The Morung Express

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The Morung Express

A Daily Publication of Morung for Indigenous Affairs & JustPeace

Dimapur VOL. III ISSUE 335

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www.morungexpress.com

My refuge is humanity

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Arirang brings cheer to Kohima Kohima, December 2 (MExN): Kohima today witnessed a massive crowd as thousands of Korea fans both young and old alike came in droves to witness the Korea-India music festival held this evening at the Kohima Secretariat Plaza. Those in attendance included Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio and Arirang TV vice president Lee Sung Wan. Rio appreciated the Arirang team for their commitment and presence. Although the hornbill festival is not an international festival, it has gained international recognition, Rio gushed. He further hoped in promoting peace and harmony of the human race through music. Vice President of Arirang TV Lee Sung Wan said the longcherished friendship between Korea and India would become stronger through this kind of cultural exchange. He also expressed gratitude to the Naga people for enjoying Arirang, the Korean TV channel.

VJ Isak of Arirang’s popular show “Pops in Seoul” enthralled the gathering with a number of songs that had the crowd singing along. Interacting with the crowd, she spoke of the similarity of culture between the Koreans and the Nagas and said the team was overwhelmed by the popularity of Arirang channel in Nagaland. Ilac, responding to queries from the crowd, said he would love to stay on in Nagaland given the opportunity. Performing one of his popular hits, he had the young fans screaming for more.

Earlier, the Nagaland Chamber Choir performed a folk medley, and a special sword dance from Manipur’s troupe. Popular band from Mizoram, Boomerang, set the pace for the crowd as Ilac took the stage. Meanwhile, in the Korean solo competition Naga singers Asa, Neikuo and Avibou won the first three prizes. Asa received a Samsung LCD TV from the Arirang team. This evening’s music show perhaps had the biggest ever crowds in the recent times.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 12 pages Rs. 3 -Rabindranath Tagore

Nagaland on high alert over ‘threats’

Bonnie Konyak

Dimapur | December 2

HERE’S TO THE LUCKY GIRL: A fan receives a hug from Korean pop star Ilac while

Arirang’s VJ Isak (back, left) shares in the star-shower of the moment, during the Korean-India music festival in Kohima, Tuesday.

After the October 30 serial bomb blast in different parts of Assam—the most deadly recorded in the Northeast— Nagaland is on high alert with intelligence inputs pointing to a similar terror threat in the state. According to highly reliable sources, intelligence inputs have been received from both the Centre as well as state machineries of a possible terror strike in Nagaland.

In fact, one top secret report from the state has cautioned about ‘disturbance’ during the ongoing Hornbill festival. The commercial hub of Dimapur has also been warned with intelligence sources disclosing that there are ‘inputs’ about a possible strike during the period from December 1-10. All this has spurred the state police into extensive preparedness and high alert especially in Kohima and Dimapur.

However, the state police say that there is nothing to worry about since such “advisory” and “warnings” from the Centre as well as from the intelligence has been has passed on since the serial blasts in Assam. But police sources say these ad-

visories have been duly noted and efforts have been taken to secure the state from all possible threats. Infact, commercial hub Dimapur is being combed thoroughly with round the clock vigil by the state police in coordination with other security forces. Vulnerable areas like the Dimapur Railway station is being checked with sniffer dogs from Rangapahar atleast twice a day while routine frisking and checking is being conducted, says the police.

Meanwhile, the Hornbill festival in Kohima is being held under extensive precautionary measures.

Measures which have never been conducted during the earlier years, like the use of mine sweep detectors and deployment of people from the INT establishment have been used this year. In fact, sources disclosed that local people from the area have also been roped in keep a vigil on the movement of suspicious characters around the area. It is reported that the slopes in the upper region of the heritage complex is being deployed with forces for the first time this year and the north side of the complex is being minded by the IRB boys. In addition to

these, the Assam Rifles and other paramilitary forces have also been given a stall exclusively for their officers and wives so that they can also share a greater sense of responsibility in the event.

In Dimapur, not just the precautionary measures but even disaster management efforts have been scaled up in preparation for any eventuality. The police have coordinated with all private hospitals and clinics around the city by taking note of available ambulances and requesting to help out in case disaster strikes the city.

The police and administration have also taken note of the blood banks at the Dimapur Civil Hospital and have sensitized the policemen to donate blood in case of disasters. Not only these, ribbons of different colours have been distributed to identify the different state of injured persons along with a first aid kit distributed to the police for better coordination during such times. Thus, “prepared”, the state police and administration are on high alert with extensive preparations and while assuring the public that there is no need to panic, they cautioned people not to be too careless during the festive seasons ahead.

Diphu blast kills 5, injures 33 EUUN contests Govt’s writ effort

Morung Express News

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Dimapur | December 2

Fivepersons were killed while 33 were injured at around 7:55 am this morning in a bomb blast that took place in a passenger train at Diphu Railway Station in Karbi Anglong district in Assam. The blast, on the Tinsukia-Lumding passenger train, is suspected to have been triggered by a ‘north eastern militant group’. Some hours later, a militant group attacked Hindispeaking persons, gunning down two in the process.

According to Assam police, the explosives were reportedly planted at the entrance of a general compartment of the Tinsukia-Lumding passenger train. The bomb was set off by a timer and exploded as the passenger train was approaching the railway station in Diphu.

The PTI and other news agencies also reported that, few hours after the blast, KLNLF militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, raided Dalamara of Diphu. The militants killed two Hindi-speaking people, said to be husband and wife. The militants also injured

a child of the two victims before escaping, police said.

Further, two unexploded bombs were also found at the District Mandal Congress office and at a railway passenger waiting room at Dokmoka, reports said. The explosives were defused by a bomb disposal squad.

Another bomb was also reported to have been planted in a Ganesh temple. The police swung into action, however, the report at the

temple was found to be a hoax, reports said.

The victims who died in the blast were identified as Raju Debnath (7), Minu Debnath (30), Kamal Singh Trang (26) and one Ratul Dhar.

The names of the persons who were injured in the Diphu train blast, according to the Superintendent of Diphu Civil Hospital, are Priyalal Majumdar (35/M), Deal Giri (12/F), Ram-

krishna Mudok (65/M), Nurul Ali (30/M), Kalyan Chakraborty (61/M), Digen Chandra Boro (35/M), Motilal Nath (32/M), Deep Debnath (12/M), Kamala Bai (34/F) and her three months old baby, F-13 (Bed No.) unidentified, Neha Debnath (7/F), Chandra Debnath (28/F), Maya Rajbhar (46/F), Puspa Dey (45/F), Ranjita Raijung (25/F), Ismail Ali (25/M), Ghanesnyam Sharma (45/M), Munin Deori (M), Chutu Dey (6/M), Sameer Chanda (45/M), Sunita Deka (20/F), Hema Chetry (F), Monisha Thapa (F), Suraj Bharali (9/M), Rubi Bharali (24/F), Umesh Kremphai (45/M), Aju Ghosh (27/M), Nanda Kishor Bharma (M), Subo Chandra Dey (51/M), Jyoti Sunar (19/F), Kanahiya Kumar (17/M) and Sima Das (26/F).

The following helpline numbers may be contacted: Railway Diphu: 03671-272532 Diphu Civil Hospital: 03671-272228 Sadar Thana Diphu: 03671-272253 Outpost Sadar Diphu: 03671-272253 With PTI Inputs

Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): The government of Nagaland ‘assuring’ to refer the contentious issue of superannuation to the court is taken note of by the Educated Unemployed Union of Nagaland, who says the order of compulsory retirement is not a “punishment” and “implies no stigma. “The government could have reduced or enhanced the retirement age and upper age limit for service entry with out seeking a review of the high court decision.

But it has a problem to fix the maximum length of state service based on enhancement of retirement age and sought a review of high court judgment, rather astonishing to get the impression that it is not willing to take decision in the public interest” wondered the union in a note received here.

On one hand the state government assured in principle to ‘fix’ the maximum length of service of state government employees, the union explained, but on the other, it is filing a review of the judgment and order passed by the Guwahati

High Court after a gap of 16 years.

“As the review of the judgment has to be done by the same judge who passed it and must have been retired by now, so, it is simply impossible. The judgment passed by the high court that the government cannot have two criteria for determining the age of superannuation of its employees fixing

government servants buy justice with money power? Government does not need to play time pass or double standard game for the reason best known to it, pertaining to superannuation and related matter at the expense of the younger generation” the EUUN said.

The union also cited Article 309 of the Indian Constitution of India that the legislature may regulate the recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the union or a state. “Article 310 states that every person who is member of a civil service of a state or holds any civil post under a state holds office during the pleasure of the governor of a state.

The high court or the administrative tribunal cannot issue a mandate to the state government to make rules under the article 309 of the constitution. (Malikarjun Rao vs state of Andhra Pradesh 1990)” it stated. The EUUN said the order of compulsory retirement is not a punishment and implies no stigma or any suggestion of misbehavior.

Superannuation: Art 309, 310 can be used both the upper age limit and the length of service, was based on the reduction of retirement age from 60 to 57 years of age” the union contented.

But now, the union said, the demand for ‘fixing’ the maximum length of state service is based on enhancement of retirement age from 57 to 60 years. “So the two opposite actions are minus and plus years of retirement age” the union observed. The union questioned the stated government if it expects that the high court would pass the same verdict again. “Or will some

Continued on page 3

Naga youths urged to have ‘patience’

Kohima, December 2 (MExN): Many a youth in Nagaland still hold on to the fringe of hope called “government job”.

To Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, they are “small-headed people”. Rio, reiterating the oft-repeated advice of breaking out of the white-collar job mindset, said “our youths have a wrong attitude towards manual work” and “we Nagas have no patience and we want things to happen overnight”.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was speaking at the formal launch of Synergy Group Enterprises, as chief guest in Kohima. Congratulating the Synergy Group Enterprises team for coming up with the event management, the chief minister said it has been his dream and ambition that ‘our youth come up and take up enterprises’. Expressing pride that Synergy Group should come up with the enterprise, he said it should be an eye-opener and a challenge to the youths.

Rio had this to say to those constantly viewing white-collar jobs as the only source of livelihood: “Our land is a land full of opportunities but many youths today look for white collared government jobs, they are small headed people. If you don’t want to take up challenges in life, your destiny is measured but if you take up entrepreneurship, your destiny is unlimited. There is a huge scope in the field of business and enter-

prising and every business is profitable but our youths have a wrong attitude towards manual work. We Nagas have no patience and we want things to happen overnight”.

Quoting “a rolling stone gathers no moss”, Rio urged the youths to “have patience, maintain consistency and stick to one profession” and “stop believing in miracles”. The world is a competitive world and if one waits for things to happen, it’ll never be, he advised. “We have to make things happen. Stick to one business and it will grow gradually” he stated. On the government’s initiatives emphasizing much on the youths, the chief minister further urged all educated youths to take up challenges, seek government assistance but not become a liability. Rather, he reminded, be an asset to the society.

Synergy Group Enterprise is a group of young upcoming entrepreneurs specializing in various fields. The purpose of the enterprise touts itself to be catering to the much-needed professional inputs in event management. The enterprise started functioning as an office in August 2008 with a three-member team and deals in event management, destination management, artiste management, promotions, market research, exhibitions and flight and rail ticketing.

Tickets available at: Gravity, Big Bite, Dream Café, Crossword, Razhüprü.

Unitex, Bible House, Central Café and at the Venue.

Continued on page 3

By buying this Newspaper, you are contributing to the process of positive Social Change and supporting the non-profit activities of the Morung Foundation

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Dimapur

LOCAL

Wednesday 3 December 2008

First ‘Mithun Festival 2008’ underway

Commemorating progress in Mithun Husbandry

The Morung Express

BSNL to extend service to Kiphire Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): BNSL Nagaland Telecom has issued a rejoinder in response to the news item ‘Kiphire annoyed with BSNL connection error’ published on November 20, 2008. PRO, O/o GMTD, BSNL, NLD SSA, Dimapur in the rejoinder said that the Optical fibre works were completed and commissioned on December 1, 2008 and the telephone exchange equipment and transmission equipment will be augmented within few days.

The release also said that

the mobile as well as land line network are connected on the reliable OFC media and BSNL service will be extended to the denizens of Kiphire with improved and better quality.

It further added that from October 17, 2008 the payment of mobile bills can be made at the nearest post office as in case of landline telephone bills. Meanwhile, BSNL Nagaland Telecom has thanked the denizens of Kiphire for their good faith in BSNL and giving valuable suggestions to serve the people of Nagaland better.

Kohima DPDB clarifies Kohima, December 2 (DIPR): Apropos the news item that was carried out in the Page 3 of Morung Express on November 30 under the heading ‘SSA Kohima to organize Work, Education exhibition cum sale’, it is being clarified that the Awards /Certificates for the students coming up to Top 20 in the 16 Government High Schools under Kohima district is being carried out by the Kohima District Planning & Development Board as part of the ‘Year of capacity Building’ and not by the Department of School Education as was published.

The tour to rural areas is also proposed to be taken up by the Kohima DPDB.

‘Nagaland longest beard man dead’

(Left) The chief guest and guest of honour lighting the candle during the inauguration of the Mithun festival. (Right)Participants at the Mithun Festival 2008 on December 2 at National Research Centre,Jharpani, Medziphema. (Morung Photos)

Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): For the first time in History of India, ‘Mithun Festival 2008’ is being celebrated to commemorate the progress made in the field of Mithun Husbandry at NRC-Mithun, Jharnapani. The festival is organized by the National Research Centre on Mithun, Jharnapani, Medziphema and supported by NABARD Dimapur.

Mithun (Bos Frontalis), a unique bovine species, have a limited geographical distribution and is mainly found in the tropical rain forests of the northeastern hilly states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Ar-

unachal Pradesh. Recently, in 2003 census, 24000 Mithuns are said to be available in Jammu and Kashmir as well stated a report from the National Research Centre on Mithun.

Mithuns are also available in small numbers in Myanmar, China, Bangladesh and Bhutan. However, according to the 2003 livestock census, out of the total mithun population in India (0.28 million), 69.1% are available in Arunachal Pradesh followed by 14.4% in Nagaland, 8.6 in Jammu and Kashmir, 7.2% in Manipur and 0.7% in Mizoram. The population of Mithun has increased at an annual rate of 7.6% over the last two de-

cades, stated the National Research Centre on Mithun report.

The Vision, mission and mandate of National Research Centre of Mithun, stated the report, is to develop profitable and productive mithun based livestock production system for the North Eastern hilly tribes.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the two days Mithun Festival 2008, the Director of the Research Centre C.Rajkhowa said that due to modernization, related developmental activities, the grazing areas of the mithun inhabitat regions are gradually declining, and the animals are not getting proper attention, as it should have. He

also reminded that the institute has generated much valuable information in the last several years for the benefit of the farming community. To percolate these technologies to the farming community, the festival will organize farmers’ workshop for intensive interaction of Mithun rearers with the technocrats and NGOs, who are engaged in the field of Mithun husbandry. The institute will also organize a Mithun show along with the farmers’ fair today at KVK, NRC-Mithun, Porba, Phek, where technologies will be exhibited for giving an exposure to the farmers about the integrated farming system approach.

Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): Late Tsenzamo Yanthan, a retired Assam police havildar and Merapani war veteran claming to be the longest beard man in Nagaland died the age of 82 on November 29 last at Suphayan village under Wokha district.

“His beard measuring 2 feet & 4 inches (till Jan 2008 Source: North East Window).

After his retirement from the service, he migrated to Merapani Seed farm from Lakhuti village. Staying more than four decades at Merapani Seed farm he finally settled at Suphayan village where he served as Head G.B till his death. He is survived by his wife, five sons, three daughter and a dozens of grandchildren’s,” stated N Longshio Yanthan in a press note, adding, “A humble and energetic farmer who played a vital role in coordinating border issues between Assam and Nagaland during his life time. Therefore his death brings a huge loss to the Kyong community.”

4th National Handloom Expo gets underway Morung Express News Dimapur | December 2

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A truck laden with goods rammed into the electric poles near the 2nd Gate at Chumukedima in Dimapur, on Tuesday. The incident occurred at around 12 am this morning and the truck was heading to Manipur, from Dimapur. The driver of the truck fled from the spot. (Pix/Sagar Sunar)

Shops to remain open till 7pm in Chumukedima Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): The Chumukedima Students’ Union has informed all shops and business establishments of Chumukedima to remain open till 7 pm every night till January 1, 2009 instead of 8 pm. It has also informed that any act of vandalism like breaking of shop light bulbs, street light, tearing of Christmas stars etc will be dealt with severely by the CSU who is maintaining the decoration this festive season.

Vibu Doze, press & information secretary CSU in a press release added that the decoration have been put up with donations from Neichu Kuotsu at 2nd gate junction and Rotaract Club Chumukedima at 1st gate junction.

Parliamentary Secretary for Industries and Commerce, Dr. KC Nihoshe Yepthomi today inaugurated the 4th National Handloom Expo 2008, sponsored by the Development Commissioner for Handloom, Ministry of Textile, Government of India, at the Urban Haat in Dimapur. The expo was organized by the Nagaland Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (NHHDC).

After inspecting around 100 stalls of various local entrepreneurs and outsiders, Yepthomi said gradually local entrepreneurs are coming up to showcase their talents through products.

However, he said local entrepreneurs need to focus of quantity to meet the growing demand of the business sector outside the state. In this regard, he along with in-

Parliamentary Secretary for Industries and Commerce, Dr. KC Nihoshe Yepthomi along with other officials inspecting one of the stalls at the 4th National Handloom Expo 2008 at the Urban Haat in Dimapur, on Tuesday. (Morung Photo)

Spread message of Love this Christmas Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): On November 29, all the shepherd family celebrated as the Shepherd Montessori School organised advent Christmas programme at the School campus. The Shepherding celebrated the occasion by enacting the birth of Jesus through a skit “The Christmas Star” followed by Christmas carol. Special Guest, Akum Amri the founder of Ebenezer Orphanage shared the message of Christmas.

The children of Ebenezer also presented a special number and a drama. Later during the bonfire programme the Shepherding presented songs, choreography and dance.

The Shepherd family in a press release expressed that they wish to spread to all Christ loving people that Christmas is all about sharing and spending time with friends and family and most importantly share the love of Christ with everyone around.

formed that each district will get ‘Jacquard Machine,’ for faster production with different designs. “We have to develop more and improve our production to attract more people,” he added.

