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The Morung Express

A Daily Publication of Morung for Indigenous Affairs & JustPeace

Dimapur VOL. III ISSUE 303

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Saturday, November 1, 2008 12 pages Rs. 3 -Chinese Proverb

The Day After: Assam Mourns Its Dead Naga student killed in blast

“Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen” claims responsibility

Guwahati, October 31 (PTI): Little-known Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen (ISF-IM) claimed responsibility for the serial blasts that killed 77 people in Assam and warned of more such attacks. In an SMS message sent to local ‘News Live’ television channel, the ISF-IM claimed responsibility for Thursday’s blasts and threatened to carry out more bomb explosions in several parts of the country. The message said, “we thank all our holy members and partners” for successfully carrying out the task. The SMS was received on the mobile of the channel’s input desk from the number 0-98646-93690. The mobile phone was subsequently switched off and security forces traced it to Moirabari in Central Assam’s Nagaon district registered in the name of one Nazir Ahmed. Police officials are investigating the matter. The outfit was formed in 2000 in Lower Assam’s Bodo-dominated areas “to counter” the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and NDFB militants, police sources said. The full text of the SMS is: “We, ISF-IM, take the responsibility of yesterday C M Y K

Women light candles to pay homage to the victims of yesterday’s terror attacks in Guwahati, on Friday. (AP Photo)

blast. We warn all of Assam and India for situation like this in future. We thank all our holy members and partners.” The toll in the serial blasts in Assam rose to 77 on Friday with 11 more people succumbing to their injuries overnight. Principal Secretary (Home) and official spokesman Subhas Das said eight people died in Guwahati, which now alone accounts for 41 deaths. Three others succumbed to their injuries in Barpeta taking the toll there to 15. The number of deaths in Kokrajhar remained at 21, he said.

Assam bandh today Guwahati, October 31 (PTI): The VHP has called an Assam bandh tomorrow to protest against the serial blasts that claimed 77 lives and injured more than 400 people in the state. The Viswa Hindu Parishad has called a 12-hour Assam bandh tomorrow to protest against the blasts allegedly carried out by jehadi elements in the state, a press release issued by the organisation said. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has called a 24-hour Assam Bandh on November three to protest against the blasts, AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjee said. The bandh will begin at 5 am and all essential services have been exempted from its purview. Meanwhile, security throughout the state has been stepped up in view of the bandh with patrolling intensified in vulnerable areas, official sources said.

Of the six blasts in Guwahati, RDX was used in two of the explosions, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said, adding a special task force has been set up to unearth the conspiracy behind the blasts. Assam has witnessed massive ethnic violence since early 1980s and ULFAsponsored insurgency but this is the first time that a terror attack in the form of serial blasts rocked the state in such a magnitude. Curfew was clamped today in worst blast-hit area of Ganeshguri, adjacent to the capital complex at Dispur,

here as protesters went on a rampage forcing police to fire in the air. The protesters had gathered near a flyover - a few metres from the blast site, shouting slogans against the government’s alleged failure to provide security to the common people. Deputy Commissioner Prateek Hajela said the protesters, turned violent and went on a rampage attacking the security personnel deployed in the area. The police first resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters but later fired in the air, Hajela said. Curfew was then

clamped in the area, the site of three blasts on Thursday. Ganeshguri had witnessed protests soon after the serial blasts with the mob torching a police vehicle, a fire tender and two ambulances. They had also tried to storm the secretariat carrying two charred bodies in a push cart. The entry and exit road to the area has been sealed since the blasts and only a few vehicles were plying on the Ganeshguri flyover, which connects the GuwahatiShillong road. All shops and commercial establishments have remained closed in the area since morning.

