researchers found that one type of cancer called as squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) -- found in lung, head and neck, esophageal and cervical -- is heavily dependent on sugar. “It has been suspected that many cancer cells are heavily dependent on sugar as their energy supply, but it turns out that one specific type -- squamous cell carcinoma -- is remarkably more dependent,” said Jung-whan Kim, assistant professor at the University of Texas. Further, SqCC was also found to have highly active levels of a protein called glucose transporter 1, or GLUT1, responsible for transporting glucose into cells where the sugar provides a fundamental energy source and fuels cell metabolism. “As a culture, we are very addicted to sugar. Excessive sugar consumption is not only a problem that can lead to complications like diabetes, but also, the evidence is mounting that some cancers are also highly dependent on sugar,” Kim rued. For the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, the team investigated differences in metabolism between two major subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer -- adenocarcinoma (ADC) and SqCC. The researchers investigated the effect of a GLUT1 inhibitor in human lung tissue, isolated lung cancer cells and mice with both types of non-small cell lung cancer. When GLUT1 inhibitors was given to mice with lung cancer, the squamous cancer diminished, but not the adenocarcinoma.
had been briefed about the launch. The U.S. Pacific Command said it tracked what appeared to be a short-range ballistic missile for six minutes and assessed it did not pose a threat to North America. The United States has said it was looking at discussing with China a new U.N. Security Council resolution and that Beijing, North Korea’s main diplomatic ally and neighbour, realises time was limited to rein in its weapons programme through negotiations. U.S. Defense Secretary
Jim Mattis, asked what a military conflict with North Korea might look like if diplomacy failed, warned on Sunday it would be “probably the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetimes”. “The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range of one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, which is the capital of South Korea,” Mattis told CBS news programme “Face the Nation”. “And in the event of war, they would bring danger
SEOUL, May 29 (REUtERS): South Korean authorities were questioning on Monday six North Koreans rescued on the weekend as they drifted in the sea off the east coast and will send them home if they want to go, the South’s Unification Ministry said. The rescue comes as South Korea’s new liberal government has pledged a more moderate approach to North Korea including engagement and reopening a communication channel that has been severed amid tension over its arms programmes. The six are believed to have been on two fishing vessels, one of which was overturned, when they were rescued by the South Korean coastguard and the navy on Saturday, the coastguard said. The six were being questioned by a South Korean team, and would be asked if they wished to be repatriated to the North, Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Duk-haeng told a briefing. If so, they would be sent home, said the ministry, which handles ties with
to China and to Russia as tion along with other nawell,” he said. tions to deter Pyongyang’s repeated provocations. TESTING NEW “As we agreed at the reCAPABILITIES cent G7, the issue of North Russia condemned the Korea is a top priority for launched and called for re- the international commustraint, “including towards nity,” Abe told reporters military activity”, from the in brief televised remarks. partners it was working “Working with the United with, the RIA news agency States, we will take specific quoted a deputy Russian action to deter North Koforeign minister as saying. rea.” Japan lodged a protest Seoul’s new liberal against the test missile, administration has said which appeared to have Pyongyang’s repeated test landed in its exclusive eco- launches were dashing nomic zone. hopes for peace. Japanese Prime MinisSouth Korea’s Moon ter Shinzo Abe vowed ac- swiftly called a meeting
the North. Such questioning by South Korean authorities is routine when North Koreans are rescued at sea. The South returned eight North Koreans and their vessels in December after rescuing them off the east coast, in line with their wishes. Lee said incidents such as the rescue and the repatriation of the crew were examples of why an open line of communication between the two Koreas was needed. South Korea imposed unilateral sanctions against the North after its fourth nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch last year, in addition to sanctions applied in 2010 after the sinking of a South Korean navy ship that Seoul blamed on the North. North Korea denied involvement in the sinking. The sanctions cut off almost all exchange between the rival states that had been set up since 2000, when South Korea’s “sunshine policy” brought a period of cautious rapprochement.
of the National Security Council, South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. North Korea last testfired a ballistic missile on May 21 off its east coast and said on Sunday it had tested a new anti-aircraft weapon supervised by leader Kim Jong Un. It has tested Scud-type, short-range missiles many times in the past, most recently in April, according to U.S. officials. However, experts say it may be trying to test new capabilities that may be fed into its efforts to build an ICBM.
“There are many possibilities ... It could have been a test for a different type of engine. Or to verify the credibility of the main engine for ICBM’s first stage rocket,” said Kim Dongyub, a military expert at Kyungnam University’s Far Eastern Studies department in Seoul. Modified versions of the Scud have a range of up to 1,000 km (620 miles). On Tuesday, the United States will test an existing missile defence system to try to intercept an ICBM, the first such test, officials said last week.