Explaining about the lack of visitors in the expo, he said gradually people are showing interest in such expos. However, “Kohima has larger purchasing power than Dimapur,” he said. Stating about the Haat, Yepthomi said the haat can be used as multi purpose activities and also informed that the Government is planning to construct another such haat at Kohima.

The parliamentary Secretary was accompanied by Imkonglemba, Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce, N Hushili Sema, Managing Director of NHHDC Ltd, Khekaho Assumi, Chairperson of Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) along with other officials.

Kiphire sanitizes on gender issue in disaster management

Our Correspondent

Kiphire | December 2

The District Disaster Management Committee Kiphire organize a one day training program on gender issue in Disaster Management at the D.C conference hall Kiphire, with NGO’s Church elders, Police personnel’s and Bureaucrats. The training, which was first of its kind in the district aimed at creating general awareness about the subject. The session threw light on disaster management with special focus on gender issues. Giving the prelude on Disaster Risk management, Dr Ulanganathan P (IAS) SDO(C) H.Q who is also the nodal officer of the Disaster Risk Management touched on various aspects, going more

in to the details of natural and man made disaster. He also touched at length about the differences in the approach of Disaster by men folk and women.

Elaborating on various needs and approach of men and women during the time of disaster, resource person Megha Mehra, Journalist & Publicity Consultant (Disaster Management) said, Women are socially deprived and more vulnerable to such events, therefore more attention needs to be given at the times of disasters. In the second session, a healthy discussion was there where all the participants took part. All the participants were awarded certificate. Light refreshment followed the first session.

Zakabo Rotokha EAC (Sadar) chaired the program and Vekato Chishi field officer DRM gave concluding remark.

Correct knowledge is HIV/AIDS cure in absence of medicine

Pastor Toshi Langur sharing with IDUs & PLHIVs on World AIDS Day at FPA India, Nagaland Branch - Kohima.

Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): Nagaland observed the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day on December 1 last along with rest of the World. Different agencies working in the field of HIV organized various programs at different locations in the capital.

Dr. Abo Zao speaking at Naga Bazar Community Hall in one of the programs said 84% HIV transmission is through sexual route in India while the only cure for HIV & AIDS in the absence of medicine is correct knowledge about the disease in the ways of transmission and prevention. He was addressing at the programme jointly organized by FPA India, Nagaland Branch, FXB Suraksha and Kohima Network of People Living with HIV (KNP+).

In another program

held earlier at FPA India, Nagaland Branch Dropin-Center at NSF Martyrs Park, Pastor Toshi Langur sharing on the theme LeadEmpower-Deliver exhorted the gathering of largely IVDUs and PLHIVs to understand various complexes that hinders ones growth.

He encouraged the participants to make a difference between looking life in two ways: the form of worm’s eye-view that is pessimistic and laden with obstacles while the bird’s eye-view is optimistic, easily comprehensible and free from barrier. Vincent Belho, Branch manager, FPA India, Nagaland Branch in a release said that earlier in the program, Setso Legise enthralled the gathering with a special song entitled ‘We have a Dream’ from his latest album.

Harley Davidson bikes made of bamboo by local artists on display at one of the stalls at the Hornbill festival at Kisama, Naga Heritage Village in Kohima, on Monday. (Pix/Sagar Sunar)

LOCAL

The Morung Express

EUUN contests Govt’s writ effort

One shot at, escape unhurt

From page 1

“The order has to be passed by the government on forming the opinion that is in the public interest to retire a government servant, compulsorily (The supreme court held in Baikunda Nath Das vs Chief District Medical Officer 1992)”.

It means, the EUUN said, the state government as an employer has the authority to legislate on the state service including the length of service and the government servants will serve as long as the state government

DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): One person escaped unhurt after he was chased and shot at by some assailants from a Maruti Van at around 3:30 pm on December 2 at Notun Basti area, according to police and eyewitnesses.

Neither could the person shot at, nor the assailants be identified as both managed to flee from the scene. Police later recovered 4 live rounds of different ammunition from the site. So far no arrests have been made while it was suspected to be a case of factional clash.

More Local News on Page 5

Wednesday

3 December 2008

requires their services and the court cannot override the decision of the state government which is formed in the public interest.

“The government must judiciously utilize this power to legislate the maximum length of state service without affecting the existing upper age limit for entry into service and retirement age in the best interest of the 55000 educated unemployed, lakhs of growing students and lakhs of government servants aspiring for promotion,” the union added.

Dimapur

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STARTING LINE-UP

Your daily Meetings, Appointments, Information and Reminder column

LASU meet today

The Longmatra Area Students’ Union has convened an emergency meeting on December 3 at 9:00 am at its headquarter Longmatratown.Allofficerbearers,seniorpublicleaders,leaders of different social organization, Village Heads, GBs and Council chairman under Longmatra Area are hereby requested to attend the meeting positively. LASU office bearers are informed to reach the venue one day ahead of the meeting.

World Disabled Day at GoMTruB

Goodwill Mission Trust for the Blind will observe the ‘World Disabled Day’ on December 3 at Diphupar Village Council Hall at 9:00 am with Sedievikho Khro and Vekhosayi Nyekha as the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively. All are cordially invited to attend the function.

Naga youths urged to have patience KDCC mourns From page 1

The team has also set up an in-house production service to support and cater to much-needed production gear and equipments such as sound and light systems and tent houses amongst others. The group has also formally tied up with Reflorescence Society in the field of fashion industry. The Synergy Group Enterprises has a fully functional office at Bayavu Hill Government High School Road in Kohima.

KOHIMA, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): The Kohima District Congress Committee (KDCC) mourned the sudden demise of Late. Zhodi Pusa, District Sports Officer, Phek on November 30 at Kohima. “Late Zhodi was an efficient and hard working officer and in his death, our district has lost a good officer wherein a vacuum created would be difficult to fill,” said KDCC president Prasielie Pienyu in a condolence message. It also conveyed its deep sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

May the departed soul rest in eternal peace, it added.

Rotary Club Dimapur informs

DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): Rotary Club Dimapur will be conducting the second camp for distribution of artificial limbs and Callipers on December 7, 2008. All registered patients of the first camp are requested to be present (Right) Rev. Lanu Longchar releasing “Jesus Saves” a gospel music album by Obang at Rotary Centre, Midland from 10:00 am onwards. This was Ozukum, retired Director (R&D) on December 2 at IMC Hall, Dimapur. The album is avail- informed in a press release issued by Suresh Kuswaha, Secable at all music stores. (Morung Photo/John Yengkhom) retary, Rotary Club, Dimapur.

World Disabled Day function today DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): Commemorating the World Disabled day, which falls on December 3, a function has been organised at Highland Park (Tribal Welfare Complex) by the Northern Angami Handicapped Union (NAHU) Kohima sponsored by the department of Social Welfare. Thejangulie, Press Secretary, NAHU in a press release has informed that the function, which will start at 10:00 am, will have Chotisuh Sazo, Parliamentary Secretary, Social Welfare as the chief guest. All are cordially invited to attend the celebration.

Chiephobozou SDP&DB meeting KOHIMA, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): The Chiephobozou Sub Divisional Planning & Development Board meeting cum picnic will be held at Chietsu site on December 5 at 11:00 am. ADC Rovilatuo Mor requested all respective departments, members under Chiephobozou jurisdiction to attend the same positively.

SBAK, Aizuto ‘Annual meet’ on Dec 4 DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 30 (MExN): SBAK, Aizuto will organize its Annual General Meeting at Youth Trinnial Hosting Emlomi Baptist Church on December 4 at 2:00 pm.

A release issued by its executive secretary, Rev/Dr Joshua Rochill informed all the concerned Executive Council members and the field staff to attend the meeting without fail.

PWD Pfütsero pre-Christmas PHEK, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): The Pfütsero Division, PWD (R&B) department will celebrate pre-Christmas on December 5 next at 11:00 am at its office premises. Imnanungshi Ao, lecturer of Baptist Theological College, Pfütsero will deliver the message and Er. Sungtiba Amer, executive engineer will present short sharing. The convener of the staff welfare committee in a press release informed all staff and out-posts staff under the division to attend the celebration.

Superintendent of Excise Seminar on HIV/AIDS, cancer & Prohibition clarifies awareness held at Gariphema KOHIMA, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): The Superintendent of Excise and Prohibition, Kohima through a press note clarified that it was on November 19 last, that the excise preventive duty party performed high way mobile duty on NH 39, between Kohima and Piphema. “During the course of checking, the party happens to arrest Kakuto for carrying a huge quantity of illegal liquor. After completion of seize and arrest, the duty party brought to the office both the accused and seized liquor.

The excise duty party as usual started interrogation. During the time of interrogation, the accused Kakuto admitted that the illegal liquor belonged to him and he is fully responsible. The accused Kakuto prayed for compounding for the case before it was forwarded to the Court of Law. As per

ELIGIBILITY: * Ca ndida tes who ha ve completed their Cla ss 12. * Ca ndida tes should be 18-30 yea rs of a ge

DOCUMENTS REQIURED Education qualification documents / Birth Certificate / Indigenous Certificate / 3 passport size photographs Interested candidates should submit their applications on or before 15th Dec, 2008.

Add : IMC Complex, 1st floor, Circular Road, Dimapur : Central Plaza, 3rd floor, Church Road, Dimapur

Contact No : 03862-231769 / 9856767289

KOHIMA, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): A one day seminar on HIV/AIDS and Cancer awareness was held at Gariphema Village under Chephobozou Block on November 27 last at the village panchayat hall with joint registrar of cooperative societies, Kohima T.Imo Longkumer as chief guest. The seminar was organized and sponsored by the National Cooperative Union of India, Cooperative Education Filed Project Kohima.

According to a release received here, the chief guest while delivering his inaugural address said “poverty can be eradicated by joint venture in group activities through common effort and interest” adding that the government has ample provision to uplift the people

in rural areas and encouraged them to be sincere.

Ghovili P Achumi, project officer briefed on the working system of NCUI-CEFP Kohima. The inaugural program was chaired by Lhuvezo Swuro, FGI. Dr. Thinuo Hezo, senior medical officer Chiephobozou PHC spoke on cancer and HIV-AIDS awareness.

Morung for Indigenous Affairs and JustPeace

Brave New World An Art Exhibit

BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED (A GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ENTERPRISE)

SCHEMES EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER ONE MONTH

BSNL Nagaland Telecom is pleased to announce that the customers can avail the concession of the schemes given below upto 31-12-2008 extended for one month. All the customers of the BSNL Nagaland Telecom District are requested to avail this facility with out delay.

Temsuyanger Longkumer

Sl. No.

Name of the Scheme

Offer Available

1

Super Saver Family Package for Post Paid Customers

- New Connection @ 25% monthly rent of existing plan -No Security Deposit -Single Bill for both Mobiles -Calls @ 10 paise between two mobiles

Iris Yingzen Jimmy Chishi Seyiekelie Tepa

2

Talk More for Pre-Paid RCV

- Get Talk Value of Rs.600/- on recharge voucher of Rs.500/-

2nd December - 7th December, 2008

Offer of New Pre-Paid Connection

- New Pre-Paid connection for Rs.100/- only -Get a FREE RCV worth rs.200/- for each NEW CONNECTION

YEAR OF CAPACITY BUILDING IIJT will be providing a 1 yr professional training course on CBA (Complete Business Accountant) through the Government of Nagaland’s Capacity Building programme. As a result you get the most current industry endorsed finance and accounts training. Successful candidates will be given placements after completion of the course.

prayed by the accused person the case was compounded by the Excise Officer under the provision of law and released with warning,” stated the note, adding, “Whenever any person is arrested whoever it may be, if the accused person fully admit and confess that he made a mistake and violated the law then there is no need for further investigation but to take action against the culprit according to the provision of the law. Therefore it is not to blame the Excise Department Kohima but fully responsible accused person Kakuto for his wrong statement and address, injuring the good moral reputation of the citizens of Sasta Village.”

“The Excise department Kohima badly regretted and apologized for publication of wrong statement and address from the accused person Kakuto,” it concluded.

3

For details contact the nearest BSNL Franchise/Customer Service Centres.

Modern Communications, Dimapur:03862-231184,231185,2311414,231302 Konikkara Industries, Mokokchung:0369-2229168 Solo Engineering, Kohima:0370-2243366,2244466 Customer Service Centre, Dimapur:03862-228426 Customer Service Centre, Kohima:0370-2240549

DO VISIT US AT THE 4TH NATIONAL HANDLOOM EXPO AT URBAN HAAT, OLD DANSIRI BRIDGE , DIMAPUR TOWN .

FROM 2ND TO 16TH DECEMBER 2008.

Participants from:Various State & Abroad .i.e, Thailand , Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, New Delhi , West Bengal , Assam , Manipur, Meghalaya,Tripura, Mizoram , Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim & Nagaland.

ENJOY THE HANDLOOM COLOURS OF INDIA & ABROAD There will be a open air musical concert to be presented By the Higher Ground Band from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M on 3rd December2008.

(Private Viewing on 1st December)

The Heritage, Old DC Bungalow, Kohima 10 am to 6 pm CHIEF PATRON

DO VISIT US AT THE

CRAFT BAZAR IN COMMEMORATING THE HORN BILL FESTIVAL AT NAGA HERITAGE VILLAGE , KISAMA, KOHIMA FOR 10 DAYS FROM 1ST DECEMBER 2008.

Participants from: Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram , Arunachal Pradesh , Sikkim & Nagaland.

a mega shopping event !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ENTRY FREE

SEE FOR YOURSELF

Organised by: Nagaland Handloom & Handicraft Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come.

Venue : Town Hall | Date : 8.12.08 | Time : 5:30 MEDIA PARTNER

Sponsored by:

Development Corporation Ltd, Dimapur.

Office of the Development Commissioner for Handloom, Ministry of Textiles, Govt.of India, New Delhi Sd/N.HUSHILI SEMA Managing Director

PATRON

Organised by Sponsored by

: Nagaland Handloom & Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd, Dimapur. : Office of the Development Commissioner for Handicraft, Ministry of Textiles, Govt.of India , New Delhi .

Sd/N.HUSHILI SEMA Managing Director

C M Y K

4

Wednesday

Dimapur

BUSINESS

3 December 2008

How secure is India Inc? MUMBAI, DECEMBER 2 (NDTV): How secure is India Inc? It’s the question on everybody’s lips since terror unleashed in Mumbai last Wednesday. The bigger question however is —What are the corporates doing about it?

Well, India Inc is all shaken and stirred by the blow that the terrorists have dealt on the financial capital of India.

Before it’s too late, India Inc plans to beef up security and is now drawing its own borderlines, preparing a line of defence against the kind of terror attacks that Mumbai witnessed. Adi Godrej, CMD, Godrej Group, said, "We need to revamp our security internally and completely. A lot of things need to be changed. We will review our security systems this week."

However, NDTV spoke to other top business houses and many other companies based out of Mumbai, but nobody seems to have a clear plan of action. Most of the corporates are now relying on staff intelligence to avoid such mishaps.

Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra Group,

‘Mumbai to emerge stronger’

People watch the stock ticker board outside Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), unseen, in Mumbai, December 3. BSE's benchmark Sensex plunged by 325 points in early trade Tuesday. The scarred and traumatized city struggled back to its feet Monday, reopening schools and businesses, as residents tried to come to terms with the string of terror attacks that killed 172 people in the three days of violence that started Wednesday night. (AP Photo)

in an internal letter to his employees has urged extra vigilance. The letter states," I request each and every one of you to be extra vigilant, to cooperate with whatever security requirements are put in

place and to report anything untoward immediately."

Moreover, even the expenditure on security across corporates is a petty two to three per cent of project costs. It’s clearly high

time India Inc takes stock and learns from corporates in the US, that spent little time in revamping their infrastructure post 9/11 and put in more money for a secure future.

WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 2 (AGENCIES): India's commercial capital Mumbai, which witnessed its worst-ever terror strikes that killed nearly 200 people, will emerge ever-stronger after the attacks aimed at crippling the country's economic rise, the United States-India Business Council has said.

"These attacks clearly intended to stir maximum terror - among foreigners and Indians alike. The attacks hoped to cripple India's economic rise by destroying investor confidence... The main motive was even more pernicious: to hit at India's unity," the business advocacy group said.

"If the terrorists' aim was to cripple India's economic rise, the terrorists should have known they would fail.

Just as New York recovered after 9/11, Madrid from its train bombings and London from the assault on its Underground, Mumbai will

emerge from this outrage ever-stronger," it said. "As businesses committed to India and its people - as a fellowdemocracy committed to freedom and justice, we must stand with India and resist these provocations as never before," the USIBC said. "... As for the terrorists' desire to destroy India's unity, we must remain vigilant and united - united in our love for one another, united in our support for our fellow man, and united in our determination to excise the cause of violent extremism," it added.

"USIBC remains committed to the idea that a deeper USIndia strategic partnership will enable us to better fight this common enemy: terror," the organisation said. The business group praised the bravery of Taj and Oberoi staffs, the police, the fire brigades, the commandos, and the people of Mumbai and said it inspired them.

The Morung Express

India wants oil prices stable at current levels NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 2 (REUTERS): India, a major Asian oil importer, wants global crude oil prices to stabilise at current levels and said volatility in prices was bad for both consumers and producers. Oil Secretary RS Pandey did not comment if India agreed with Saudi Arabia's view that $75 a barrel was a fair price, and said prices would be determined only by market forces. "As a major consuming nation we would like prices to remain stable and around this level," he said. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and oil minister Ali al-Naimi said that the world's top exporter

sees $75 per barrel as a fair price for oil. OPEC, many of whose members are concerned at the sharp fall in crude oil prices, deferred over the weekend a decision on production cuts until the suppliers' cartel meets again on Dec. 17. Pandey said 2008 had been a difficult year with crude oil prices fluctuating between $50-$150 a barrel. "What is more important is there has to be stability in prices. Volatility of the kind witnessed this year has been very bad ... This type of volatility is extremely difficult for producing companies as well as consuming companies," he said.

Amway India announces e-commerce foray NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 2 (AGENCIES): Amway India, the country’s leading direct selling FMCG company, on Tuesday announced its e-commerce foray with the launch of its website www.amway.in.

Powered by Microsoft cluster of technologies with Microsoft Commerce Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Biztalk Server - the e-commerce platform has been implemented

by Microsoft Enterprise Services division, the company’s consulting, technical services and support arm. The portal

is a strategic lever to deliver on Amway’s objective of crossing Rs. 2, 500 crore in revenue by 2010 and is aimed at leveraging the online medium to further expand the company’s existing distribution network. According to Bill Pinckney, the CEO of Amway India, “Having grown from Rs 91cr to Rs 800 cr in under 10 years, we are now poised for further growth and expansion, and need to reach out to a wider consumer-base.