D I M A PUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): As Assam mourns the tragedy of yesterday’s serial blasts, its neighbor Nagaland Pitolu Yepthomi will also join the mourning with the news of a Naga student becoming a victim of one of the explosions. 21 year old Pitolu Yepthomi, son of late Tohoshe Yepthomi, was a B. Com final year student in RG Boruah College in Guwahati. He was last night identified as one of the victims killed in yesterday’s blast. The young Naga student and his Khasi friend were killed in the blast that took place near his hostel, Louis Memorial Hostel at Pan Bazar. Relatives disclosed that the upper part of Pitolu body was severely burnt and it was only through his wallet, identity card and denim pants that his body could be identified. Pitolu is the fourth child among six siblings in his family. His father, late Tohosho Yepthomi, is said to be an underground activist once and said to have been killed by the Assam Rifles before the ceasefire in 1994. The victim’s mother, presently residing in Dimapur with her brother, is completely broken by the news of Pitolu’s death. “His father was also killed by the Assam Rifles, and now him. What kind of people are they?” she lamented, but without malice. After a brief stop at the residence of Pitolu’s uncle in Christian Higher Secondary School, Dimapur, the remains of

Students and friends lift the coffin of Pitolu Yepthomi, a victim of an explosion in Guwahati. The deceased was a B. Com final year student in RG Boruah College in Guwahati. He and a Khasi friend were killed in the explosion at Pan Bazar. (AP Photo)

the deceased will be taken to Zunheboto tonight to be buried beside his father, according to relatives. Pitolu was amongst the first confirmed of those who were killed in yesterday’s blasts. Authorities have confirmed that the death toll of 61, as was yesterday, has gone up to 77 while the injured are in hundreds. A little known Islamic fundamentalist outfit going by the name “Islamic Security Forcendian Mujahideen” has claimed responsiblity for the attacks.

Advani demands revival of POTA Cops confirm use of RDX

Guwahati, October 31 (PTI): Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Friday said the problem of terrorism in Assam has been aggravated by illegal migration and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh what steps his government had taken to protect states and citizens. Describing Thursday’s serial bomb blasts in the state as unprecedented, Advani said “I ask the prime minister, who is elected from Assam, what has his government done after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement on the IMDT Act indicting the Government of India for having colluded with external aggression”.

Stating that he wanted POTA back, he told the media here, “Article 355 imposes on the Centre to protect states against external aggression. Has the government taken a single step to discharge its duties as outlined by the Supreme Court? “The government only incorporated all those provisions in the struck down IMDT (Illegal Migrants Dermination by Tribunals) in the Foreigners Act, which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional”, he said after visiting the blast sites in Guwahati and meeting the injured in hospitals. “I would also like to ask the PM what his response is to the mental state of the people of Assam. How is he

Dimapur tightens security measures Morung Express News Dimapur| October 31

Following the terror attacks that took place across Assam on October 30, an emergency meeting was convened today at the Dimapur Deputy Commissioner’s conference hall with the Home Minister, Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Dimapur Superintendent of Police, state bureaucrats and public leaders. The meeting deliberated on precautionary measures to be adopted to prevent similar attacks in Nagaland state and also assess the law and order situation. The SP of Dimapur, Liremo Lotha, said although the police are trying their best to keep the law and order situation under control, ‘force has its own constraints’ for which the public’s cooperation is required. He urged the public to be alert and inform the police immediately if any unclaimed object is found lying around and also advised them not to touch it. He cautioned owners of two and three-wheelers not to leave their vehicles unattended because recent trends across the country have shown these vehicles to be most commonly used to trigger bomb blasts. Sharing of information with the law-enforcing agencies is paramount importance for safety, he said. A “dog squad” to assist the state police has also been proposed by the Army at Rangapahar Dwelling on the prevailing problems of kidnappings and extortion in Dimapur, Deputy Commissioner Moang Aier said the telecom companies have to keep strict guidelines while issuing SIM cards to the public. He pointed out that over the last few, months’ 40 underground cadres from different groups have been arrested and a range of weapons seized, thus their movements restricted. But the DC said that use of fake SIM card used to make extortion and intimidating calls have become a cause of concern, and it is a very important step that needs to be taken up by the telecom companies. The DC informed that Dimapur has been divided into eight sectors for law and order management. Each