Cyclone aims for Bangladesh as flood toll rises in Sri Lanka aGaLawattE, May 29 (REUtERS): Cyclone Mora grew in strength as it churned north towards Bangladesh on Monday after heavy rain in rural Sri Lanka and thunderstorms in eastern India killed almost 200 people, with more torrential downpours forecast. Floods and landslides in tropical Sri Lanka, off India’s southern tip, have killed at least 169 people in recent days, authorities said, with 24 killed in storms in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, either by lightning strikes or under collapsed village huts. India warned of heavy rains in the northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh as Cyclone Mora moved further up the Bay of Bengal. Floods reached roof level and cut off access to many rural Sri Lankan villages, disrupting life
for half a million people, many of them workers on rubber plantations, officials said. Villagers in Agalawatte, in a key rubber-growing area 74 km (46 miles) southeast of the capital, Colombo, said they were losing hope of water levels falling soon after the heaviest rain since 2003. Fiftythree villagers died and 58 were missing. “All access to our village is cut off. A landslide took place inside the village and several houses are buried,” Mohomed Abdulla, 46, told Reuters. Some areas in the southern coastal district of Galle, popular with foreign tourists, have not received relief due to lack of access. “My entire village is cut off and nobody can come to this village,” C.M. Chandrapla, 54, told Reuters by phone from the tourist village of Neluwa. “There have been no
supplies for the past two days. Water has gone above three-storey buildings and people survive by running to higher ground.” Bangladesh is hit by cyclones, many of them devastating, every year. Half a million people had their lives disrupted in low-lying coastal areas such as Barisal and Chittagong in May last year. Authorities will relocate thousands from coastal areas before Mora hits, government officials said. About 10 million of Bangladesh’s population of 160 million live in low-lying coastal areas. “We have taken all sorts of steps to minimise any losses, including moving people away from the most vulnerable areas,” Kazi Adbur Rahman, a senior government official in Cox’s Bazaar, told Reuters by telephone. The Sri Lankan military has sent in helicopters and boats in rescue efforts in the
Sri Lankan army soldiers walk past the debris of houses at a landslide site during a rescue mission in Athwelthota village, in Kalutara, Sri Lanka on May 28. (REUTERS Photo)
most widespread disaster since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. About 100 people were missing in total. The meteorology department forecast torrential rains over the next 36 hours. Residents in seven densely populated districts in the south and centre of
Sri Lanka were asked to move away from unstable slopes in case of further landslides. The wettest time of the year in Sri Lanka’s south is usually during the southern monsoon, from May to September. The island also receives heavy rains in
the North West monsoonal season from November to February. Reuters witnessed some people stranded on the upper floors of their homes. Civilians and relief officials in boats distributed food, water and other relief items.
Christians caught up in Philippines’ urban battle with Islamists militants
Bishop Edwin de la Pena speaks during an interview with Reuters in Iligan City in southern Philippines on May 27. (REUTERS Photo)
ILIGaN CIty, May 29 (REUtERS): Bishop Edwin Dela Pena was sipping coffee after dinner in a southern Philippines coastal town last Tuesday when he received a phone call: it was from one of his diocese priests, who sounded panicky and distressed. Father Teresito “Chito” Sugarno, the vicar general of Marawi City, had been taken hostage by Islamist militants along with about a dozen of his parishioners. “He was only given a few lines to deliver, and it was simply echoing the demands of the kidnappers - for the troops
to withdraw,” said Dela Pena. If the demand was not met, he was told, “something bad would happen”. There has been no further word from the group of Christians since they were caught up in a ferocious battle that has raged between Islamist insurgents and Philippines soldiers in Marawi for the past week. As many as 180,000 people, about 90 percent of the population, have fled the usually bustling lakeside town nestled in lush tropical hills that, almost overnight last week, became a theatre of urban warfare.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across Mindanao - the country’s southernmost island and an area the size of South Korea - as troops outside Marawi closed in on Isnilon Hapilon, who was proclaimed “emir” of Southeast Asia last year after he pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Mindanao has long been a hotbed of local insurgencies and separatist movements: but now, Islamist fighters from Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries have converged in Mindanao, stoking fears that it could become a regional stronghold of Islamic State. More than 90% of the Philippines’ 100 million people are Christian, but here Muslims are in the majority. In 1980 Marawi proclaimed itself an “Islamic City” and it is the only city in the country with that designation. For the small Christian community of Marawi, however, life in the city had until recently been peaceful and prosperous. “We don’t consider ourselves Muslims or Christians, we are just friends,” said Dela Pena, who has lived for 17 years in Marawi but was out of town when the vio-
lence broke out. That peace was shattered some months ago, he said, after the army bombed an encampment of Islamist groups some 50 km (30 miles) away. “They said they pulverised the whole camp, but these people simply transferred their base of operation from the jungle to the urban centre, to the city, Marawi,” he told Reuters in an interview from Iligan City, 37 km (23 miles) from Marawi. “They came in trickles, a few people at a time. They have relatives there. They lived, they recruited,” he said, adding that authorities appear to have missed the looming threat. CATHEDRAL ATTACKED AND TORCHED Chaos was unleashed upon Marawi when troops searching for Hapilon were ambushed by heavily armed militants. More than 200 local and foreign fighters from the Maute group and others allied to Islamic State fanned out across the city, seizing the main hospital and prison before attacking the Cathedral of Maria Auxiliadora. Inside, nearby residents told
Dela Pena, Father Teresito and a group of worshippers were decorating the church for a holy day to celebrate the life of Mary, a sacred figure in both Christianity and Islam. Dela Pena said they ran to the nearby bishop’s house, hoping they would be safe there, but the militants burst in after them. That evening, after bundling their captives into vehicles, they torched the church, according to the residents. Photos showing the priest, a young man and a woman slumped against a wall have circulated on the internet. Dela Pena believes they are being used as human shields by the militants. “I cannot imagine. I have no words to describe it,” he said. Still, he remains hopeful that the city can unite again. The vast majority of Marawi’s citizens, whatever their faith, are appalled by the violence and disruption, he said. “I think we can begin something more effective in terms of working together, in terms of dialogue, in terms of peaceful coexistence,” he said. “After all, we have shared the same predicament.”