We believe, our enhanced presence on the internet has the capacity to fuel this growth.”

the phone, called digital satellite public telephone (DSPT), but it is installed only as village public telephones.

use of sat-phones is to generate assistance or data support from the country where the sat-phone is licensed from, or by contacting the phone’s operator. Another measure can be to empower the surveillance wings with intelligence techniques to monitor the entire satellite phone traffic, wireline, wireless, Internet, email and voice over Internet protocol.

Also, the surveillance wings can study the methods and procedures used by other nations to intercept satellite communications.

Sat-phones: A grave terror threat

C M Y K

TERRORIST ATTACKS in Mumbai have again brought to light a new class of terror modus operandi that is thriving on technology as important battle armour. The ease and frequency with which the terrorists involved in Mumbai carnage freely communicated with their bosses in Karachi has brought to light once again the misuse of sat-phones or (satellite phones to the uninitiated). With each new terror strike, the modus operandi of the terrorists seems to be turning more sophisticated, hightech and lethal. This is evident from the fact that the Mumbai terrorists were armed not only with ammunition, but also with Google Maps, GPS locators and sat-phones for uninterrupted communication.

The frequency used in sat-phones cannot be jammed unlike the normal cellular communication, nor can they be tapped easily by India’s security agencies. Little wonder, sat-phones formed an intrinsic part of the terrorists’ plans. Now with the Mumbai mayhem over, the focus is on A worker pumps gas for a customer at a gas station in Ha- the sat-phones procured from noi, December 3. Vietnam lowered fuel prices by 8 percent the terror sites. Here’s lookTuesday as world oil prices fell to $49 a barrel, the lowest ing into what is a sat-phone price in nearly three years. (AP Photo)

and why it cannot be easily lished by Alcatel in 1991 and began commercial service in intercepted in India. late 1999, currently offers service in over 100 countries, as What are sat-phones A satellite phone or sat- well as most territorial waters phone is a type of wireless and several mid-ocean regions. phone that connects to or- Signals from a Globalstar biting satellites directly, in- phone or modem are received stead of terrestrial cellphone by the company’s constellanetworks. In simple words, tion of 48 Low Earth Orbiting a satellite phone sends and (LEO) satellites and relayed to receives calls using satellites ground-based gateways, which rather than landlines or cellu- then pass the call on to the terlar broadcasting towers. One restrial telephone network. of the biggest advantages of a Globalstar covers about 80 per sat-phone is that it can make cent of the earth’s landmass, and receive calls from any part excluding northern and southof the world depending upon ern polar regions. Thuraya the network cover provided by offers cost-effective satellitethe satellite operator. Howev- based mobile telephone serer, major satellite phone net- vices to nearly one-third of the work operators cover major globe which covers parts of parts of the planet, including India, Asia, Africa, the entire Middle-East and Europe. Indeserts and oceans. marsat operates a constellation Who are the sat-phone of geostationary satellites that extend mobile phone and data providers?

The major satellite net- communications to every part work operators in the world are of the world, except the poles.

Iridium, Globalstar, Inmarsat The satellites are controlled and the Middle-East based from Inmarsat’s headquarters Thuraya. Iridium uses low or- in London. Also, some satelbiting satellites that minimise lite networks have partnered conversational delays, but it with cellular GSM networks provides coverage over the en- to provide Internet service and tire Earth, including oceans. email through satellite phones Globalstar, which was estab- in addition to offering GSM

L E L O U P K I Y C S T T L U

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T N Y O O S F B E G I T Y G T

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T S Z R L H C S E B L C I I K

Why India cannot intercept sat-phones

Unlike the mobile phones that can be easily intercepted by the security agencies to track data, sat-phones are noninterceptable in India. This is primarily because no satellite phone network operator has its centre in India. Also, since these phones are satellite driven and the operator doesn’t need any interconnectivity with India’s domestic network, the communication cannot be traced. The problem exists because India does not provide licenses for operating satellite phones on a commercial basis. In a media interview, officials of the department of telecommunications (DoT) have said that India does not provide licenses for operating satellite phones on a commercial basis. Inmarsat’s satellite phones are available through Tata Communications (formerly VSNL) but it is sold only to security and government agencies. Even state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) provides a variant of

DAILY CROSS WORD

LEISURE W O

roaming. This allows a satellite phone customer to utilise GSM networks when possible.

C

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L L K OV J P A I GQ L BWL OO L AH F T F K R YQ CU X AND B AO V CM K K P N L X

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD # 1170

The Morung Express number game

Sudoku # 1153

What can be done

Though the government agencies can deploy a few mechanisms to monitor the sat-phone communication, a strong process needs to be in place for that to happen.

Especially after the Mumbai attacks in which a satphone is being considered vital evidence in cracking up the case. One of the possible solutions to prevent the mis-

DIMAPUR

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KOHIMA Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Answers to CROSSWORD #1169

STD CODE: 03862

232224; Emergency- 229529, 229474 227930, 231081 233044, 228846 228254 231864, 230889 232201 228400 232106 227607, 228400 232181 242555/ 242531

STD CODE: 0370 2244279 2244923 2242897 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202

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1. The Ryder ___ (3) 4. ___ is the spice of life (7) 8. Louisiana, the ___ State (7) 9. ___ light show (5) 10. Lesser of two ___ (5) 11. The ___ of time (5) 12. ___ said than done (6) 14. ___ and liabilities (6) 18. Great minds think ___ (5) 20. A drop in the ___ (5) 22. ___ on the cake (5) 23. Caught ___ (7) 24. Short ___ (7) 25. Original ___ (3)

BLOODBATH

Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”

Yesterdays answer Sudoku #1152

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Regional/LOCAL

The Morung Express

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Dimapur

5

Laldenga factor driving force of MNF Aizawl, December 2 (UNI): What Nehru-Gandhi factor is to the Indian National Congress, Laldenga factor is to the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram.

Election posters and banners may not have his pictures and fail to figure in the MNF's campaign speeches, Laldenga, the legend of Mizo insurgency, is still the driving force of the party he had founded in 1961 which carried out the 20-year long insurgency from 1966 to 1986.

To the outsiders' eyes, it looks as though Laldenga is a forgotten man even in the party because the Congress posters carry pictures of Indira, Rajiv, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi while those of the MNF have none of his. ''Congress has pictures of the Gandhi family because they are non-Mizos. We don't use Pu Laldenga's pictures in the election banners or take his name in the meetings because it is not the Mizo Christians way to idolise human beings,'' MNF joint secretary Zosangliana said. ''Pu Laldenga will never fade away from the Mizos’ memories because he was

the only leader who brought the Mizos known to the world and who sowed the seeds of Mizo nationalism. Now, 18 years after his death, he and the Mizo nationalism he had planted and nurtured are still the secret of our party’s strength,'' added F Aithanga, MNF general secretary and spokesperson.

Had not it been for the Church-sponsored Mizoram People’s Forum guidelines that banned loud speakers among others, the MNF would surely have employed the Laldenga magic by playing patriotic songs on tape recorders fitted to loud speakers, for that would remind the patriotic Mizos of the old days when Laldenga led the Mizos’ struggle for liberation from the 'step-mother India.'

To the Mizos in general, Laldenga was the most important man behind the architecture of today’s Mizoram politics.

In fact, it was the 'Laldenga tape' which said the Congress was a national party but was deeply committed to safeguarding local interests contributed to the party’s victory. The Congress had its presence in Mizoram since

1965, but came to power only in 1984 by winning 20 seats in the 30-member House.

Following the signing of the Mizo Peace Accord in June 1986 between Rajiv Gandhi and Laldenga, then Congress chief minister Lal Thanhawla stepped down to make room for Laldenga and both the MNF and the Congress shared power. The Laldengaled MNF won a landslide victory in the first Mizoram state assembly elections in 1987 but was toppled by Lal Thanhawla in 1988 resulting in a President’s Rule. In the 1989 elections, the Congress emerged victorious and five years later broke the jinx by returning to power for a second term, in alliance with the Mizo Janata Dal headed by former chief minister Brigadier T Sailo.

Laldenga died in 1990 at the London’s Heathrow Airport on his way back from the US where he got cancer treatment. His aide-camp Zoramthanga finally led the Laldenga-less MNF to victory in the 1998 elections after defeating the Congress which had been ruling the roost for Mizo voters shows their Voter Identity Cards as they wait for their turn to cast votes for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly on December 2. An electorate of 6,11,124 voters will decide the fate of 205 candidates.(UB Photo) two consecutive terms.

Mizoram records 75 pc turnout Dismal condition of children in Assam Aizawl, December 2 (AGENCIES): Voting to elect a new government in the northeastern state of Mizoram ended peacefully Tuesday with at least 75 per cent people exercising their franchise. “The exact poll per centage would be available Wednesday after we compile reports from all the polling stations,” joint chief electoral officer Lalhmingthanga said, adding no untoward incident happened throughout.

The polling went up to 78 per cent in the previous assembly elections in the state, deputy election commissioner R. Balakrishnan told reporters in Delhi. Voters in large numbers queued up well before voting opened at 7 a.m. Polling ended at 4 p.m.

The ballots will be counted Dec 8. The poll will decide the electoral fate of 313 candidates, including 31 women and 64 Independents.

An estimated 611,124 voters, including 308,884 women, were eligible to exercise their franchise. Political parties also expressed their happiness over the heavy turnout of voters and peaceful elections. The Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF), so-

cial wing of the Presbyterian Church, set up makeshift stalls in front of the 1,026 polling stations to help voters find their names on the electoral rolls.

Ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) supremo and chief minister Zoramthanga could not cast his vote at Chaltlang on the outskirts of the capital town Aizawl as he was camping in Champhai from where he is contesting on two seats - Champhai North and Champhai South. The Reang tribal refugee voters, who have been living in six camps in northern Tripura and two in Mizoram for the past 11 years, cast their ballots Nov 28 and 29. About 9,000 poll officials were deployed to conduct the elections.

Tuesday’s vote would decide the fate of Chief Minister Zoramthanga, state Congress chief Lalthanhawla and Brig. T. Sailo of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and a host of top leaders of various parties.

Lalthanhawla and Sailo, a World War II veteran, are the chief ministerial candidates of their respective parties.

The main tussle for political

supremacy in Mizoram is between the ruling (Mizo National Front) MNF, the main opposition Congress party, and the newly formed UDA, a conglomeration of various regional parties.

The ruling MNF is contesting 39 seats leaving one seat to its pre-poll partner, the Mara Democratic Front (MDF). The opposition Congress is contesting all the 40 seats, while union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has fielded candidates in 38 seats. The UDA, an alliance of Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), is contesting 39 seats. The BJP has put up candidates in nine constituencies and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded candidates from six.

In the last assembly elections held in 2003, the ruling MNF secured 21 seats while the Congress bagged 12 and seven went to other smaller parties. Tuesday’s poll is the sixth assembly election since Mizoram attained statehood in February 1987. Results will be declared Dec 8.

Guwahati, December 2 (PTI): An average 175 of them dying everyday, 5 per cent of them working as labourers and their rights trampled without any qualm, the children are in a shocking condition in Assam where grinding poverty has also thrown street children into peddling illegal drugs.

The children in Assam, as elswhere in the country, are unaware about the rights guaranteed to them under the Constitution like the Right to Survive or Right to Live in a Hygienic Condition.

Even if they become aware of their rights, they have seldom anything to do as they have already been sucked into the grindmill, UNICEF’s Assam representative Jero Master said.

The Constitution defined anybody below 18 as a child and entitled them to certain child rights, Master asserted.

With the fourth highest infant mortality rate of 66 per 1,000 live births in the country, Assam accounts for death of 175 children below five

years of age and 132 infants every day, he points out. Over 40 per cent children below three years are underweight, 76.7 per cent of the children are anaemic. The 2001 census also revealed that 5.4 per cent children between five years and 14 years were child labourers, the UNICEF representative quoted.

Around 53.4 per cent of girls were also found by the 2002-04 district level household survey to be married off before they attained age 18 years. Street children commonly involved in petty theft were now selling illegal drugs such as marijuana and ganja.

The State’s Juvenile Justice board has records of several cases of drug peddling by street children 80 per cent of whom are engaged in petty crimes.

According to Father Lucas, a member of the Juvenile Board and who runs a prominent destitute home Snehalaya for street children, said poverty drove the children to resort to illegal activities and theft to earn ‘easy money’.

With their basic needs remaining unfulfilled, the

children were easy victims of temptation for food and toys and therefore resorted to petty crimes to acquire them, Father Lucas pointed out.

These children were also not taught the difference between wrong and right by their parents who sometimes even force them to go out of their homes to earn a livelihood, he said. There were instances of children being compelled to earn even if it involved illegal means, he said. The runaway children, who hung around train stations and bus stands, also fall prey to unscrupulous persons who use them for selling illegal substances, begging or pocket-picking, child activists said.

Even though these children are physically abused, the priest said, they endure the illtreatment because they feel a strange sense of security being provided with food, shelter and clothes, the activists said. To correct the unhappy situation, Master called for an intensive campaign to raise awareness level among people about the violation of child rights.

Former CM confident of returning to power Aizawl, DECEMBER 2 (PTI): Former Mizoram chief minister and state PCC chief Lal Thanhawla on Tuesday expressed confidence that he would return to power in the state after being in the opposition for the past 10 years.

Talking to media here after casting his vote at a polling station in Aizawl North-III constituency from where his younger brother Lal Thanzara is contesting, Thanhawla said that his main agenda, if voted to power, would be to uplift the poor in the state. "I am not fighting the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), but the misrule and rampant corruption in the state," the three-time chief minister, who himself has a graft case pending against him, said.

Training held for SHGs at Tseminyu Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): The office of the Programme Coordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kohima, in collaboration with the Directorate of Agriculture, organised a two-day training programme on ‘women in agriculture’ for the SHGs under Tseminyu sub-division at Tseminyu village on November 11 and at KVK Office on November 12.

Khekali Sema, SMS (horticulture), spoke on the importance of Book Keeping, and Keviyieno Zhasa, training assistant, demonstrated on value addition of groundnut and soyabean.

During the interaction session, problems, doubts and queries were clarified to the trainees. Altogether 50 trainees from 10 different SHGs attended the training.

ANDBGPF announces office bearers Kohima, December 2 (MExN): The All Nagaland Drivers & Body Guards Prayer Fellowship has announced the name of its office bearers for the tenure 2008-2011.

Chairman- Samuel Shohe, vice chairman-Kehousilie Angami, general secretary- Augustine Kharka, joint secretarySamuel Gurung, finance secretary- L Kapfo Chakhesang, banker- Yongnyak Konyak, home evangelists- Apna Rengma, Yambamo Lotha and Zukhohu Rhakho, and women group prayer leader- Amongla K Angami are part of the new team. The executive members include R B Thapa, Chenchibeni Lotha and Qhutoli, New Reserve Phesama.

DCC Wokha get together held Wokha, December 2 (MExN): With the initiative of the party workers of Chukitong Range and 37th ACCC Wokha, a get together-cum-picnic was held on November 15 last at Doyang River, with Yankithung Yanthan, exMLA and general secretary of NPCC as host. More than 250 party workers and supporters participated in the programme. The DCC Wokha encouraged the party workers to keep up their loyalty and dedication for the party even in the days to come. This was stated in a press note issued

by C Renponthung Ezung, president of DCC, Wokha.

A heart-rending story of a recent blast victim's family

Jorhat, December 2 (ANI): All dreams of Rajmi Lekha Borah of Jorhat appear to have been shattered since the day she lost her husband in the recent serial bomb blasts in Assam. Lekha today is leading life in a vacuum, waiting for her husband to return. Her heart doesn't accept that her husband Dilip Borah is no more and hence will never return. Lekha keeps on staring into the vacuum, waiting for her husband to return, but unfortunately, he never will.

Dilip was the sole breadwinner for his family compris-

ing a wife and two daughters.

"What can I say about our miseries. We lost my husband's brother last year and now after my husband there is nobody to depend upon.

I have no source of income.

Our entire family depended on their income. But now that the two have been taken away I seek help. Will the government look at our plight?," said Rajmi Lekha Borah.

Dilip Borah used to an entrepreneur and a social worker of his region. He was in Guwahati to meet the State's chief minister Tarun Gogoi to

talk about the problems of his region. Little did Dilip know that he would himself become the victim of mindless violence unleashed by militants.

Soren Dutta, one relative of the deceased, said: "I appeal to the government and other organizations to extend every possible help in helping the children of the victims."

Dr. Debobrat Sarma, one local resident in Jorhat, said: "The people of Jorhat today together condemn this dastardly act and oppose any effort or conspiracy at communalizing the whole issue. We

MNWWA Golden Jubilee from Dec 12 Dimapur, December 2 (MExN): The Mao Naga Women Welfare Association’ (MNWWA) Golden Jubilee will be celebrated at Tadubi from December 12 to 14 under the theme, “Kodolei mozhulo koru duno phra piwotie” (Liberated to look beyond). D.Kaini Thohrii, W/o MLA, Mao 48 A/C will grace the opening ceremony as the chief guest while Elizabeth Thasii, w/o minister for TD Hill Council and Veterinary and Hoila Raina, w/o MLA, Tadubi 49 A/C will be the guest of honours. The speakers for the jubilee are Apinao Kayiphro Pfoze, Manager (I/S), DIC Senapati and Kokho Ela-a, Director, Prodigal Home Dimapur.

The new office building of the Mao Naga Women Welfare Association will also be dedicated on December 12 by K.Adani, President, Mao Council (Memei Hoho). There will also be debate and folk song competition during the jubilee, informed a release received from the president of the Mao Naga Women Welfare Association.

Alert in Assam following fresh detection of flu Rangiya, December 2 (PTI): An alert has been sounded in two central Assam districts of Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup (Rural) as avian flu has been detected in fresh areas there amid reports of death of more than 100 birds. The death of chickens was reported from the Bogri and Kachumara areas, prompting the district administrations to ban purchase and sale of eggs, official sources said. Over a hundred birds were found dead yesterday at the Bongra and Kachumara areas from where samples had been collected and sent to the laboratories in Bhopal and Pune, Kamrup (rural) deputy commissioner R N Jain said. As a precautionary measure, an alert has been sounded as the avian disease is suspected to be spreading to fresh areas of Sarpara, Rangamati, Bongra and Kachuniapra villages. The Karmup (metro) district administration has imposed a ban on movement of birds and eggs from the affected areas as well as from the nearby markets at Mirza and Plashbari in the outskirts of the city.

In the Kamrup (rural) district, nearly 50,000 birds have been culled and another 30,000 will be culled in the next couple of days. The administration is also probing the reported sale of flu-affected birds at a very low price in the Hajo area.

M. T. Therieh, Civil Judge (Junior) Kohima pose for camera with members of Uve Cultural Society, Old Minister’s Hill Kohima and well wishers after releasing a CD and the constitution of the Society on November 30 in Kohima.

demand that the people who are behind the conspiracy should be brought to book and punished."

The tale is not just limited to the Borah family. There are many others who have suffered a similar fate. This is not the first instance when United Liberation Front of Asom or ULFA, the prime suspected organisation behind the recent Assam blast has committed such acts of violence. Time and again the ULFA has hurt many families and destroyed many dreams. By Vaschipem Kamondang.

BSF raises combat teams

Shillong, December 2 (PTI): Alarmed at the suicide terror strikes in Mumbai, the BSF has begun raising special combat teams at every border outpost along the Indo-Bangla border. Every BOP would have a specially-trained commando team, armed with sophisticated weapons and vehicles, to counter militant intrusions, a senior BSF official said today.

The commandos would not take even an hour to respond to an emergency situation, Inspector General of BSF's As-

sam and Meghalaya Frontier P K Mishra said here.

The move comes in the backdrop of reports that the porous Indo-Bangladesh border was a route for terrorists, to sneak into India. Besides, the BSF is also gearing up its Guwahati-based 128 battalion the National Disaster Response Force to tackle any emergency, apart from dealing with floods and earthquakes.

The inspector-general said the riverine routes both in Assam and Meghalaya needed to be

monitored strictly to check movement of militants.

He said the BSF had asked the Centre to provide two hovercraft and several medium-sized vessels which would be able to carry 20 personnel each to monitor the riverine border along the Brahmaputra River. Besides, the force is also procuring more speedboats as the floating border outposts have turned out to be less effective in the context of recurring floods in Assam.

DC Kiphire appraise people to keep vigilant Kiphire, December 2 (DIPR): A co-ordination meeting of district administration, security forces, NGOs and representatives of GBs and DBs Joint Forum was held on November 19 at the office chamber of Deputy Commissioner Kiphire, under the chairmanship of DC L. Yantsowo Lotha.

The DC appraised the members about the terror attacks in various cities in the country and informed the members

to keep vigilant in case of any eventualities.

After thorough deliberation and discussion on various resolutions adopted by various forums in connection with factional activities, the members resolved to strictly adhere to the resolution made on July 30, 2008. The members decided to entrust the GBs and DBs Joint Forum to direct all armed factions to vacate the civilian populated

areas by giving deadline with intimation to DLCG. The meeting further resolved that after the expiry of the deadline the DLCG will carry out flush out operations in Kiphire town through the combined forces of police and para military, DBs and GBs besides KTC members.

For this, the Superintendent of Police Kiphire was entrusted to work out the modalities and inform accordingly.

CONDOLENCES ASU Kohima

The Angami Students’ Union, Kohima, has expressed shock at the sudden demise of Kevimere, Secretary Librarian, ASU. The Union in a condolence message conveyed that in his demise ASU had lost a noble personality, and prayed that God Almighty comfort the bereaved family in their hour of grief and grant them strength to overcome the loss.

The Union also conveyed prayers for the departed soul to rest in peace.

PSU

Puneboqa Students’ Union (PSU) mourned the death of Mughatoli Swu, who passed away on November 26.

Expressing condolence, the Union described her as a great human being, sincere, honest and dedicated leader, who served as women coordinator and secretary till her death.

“In her death, the students’ union in particular and village in general has lost its future leader,” the release stated. Further, the Union conveyed its sympathy to the ENGOA bereaved family members and Eastern Nagaland Gazett- also prayed for the departed ed Officers’ Association (EN- soul to rest in peace.

GOA) mourned the demise of late Imtiyanger Sangtam, USU (Retd), Deputy CommissionUsutomi Students Union er, department of excise. “Even has condoled on the sudden after his retirement from gov- demise of Vihoto Awomi who ernment service, he was ac- passed away on October 28. tively engaged in nurturing “He was the leader of Usuhis society,” a release issued tomi Students Union since

by ENGOA general secretary 1983 as general secretary and Anungla Imdong Phom said in 1984 as union president” and further conveyed heart- the union stated and further felt condolence to the bereaved adding that they have lost a family members and prayed great leader who worked for for his soul to rest in peace. the uplift of society.

6

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express wednesday 3 december 2008 VOL. IIi ISSUE 335

Is State the Solution

I

n the common search for JustPeace, it is judicious to begin by asking fundamental questions that define the path in which the process towards understanding interplays with issues of natural justice. Invariably, the State finds itself at the center of any discourse that involves human desire for justice and peace.

Empirical truths indicate that the State monopolizes use of legitimate force and exercises coercion to ensure its legitimacy.

The propounded notion of ‘nation-state’ is a fallacy, because the term denotes an assumption that a State comprises of a single nation, however natural law reveals that a State consist of many nations. In essence, one cannot actually recall a State that consists of only one Nation. Many nations exist within a State - with or without the consent of the people, thereby revealing the hegemonizing and homogenizing character, thus the seeds of State political violence.

Internal contradictions of the State is further uncovered within the dichotomy of its functions and structures. While its functions persuade the promises of its goodness for its beneficiaries, its structures ensure that they are never actually realized. After all, if a State were to fulfill all its functions and promises, there would not be any relevance in its continued existence. Consequently, roots of State structural violence germinate from within this ideology of exclusivity.

The casualty that unfolds from State political violence and structural violence is the collective decision-making process of the people. Since the interest and need of individuals or groups cannot be identical, the issue of collective decision-making process cannot be avoided if people want to co-exist together with mutual respect and understanding. Nonetheless, empirical truth reveals that State has usurped people’s decision-making capacity, particularly of indigenous peoples. In affect, it has obstructed a people, any people’s ability to determine their own destiny. This divulges the moral problem of politics.

Empirical truth shows that a State defines itself as the ultimate authority to define its territorial domain and to exercise its power within it, with no recourse to a higher authority. The ideology of arbitrary power brings the State into direct confrontation with indigenous people, the rightful owners to exercise their inalienable rights over their land and resources. Imposition of State on indigenous peoples renders its institution as unjust, and therefore unresponsive to the needs of the people.

While resolution with a State without addressing the question of justice is invalid because it contradicts the nature of truth, State consensus through elections does not guarantee truth either. Since the State usurps all powers of the people and assumes its role as the ultimate decision-maker, any agreement with the State without addressing the rights of the people will be an agreement of perpetual conflict. It is illogical to pronounce State as the solution to the problems, because it is precisely the institutions of a State and its arrogance of power, which first makes conflict unavoidable and perpetual.

left wing |

Philip Bowring

The crowd and the crown

C

ould the monarchy in Thailand go the way of Nepal’s, the latest crown to fall to republicanism? The idea may seem ridiculous considering that Thailand’s monarch, Bhumibol Adulyadej, almost invariably has the prefix “revered” attached to his name by the foreign press, and is constantly glorified by the local media. But as Nepal showed, monarchies can self-destruct when royal families have internal squabbles or when incompetent monarchs overreach themselves and set off a republican reaction. It is worth recalling that the late King Birendra of Nepal was a revered figure during a 30-year reign. But after his assassination in 2001 by a crazed son he was succeeded by King Gyanendra, who in 2005 dissolved Parliament and attempted direct monarchical rule. This was a total failure.

Republicanism and a Maoist insurgency paved the way for elections and the monarchy was abolished in March.

Could it be that the monarchist demonstrators now paralyzing Bangkok’s airports and bringing chaos to Thailand’s economy are actually sowing the seeds of distrust of monarchies among the Thai masses who voted the current government into power only 11 months ago? Could harsh lèse-majesté laws be hiding a rising tide of resentment? King Bhumibol is usually presented as a figure who stands above domestic politics, intervening only to end conflicts and restore balance between contending military and political forces. In fact, the history is not quite so simple. For the most part, he has given his implied blessing to coups staged in the name of stability and clean government.

On this occasion, however, the king’s silence in the face of months of rising mayhem brought about by the “People’s Alliance for Democracy” (PAD) has been instructive. It can be seen either as a sign of tacit support for the demonstrators, or an indication that at his age (81 on Wednesday), ailing and mourning the death of his sister Princess Galyani, he does not wish to involve himself in a dispute that is linked - albeit indirectly - to his own succession. Either way, let there be no doubt that the PAD is given plenty of support by establishment interests within the bureaucracy, judiciary and army with links to the Privy Council, headed by an 88-year-old former prime minister, General Prem Tinsulanond. Royal backing was evident in the unprecedented attendance by the queen at the funeral of a PAD demonstrator killed by an exploding tear gas canister.

The army itself will neither help restore order nor, as yet, cut the Gordian knot by staging another coup. Its 2006 coup was a failure and it still lacks a coherent post-coup agenda. The PAD itself is a misnomer. It is largely an assemblage of elite or elitefinanced groups that loathes and fears former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in the 2006 coup. It is distrustful of democracy and claims - despite the records of some members - to represent clean government.

Thaksin certainly abused his office for political gain, and allegedly for financial gain. He deserved to be cut down to size. But what his opponents most resent is his centralization of power and his reliance on a rural voting mass resentful of the huge income gap between themselves and the Bangkok middle class. The monarchists are especially desperate to keep Thaksin out of power during the succession. The crown prince attracts significantly less respect than his father, and the future role of other members of the royal family, including the queen, is uncertain. Thaksin is no republican. But like strong Thai leaders in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Pibul Songgram and Sarit Thanarat, he would prefer it to be largely ceremonial, and not a power center. The elite would like to use the monarchy to bolster its own position, as it is now doing via PAD. But this could end up threatening rather than helping the monarchy. If the Thaksin populists eventually come out ahead in this power struggle, they will harbor resentments against royals who may no longer attract the respect given to King Bhumibol. And a win for the elite would have to be endorsed by the army, so a strong military figure could well emerge to overshadow a new king.

Thais who value the role of constitutional monarchs might do well to ponder other recent royal histories - and the dangers of using a mob against an elected government.

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

M K Bhadrakumar

Strange storm brews in South Asia

N

o sooner had the guns fallen silent and the terrorist carnage ended in Mumbai than a keen three-way diplomatic tussle began involving India, Pakistan and the United States.

The two South Asian nuclear powers are locked in race to get the US on their respective side. For the US, though, it is no longer a matter of acting as a fair-minded, neutral mediator. Today, Washington is a full-fledged participant with its own stakes in the South Asian strategic power equations, thanks to the war in Afghanistan, which is critically poised. Indeed, the South Asian brew couldn’t be more strange.

As “The Old Man” in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth would say, “Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time I have seen Hours dreadful and things strange: but this sore night Hath trifled former knowings.”

Washington seems to apprehend that the escalating tensions in South Asia may spin out of hand. According to the latest indications, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is arriving in New Delhi on Wednesday on a mediatory mission. Again, Israeli intelligence Mossad is watching from the shade. The apparently Pakistani fidayeen (guerillas) who attacked Mumbai made it a point to target Jews, including Israeli citizens, for particularly gruesome violence. There were nine Jewish victims. Israeli experts have arrived in Mumbai. Israel’s fury knows no bounds.

Meanwhile, China is gently wading into the eye of the storm. On Saturday, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi discussed by telephone the crisis with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi. They surely condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But then, Yang went on to express the hope that “Pakistan and India could continue to strengthen cooperation, maintain the Pakistan-India peace process, and to advance bilateral ties in a healthy and steady way”, to quote Xinhua news agency.

Yang said, “These measures are in the fundamental interests of both Pakistan and India.” Curiously, Yang and Qureshi also “pledged joint efforts to push forward bilateral ties”. In essence, Yang has voiced solidarity with Pakistan and counseled restraint on the part of India. It is unclear whether Washington prompted Beijing to use its good offices to calm the troubled waters or Beijing wished to underscore its relevance to South Asian security.

One thing is clear, though. As the death toll in Mumbai continues to steadily climb and is about to cross 200 innocent lives, India is overwhelmed by waves of sorrow and anger. The government in Delhi has been shaken to its very foundations by the public outrage that has erupted at the colossal failure of political leadership. The ruling party, Congress, which is the grand old party that led India’s freedom struggle, faces an existential threat to its future standing on the chessboard of India’s national politics.

Senior politicians of all shades sat huddled in the prime minister’s residence for hours altogether until midnight Sunday, figuring out how to face the daylight and a public which is fast losing faith in them and their shenanigans.

The interior minister has been forced by an irate Congress party leadership to resign, owning responsibility for the massive failure to prevent the fidayeen from storming India’s financial capital with such impunity. Curiously, intelligence wasn’t altogether lacking that precisely such an attack from the Arabian Sea needed to be anticipated.

But the public is not impressed that the dapper minister’s head has rolled. The wounds on the Indian psyche cut deep.

And there is a growing possibility that the public anger may result in a wild swing in the popular mood toward right-wing na-

tionalist politics in the ongoing provincial assembly elections and the fast-approaching parliamentary elections.

The government is pointing its finger at Pakistan as the base from where the fidayeen staged their carefully planned attack. The popular perception in India is that there had to be some very substantial degree of involvement by elements within the Pakistani establishment for such a massive, meticulously choreographed operation with detailed logistical back-up to be staged.

The government is having a hard time maintaining its formal position, which

“national unity”, right-wing politicians do not feel the impetus to do so when they sense the chances of their being catapulted into power on a nationalistic wave of popular outrage.

Meanwhile, Delhi turns toward Washington for more help. And, anticipating further US pressure, the Pakistani military has begun holding out veiled threats that unless Washington and Delhi backed off, all bets are off on its participation in the “war on terror” in Afghanistan. This may put Washington in some quandary - and explain Rice’s hur-

distinguishes terrorist groups based in Pakistan that would have carried out the attack and the Pakistani government as such. The public opinion doesn’t buy the subtle distinction, but the government has little choice in the matter.

Indeed, the Indian establishment seems to lack conviction in what it is saying by way of absolving the Pakistani security agencies of any hand in perpetrating the terrorist attack. The alternative for the government would be tantamount to calling the attack by its name - an act of war - on the part of the Pakistani establishment, given its massive scale. But that will oblige India to respond to the perceived aggression militarily, which of course is unthinkable as a nuclear flashpoint is reachable within no time.

The point is, the India-Pakistan adversarial relationship with its undercurrents of mutual suspicion and bristling with countless animosities bordering on hostility, is so delicately poised at any given moment that it doesn’t need more than a few hours to degenerate into a conflict situation on account of a misstep or two on either side, even when it is camouflaged in veneers of cordiality as it has been during the past three to four years.

Islamabad, of course, stubbornly rejects all imputations of involvement in the terrorist attack. Under direct pressure from the United States, Islamabad hurriedly accepted the idea that Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, director general of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Pakistan’s premier intelligence service, would visit India to discuss the issue. But this decision, emanating out of a telephone conversation between Rice and Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, seemed to have been a shrewd attempt to finesse the mounting Indian anger. It has since been watered down by the Pakistani military. Evidently, Pakistani army chief General Pervez Kiani, who previously headed the ISI, concluded it might sap the morale for the military to be seen wobbling under Indian pressure.

Reflexes are hardening on both sides.

In the domestic political environment in India with impending national elections, it is politically suicidal for the government to be seen helpless in even coaxing Islamabad into a meaningful exchange.

While the Indian left parties have set aside their recent acrimonious differences with the government and called for

ried trip to the region.

The Pakistani military knows only too well that once the “Afghanistan factor” is brought into play, the calculus changes completely. With an estimated 32,000 US troops already on the field and a prospective force of more than 20,000 combat and support troops possibly on their way on the request of commanders in Afghanistan, it becomes a high stakes game for Washington.

From Washington’s perspective, the crisis erupts at an awkward time, with various departments and agencies of the US administration engaged in devising a fresh strategy towards the war in Afghanistan - White House coordinator for Iraq and Afghanistan General Douglas Lute; CENTCOM commander General Petraeus; chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen; the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency are yet to complete their assignment.

The Afghan factor cuts into US interests in different ways. First, in the event of an escalation of India-Pakistan tensions in the coming days and weeks, the US should anticipate a Pakistani decision to divert its crack divisions from the Afghan border regions, roughly totaling 100,000 troops, to its western border with India. Almost immediately, the impact will be felt on the dynamics of the war in Afghanistan.

In a recent speech in Washington, General David McKiernen, supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, had underscored how important it was that Pakistani military stayed the course in Afghanistan.

He said Kiani was shortly expected in Kabul and “we’ve started from talking to each other to today we coordinate tactical-level cooperation along the border”. McKiernen added he saw a “shift in thinking at the senior levels in Pakistan that this insurgency is a problem that threatens the very existence of Pakistan, and that they have to deal with it perhaps in ways that they didn’t contemplate a few years ago on their side of the border. So I see a willingness and a capacity, although they have a long way to go to conduct counterinsurgency operations on the Pak side of the border”.

He expressed “cautious optimism” about the war, taking into account the Pakistani military’s willingness to cooperate.

McKiernen’s worst fear now will be that the Pakistani military leadership may be about to plead it has the will to fight the al-Qaeda

and the Taliban but lacks the capacity and resources due to the urgent requirement of redeployment on the border with India.

A second factor working on the US will be the pressure that all this might put on the transit facilities for supplying the troops. Roughly 75% of the supplies for the US troops pass through Pakistan and there are no viable alternate routes except through Iran for supplying the units deployed in the insurgency-ridden southern and southeastern regions of Afghanistan.

Third, without Pakistan’s support, the Taliban will have a field day in the border regions. And the casualties for the NATO forces will mount, which will have serious political implications for the European capitals.

Therefore, Washington’s prime task will be to cool tempers and avoid an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between the two South Asian nuclear adversaries. It will be the last major foreign policy act for the departing George W Bush administration and a curious full-dress rehearsal for the incoming Barack Obama presidency. The Pakistani interest lies in forcing a mediatory role on the US that “restrains” India. The Pakistani military feels nervous about the rapidly expanding US-India strategic partnership and would like Washington to be even-handed in its South Asia policies. Curiously, the fidayeen attack on Mumbai forcefully underscores the Pakistani plea that Washington cannot compartmentalize the Afghan war without addressing the core issues of India-Pakistan tensions.