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sports
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
dortmund beat Frankfurt to Takuma Sato wins Indy 500 clinch 4th German cup title indianapoliS, May 29 (ianS): Takuma Sato, driving for Andretti Autosport, became the first Japanese driver to win the Indianapolis 500, prevailing at the 101st edition of the iconic IndyCar Series race. Sato sped to victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday ahead of Brazil's Helio Castroneves, with Team Penske, who came within a whisker of his fourth Indy 500 win, and newcomer Ed Jones, with Dale Coyne Racing, a Briton born in Dubai, reports Efe. Spaniards Fernando Alonso, with McLaren Honda Andretti, and Oriol Servia, with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, had to pull out of the race with 21 and 17 laps remaining, respectively -- the former due to engine failure and
Be rli n, May 29 (ianS): Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty ensured a 2-1 victory for Borrusia Dortmund against Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup final at a sold out Berlin Olympia Stadium here. After three straight final defeats, Borussia Dortmund lifted the German Cup title for the fourth time in the club's history as Thomas Tuchel's men overpowered resilient Frankfurt in a fast paced encounter here on Satur-
day night. Dortmund grabbed a fairy tale start in front of 74,322 spectators as Ousmane Dembele shrugged off one defender to slot home into the roof of the net following a through ball from Lukasz Piszczek with eight minutes played. Frankfurt recovered from the early setback and worked out a couple of opportunities but neither Timothy Chandler nor Ante Rebic were able to level the scores. Frankfurt efforts paid
Is Naga solution becoming a political agenda? G. L. Khing
T
Kohima
he politics of push and pull with regard to political dialogue between Nagas and GOI has become election manifesto for some political parties. It creates more controversies than the originalproblem/ scenario. What is political dialogue? What is an agreement? What is Naga political solution? What is Nagas sovereignty? They all aim at the same result but words and terms differ from time to time. The GOI must be confused because Nagas bring out different terms every year for the same old issue (too old, yet new garment). Such is the confusion within Nagas. Therefore no one can defuse the problem. Are Naga politicians really concern about political dialogue with the GOI? The NLA has passed resolution urging the Government of India to expedite the political dialogue and bring early resolution to the protracted Naga political issue before the 2018 State Assembly Election. Such sympathy and concern are shown to appease the public for vote. No issue is to be politicized for the advantage of certain political party. Any party who politicize Naga problem is in fact defaming Nagas for their sole purpose/advantage. Working together for a cause is better than dying together. The Nagas are not clowns to be used for political stage shows. The common men and women suffer the most in every conflictwhereas the higher Naga species remain less affected. Most political parties have lost the touch of the ground, yet they speak as though they empathize with the long forsaken Nagas. Such attitude towards Nagas by some special Nagas will never bring any solution.The talk for early solution is becoming a lifelong agenda. To undergo a real dialogue, all political parties and underground groups need to march together with the public. This is so because any dialogue or solution is not meant purely for any party, but it is for the Nagas in general. As pointed out clearly during the 12th NLA session about the existential reality of disunity among Nagas (within), we need to remove the mantle of disunity (socially and politically). For this we must extract the cause of disunity and refine it with some touch of harmony among Nagas. Only such steps/initiatives can boost our march for dialogue and solution. If not Nagas will dissolve into the sea of tribalism.