But all this overlooks the possibility that the Pakistani military may well have a grand motive for ratcheting up tensions with India precisely at the present juncture so as to find an alibi to wriggle out of the commitments to the “war on terror” in Afghanistan. The point is, the Pakistani military harbors deep misgivings about the incoming Obama administration’s Afghan policy.

Obama has dropped enough hints that he will get tough with the Pakistani military for its twin-track policy of fighting the war and at the same time harnessing the Taliban as the charioteer of its geopolitical influence in Afghanistan.

The current US thinking leans towards equipping select Pashtun tribes to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda. It is a controversial move that worries the Pakistani military, as it might ignite violence in the Pashtun regions inside Pakistan and fuel the Pashtunistan demand. Besides, Obama has bluntly warned that he would get the US Special Forces to strike inside the Pakistani territory if the security situation warranted.

Such moves will be seen by the Pakistani military as a humiliating slap on its face.

What is more disconcerting for the Pakistani military is the likelihood that Obama’s “exit strategy” will emphasize the rapid build-up of a 134,000-strong Afghan national army. This has been a favorite idea of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and it may largely explain Obama’s decision to keep him at his cabinet post.

However, the law of diminishing returns begins to work for the Pakistani military once an Afghan national army gains traction. Indeed, an Afghan army will, most certainly, be led by ethnic Tajik officers. At present, Tajiks constitute over three-quarters of the Afghan army’s officer corps. But Tajiks have been entirely out of the pale of Pakistani influence - even during the Afghan jihad in the 1980s. Tajik nationalism challenges Pakistani aspirations to control Afghanistan. Summing up these dilemmas facing the Pakistani military, former Pakistani foreign secretary Najmuddin Sheikh recently pointed out, “It [Obama’s Afghan policy] would in fact be the realization of Pakistan’s worst security fears.”

Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. His assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.

Letters to the Editor Disabled people have equal rights •Sir-It is an important day for the 70 million people with disabilities in India as well as so many more all over the world.

Some progress has been made in the area of disability in India in the last few years especially in the last 1 year. India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities which guaranteed equality of opportunity in education, employment and enjoyment of basic human rights as entitled by any normal person.

The XIth Five year plan has included Disability for the first time in the History of India. The plan categorically says that every Ministry would have a plan for empowerment of disabled people. Also the plan makes it clear that at least 3% of the budget of every Ministry would be allocated for Persons with Disabilities.

However, talking about it and implementing it are two completely different things. NO steps have been taken by

the Government of India to implement them. Even the basic rights of education, employment and access are not available to people with disability.

As we celebrate World Disability Day on 3rd Dec, let us pondered over the following questions:- Are the disabled people able to enjoy the same rights as other non disabled? Are they able to study in the same schools or have access to same employment opportunities? Are they able to enjoy meals at restaurants, see movie at cinema hall as people without disabilities.

Gwazenlo Chung, Tezenchu Semy, Disabled Activist

Unprecedented claim •Sir-“The SAPO claiming ownership over Dziikou and Kezol area” which appeared on your esteemed ‘The Morung Express’ on the 5th of November is unprecedented in the history of the Tonimei (Tenyimei) customary traditions. The

decisions to publish in the newspaper are highly irresponsible and condemnable. SAPO climbed on the rooftop to announce a decision that does not involved the contending Memei (Mao) and the Zeliangrong tribes. I want to know the third party which has approved of the most unusual claims of the SAPO. Like the SAPO; Dziikou too has historical and traditional meaning among the Memei’s and the Zeliangrong tribes. Not because the Southern Angami are claiming. It has historical meaning on the Maos.

The Mao (Memei) called it “Dzüko”, which contained two words and which are “Dzü = Water” and “ko =Cold”, collectively meaning Coldwater or Dzüko, we called it, thus,” Dzüko.” The Zeliangrong named it “Zaiko Rijai”. Is SAPO setting a new standard in the traditions of the Tonimei (Tenyimei) behavior?

SAPO and its unit organization indulging in the publication of ownership over Dzüko area from time to time is a highly irresponsible behavior.

SAPO cannot just claim the backyard of the Memei. The Southern Angami villages (Khuzama & Viswema) maintain a tradition with Memei village bordering the Angamis called ‘Michochii Range’ which is 50 yards beyond the Khuzama Check Post (Kohima Side) that when a cut tree felled to the side of the Mao territory, the cutter claiming over the felled tree becomes nulled and vice-versa. This is ethical practice passed-down from generation to generation to the bordering tribes. Therefore, claiming kozhii/kezol area is not feasible to the claims made by the SAPO. Kozhii/Kezol area lies deep in the heart of the Memei territory. We cannot accept the tradition of mere publication of ownership of land by the SAPO. The SAPO’s claim outrageous, incompetent, crude and rude.

This is opposed to the culture traditions of the Tonimei (Tenyimei).We cannot tolerate the wild claims of SAPO. A. Clement, Song Song Village P.O.Mao, Senapati District, Manipur

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The Morung Express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: editor@morungexpress.com.

All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender.

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.

WednesDAY

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

3 DECEMber 2008

7

PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

The Thai Crisis: History repeats itself W. Scott Thompson

T

hailand is facing its third and greatest crisis since World War II and by far the greatest test of its monarch's power. It is difficult for outsiders to comprehend how so revered but distant a leader can wield such extraordinary powers, despite his merely "constitutional" role and numerous other constraints on his action. The secret is not in the innate role of the throne, but in the style of this particular king.

Twice before, in 1974 and 1992, when mobs threatened state order in their demands for a more democratic polity, Rama IX, or Bhumibol Adulyadej, waited day upon day to test the resilience of those he sought to favor, and to see if those he opposed could be forced to fade.

In 1974, students demanded an end to a particularly third-rate triumvirate, who had nonetheless empowered enormous economic growth. After bloodshed reached an intolerable level, by Thai standards, the king sent all three packing - to Boston and Taipei. He'd known them well and worked through them but realized their time had passed. And the king's power grew immeasurably in that decisive move. Similarly in 1992, students seized the high ground against a coup-installed military regime, and again only after several hundred deaths did the king summon the two contenders to the palace - and cause them literally to crawl on the carpet to the elevated place of the monarch, all but foretelling their agreement to his dispensation.

He waits anew. This time he has a bigger task: the damage to the economy and political system by two years of demonstrations is far greater, and his own goal is much bigger. He wishes to bury forever the prospects of the only political leader in his 50-year reign to stand up to him and attempt to supplant him - Thaksin Shinawatra, a self-made billionaire and former police general who developed a huge base in the Thai countryside through demagogic policies and increasingly strident

opposition to the "forces of the status quo" - a direct jab at the throne itself.

In fact the current crisis is a bit more complicated, for there are three players, each a descendant of forces set in motion when the absolute monarchy was overthrown in 1932. First, the monarchy. From 1932 until about 1963, 17 years after the

in 1973, forcing the king's hand to prevent chaos. They have matured - if we call it that - into the People's Alliance for Democracy, the PAD, which now occupies airports, government buildings and has brought business virtually to a standstill.

There was always, though, a permanent government of foreign-educated

present king's accession, the throne was a faint glimmer of past glory. A junta that had seized power in 1957 began to use Bhumibol, but he proved cannier in using them, and that has been the pattern. He is now old and frail but intends to stick around until he's won this final round.

Secondly, the direct descendant of a group of Mussolini-like semi-fascists who staged a coup in 1932 is not the army, but Thaksin himself. From 1948 a third group of Thais emerged around a progressive promoter, Pridi Panomyong, who founded a great university and inspired young democrats, but who wasn't able to maintain power against the better-armed rightist group who restored themselves to power. Students abroad encouraged democratic roots in the kingdom, demanding reforms and elections in country-wide demonstrations late

princes who, even today, keep a tight hold on power. Thaksin overwhelmingly won the elections he contested. Why then are the "democrats" in such opposition to him? It would be tempting to say, with Lenin, that he is the "principal enemy." They suspect that if left to his own devices he would rule eternally. Tolerance has never been Thaksin's virtue.

His ability to elicit the animosity of the throne came naturally, given the enormous electoral mandate he acquired in the countryside. In a variety of ways he made known that the national adoration of the king was old-fashioned. Bhumibol is a gentle man but he has never countenanced opposition gently. It was he who signaled the army to move in September 2006 to depose Thaksin. But the government all but placed in power by him failed to move in the way he desired.

Secondly, the "democrats" were never quite so pure. Of course there is a spectrum of views in the PAD, including some very virtuous professed democrats.

But there are also unscrupulous party hacks that make the organization work.

And most of the professedly "democratic" opposition haven't flinched at such trivial details as military coups, martial law, and whatever else needed to rid the country of Thaksin or his allies forever.

Thaksin was seen as an illegitimate upstart.

Why and how have they been able to show such determination? It's simple. The army is taking its cue from the palace, not from the government that rules in Thaksin's name. So it all but openly permits the chaos that has for the present ruined the travel industry and slowed down the economy. And the demonstrators know that the king is plainly on their side.

This time, more than 1974 and 1992, it would be trivial to say that democracy is what is at issue. It's whether or not those others, "unworthy to bear the dust under his shoes," as the royal inflection goes, can finally be worn out. Just wait - the king will wave his magic wand and the crisis will be over. The army - or some other appropriate delegate - will take power, and the country will find the patience to wear out the endurance of an expiring Thaksin, who in exile loses wealth and legitimacy by the day.

Thailand is paying an enormous price for this crisis, but in the end the king's determination to ensure a legacy where his type of people will rule, and Thailand will return to rapid economic growth and the iconic smiles by which it is known - with a bit of democracy thrown in. The king's move in the next few days will be worth watching.

W. Scott Thompson is a national security expert who served four U.S. presidents and is a professor emeritus at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is the author or editor of 13 books on world political issues and resides in Washington, Bali and Manila

World Disability Day – 3rd December

T

he annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the 14th of October 1992. The observance of the day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Since then, the world has been commemorating the 3rd of December as World disability Day. Even in Nagaland, the government has been taking note of the day and recognizing the various issues related to them. However there is a lot that needs to be done in this regard.

Awareness Locally we have to create more awareness among the civil societies, churches and the NGOs to come forward to support the cause of these special people and their various needs. In Nagaland many parents are still unable to come out in the open about their children and this is one major area of concern. The society has to come up with ways to encourage and accept such people so that parents will not be wary of opening up about their children. Also as parents, the challenge is to accept the situation that God has placed you in and not be disheartened. It has to be understood that if you do not take up the cause of your child, no one can.

The Church can in fact be a great source of encouragement to such parents and people affected by disability. In Mizoram the church has for so many years been initiating efforts to help people with disabilities by keeping one Sunday afternoon service of every month specifically to recognize the needs of people affected by disability and donating the contributions of the service towards their needs. This is indeed a novel initiative that can be replicated even in Nagaland where majority of the population are Christians. A step towards this end will automatically embolden parents to come to terms with their crisis.

Assessment camps and surveys There is an urgent need on the part of the government to especially organize assessment camps as any intervention can only be done after the problem is diagnosed. Many parents in Nagaland are at a loss as they do not know what is ailing their child or the name of the problem that they are tackling. If early assessment is done then a lot of options will be made available to the parents. At the moment parents need to take their children to major cities outside the state for any assessment and specialized intervention.

So what are the various disabilities then?

Disabled people do not form a homogeneous group. For example, the mentally ill and the mentally retarded, the visually, hearing and speech impaired and those with restricted mobility or with so-called

medical disabilities all encounter differ- Hyperactivity disorder Attention-deficit hyperactivity disent barriers, of different kinds, which order (ADHD) is a medical condition have to be overcome in different ways. characterized by difficulties with inatThe following distinction is made by the tention or hyperactivity and impulsivWorld Health Organization, in the context ity. Symptoms of inattention, or hyperof health experience, between impairment, activity and impulsivity must be severe disability and handicap: enough to cause impairment in the daily a) Impairment: Any loss or abnor- functioning of the person in at least two mality of psychological, physiological, or settings: at home, in school, in the comanatomical structure or function. munity or in the workplace. b) Disability: Any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of abil- Mental retardation Mental retardation is a term used ity to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as for a human being. c) Handicap: A disadvantage for a communicating, taking care of him or given individual, resulting from an im- herself, and social skills. These limitapairment or disability, that limits or pre- tions will cause a child to learn and devents the fulfillment of a role that is nor- velop more slowly than a typical child. mal, depending on age, sex, social and Children with mental retardation may take longer to learn to speak, walk, and cultural factors, for that individual. take care of their personal needs such Measures should be taken for the as dressing or eating. They are likely to earliest detection of the impairment fol- have trouble learning in school. They will lowed by necessary curative or remedial learn, but it will take them longer. There action, which can prevent or reduce the may be some things they cannot learn. severity of disability so that it does not become a lasting condition. Disabilities Hearing Impairment Hearing Impairment or hearing loss are again of different kinds, some of the is a full or partial decrease in the ability general ones are as follows: to detect or understand sounds. It may Autism be caused by a wide range of biological Autism is a complex developmental and environmental factors. disability that typically appears during the first three years of life impact- Visual Impairment Visual impairment is vision loss that ing development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. constitutes a significant limitation of viBoth children and adults with autism sual capability resulting from disease, typically show difficulties in verbal and trauma, or a congenital or degenerative non-verbal communication, social inter- condition that cannot be corrected by conventional means, including refracactions, and leisure or play activities. tive correction, medication, or surgery.

Cerebral Palsy It is a term used to describe a group Speech and language delay Speech delay refers to a delay in the of disorders affecting body movement and muscle co-ordination. It occurs as a development or use of the mechanisms result of damage to the developing brain, that produce speech. Speech as distinct particularly to the motor areas control- from language, refers to the actual process ling co-ordination, posture and balance. of making sounds, using such organs and structures as the lungs, vocal cords, mouth, Down syndrome tongue, teeth, etc. Language delay refers to Down syndrome (DS), also called a delay in the development or use of the Trisomy 21, is a condition in which ex- knowledge of language. Since language tra genetic material causes delays in and speech are two independent stages, the way a child develops, both mental- they may be individually delayed. For exly and physically. Children with Down ample, a child may be delayed in speech syndrome tend to share certain physical (i.e., unable to produce intelligible speech features such as a flat facial profile, an sounds), but not delayed in language. In upward slant to the eyes, small ears, and this case, the child would be attempting to a protruding tongue. produce an age-appropriate amount of language, but that language would be difficult Learning Disability Learning disability is a disorder that or impossible to understand. Conversely, a affects the student’s ability either to in- child with a language delay typically has terpret what they see and hear or to link not yet had the opportunity to produce speech sounds, it is therefore likely to have information from different parts of the a delay in speech as well. brain despite an average or above average intellectual capacity. These limitations can Proactive measures show up in many ways e.g. as specific difParents need to understand that if ficulties with spoken or written language, the child is slow in reaching any of their Co-ordination, self-control or attention. developmental milestones, they need to Such difficulties extend to schoolwork and get their act together to help and work can impede the process of learning to read with their child. You may visit the child specialist or the pediatrician who may or write, or do to do mathematics. recommend some specialist for you. In Attention deficit

Kohima concerned parents can get the assistance of a special educator at the Hope centre to work with such children.

Though people with disabilities have lots of health concerns and issues related to socializing, it is paramount to realize that early intervention in terms of special education, physiotherapy, speech and occupational therapy can train the child to be an independent person. It has been proved by neuroscientists that the best years for intervention is before 4 years during which period the child has the potential to learn 50% of what he can learn in his entire lifetime.

Therefore as parents you must realize that you can do a lot for your child to ensure that he or she has a meaningful life.

Parents need not be discouraged by the situation but should rather fight for the cause of the child to bring out the best in their child. In history we also have great men who were born with special needs but achieved great heights owing to the support that they received.

Thomas Alva Edison was born on Feb 11, 1847 in a middle class family. Edison had an unusually large head and skull coupled with other developmental disabilities such as hearing loss and speech difficulties. In fact, he did not start speaking until age 4. He was even suspended from school for a poor academic performance after his teacher lost hope to train him. Edison was sent home by the teacher saying that “he was too stupid to learn”. However his mother believed in him and did not give up on him. She home schooled him and he developed a keen interest for science and literature. At the age of 15, he was offered the position of a telegraph operator that allowed him to improve his working efficiency. His greatest invention, the incandescent electric light bulb stands unparallel in the path of human civilization.

There are also many laws to protect and care for people with special needs of which we should seek to learn more so that your children receive the benefits of such laws. It is very important for parents of special children as well as persons with disability to be informed in order to fight for rights that they are entitled to. Many of these privileges are subject to misuse due to the ignorance of concerned persons and parents.

It is important that the Naga society consciously regard this issue and take up the cause of these voiceless people as they are also as much citizens as any other persons. The fact that we are Christians also calls for us to address this issue as Christ himself would surely have.

Enable Time Life Office Room no 17, Red Cross Building Kohima.

Mobile: 9862587822 Enable is a group of affected parents, well wishers and educators working for people with special needs. Interested parents can contact the group at the above address or number.

Come and also participate in the “Walk for Change” from MLA Hostel junction to the Heritage, Old DC Bungalow at 8 am today which is being organized by Enable.

The Mumbai Cauldron Who Pressed The Repeat Button Of History?

Saber Ahmed Jazbhay

"Those who executed the military precision operation were certainly not amateurs but highly trained and motivated professional terrorists who were prepared to die for their cause and who, I suspect, were part of a larger geopolitical agenda and the operational nature and scale of their enterprise suggests that they were not religious zealots for at no time is there any record or indication of them chanting or exemplifying any religious fervour like those who allegedly flew their hijacked planes into the World Trade Centre."

"Locals say the orgy of killings in Mumbai began here. Three men walked into the cafe, drank beer, settled their bills and walked out. Then they fished out guns from their bags and began firing."

-- BBC, "Mumbai attackers create "killing Zone" (Updated as: "Officials quit over India"), Thursday, 27 November 2008 As I analyse the news and developments in the aftermath of the 26 November 2008 Mumbai terror, the historian in me has a sense of deja vu. Who pressed the repeat button of history? I sincerely pray and hope that we will learn the entire truth behind the despicable acts in Mumbai that claimed so many innocent civilians? Yes those who perpetrated the odious acts were Muslims and yet there is something intangible, if not imponderable, that requires closer analysis akin to a post mortem or vivisection.

Noticeably the perpetrators were young men wearing Versace apparel, reminiscent of young India impatient at the obfuscation of the super rich who seek to shut out those who dare to climb up the ladder of affluence and freedom from poverty. India is bursting at the seems of affluence and prosperity and yet there are so many who seek to claw their way out of the poverty trap find amazingly high walls to scale and a social networking system that is caste based.

No newspaper has ever noted or commented on one extraordinary fact, namely that these backpacking youngsters made no demands as would terrorists except for a questionable missive released in the name of a nebulous and hitherto unknown organisation ' the Deccan Mujahideen' which I suspect is just a cover for something more sinister and larger, demanding more 'respect for Muslims'. Could it be that they had problems 'with the system' and that they became cannon fodder for those whose agenda is to sow instability and mayhem in an upwardly mobile country where space was unlimited? Think about that.

Those who executed the military precision operation were certainly not amateurs but highly trained and motivated professional terrorists who were prepared to die for their cause and who, I suspect, were part of a larger geopolitical agenda and the operational nature and scale of their enterprise suggests that they were not religious zealots for at no time is there any record or indication of them chanting or exemplifying any religious fervour like those who allegedly flew their hijacked planes into the World Trade Centre.

To reiterate, there are so many imponderables and intangibles that every objective and rational person cum analyst is obliged to sit up and carefully evaluate the unfurling events.

What transpired in Mumbai, as evil as it was resonated of Operation Susannah better known as the 'Lavon Affair' one of the most bizarre events in Israeli history which occurred around November 1954. So who pressed the repeat button of history? Historians will remember Operation Susannah a Machiavellian charade that played itself out in Egypt in 1954 at a time when a nascent Israeli State was in a state of perpetual war and there was a power struggle between David Ben Gurion's successor Moshe Sharret and defence minister Pinhas Lavon, the latter who was seeking to unseat Moshe Sharett the dovish prime minister who had taken over from Ben Gurion. For the sake of completeness and relevance Ariel Sharon and Moshe Dayan known for their martial conduct and covet terrorist operations were also implicated.

British and American targets were blown up in Egypt by a ring of Jewish terrorists and the intention was to blame it on the Egyptian regime headed at the time by Gamal Abdel Nasser but the affair was blown and the ring leaders, all Jewish were apprehended and a few were hanged whilst those who survived the usual prison ordeal were forgotten about in Egyptian jails. It was only in 2005 that the Israelis acknowledged involvement when President at the time,Moshe Katsav,honoured the nine Israeli agents who were involved.

Fast track to 26 November 2008 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's televised address to the world when he alluded to the involvement of powers outside India which every one interpreted implicating Pakistan. Is there, I wonder, any connection between the Mumbai outrage and the fact that India and Iran were getting closer to foreclose on a collaborative relationship involving the exchange of nuclear technology and hence Israel which has a relationship with India was getting nervous, like a jealous lover and sought, through Mossad, to stage the terrible deed? Hoping, I might add to net Iran, if not Pakistan since both are in any case the usual suspects?

Could it be that a criminal mastermind aware of the foregoing and who was on Interpol's the most wanted list and on the US watch list as a terrorist supporter, namely Dawood Ibrahim an Indian national hiding in Pakistan, himself implicated in at least over 200 bombing outrages in India, and whose extradition was on the cards decided to exploit the situation? So many editorials allude to Pakistan among the usual suspect but are so thin on content and evidence which needs to be sought out and evaluated for facile remarks are extremely prejudicial in the search for truth and justice for the victims of this terrible occurrence.

So many people died and their deaths needs to be fully investigated by the Indian authorities. There are so many imponderables as well as intangibles and that is why one needs to move out of the laager of labels such as 'Islamic' terrorists and sift out the wheat from the chaff. In this way every civilised and rational as well as caring individual who recoiled in horror as the terrible drama played itself out on television screens across the world, wherever he or she may be, would be able to justifiably and righteously condemn those who have more than blood on their hands.

Nostalgia Naro Verma

(To all: those who have had the privilege of being a kid growing up in the 70’s) The years gone by, Sunny days and peaceful nights, Not a cloud in the sky and the mind was clear, Soaked in naivety, lost in innocence, Life was just.

Summer came and passed by, Spring came with aspirations, Autumn with hope and Winter with Rejoice, Then life was fair.

Simple life and simpler habits, No TV, nor Cell phone, No internet or the WWW, No GPS to track you down, All you had was time, Life was beautiful then.

Endless days spend listening to the Beatles and Bob Dylan, The few LPs that you owned, You couldn’t have asked for more, Writing these lines listening to Hilary Stagg ‘Easy days’, I am reminded I still belong.

Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

C M Y K

8

Dimapur

3 December 2008

The Morung Express

India demands sign of faith from Pak after Mumbai

NEW DELHI, December 2 (Reuters): India demanded Pakistan hand over 20 of its most wanted men in a sign of good faith on Tuesday, while both sides tried to cool tensions over the Mumbai attacks that have threatened to damage improving ties.

India's foreign minister said military action was not being considered and his Pakistani counterpart offered a joint probe to find the militants responsible for a three-day rampage that killed 183 in India's financial capital.

India renewed its demand for men it has hunted for years in a protest note handed to Pakistan's High Commissioner Shahid Malik in New Delhi on Monday, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters.

"We have in our demarche (diplomatic protest) asked for the arrest and handover of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitive of Indian law," he said on Tuesday, adding about 20 people were on the list.

Officials said the list included Dawood Ibrahim, a Mumbai underworld leader, and Maulana Masood Azhar, a Pakistani Muslim cleric freed from jail in India in exchange for passengers on a hijacked plane. New Delhi's foreign ministry said on Monday that Malik had been told that "Pakistan's actions needed to match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India".

Pakistan Foreign Minis-

598 put behind bars in Kandhamal violence

C M Y K

NATIONAL

Wednesday

Bhubaneswar, December 2 (Agencies): An estimated 10,000 people have been named in 746 cases lodged during Kandhamal violence this year with 598 accused put behind the bars, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed the Assembly.

All these cases were being investigated and those arrested had been forwarded to court, Patnaik told the House yesterday replying to a question. In 2007 violence, about 800 families were affected and all were given compensation, he said. The evidence of involvement of 1,453 have been obtained by the investigating officers in 127 cases, and 193 of the accused have so far been arrested, the Chief Minister said.

To another question, Patnaik said that the government has received reports of 4,215 houses either damaged or burnt in the flare-up this year which had taken place after the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati.

While as per the preliminary reports, 252 prayers halls and other religious places had been damaged, the detailed report was still under progress. Three persons have been arrested in connection with the seer's death while police were looking for others.

ter Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking in a televised address, said now was not the time for a "blame game, taunts (and) finger-pointing". "The government of Pakistan has offered a joint investigating mechanism and a joint commission to India. We are ready to jointly go into the depth of this issue and we are ready to compose a team that could help you," Qureshi said. "Pakistan wants good relations with India," he said.

Arab League SecretaryGeneral Amr Moussa was in New Delhi on a scheduled visit on Tuesday while U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to arrive on Wednesday. India has blamed Islamist militants based in Pakistan for the attacks in India's financial capital. Ibrahim, India's most wanted man, is reported to be living in Pakistan. He is wanted for bomb attacks in Mumbai in 1993 that killed at least 250 people. Reports have said his henchmen in the city could have also provided some support in the latest strike.

Britain's top military officer warned the tensions between India and Pakistan could set back Islamabad's offensive against Islamist Taliban and al Qaeda militants along the Afghan border. Indian investigators have said the Mumbai attackers had months of commando training in Pakistan by the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, blamed for a 2001 attack on India's parliament.

Ibrahim is said to be one of

‘Commandos may have killed some hostages’

Jerusalem, December 2 (Agencies): Close on the heels of controversy arising out of Israel's criticism of Indian forces' handling of the hostage crisis during terror attacks, the head of an Israeli rescue and recovery team in Mumbai has alleged that the Indian commandos may have inadvertently killed one or more hostages at Nariman House, a media report here said.

"Based on what I saw, (although) I can't identify the type of bullets in the bodies [of the victims], I don't think the terrorists killed all the hostages, to put it gently," Haim Weingarten, head of the sixIn this handout photograph made available by Indian Presidential Palace, Indian Presi- member team of ZAKA, voldent Pratibha Patil, second left wearing sari, and Maharashtra state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, second right, are seen as they visited people who got injured in the hands of terrorists, at a hospital in Mumbai, December 1. (AP Photo)

its financers. The 2001 attack on India's parliament nearly set off the fourth war between the two countries since Pakistan was carved from India in 1947 after independence from Britain.

The Mumbai attacks have also rocked India's ruling Congress party coalition.

The interior minister has resigned and other top politicians from the party have offered to step down. Analysts say Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, facing an election

by May, must walk a delicate line not to upset regional stability while acting forcefully enough to counter opposition accusations Congress is weak on security. Many

Indians have expressed anger at apparent intelligence lapses and a slow reaction by security forces to the attacks against Mumbai's two bestknown luxury hotels and other landmarks in the city of 18 million.

Rice's visit underscores the gravity with which Washington sees the regional implications of the attacks. She met British counterpart David Miliband in London on Monday and both said they expected Pakistan to cooperate, a view echoed by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Officials in Islamabad have warned any deterioration of ties would force it to divert troops to the Indian

border and away from a U.S.led anti-militant campaign on the Afghan frontier.

Britain's chief of defence staff Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup said that would have deep consequences. "If tensions between India and Pakistan continue to escalate, there's a risk they and we could be diverted from the real issue: dealing with the terrorist groups who perpetrate such criminal and barbaric acts," Stirrup said in a speech. "The nationality of the terrorists does not strike me as the key issue," he said, but rather cooperation among countries "to eliminate such terrorism as a force in international affairs".

untary organisation dealing with rescue and recovery, told 'The Jerusalem Post'.

Speaking on phone from Mumbai, Weingarten told the 'Post' that all the six Jewish and Israeli hostages found dead in the Chabad House were killed by either gunshot wounds or shrapnel from grenade blasts, or both, and that he didn't know who threw or fired the grenades that wounded the hostages.

Although lacking forensic tools to determine the time of death, Weingarten said that his team's observations led him to believe that "some of the hostages were killed on Wednesday (when gunmen first entered the

building), some on Thursday, and some on Friday morning (during the start of the commando raid)," the report said.

ZAKA officials believe that in a final act of love, the director of the Chabad House, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, wrapped the body of his wife Rivka in a tallit (prayer shawl) before succumbing to his own wounds during the final hours of the siege, it said. The volunteers on the scene found the bodies of Israeli grandmother Yocheved Orpaz (62) and Jewish Mexican national Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich (50) bound to one another with a phone cord.

US warned India ‘twice’ about sea attack on Mumbai

Washington, December 2 (PTI): United States intelligence agencies had warned India "twice" about a potential "maritime attack on Mumbai" at least a month before audacious terror strikes that has left about 200 people dead and scores injured, media reports said.

"The United States warned the Indian government about a potential maritime attack against Mumbai at least a month before last week's massacre in the country's financial capital," the CNN quoted a US counterterrorism official as saying.

The American network quoted the official as saying that the warning was is-

sued not once but "twice". A second government source told ABCnews.Com that specific locations, including the Taj Hotel, were listed in the US warning. "US intelligence indicated that a group might enter the country by water and launch an attack on Mumbai, said the official, who refused to be identified due to the ongoing investigation into the attacks and the sensitivity of the information," the CNN added.

"Indian security forces have confirmed to CNN that not only did US officials warn them of a water-borne attack in Mumbai -- they were told twice. The area entered a higher state of alert

for a week, including tightened security measures at hotels, but those efforts were eventually reduced, Indian officials said," the network, which repeatedly broadcast the story last evening, maintained.

On November 18, Indian intelligence also intercepted a satellite phone call to a number in Pakistan known to be used by a leader of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed to be responsible for the weekend attack, Indian intelligence officials were quoted as saying by ABCnews.Com. The Indian intercept also revealed a possible sea-borne attack, it said, citing officials.

Muslim organisations deny burial for slain terrorists Systemic failure in coastal security and intelligence inputs: Navy

Mumbai, Pune, December 2 (Agencies): A grieving Mumbai mourns the dead.

At least 179 Indians and foreign nationals were gunned down in cold blood in a terrorist attack that has raised controversy and several questions.

And now questions are being raised over the fate of those nine men who unleashed the carnage and were gunned by the security forces. Muslim organisations in Mumbai have decided that Muslim cemeteries in Mumbai, where unclaimed bodies are usually buried, will

not open its doors for the last rites of these urban jehadis.

“The killing of innocents is against Islam. They are bringing shame to 25 crore Muslims of India.

These men are not Muslims.

Why should we give them place anywhere? There is no place for them in our hearts and in our cemeteries,” said Hamid Abdul Razzak, president, Dawat-e-islami. Unprecedented events demand an unprecedented response.

And this time the community has gone beyond merely condemning terrorism. It’s shut-

ting its doors on those who claim to act in their name.

Determined to deny the terrorists the martyrdom they seek, Muslim organisations have written to senior Mumbai police officials as well.

“The cemetery should not allow the police to bury the nine dead terrorists in their premises,” said Ibrahim Tai, president, Muslim Council Trust. As Mumbai reels from last week’s attack, there’s anger, outrage and a lot of soul searching. Among this is a community determined to keep out the prodigals.

Congress’ hunt for Maharashtra CM on

Mumbai, December 2 (NDTV): In a direct fallout of the Mumbai terror attacks, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who's on his way out, has been summoned to New Delhi to meet the Congress central leadership.

But before flying to Delhi, Deshmukh is scheduled to meet the Governor and President Pratibha Patil who cut short her visit to Indonesia and Vietnam. Although Deshmukh has resigned, he will continue to be the Chief Minister till the Con-

gress and its allies decide on a suitable replacement.

Deshmukh had also come under attack at the Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday night presided by Congress President Sonia Gandhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by her side.

The situation arrived after the CM, his two sons and film director Ram Gopal Verma visited the Taj hotel, one of the sites of gruesome Mumbai terror attacks.

Meanwhile, sources have said there has been no deci-

sion yet on who will replace Deshmukh as Maharashtra CM. They also said that Deshmukh CM is likely to be replaced by another Maratha. The buzz is that Prithviraj Chavan and Sushil Kumar Shinde are no longer frontrunners. Chavan, the Congress choice, has been vetoed by Sharad Pawar who doesn't want another Maratha on home turf. The final decision on the matter is expected by Wednesday after the meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Vilasrao Deshmukh.

NEW DELHI, December 1 (PTI): The Navy on Tuesday admitted that it was a “systemic failure” on the part of the security and intelligence establishment that led to the terror attacks in Mumbai and that lacunae did exist in India’s coastal security and intelligence sharing mechanisms.

It maintained that it did not receive any “actionable” input to effectively prevent the tragedy. Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told reporters here that it was “a systemic failure” on the part of the security and intelligence establishment that led to the terror strike and promised that the government would come up with an adequate response to the issues raised by the dastardly attacks that claimed over 180 lives and left another 300 wounded. “There is perhaps a lacuna that exists and we will work to sort this out. There is a systemic failure which needs to be taken stock of. The response from the government is going to be adequate,” Mehta said at his annual press conference ahead of the Navy Day observed on December 4.

Pointing out that the public outrage was definitely visible, the Navy chief, responding to a query, said the government was fully conscious of it and the debate that

followed the Mumbai attacks.

“We have all seen it sitting in our drawing rooms. We are fully conscious of it and the debate. The point is it is a serious issue...a serious matter of security,” he said. Stating that exchange of information was an operational function, which went on at fairly regular intervals, the Navy chief called for effective coordination among the several agencies involved in intelligence gathering and security. “There are several agencies involved and coordination is important. What is important is the information available should be actionable. It should have some specifics to it,” he said.

Whatever actionable inputs had come its way, Mehta said, the Navy had always taken action stoutly. He said the Coast Guard had deployed a large number of its ships off the Gujarat coast and so did the Navy. “But there is always a first time and we need to be prepared for those times also,” he said, referring to reports that the Coast Guard had intercepted the fishing vessel ‘Kuber’, but let it pass after a check. Explaining further, Mehta said there were about 1.5 lakh fishing trawlers registered in India, over 50,000 of them in Gujarat and Maharashtra alone. “Even if one-tenth of that number is in Mumbai proper, something like 5,000

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, gestures during a press conference, in New Delhi, December 2. (AP Photo)

people are coming in and going out everyday, which is fairly a large number,” he said.

However, he said there was some difference in how Indian and Pakistani fishing trawlers looked, but in this particular instance it was an Indian vessel on which the terrorists were traveling. “This vessel was challenged by the Coast Guard, but the ship occupants had shown their valid papers and moved on,” he said. Recall-

ing what new home minister P Chidambaram had said soon after taking over yesterday, Mehta said the government was looking at all facets (of the Mumbai attacks) to take appropriate action and response.

“I hope we should not have this kind of things (terror strikes) once again. It is a big tragedy that has happened. We need to work to provide some kind of amelioration to the (affected) people,” Mehta said.

Judiciary has no power to legalise gay sex Chidambaram holds high level NewDelhi,December 2 (Agencies): The Centre has questioned the power of the judiciary for legalising gay sex in the country and said that courts should refrain from doing so as it might amount to encroaching legislative functions. "The court is not the authority to decide what should be the law or what should not be the law. These are the functions of the Parliament and the will of the Parliament is represented by its members.

They know the will of their people, the difficulties of their

people," Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra said.

"It may not be proper for the court to assume the role and will of the people or to act as a Parliament to change the law," he said in his 100-page written submission filed in the Delhi High Court.

Centre's response came on a PIL filed by gay rights activists seeking court's direction for legalising gay sex among consenting adults in private. Gay sex at present is an offence in the country and Section 377 of Indian Penal

Code provides a punishment upto life imprisonment for indulging in such acts. "What are the laws and what could be the law should be left to the wisdom of the Parliament. Neither the courts are equipped nor is it the function of the court to decide what the law should be. The courts have only to interpret the law as it is," the ASG said.

The government said that homosexual traits are reflection of perverse mind which could adversely impact Indian culture if it is decriminalised.

meeting with top officials

New Delhi, December 2 (PTI): With the intelligence machinery coming under flak after every terror attack, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today held a high level meeting with top officials to strengthen the setup.

The meeting was attended

by Intelligence Bureau chief, chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, Research and Analysis Wing chief, besides the National Security Advisor, the Home Secretary and the Special Secretary (Internal

Security). The large number of vacancies in the intelligence wing has been a matter of concern for the security establishment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had observed at a recent meeting of the country's top police brass that inability of the intelligence agencies to obtain pinpointed and actionable intelligence on time has led to high-profile attacks. He had also said the intelligence machinery at the Centre and state levels needs to be upgraded and made more sophisticated.