off eventually with 30 minutes into the encounter as Rebic curled home, a pass into path from Mijat Gacinovic, into the top left corner from the edge of the box to restore parity. Niko Kovac's men gained momentum and should have snatched the lead before the break but the left post denied Haris Sefeovic's dangerous shot on target. Dortmund caught a good start into the second half as Aubameyang's overhead kick had to be
scratched off the goal line by Marco Fabian in the 63rd minute. Aubameyang remained in the thick of the things when goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky brought down Christian Pulisic inside the area, allowing the Gabon international to chip the ball into the centre of the goal to make it 2-1 on the scoreboards in the 67th minute. Frankfurt pressed for the equaliser but Dortmund were able to protect the lead to the end to round
the latter as the result of an accident. With Sato's win, this is the second consecutive victory at the Indy 500 for Andretti Autosport and the team's third first place finish there in the past four years. With just seven laps to go in the race, Castroneves zipped by Sato on a bold overtaking move, but the Andretti Autosport driver returned the favour just two laps later and maintained the lead from there until the finish line. A spectacular crash between Scott Dixon and Jay Howard came in the first half of the race, with Dixon's vehicle flying through the air after colliding with Howard's. Howard's car had gone into the wall and rebounded into Dixon's path and when the two collided the
latter's vehicle flipped into the air and into the wall. Both drivers walked away from the crash, but the race was halted temporarily while the debris was cleared. Multiple crashes led to several cautions during the race's second half, with the most stunning of the collisions occurring on the next-to-last restart when James Davison and Servia made contact and Josef Newgarden, Will Power and James Hinchcliffe became involved in the tangle. Meanwhile, Alonso, Spain's two-time Formula One world champion driving for McLaren Honda Andretti, had to abandon the race with 21 laps remaining when he blew out his Honda engine during his first-ever appearance at the Indy 500.
off the season with the German Cup title. Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel praised his players for their performance and said his team deserved to win. Tuchel also heaped praise on Eintracht Frankfurt saying the team played bravely which caused a lot of problems for Dortmund. "We began very brightly, with a lot of quality, created a lot of chances very early on and deservedly took the lead. But in the period that followed we gave the impression that it was ours to lose and that we were simply waiting for the final whistle," Tuchel was quoted as saying by club's official website on Sunday. "Frankfurt played with a great deal of bravery, boldness and self-confidence, and caused us problems. They deserved to get the equaliser and managed to hit the post as well," he added. Tuchel also referred this win as one of the greatest days of his coaching career. "Today is definitely one of the greatest days of my coaching career. But I need to process it first, it needs some time to sink in. I think that special successes are achieved when there is a special connection between a coach and his players. "We have all reached our objectives and capped a special season. That can The 9 Assam Rifles under the aegis of Headquarters IGAR (North) organised a ‘Friendly Footonly happen if there is mu- ball Match’ with Kezo Basa of Kezocha Sub division, Kohima District on May 28. The football tual trust," he said. match was aimed to encourage the talent amongst the players and develop sportsman spirit.
public discourse
Make your call General Secretary (NSCN-IM) Khekiye K. Sema IAS (Retd)
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Upper Forest Colony, Kohima
y and large it has become increasingly difficult to define the intrinsic quality of the Naga race that identifies themselves as Christians...without the fear of God... without Christian values. We have effectively succeeded in converting Christianity into just another Tribal Clan...the “Christian Clan”. Somewhere along the road many of us have lost ourselves in self preservation priorities at the cost of our common good. Any forward looking society ought to have realised by now that the principles of decent existence depends on our collective ability to discern the truth and collectively stand up for what we believe to be the right thing to do. Thus far we have failed to do this. As a matter of routine, we now gullibly swallow all the sugar coated garbage disguised as a nourishing diet...without questioning the quality or reacting to the aftertaste. As a case study, take a look at what was published in the Eastern Mirror Saturday, May 13, 2017: (Quote) "A statement appended by 81 persons consisting of kilonsers from various regions and steering members assured that the agreement do not betray the principle of the Nagas but will protect the right of the Nagas and guarantee the security of India as well as promote and strengthen harmonious interdependent relationship of the two nations". (Unquote). Nagas readers must have been pretty impressed with this face value declaration by no less than the "Kilonsers and Steering Members". There has hardly been any worthwhile reaction to this since then till now. Even if the above statement was endorsed by every rank and file of the NSCN (IM) it would still represent a hollow statement virtually remaining within the realm of ambiguity. This is hardly the time for assurances. This is a time for hard facts to be placed on the table...because our real common destiny is being concealed within that damned suffocating Framework Agreement for a reason that NSCN (IM) dare not reveal to the Nagas of Nagaland! NCSN (IM) may have all the good intentions for the Naga future but it does not cut ice as long as they hide the true content(s) of the Framework Agreement. Would Th. Muivah dare to trust, believe and accept what the Nagas of Nagaland may structure for him as a 'Framework' for his irrevocable future without consulting him? If he is a man aware of his rights, there can be no doubt that he would vehemently oppose such a move because it would be unfair and irrationally unjust to him even if he was assured otherwise. So, if he is unable to accept such an unlikely eventuality...then with what gray matter is he trying to do precisely that against all the stakeholders? During the discourse of concerned citizens at Kolkata on 25-26th April 2017, General V.S. Atem (Rtd) of the NSCN (IM) joined the session and made an incredulous claim that a person like Muivah was anointed by God to settle the Naga issue and that it was beyond the second generation leaders beneath him to influence the thoughts of their leader (Muivah). While one does not subscribe to the first part of the claim
concerning 'the anointed one' the second part virtually confirms what everyone has been nurturing as an assumption for a very long time... that Muivah is solidly autocratic...a virtual Dictator. The statement let loose by 81 "senior national workers from Nagaland State on the Framework Agreement" (Nagaland Post...Saturday May13, 2017) falls under the same category of 'parrots' helplessly parroting the whims of their 'anointed Dictator'. It would be extremely difficult to comprehend any one amongst the 81 signatories being capable of questioning the 'anointed one' on any given issue...least of all on the subject of highly classified framework agreement which, in all probability, none of them would have any clue as to what it might contain. Yet they are prepared to give blind assurances because it is the wish of their Supreme Dictator... the 'anointed one'. There can be no clearer message sent out by the Nagas of Nagaland to the NSCN (IM) leadership that the fate of over 20 lakh stakeholders of Nagaland cannot secretly be bartered away by ONE solitary Naga Dictator Brother from Manipur without Nagas of Nagaland honestly being consulted interactively. Ethically or customarily, such a disposition is against the essence of Naga character of equality and respect for one another and therefore absolutely unacceptable. In contrast to our elected representatives, that portrays the general sum-up of a common man's feeling from Nagaland against Framework Agreement signed between NSCN (IM) and the GoI. Nagas will also go down in history as the 'ultimate moron' if they accept the nonsensical proposition of NSCN (IM)'s "further Consultation" promise after the deed is done. The so called 'consultations' being flaunted at Delhi by NSCN (IM) has been nothing more than an engineered one-sided lecture delivered by the Muivah for hours and thereafter recorded as an 'endorsement' by the silent 'who is who' audience present...sans interaction. (Rather than respond to the serious key issues being raised by the authors to clear the doubts in the minds of the people, NSCN (IM) has shown lack of maturity by consistently taking cheap irrelevant pot-shots at the authors by questioning the identity of the author as not being a true Naga by blood (as in the case of T. Solo) or being branded as an 'Indian Agent' (as in the case of both T. Solo and self), or being accused of barking against NSCN (IM)'s caravan because of not being invited to their 'so-called' grand consultation...and so on.) Be that as it may, what stands out glaringly is the fact that Th. Muivah urgently needs to acquire a very high quality hearing aid not only against the ravages of aging but to enable him to hear the authentic sound of the common man and how they feel about our Naga political reality. The egoistic stubbornness of this 'anointed one' wanting all the glory for him as the "Father of the Nation" is getting quite appalling. He needs to humble himself and know in no uncertain terms that the Naga National Movement preceded him and it certainly is NOT his or any other NNPGs' exclusive preserve! Naga National
Movement belongs to all Nagas. All Nagas have a birthright to share reasonable responsibility towards finding an amicable solution together...the key word here General Secretary NSCN (IM) is 'TOGETHER'...'INCLUSIVENESS'. Expecting the masses to quietly bear the excruciating burden of their 'out of control' taxation as the only area of shared responsibility is no longer relevant. Does the NSCN (IM) even care to realise that the State Government is no longer capable of providing jobs to the educated youth hitting the streets in their thousands every year?... That NSCN (IM) is largely responsible for directly aggravating the enslavement process of the youth. Many a young aspiring Naga entrepreneurs have been forced to down their shutters because of NSCN (IM)'s incessant unabated "greed tax" against their fledgling attempt at business. Rather than protect the interest of the oppressed as any legitimate Government should, the Government of Nagaland (GoN) has shown no initiative or interest other than to leisurely swim in NSCN (IM)'s cesspool and collect illegal tax of their own like it is in competition with the NNPGs instead. GoN must be clapping its hands in glee appreciating the magnanimity of NSCN (IM) for publishing in the print media about reducing the annual salary deduction of all Government servants from 24% to 12%. The picture of a statutory Government paying tax to the shadow Government does not even occur to the GoN as an oddity. The whole scenario in Nagaland is regrettably hilarious to say the least. Even the National Investigating Agency (NIA) is intensely focusing only on one small 'baby flea bite' and deliberately overlooking the gigantic bite marks being inflicted by 'grandpa fleas'. The system has been chocked to irrelevance. So...there can be no better time than now for the Nagas of Nagaland to say "No taxation without declaration of Framework Agreement contents"! Like the overzealous Christian fanatics prophesising the second coming of Christ...NSCN (IM) has been hyperactively replaying the same song from a broken record that 'the conclusion of the negotiation is at hand' for more than a decade and a half... with the latest dateline slated for the 5th August 2017...or so the grapevine whispers. The proud Nagas of Nagaland can then all kneel down facing southward, in the similar fashion as the Muslim brothers do facing towards Mecca, bow our heads in supplication, punch the thin air with full gusto while proclaiming..."Hail to the King"...the chorus being led by the entourage of our elected representatives. Having said that let it universally be known that the Nagas have absolutely no reservation of honouring and saluting all the National Workers who bravely and honestly stood at the frontline against our adversary during the very trying times. No one would dare deny this fact...that because of their unflinching patriotism and bravery we are at a very momentous crossroad of defining our destiny today. On their part conversely, what they too must remember is the extreme sacrifices made against all odds by the populace in keeping their stomachs filled to en-