Special Commission for protecting heritage sites

Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa, right, and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee pose before a meeting in New Delhi, December 2. (AP Photo)

Karat apologises for Kerala CM’s ‘dog’ remark

Jaipur, December 2 (Agencies): CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday described as "regrettable" Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan's derogatory remarks directed at the family of commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed by terrorists in Mumbai.

"Certain remarks made by

Achuthanandan are regrettable," Karat said in a brief statement issued while campaigning for elections in Rajasthan. "I have spoken to him (chief minister) over telephone from Rajasthan.

He has assured that he had no other intention but to go to the home of Unnikrishnan, who was brutally killed by terrorists, to pay homage

and to offer his condolences." After the slain commando's father virtually chased away the chief minister, Achuthanandan said publicly that even a dog would not go to the dead man's house if he had not been a "martyr".

Achuthanandan's remarks have caused outrage across the country, leading to Karat's intervention.

New Delhi, December 2 (Agencies): With thousands of heritage sites remaining unprotected in the country, the government has decided to set up a Special Commission which will take steps to ensure safety of these structures.

"The government will bring a legislation for setting up National Commission for Heritage Sites," Culture and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said at the Asian Regional Cooperation Conference at New Delhi on Tuesday.

The government has already launched a National Mission on Monuments and Antiqui-

ties at a cost of Rs 90 crore. The funds under the programme will be increased from Rs 400crore to Rs 500 crore to cover the entire country, she said. Soni's announcement assumes significance as an estimated 70,000 monuments are unprotected in the country.

Archaeological Survey of India, the central agency to protect the ancient monuments, is taking care of about 6,700 monuments across the country. "Only a small fraction of the monuments are protected under various statues of central and state governments.

Most of them still remain unprotected," she said. Soni also

said public awareness and educating people will help protection of heritage sites.

The Culture Ministry is in the process of launching a Cultural Heritage Young Leadership Programme with an objective to reach schools, colleges and universities and inculcate a deeper understanding about the cultural heritage among the young generation.

The country needs capacity building for management of heritage and cultural resources, she said. The ministry is proposing to set up a Centre for Management of Cultural Resources. The centre would impart special

training to personnel for better protection of heritage sites.

Besides, there are proposals to set up a network of Indian Institute of Art and Culture on the lines of IIMs and IITs, Soni said. The minister stressed on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for preserving the heritage sites.

She said that the Asian countries share close historical, cultural and economic links.

India is making all efforts to expand, strengthen and deepen these links through its 'Look East' policy.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman M S Ahluwalia said it was becoming

difficult on the part of the government to provide the resource required for the preservation of heritage sites in the country. "In a country like India, where health and education are main issues to be addressed, adequate money is not provided to heritage preservation. So PPP model is ideal for preservation of heritage," he said. Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) President Karan Singh said terrorists and climate change pose a threat to heritage sites. He said the country should set up more museums to showcase the glorious history of India.

INTERNATIONAL

The Morung Express

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Dimapur

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Thai court bans PM; dissolves ruling party BANGKOK, December 2 (AFP): A Thai court on Tuesday dissolved the ruling party and banned the premier from politics, plunging the kingdom into further uncertainty as an occupation of Bangkok's airports turned increasingly bloody. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat -- the target of months of protests -- will now step down after after the Constitutional Court ruled that his party should be scrapped because an executive was convicted of vote buying.

Somchai was banned from politics for five years, along with 36 other People Power Party executives, achieving a key goal of royalist demonstrators who have blockaded the capital's two airports for the past week. "My duty is over. I am now an ordinary citizen," Somchai, 61, told reporters in the northern city of Chiang Mai from where he has been governing since an opposition blockade of the airports began.

"But it is unexpected that the decision would come out this way. In the past I have done my best, not for myself but for our country," said Somchai, the brother-in-law

of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. The former lawyer spent less than three months in power, beset by protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who accused his government of acting as a proxy for Thaksin and of being hostile to the monarchy.

About 500 angry government supporters massed outside the administrative court, where judges read the ruling live on national television after earlier rallies by the group forced them to change location. "As the court decided to dissolve the People Power Party, therefore the leader of the party and party executives must be banned from politics for five years," said Chat Chonlaworn, head of the nine-judge court panel.

"The court had no other option," he said.

Riot police with bulletproof shields stood guard, as tensions in Thailand remained on the brink with the anti-government PAD continuing their week-long crippling airport siege. The ruling came after a blast early Tuesday killed one protester People’s Alliance for Democracy protester celebrates at the besieged Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangand injured 22 others at the kok, Tuesday, December 2. Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dissolved the three biggest parties in the ruling domestic Don Mueang air- coalition and banned the prime minister along with top party executives from politics for five years. (AP Photo)

port. He died from shrapnel wounds to the stomach, an emergency services spokeswoman told AFP. It also came just hours after the PAD ended a three-month sit-in at the prime minister's offices in Bangkok, following a series of similar attacks, and redeployed supporters to Don Mueang and the Suvarnabhumi international airport.

The PAD, who dress in yellow which they say symbolises their devotion to Thailand's much-revered king, are backed by the Bangkok business elite and middle classes, along with elements in the military and the palace.

Thaksin, whose supporters dress in red, is hugely popular with Thailand's rural and urban poor, especially in the north, his native area.

Two of the PPP's coalition partners were also dissolved because some of their executives were convicted of vote fraud after elections in December 2007 -- the first since the 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin. Together the three banned parties controlled about a third of parliament. The PPP was ready to move lawmakers into a shell party called Pheu Thai

(For Thais) formed in anticipation of the verdict and continue administering the country, spokesman spokesman Kudeb Saikrajang said.

The PPP had boycotted the court proceedings.

"I am sad to hear this devastating ruling which we had no chance to defend," Kudeb told AFP. "But our remaining 216 MPs will move to the Pheu Thai party and bid to open the house to elect a new prime minister." The unrest continued to take a heavy toll on the 350,000 travellers stranded in Thailand by the crisis, with three tourists including two Canadians dying in road accidents as they tried to flee the "Land of Smiles." A Hong Kong national was also killed -- in the same accident, according to some reports.

Airline passengers have been flooding to a naval base southeast of Bangkok and to the southern tourist town of Phuket to try to escape the country, along often dangerous roads. The turmoil also forced Thailand to postpone a summit of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, which was due to be held in Chiang Mai in mid-December.

Obama to keep military Bush calls flawed Iraq intel biggest regret ‘strongest on the planet’ WASHINGTON, December 2 (AFP): President-elect Barack Obama rode a wave of anti-war sentiment to the White House but he vowed to maintain "the strongest military on the planet." Democrats who would like to turn guns into butter, particularly during an economic crisis, may be disappointed.

But Obama, in his choice of national security advisers and the priorities he set for them at a press event in Chicago, signalled that he intends to move cautiously during "an unprecedented transition amidst two wars."

He retained Defense Secretary Robert Gates , praising him for his handling of "a difficult situation" in Iraq but soft peddling their differences over the pace of a US withdrawal. "I think all of us here share the belief that we have to maintain the strongest military on the planet, that we have to support our troops and make sure that they are properly trained, properly equipped, that they are provided with a mission that allows them to succeed," he said.

On the stage with him stood a team of advisers that, besides Gates, included his Democratic rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton , who campaigned on her readiness to lead in a crisis. For his national security adviser, Obama chose retired general Jim Jones , a man with extensive military experience, a feel for diplomacy and close ties to moderate Republicans like Senator John McCain, who lost the presidential race to Obama.

"I don't think the message is

so much clean break or not clean break, the message is reasoned pragmatism," said Stephen Biddle, an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "There have been fears in some corridors that Obama was going to be a left wing ideologue; the McCain campaign was trying to portray him that way," he said.

"And I think especially in a time of war and financial crisis the administration is trying to convey the idea that they're not going to do extreme things in either direction," he said.

"They're going to be pragmatic, reasonable, they're going to emphasize expertise over ideology, in foreign policy and defense as well as domestic policy and economics," he said. Michael O'Hanlon, an expert at the Brookings Institution, said there were also concerns that foreign powers -- Russia, perhaps, or Iran -- might want to test Obama early in his term.

"He's got to make it clear that he is not (to be) pushed around," he said.

Obama stressed the importance of coupling a strong military with diplomacy and renewed attention to alliances. But he is inheriting a military whose ground forces have been strained to the maximum by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with combat units in their third and fourth deployments with only a year in between. Although it's probably the most battle hardened counter-insurgency force in the world today, US military leaders have warned it is ill prepared to respond to crises elsewhere.

"The army is in terrible shape,

in terms of the quality of the people they are taking in, and they are losing a lot of their middle grade officers and their future leaders," said Lawrence Korb, a former Pentagon manpower and readiness chief. "So you really do have a very difficult organization you're taking over in terms of the personnel the readiness of the forces and the modernization," he said. Obama has endorsed a costly 100,000 troop expansion of the army and marine corps that was begun under the Bush administration to ease the strains on the force.

Even after US troops are out of Iraq, his administration will face an estimated 100 billion dollar bill for replacing war damaged equipment and refitting US ground forces long. But as recession bites and revenues decline, hard questions are bound to be asked about the Pentagon's 512 billion dollar base budget, the largest ever, which does not include the operational costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Experts say programs like missile defense and troubled, big ticket weapons programs like the army's Future Combat System and the air force's F-22 fighter will be vulnerable. "I think the consensus even before Obama was elected was that given the decline in revenues, for example, you could not continue the same rate of growth in defense," said Korb. "The question becomes what will be the growth. Will it be enough to keep pace with inflation or will we see a real decline in the defense budget?" he said.

President George W. Bush participates in the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health at the Newseum on Monday, December 1, in Washington. (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON, December 2 (Reuters): President George W. Bush said the biggest regret of his presidency was flawed intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and told ABC "World News" in an interview airing on Monday that he was unprepared for war

when he took office. Bush leaves the White House on Jan. 20 with public approval ratings near record lows partly due to the unpopular Iraq war that toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein after the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. More than 4,200 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.

"The biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein," Bush said. But he declined to speculate on whether he would have gone

to war if the intelligence had said Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction. "That's an interesting question. That is a do-over that I can't do," Bush said, according to excerpts from the recent ABC interview at Camp David.

As he prepares to hand over wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to successor President-elect Barack Obama, Bush said the issue he was most unprepared for when he became president was war. "I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack'," Bush said. "I didn't anticipate war." Pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq before the appropriate time would have compromised his principles, he said.

"It was a tough call, particularly, since a lot of people were advising for me to get out of Iraq, or pull back in Iraq," he said. There are 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 32,000 in Afghanistan. In his final months at the White House, Bush said he was required to take bold action on the financial crisis to ward off another Great Depression. He was asked whether it scared him that government actions to address the financial crisis amounted to about $7.5 trillion, equivalent to about half the U.S. economy. "What scared me is not doing anything, which would have caused there to be a huge financial meltdown and the conceivable scenario that we'd have been in a depression greater than the Great Depression," Bush said. He told ABC: "I will leave the presidency with my head held high."

Clinton begins new chapter with State job Brains of autistic slower

President-elect Barack Obama introduces Secretary of State-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., as a news conference in Chicago, Monday, December 1. (AP Photo)

CHICAGO, December 2 (Reuters): She may not have the title she sought, but Hillary Clinton still got what she wanted on Monday: the opportunity to "clean up" after President George W. Bush on the world stage. Clinton, the one-time Democratic White House hopeful, became the face of Presidentelect Barack Obama's foreign policy, putting aside any lingering doubts about her former rival as she accepted his offer to be secretary of state.

It will mark a new chapter for one of

the most tenacious figures on the U.S. political stage. The former first lady, who made history by winning a U.S. Senate seat from New York in 2000 and then running her own nearly successful presidential campaign, brings her own political base and ambitions to the job. As if to underscore the special nature of the appointment, Obama made a departure from his previous news conferences last week, too: he let his nominees speak.

"Before I take questions, I'd like to invite my team to say a few words. And I'm

going to start with my dear friend, Hillary Clinton," he said. Clinton, who spent the first part of Obama's news conference nodding and smiling, pledged her commitment to work by his side. "If confirmed (by the Senate), I will give this assignment, your administration, and our country my all," she said after taking over the podium.

"Thank you for this honor."

The moment drew a final curtain over a dramatic battle that ended with one historic candidate in the White House and the other pondering her future. Clinton

campaigned hard for Obama after her primary loss and has said she is unlikely to run for president again. She told reporters she decided to take on the secretary of state job because she felt she could best serve the country there.

On the campaign trail Clinton talked tougher than her new boss, once saying she would "obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel. She also criticized as "naive" Obama's call for direct presidentiallevel engagement with foes like Iran and North Korea. But both she and Obama took pains to put their differences behind them on Monday, exiting the news conference in a sustained half-embrace.

For his part, Obama said Clinton would have his complete confidence.

"I believe that there is no more effective advocate than Hillary Clinton for that well-rounded view of how we advance American interests," he said when pressed about the differences the two had debated during the primary contest. When asked during the campaign why she should follow her husband Bill Clinton as the next Democratic White House occupant, Hillary Clinton said often that it had taken a Clinton to clean up after President George H.W. Bush, so it would take another one to clean up after his son.

With an emphasis on diplomacy, Clinton signaled that change on Monday. "By electing Barack Obama our next president, the American people have demanded not just a new direction at home but a new effort to renew America's standing in the world as a force for positive change," she said. "We must pursue vigorous diplomacy using all the tools we can muster to build a future with more partners and fewer adversaries, more opportunities and fewer dangers for all who seek freedom, peace, and prosperity."

to react to sounds CHICAGO, December 2 (Reuters): The brains of autistic children react to sounds a fraction of a second slower than those of normal children, which may help explain the communication problems associated with autism, researchers said on Monday.

"What this does is it provides strong supporting evidence for the emerging theory that autism is a problem of connectivity in the brain," said Timothy Roberts, vice chairman of research in the Department of Radiology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Roberts and his colleagues had 30 autistic children age 6 to 15 listen to a battery of sounds and syllables while monitoring the tiny magnetic fields produced by the brain's electrical impulses.

The test employed a technique, called magnetoencephalography (MEG), in which a helmet-like device is used to detect and locate brain activity. Only around one hundred devices exist that can monitor the tiny magnetic fields, Roberts said in a telephone interview.

In comparison to the tenth of a second response time in the brains of normal children in the study, the autistic children's brains were anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent slower to react.

Since a single syllable in a multisyllable word might take less than one-quarter of a second to say, Roberts said 1/20th of a second extra delay in the response time of the brains of autistic children may hamper their ability to comprehend.

"There could be abnormal routing or a lack of connectivity in the brain," he said in a telephone interview. "It may be like a highway with traffic making it hard to get through." "We think this (delay) is a signature or a biomarker that could be used to

stratify autism patients," since autism is a spectrum of disorders that afflicts people to vastly different degrees, he said.

Microscopic examination of the brain tissue of people with autism has shown there may be fewer connections between their brain cells, said Roberts, who presented his findings at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Brain scans performed by the more frequently used magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography are not detailed enough to detect such microscopic differences in brain cell connections. Such scans have not found structural or size differences between autistic and normal brains.

Autism, which is characterized by difficulty interacting with others and sometimes repetitive behaviors, occurs in about one in 150 U.S. children, a rate that has climbed since the 1980s.

Children are usually diagnosed with autism only after they reach age 2 years or older and Roberts said the hope is that MEG could diagnose children as young as 1 year, so therapy could begin earlier and perhaps be monitored to evaluate the results on the brain.

MEG can cost roughly $400 an hour to perform, but it is harmless and could become less expensive if more devices were available. MEG is used currently to help locate brain tumors and to diagnose epilepsy. Roberts foresees MEG being employed to examine people with attention deficit disorder and other mental problems. He said it may also provide researchers with more clues to the causes of autism and help solve the dilemma of what is hereditary and what is environmental about the condition.

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Wednesday 3 December 2008

The Morung Express

Liverpool top despite West Ham draw Liverpool's Carragher Says Reds Require More Effort After last night's goalless draw with West Ham, Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has urged his team-mates to work harder if they want to stay at the top of the table.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, left, vies for the ball with West Ham's Hayden Mullins, during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Monday, December 1. (AP Photo)

Liverpool don’t need Michael Owen: Rafa London, December 1 (Agencies): Liverpool may be top of the Premier League table today but there is still a feeling of disappointment amongst the club’s fans. After Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at home to Arsenal, Rafa Benitez’s side missed the chance to move three points clear in the title race after only drawing 0-0 at home to a resolute West Ham side last night. The Reds are one point ahead of the Stamford Bridge outfit and six clear of Manchester United, though Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have a game in hand. It could and should have been more with Liverpool producing a laboured and lacklustre display – the closest they came was when former Hammer Yossi Benayoun (left) could not believe Robert Green saved his volley. West Ham, especially through former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy, could have nicked victory in the end.

Liverpool’s co-owner George Gillett was at Anfield last night but manager Rafael Benitez said there was no more news on a new contract. He also made it clear Liverpool were not trying to re-sign Newcastle’s Michael Owen. Benitez said: "We will have Fernando Torres back soon, and I can assure everyone that clearly we are not going for Michael Owen. The game with West Ham was frustrating and I felt we deserved to win.”

LONDON, December 2 (Reuters): Liverpool went top of the Premier League on Monday although they missed the chance to open a three-point lead after a 0-0 home draw with West Ham United. After Chelsea lost 2-1 to Arsenal on Sunday the stage was set for Rafael Benitez's side to seize the initiative in the title race but they produced a subdued display against a resolute West Ham. A draw was enough to move Liverpool one point clear and they were thankful a long-range shot from former striker Craig Bellamy struck the woodwork in the first half. Liverpool, also held 0-0 by Fulham in their previous home league game, have 34 points from 15 match-

es with Chelsea on 33. Champions Manchester United have 28 with a game in hand.

Some home fans booed at the end of a frustrating evening but Benitez was upbeat. "If you play badly, don't have chances and the other team is in control you can be worried ... but we were much better," Benitez told the club website (http://www. liverpoolfc.tv ). "The crowd can be disappointed because they've seen a draw at home but if they see the newspapers tomorrow they will see we are top."

West Ham have not won at Anfield in the league since 1963 and were content to sit back and defend in depth. Liverpool could not find any passing rhythm and their best chances

"I don’t think we did quite enough to win the game," Carragher added, before going on to praise last night's opponents.