able them to stand at the firing line. One is as important a contribution as the other. No one is questioning the leadership of the NNPGs for spearheading the negotiation... but now that the era of physical confrontation is over and the time for brainwork is at hand, higher patriotic sentiment ought to be the driving factor in the minds of our NNPG leaders rather than give way to debased egocentric instinct of self-perpetuation, money mongering and disunity. Towards this end the NNPGs ought to instead sensibly be harnessing some of the best experienced brains amongst the Nagas for a meaningful reinforcement at the negotiation table against a far superior adversary. Our History is replete with glaring examples of God seemingly withdrawing His wisdom from the Nagas at the most crucial times because of our egocentric pastime rather than graciously humbling ourselves and placing our complete faith in Him. It is by far more rewarding to let The Almighty exult us rather than attempt selfuplift. Opportunity passed by our first generation National Workers (NW). They missed the bus. Opportunity is knocking at the door of our present day NW but yet again we are about to let it pass us by. The curse of an over-accentuated self-esteem amongst the NNPG leaders remains the one crucial stumbling block that has defiled the possibility of a united house. Th. Muivah with all his vast experience ought to honestly see that the stubborn road he has been travelling solo is froth with possible volcanic depredation. The non-transparent deceptive manoeuvres have only succeeded in eroding the trust factor and heightened negative speculations to the extremes. The explicit voice of the Prime Minister of India and the unreserved pronouncement of Union Home Minister of the GoI have filtered through the fogged up environment, unambiguously declaring that 'sovereignty and integration' is no longer an issue. NSCN (IM) had failed to officially contest their statements in the public domain. They have been busy generating more fog with their tiresome theory of "Shared Sovereignty and emotional integration" instead. Muivah surely understands that even if Nagas' original stand on sovereignty and integration cannot fully be achieved no one will think any less of him...provided he acknowledges by action that our assured future rests with the consensus will of the people. He needs to alight from his high perch and mingle with the 'less anointed factions' as equal partners in the greater patriotic scheme of things and being the process of an honest interactive consultation with them and the people. Any solution then will be final without further ripples in the aftermath. It is for him to decide whether he would prefer having history put him 6 feet under with a cursed memory or affectionately be remembered in perpetuity as the humble soul that made supreme sacrifice for his people. He ought to honestly allow The Almighty to enter his inner Hebron sanctuary... and thereafter make his final call putting the wellbeing of his people before him.
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.
Tuesday 30•05•2017
EntErtainmEnt
Sofia Coppola wins best director at Cannes
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nding a 56-year gap, Sofia Coppola became the second woman to receive the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival as the gala wrapped up on Sunday. Russian Yuliya Solntseva won for “The Story of the Flaming Years” in 1961. Coppola was honored for “The Beguiled,” a Southern Gothic horror that updates the 1971 Civil War drama starring Clint Eastwood. Three of the director’s previous features - “The Virgin Suicides,” “Marie Antoinette” and “The Bling Ring” also competed at Cannes. “I was thrilled to get this movie made and it’s such an exciting start to be honored in Cannes,” Coppola said in a statement. Along with praising “my great team and cast,” she thanked Universal Studios and one of its speciality divisions, Focus Features, “for their support of women-driven films.” Nicole Kidman, a star of “The Beguiled” and three other Cannes selections, received a special prize marking the French festival’s 70th anniversary. The coveted Palme d’Or, one of filmmaking’s most lauded honors, went to “The Square,” a surprising choice for a festival that typically favors intense dramas. “The Square” is a farce about an art museum staging a radical exhibition that sparks a social crisis. Pedro Almódovar, the acclaimed director of “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and “Talk to Her,” headed this year’s jury, which also included Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, South Korean director Park Chan-wook and Italian director Paolo Sorrentino. Here’s the full list of winners. Many of the hits at Cannes factor into the Oscar race. • Palme d’Or: “The Square,” a Swedish artworld satire directed by Ruben Östlund • Grand Prix: “120 Beats Per Minute,” an AIDS drama directed by Robin Campillo • Jury Prize: “Loveless,” a Russian missing-child drama directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev • Best Actress: Diane Kruger, “In the Fade” • Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “You Were Never Really Here” • Best Director: Sofia Coppola, “The Beguiled” • Best Screenplay: a tie between “You Were Never Really Here” (written by Lynne Ramsay) and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou)
• Camera d’Or, honoring the best debut feature: “Jeune Femme,” directed by Léonor Sérraille • Best Short Film: “A Gentle Night,” directed by Qiu Yang • 70th Anniversary Prize: Nicole Kidman, who starred in four Cannes titles (”The Beguiled,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” and “Top of the Lake: China Girl”) Source: Huffington Post
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Tuesday 30•05•2017
SPORTS
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Ferrari clearly favouring Vettel, says Hamilton MONACO, MAy 29 (ReuteRS): Ferrari are giving Sebastian Vettel the Michael Schumacher treatment, according to the German's main title rival Lewis Hamilton. The Briton told reporters after the German handed Ferrari their first Monaco Grand Prix win in 16 years that the Italian team was clearly favouring the championship leader over his team mate Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, had started on pole position but as a result of strategy ended up anchoring Ferrari's first one-two since 2010 instead of standing on top of the podium. "It's clear to me that Ferrari have chosen their number one driver," said Hamilton, who finished seventh and is now 25 points adrift. "They are pushing everything to make sure Sebastian will maximise on all of his weekends. "It's very hard for the leading car to get jumped by the second car unless the team decide to favour the other car, so that is very clear." Schumacher, the sport's most successful driver who
won five of his seven titles with Ferrari from 20002004, famously built a team around him and was seen as the clear number one at Maranello. Hamilton had started 13th after a nightmare in qualifying, with the Briton unable to get his car's tyres performing in the requisite window while Ferrari looked suddenly in a league of their own. Vettel, a four-times world champion and first Ferrari winner in Monaco since Schumacher, has now won three of the six races to Hamilton's two. Finland's Valtteri Bottas also winning in Russia for Mercedes. Despite the setback, Hamilton saw the glass half full.
Djokovic makes winning French Open start PARIS, MAy 29 (ReuteRS): Defending champion Novak Djokovic enjoyed a winning French Open start under new coach Andre Agassi on Monday, cruising past Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-4 6-2 in the first round. The 12-times grand slam champion parted company with his entire coaching team earlier this month before inviting American great Agassi to work with him during the French Open. The 30-year-old Serbian, without a tour title since January, found little resistance from Granollers, grabbing two breaks early on in the first set as he chased the 77th-ranked around the court. It was a similar story early in the second set with the world number two returning everything Granollers tried to throw at him as he went 4-1 up before a wobble saw him fail to convert eight set points at 5-3. Djokovic kept his cool to earn the second set and pounced on the Spaniards' accumulating mistakes in the third set to seal victory on his first match point. Meanwhile, returning to
Rafael Nadal brushes aside France's Paire PARIS, MAy 29 (ReuteRS): Rafael Nadal smoothly negotiated the potential stumbling block presented by Frenchman Benoit Paire on Monday, launching his bid for a 10th French Open trophy with a largely routine 6-1 6-4 6-1 win. The heavy favourite for the title looked in imperious form as he steamed through the first set in under half an hour. Paire, described prior to their encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen as a dangerous opponent by Nadal, played with more freedom in a closer second set as the Spaniard lost his edge. Trading baseline rallies, they exchanged breaks to leave the Frenchman leading 4-3. But Nadal then pulled clear and, with Paire periodically clutching his stomach after a medical time out, the Spaniard took nine of the last 10 games to close out the match in just under two hours. the stage of her greatest triumph inspired defending champion Garbine Muguruza to down 2010 winner Francesca Schiavone 6-2 6-4 in the first round of theFrench Open on Monday. The fourth seed, who had been woefully out of form in the run-up to Roland Garros, never looked in danger of joining Russian Anastasia Myskina as the only reigning women's champion to lose in the opening round of the claycourt grand slam.
The Spaniard outclassed the skilful Italian with her poise and power in muggy conditions. There were several topnotch rallies and Schiavone pulled a few tricks from her bag, threatening in the second set. However, she made too many unforced errors to sustain any form of challenge. "I was so excited to play here against another champion. Francesca is a legend," Muguruza said. She credited her win
to staying composed throughout. "You need to be focused. You need to be calm. Perhaps the public thinks that, okay, she won last year (so this match should be easy), but you need to avoid being (distracted) with these thoughts," she told a news conference. "I could have had anyone as an opponent today, but I need to win my own battles, my own fights." Muguruza raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set and
just when Schiavone was starting to work around her opponent's power as she reduced the arrears to 3-2, the match was interrupted for 10 minutes as a spectator was attended to by first-aiders. The Spaniard won 19 of 20 points after play resumed and led 2-0 in the second set. That is when Schiavone's game fell into place. She broke back and had two break chances in the sixth game, which Muguruza saw off confidently.
The champion then broke decisively for 5-4. Schiavone saved three match points but volleyed wide on the fourth. Muguruza next faces Estonian Anett Kontaveit, one of the in-form players on clay this season who beat the Spaniard in the second round in Stuttgart. "It's a tough draw. It's going to be a tough game. She's enjoying a very good season on clay. She has an aggressive game too," the 23-year-old said.