"West Ham were a bit dangerous on the break and it was pretty similar to the Fulham game really where we had a few chances without creating any absolute sitters.

"With a bit of better finishing or a great goal maybe we could have done it but credit to them and we know we’ve got to do a bit more."

The player also dismissed suggestions that Liverpool are currently feeling the pressure when they play at home and letting the tension affect their performance. Last night's result follows hard on the heels of the Reds' 0-0 draw with Fulham at Anfield, but Carragher insists that playing at home is not a problem.

"I love playing at Anfield," he continued.

"We’ve had some great nights and I’m sure that will continue.

"It’s just that we’ve got to do more. It’s got nothing to do with playing at Anfield. It’s just something we’ve got to overcome. But, on the other hand, it’s now almost a full year since we were last beaten at home so it’s not that bad.

"Our record at home has been very good over the last 12-18 months but now we’ve got to start turning these draws into wins."

Liverpool top the Premier League table with 34 points from their 15 games, a point ahead of Chelsea.

Ronaldo scoops best player award

Former Galatasaray captain Bulent Korkmaz, left, and Fenerbahce's Brazilian soccer star Roberto Carlos pose with a symbolic match ticket of the UEFA Cup Final 2009 during a presentation in Istanbul, on December 2.

The UEFA Cup 2009 Final will take place at Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul in May 20, 2009.

(AP Photo)

Davenport drops hints of retirement Women's world rankings Women's tennis world rankings on Monday (previous week's rankings in brackets): 1. (1) Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 4710 points 2. (2) Serena Williams (U.S.) 3866 3. (3) Dinara Safina (Russia) 3817 4. (4) Elena Dementieva (Russia) 3663 5. (5) Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 3457 6. (6) Venus Williams (U.S.) 3272 7. (7) Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 2952 8. (8) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 2726 9. (9) Maria Sharapova (Russia) 2515 10. (10) Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 2286 11. (11) Nadia Petrova (Russia) 1976 12. (12) Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 1713 13. (13) Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 1670 14. (14) Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 1590 15. (15) Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 1494 16. (16) Alize Cornet (France) 1492 17. (17) Marion Bartoli (France) 1410 18. (18) Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 1363 19. (19) Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 1337 20. (20) Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 1272 Los Angeles, December 2 (Agencies): Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport has been dropping hints that her tennis career could finally be over, with motherhood fast becoming a full-time occupation.

The 32-year-old has vowed to decide in the next few days whether she will prepare for the Australian Open, which begins Jan

came from corners and set pieces with defender Sami Hyypia twice going close with headers.

West Ham's one counter-attack before halftime almost ended in a goal when Bellamy unleashed a shot which beat keeper Pepe Reina and rebounded off the inside of the post.

The second half produced more in the way of goalmouth action as Liverpool swarmed forward. Yossi Benayoun produced the save of the night from West Ham keeper Robert Green with a rising shot from an acute angle. Carlton Cole wasted a good opportunity for West Ham when he headed wide while Green reacted well in the closing minutes to deny Dirk Kuyt.

London, December 2 (Agencies): Jamie Carragher has spoken of his disappointment that his Liverpool side were unable to break down West Ham United's defence at Anfield last night in a game that ended 0-0.

However, the former England defender has tried to take the positives from the situation as well, insisting that the Reds are still doing well despite recent set-backs.

"It’s disappointing when you’re not winning your home games because that is always what you want to do," he told The Liverpool Echo today.

"But the positive thing is we’ve had three home games on the run and we’ve been poor in each one of them but still qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League and we’re top of the league.

"Normally when you are not playing well things go the other way, but in this case we’ve actually gone up the league which is a positive for us to take.

"We are probably going through a bit of a bad spell at the moment but we’re delighted to be top of the league. The performances aren’t as good as what we are looking for but we’re still top."

Liverpool did not have it their own way at Anfield last night, with the closes they came to a goal being when a Yossi Benayoun effort was stunningly saved

by West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. Craig Bellmay also hit a post for the Hammers with Reds keeper Pepe Reina beaten.

19 in Melbourne. "I'll have to sit down more seriously and look at what I want to do in the future," admitted the Californian, whose 18-month-old son Jagger is taking up more and more of her time. "I need to be practising by early December if I'm going to Australia for the Open." In the autumn of 2007, Davenport was happily carting her infant around the world on the WTA in

Asia with a return to the game just three months after the birth as boredom and the yearning for a challenge set in. She picked up another two titles plus another pair early in 2008.

But now, retirement could again be on the programme as Davenport lays the groundwork for a possible final goodbye. "Jagger has definitely made my life more busy," she said this au-

tumn. "He's 17 months now and he has a lot of energy.

He's very high-spirited, a lot of fun, a very emotional kid.

"My husband and I are just having a blast. We definitely want more. I mean, I am 32, so I still have a lot of child-bearing years left."

Davenport, ranked 36th, last played at the US Open in September, going out in the third round to Marion Bartoli.

London, December 2 (Agencies): Cristiano Ronaldo has won the prestigious Ballon d'Or trophy awarded by France Football magazine. Ronaldo scored 42 goals as Manchester United won the Champions League and Premier League last season. "It is one of the most beautiful days of my life, something I dreamed of as a child," said the 23-yearold winger.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi was second and Liverpool's Fernando Torres was third while Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were also in the running. AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka won the award last year.Ronaldo's defining role in United's Double-winning season saw 77 of the 96 journalists on the Ballon D'Or panel vote for him as their number one player of the year. "Great emotion fills me but I cannot really describe it," Ronaldo continued.

"I was not worried, because I was aware of what I did in the course of the season. But to the people who mentioned my name, I say thank you. Thank you also to my team-mates. This (trophy) is one that I want to win again because it is so good.

Therefore, I will wake and I will say to myself 'I want to be even better'." The Portuguese international became only the fifth player to score more than 30 goals in a Pre-

mier League season as United pipped Chelsea to the domestic title.

Ronaldo's tally of 42 goals earned him the Golden Shoe as Europe's top scorer, making him the first winger to collect that honour.

And his 42nd strike of an astonishing season came in Moscow as United drew 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Champions League final.

He went on to miss his spotkick in the resulting penalty shoot-out but United still triumphed.

The only real disappointment for Ronaldo came at Euro 2008. The winger was expected to be one of the stars of the tournament but he struggled to lift his side and Portugal went out in the quarter-finals. A summer of fevered speculation over Ronaldo's future followed after he conceded a dream move would be a switch to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

But United dug their heels in and in October Ronaldo pledged his future to the Old Trafford club.

Torres, meanwhile, enjoyed a phenomenal debut season in the Premier League following his big-money move from Atletico Madrid. The 24-year-old scored 24 goals for Liverpool, the highest by a foreign player in their maiden season, and went on to score the winner for Spain in the Euro 2008 final.

2008 Ballon d'Or voting 1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd) 446 points 2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 281 pts 3 Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 179 pts 4 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) 133 pts 5 Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) 97 pts 6 Andriy Arshavin (Zenit St-Petersburg) 64 pts 7 David Villa (Valencia) 55 pts

8 Kaka (AC Milan) 31 pts 9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan) 30 pts 10 Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 28 pts Recent ballon d'or winners 2007 Kaka 2006 Fabio Cannavaro 2005 Ronaldinho 2004 Andriy Shevchenko 2003 Pavel Nedved 2002 Ronaldo 2001 Michael Owen 2000 Luis Figo

‘2009 F1 championship looks wide open’

LONDON, December 2 (Reuters): New regulations will leave next year's Formula One title battle wide open, according to McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton. "I've already had a close look at the new car and the engineers have explained the philosophy behind it and just how different things will be next year," the 23-year-old Briton said in a team press release on Monday.

"I've been watching testing with a lot of interest,

I think the new cars will make next year's championship wide open and I'm really looking forward to tackling the new regulations," he added. The 2009 cars have major aerodynamic changes and will also be using slick tyres instead of the grooved ones of recent years.

The season, which starts in Australia on March 29, will also see the introduction of KERS systems designed to convert the heat energy generated by the cars' brakes into short bursts

of additional power. Hamilton, who last month became the sport's youngest champion after beating Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa by a single point, said he had no plans to return to the racetrack before January.

Instead, he will limber up with a team training camp at the Kuortane Sports Institute in western Finland before returning to Britain to perform a demonstration run in his McLaren at London's Wembley Stadium as part of the Dec. 14 Race of

Champions event. "Finland is when it (the training) all starts again in earnest," said Hamilton, whose Finnish team mate Heikki Kovalainen will be testing again in Spain and Portugal this month after the camp in Finland. "Brazil already seems a long time ago and I'm now focusing 100 percent on 2009," he added. "Before Christmas, I plan to take a holiday and return fresh and positive to kick start our winter test programme with the MP4-24 (car)."

H o r n b i ll Festiva l

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NTA announces tour packages for tourists

Floral Galleria opens at Kisama WINNERS Anrthurium 1st – Zubeni 2nd- Neisi 3rd Zubeni Liliums Toshinaro Zhanuo Belho Meyievino Dry flowers Arenla longchar Catherine Akali Awomi Fresh flower arrangement (on the spot) Naithu Gardens Neisi Senti

Tourist at Kisama admiring the bamboo mug put on display at a stall during Hornbill Festival (Right) A young girl waiting for visitors and customers at one of the craft stall at Kisama (Caisii Mao) Our Correspondent Kisama | December 2

The Nagaland Tourism Association (NTA) has informed that tourists desiring to avail tour packages in and around Kohima can contact with the Association during the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland. Under city tour package, tourists can contact NTA for sightseeing, dinner, cultural show, western music at Cathedral, War Cemetery, Local Market, Emporium, Museum and Kohima village (1 day) and View point at Science College, IG Stadium and Heritage Bungalow (4 hours).

Village tour package: Kisama Naga Heritage village, Kigwema, Jakhama, Khonoma (1 day), Tuophema (2 days 1 night), Benreu village (2 days 1 night), Tuophema (1 day), Dzulakie Gorge (1 day) and Mount Puliebadze (I day). The NTA will also help locate hotels and paying guest accommodation in Kohima.

NTA can be accessed at NTA Tourist Information Centre, NST Complex, Kohima, Further, for convenient

of the tourists, the Association have also set up a centre at the venue of the Hornbill Festival, Naga Heritage Village, Kisama. They can be reached at 9856276396, 9612173304, 9436000759 and 9436001694.

Orchids indigenous K. Asale Ruth Ngullie Aleü Solo Orchids (hybrid) Marlyn Narola Jamir Nzanro Indigenous foliage plants Ashiphro Kumali Akokla

Kohima night bazaar

Foliage and Ferns Zubeni Zubeni Neisi

Adding flavor to the festivity of the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, the Kohima Night Bazaar begun here this evening. It may be recalled that the Kohima Municipal Council and Kohima Chamber of Chamber have requested all shops of Kohima to remain open till 7:00 PM from December 1 to 7.

Seasonal flowers Aienla Ozüküm Eduzü Meyievino Perennial flowers Zhanuo Belho Zhanuo Belho Ashiphro

Red Ribbon Pavilion Step into Red Ribbon Pavilion at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama and you will find several activities there in the form of quiz competition, photo exhibition, film show and puppet show, which will continue till December 3 during the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland.

Photo exhibition about

people whose lives have been saved and transformed

by HIV treatment will start at 9:00 AM on December 3. Open quiz competition is scheduled at 12:00 noon.

The competition is open to

any interested person. The organizers have set aside attractive prizes for this competition.

Two puppet shows on HIV/AIDS awareness and the challenges will take place

at 2:30 PM. “My Brother Nikhil” will be screened at 4:00 PM. The event is being organized by US Consulate, Kolkata, Nagaland State AIDS Control Society and Naga Mother’s Association.

Bonsai Zakielhouvinuo Dr. Rudra Asangba Cacti and Succulents Lakshmi Gurung Senti Akali Awomi

Kohima, December 1 (MExN): Coinciding with the Hornbill Festival, the Department of Horticulture is organizing a seven day long 'Floral Galleria' at Hortiscape, Heritage Village, Kisama. Held in line with the Government’s declaration of Year of Capacity Building, the Galleria exhibits variety of flowers, tools and chemicals. The event is also a competition, wherein various local entrepreneurs were awarded in different categories for their skills in growing flowers. The first three winners were awarded cash prizes of Rs. 10,000, Rs. 5000 and Rs 2000 respectively while, other consolation winners were awarded with Rs.1,000 each. The event will continue till December 7.

Miss Nagaland 2008 Contestants

1.Name: Chumlano Kikon 2. Name: Vitsizonuo Keyhuo Age: 20 yrs Age: 23 yrs Height: 5’4” Height: 5’2” Weight: 50 kgs Weight: 48 kgs Vital Statistic: 32-26-36 ½ Vital Statistic: 30 ½- 26 ½ -35 Hobbies: Cooking & Reading books Hobbies: Sketching Ambition: Social Worker Ambition: Lecturer

7.Name: Ngangshimenla Pongen Age: 17 yrs Height: 5’4” Weight: 48 kgs Vital Statistic : 31 ½-25-35 Hobbies: Travelling & chatting with friends Ambition: Doctor

3. Name: Rongsenlemla Age: 20 yrs Height: 5’ Weight: 47 kgs Vital Statistic : 31-27 ½-33 Hobbies: Listening to music & singing Ambition: Business woman

8.Name: Reema Zeliang 9.Name: Moakala Phom Age: 18 yrs Age: 21 yrs Height: 5’3” Height: 5’2” Weight: 45 kgs Weight: 50 kgs Vital Statistic : 31-26 ½-34 Vital Statistic : 32 ½-27-34 ½ Hobbies: Listening to music & Hobbies: Reading books & playwatching television ing basketball Ambition: Air hostess Ambition: IPS Officer

4.Name: Akaholi Yeptho Age: 20 yrs Height: 5’5” Weight: 45 kgs Vital Statistic: 32-27-33 ½ Hobbies:Dancing & Listening to Music Ambition: Model

10.Name: Abin Age: 17 yrs Height: 5’1 Weight: 54 kgs Vital Statistic : 34-28 ½-38½ Hobbies: Playing guitar, singing & sketching Ambition: journalist

5.Name: Nyeie. Leinak. Phom Age: 17 yrs Height: 5’4 ½” Weight: 45 kgs

Vital Statistic: 30 ½-24 ½- 34 Hobbies:Reading books & Dancing Ambition : Air Hostess

11.Name: Keletzaile Hinglak Age: 17 yrs Height: 5’3 ½ Weight: 50 kgs Vital Statistic : 31-25 ½-35 Hobbies: Reading Ambition: Doctor

6.Name: Tiajungla Thonger Age: 18 yrs Height: 5’2” Weight: 48 kgs Vital Statistic: 29-26-35 Hobbies : Social activities Ambition : IAS Officer

12.Name: Mhaletuonuo Keditsü Age: 19 yrs Height: 5’3 ½ Weight: 45 kgs Vital Statistic : 30-24 ½-34 Hobbies: Singing Ambition: Model

13.Name: Kesangu-ü Soukhrie Age: 22 yrs Height: 5’3” Weight: 46 kgs Vital Statistic : 31-23 ½-35 Hobbies: Reading & listening to music Ambition: Lecturer

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The

Morung

SPORTS

P 12

Dr. T. Ao Trophy underway Kohima blanks Mon 2-0 in the inaugural match of the 8th Inter District Football Championship

Inaugural match between Kohima and Mon on Tuesday. Kohima defeated Mon by 2-0. (MExPix) Our Correspondent Kohima | December 2

THE PRESTIGIOUS Dr. T. Ao Trophy 2008 (18th Inter District Football Championship) got underway here today at the Indira Gandhi Stadium under the theme “Unity & friendship through sports.” In the inaugural match played here

today, Kohima blanked Mon 2-0. Inaugurating the tournament, minister for forest, ecology, environment, wildlife and excise M.C. Konyak called upon the young boys and girls not to take the sports lightly but rather take it on professional line. Also encouraging the young boys and girls to take sports with serious-

ness, he urged upon them to strive hard and maintain sporting spirit to excel in the state level, regional and national level.

The minister informed that the state government was trying its best to facilitate the younger generation in different fields, like sports, music, education and employment. Stating that the government have been taking all steps provide all sort of opportunities to the younger generation, the minister called upon them to rise on the occasion and avail various opportunities. Touching on the theme “Unity & friendship through sports,” the minister was hopeful that the sports platform will

establish rooms for better understanding, unity and friendship.

Praising Dr. T.Ao for his valuable contribution in the field of sports, especially in football, he challenged the sports lovers to emulate the good works done by Dr. T. Ao and excel in the field of sports. Describing Dr. T. Ao as famous footballer, he said the tournament has been organized to give salute to him because of position he held in national and international level. Earlier, P. Atuo Mezhur, president, Nagaland Football Association (NFA) said that Dr. T. Ao was a legendary football player, adding that NFA was formed through his initiative.

“As we conduct this tour-

nament in memory of Dr. T. Ao, I hope that the players will take the example of Dr. T. Ao as a hero and excel in the discipline of sports, especially in football,” said NFA president. The champion will fetch a cash prize of Rs. 3 lakh while the runners-up will receive Rs. 2 lakh. The third and forth place will pocket Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 40,000 respectively.

The tournament will go on till December 10.

FIXTURE for DECEMBER 3 Ist Match (10: 00 AM): Wokha vs Tuensang 2nd Match (12:00 Noon): Dimapur vs Phek 3rd Match (2:00 PM): Mokokchung vs Longleng

dle

Naga wrestlers along with the team manager and coaches outside the camp at Multi Purpose Hall, Indira Gandhi Stadium prior to their departure for Ayodhya to participate in the Senior National Championship to be held from December 4.

Sepaktakraw coaching camp

KOHIMA, DECEMBER 2 (MExN): The Western Angami Sports Association (WASA) has conducted an intensive Sepaktekraw coaching camp from November 17 to 22 last at Western Angami Public Organization ground, Sechu Zubza.

13 trainees including women joined the coaching camp.

Khrieo Holshe, state coach Sepaktakraw along

with two international players and four state players conducted the camp.

Meanwhile, WASA expressed gratitude to the coaches as well as the Directorate of Sports & Youth Resources who willingly detailed the department coaches for the said camp.

The Association said that Sepaktakraw will be the main event in the forthcoming WASA meet 2008.

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Published, Printed and Edited by Aküm Longchari on behalf of Morung for Indigenous Affairs and JustPeace from House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur at Themba Printers and Telecommunications, Padum Pukhuri Village, Dimapur, Nagaland.

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