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No win but no regrets as Alonso returns to F1 INDIANAPOLIS, MAy 29 (ReuteRS): Fernando Alonso left the Brickyard on Sunday without a fairytale victory to cap his Indy 500 adventure but had no regrets as he prepared to return to his Formula One day job with McLaren. Alonso's race finished in much the same way as many of his F1 efforts this year, in frustration and a blown engine with 21 laps remaining of the 200. Criticised in some corners for chasing Indy 500 glory rather than competing in the F1 glamour race at Monaco, Alonso said he would not have traded his experience for another drive around the glitzy Mediterranean principality. "It's true that before coming here some of the questions were how you can trade Monaco race for Indy 500," Alonso told reporters after playfully chugging on a car-
ton of milk, the traditional drink of the Indy 500 winner. "I won two times there (Monaco), I won two world championships. "To drive around Monaco for a sixth place, seventh place, even a fifth place ... To be here is not possible to
compare that thing. "I didn't miss Monaco in terms of result." It was a giddy day for Alonso, who delivered the polished performance expected of a former F1 world champion until his car's failure, running up front
and even leading for 27 laps of the race won by Japan's Takuma Sato. Having never raced on an oval track or even driven an IndyCar until this month, the 34-yearold's bravery and skill won the respect of the nearly
MPL: Amur Falcon continues its winning streak two consecutive losses. The Falcons decisive victory, however, was marred by two of its players – Akhum and Kezevituo -picking up yellow cards during the match. Despite the win, Falcon spot in the leader board will also stay the same at 4th position. The fate of the Morung United, currently in 6th position, will be decided by Players of Amur Falcon FC and Morung United FC pose for lens before the start the 61st the outcome of May 30 enmatch of the ongoing Morning Football League at Kohima Local Ground on May 39. counter between MRH SunWhile the match was score after 20 minutes, tak- risers and Merhulietsa FC. KOhIMA, MAy 29 (MexN): Returning to a scoreless till the first half, ing his team formidable 2-0 MPL FIxtuRE winning streak with two con- a resurgent Falcon started lead into the last 15 minMay 30 secutive win, Amur Falcon the 2nd half in an attack- utes of the game. MRH Sunrisers Vs With another goal from FC today registered an em- ing mood making the first Merhulietsa FC phatic 3-0 victory over Mo- breakthrough in the 54th Mele in the 78th minute, Venue: Local Ground, the fate of Morung United rung United FC at the ongo- minute through Seyie. Kohima Akhum doubled the was sealed, suffering their ing Morning Premier League.
300,000 spectators who gave him a rousing standing ovation as his McLaren Andretti Autosport Honda slowed to a stop on the home straight-away. "It was a great experience, the last two weeks. I came here basically to prove myself, to challenge myself," said Alonso. "I know that I can be as quick as anyone in an F1 car. I didn't know if I can be as quick as anyone in an IndyCar. "It was nice to have this competitive feeling, even leading the Indy 500." Although Alonso treated his foray into IndyCar with the seriousness it deserved, it almost seemed a holiday for the Spaniard away from the pressures of his struggling F1 team. But it is back to reality on Monday ahead of the next stop on the F1 calendar in Montreal on June 11. "So for the future, Canada, obviously we will try to keep improving," said Alonso. "I think the car seems to be performing better and better. "I think the second half of the season will be much more competitive and we will enjoy much more."
India rules out cricket series with Pakistan New DeLhI, MAy 29 (IANS): India on Monday said it won't play bilateral cricket series with Pakistan as long as Islamabad continues to support and sponsor cross-border terrorism. Officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were to meet in Dubai on Monday to discuss possibilities of a bilateral series. Sports Minister Vijay Goel made it clear that the Indian government will not allow the bilateral cricket series as long as Pakistan continues to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. "The BCCI should come up with a suggestion or proposal in this regard only after consulting the government.
I had said earlier also that the possibilities of bilateral series with Pakistan are very remote," Goel told reporters here. "As long as Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorists, it will not be possible to have sporting ties between the two countries. Terrorism and sports will not run side by side," he added. India and Pakistan, however, will continue to play each other in international tournaments. The arch rivals from the sub-continent will meet each other in a group clash of the upcoming Champions Trophy at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4. "As far as multi-lateral events are concerned, we have no control over those. So the
two countries will continue to play each other in such tournaments," Goel said. Earlier in the day, BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary said a bilateral series with Pakistan was possible if the government gave the go-ahead. "We are not averse to a bilateral series with Pakistan. But everything depends on whether the government gives the clearance," Chaudhary told a news channel. "The series will not be possible without approval from the government." Pakistan last visited India in December 2012 for a limited overs series that included three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and two Twenty20 Internationals (T20I).
India has not played Pakistan in a full bilateral series since 2007 when Pakistan visited India to play five ODIs and a one-off Test match. Since then, worsening political ties and accusations of terrorism hurled at Pakistan have stalled bilateral cricket. Recently, the BCCI had urged the ICC not to put Pakistan and India in the same group in global tournaments. The financial health of the cash-strapped PCB depends to a large extent on a bilateral series with India. The two boards had signed an MoU in 2014 according to which the two countries were to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023.
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