Nagaland Home Minister Imkong L Imchen speaking to the Media after the meeting claimed that the ‘prevalent situation’ has ‘changed considerably nowadays’ comparing to the previous year. He also ‘appreciated’ underground leaders ‘for heeding the plea of the civil society’ and ‘bringing down factional killings’. In reference to the Naga political issue, Imchen said it is ‘a very difficult subject’ and people ‘should not expect solution overnight’. Imchen urged the public to extend ‘sustainable efforts’ to the cause so that an honorable solution can be worked out. On the serial blasts in Assam, Imchen said the country has been desecrated by the evil designs of terrorists. He was of the view that all sections of the society should come together to combat terrorism, and stressed on the importance of timely information-sharing among various law enforcing agencies and with cooperation of the society. Imchen extended condolence to the bereaved family members of the victims and assured that the state government was doing everything to prevent such upheavals from happening in Nagaland Imchen also asserted that the police has ‘been empowered enough’ under Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) and requested them to carry out ‘deterrent exercises’ pointing out that Dimapur with many satellite villages, demand compact security arrangements to corner ultras. of the eight sectors team under a Sector Commander, a Magistrate and Dobashi (DB), he said. A team of in-charges for each sector will consult the colony Gaonburas (GB) to look out for “habitual offenders” to tackle the law and order problems, Aier said. The DC also disclosed that intelligence reports were received prior to the festival of Diwali that “Dimapur was not safe from the bomb blast,” and hence there was a ban on fire crackers while security was tightened. continued on page 3

going to meet the challenge of the citizens sense of insecurity and lack of security?” he asked. Claiming that there were 3.5 crore illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the country, he asked if the Centre had exerted pressure on Bangladesh to take them back. Blaming the central and the Assam governments, Advani said, “I hold two weak governments in New Delhi and Guwahati squarely responsible for the serial blasts.” He claimed that neither the Centre nor the Assam government had taken any measure, legal or administrative to stop the infiltration from Bangladesh. continued on page 5

GUWAHATI, October 31 (Agencies): Assam Police confirmed the use of RDX in the blast at Ganeshguri in Guwahati on Thursday. However, the nature of blasts in other areas of the city and Lower Assam districts like Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta have not yet been verified. Forensic experts said they would collect samples and analyze it on Friday. Illegal arms and explosives find their way into the Northeast easily as the region shares a porous border with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Security agencies operating in the region say the shipment of explosives, including RDX, is done mostly from Bangladesh, which shares a 1,870 kms border with Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

For many years, the Indo-Myanmar border was an active route for smuggling of arms, though explosives like RDX didn’t find its way into the north-eastern states from Myanmar. Bangladesh was and still remains the route that is taken for smuggling in explosives. With the Myanmarese army increasing its vigil along the IndoMyanmar border, the focus has shifted to the Chittagong Hill Tracts along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. According to intelligence sources, the sea route is being used to supply arms like light machine guns, assault rifles, grenades and rocket launchers to the terror outfits in the Northeast. continued on page 5

‘Progress demands Peace and Harmony’

Cultural troupes and officials share a photo session with Minister TR Zeliang (in shades) during the ‘Chaga Gadi’ festival in Kohima, Friday. Chizokho Vero Kohima | October 31

Minister for Planning & Coordination TR Zeliang today said peace and harmony is requisite for speedy development. “Nagas are passing through a very crucial period. We are being caught between nationalism which is gradually giving birth to so many evils like conflict and confrontation, factionalism and tribalism and the exigent needs to take development ahead without interruption so as to make our state a better place to live in,” the minister said. He was addressing the celebration of Chaga Gadi festival here. This thanksgiving festival is celebrated

after the harvest starting from the last part of the tenth lunar month every year. During the festival, men observe abstinence from any relationship with females, and known as “Aliam,” showing the highest degree of honoring women. Girls are given a treat with complete rest and feast called “Aliukuang-kan.” For men folk, this becomes a period of purification for luck to accomplish all manly tasks. ‘A time when our social and personal life is under the grip of fear and anxiety, festivals give us an occasion to relax and refresh our mind thereby helping us to escape from the monotonous and dull moment of life, and to think better’, Zeliang said. Occasions like festivals should not only provide a platform to showcase tradition and

offer fun and merry-making but should also give the opportunity to develop peaceful and cordial relationship with one another, the minister said. He appealed to the people to strive to harness peace and social harmony out of the festivity. Zeliang asserted that the DAN government is making all out efforts to promote activities and programmes that will bring development to the state and improved the living standards of the people. Tribal festival is also considered as one important area of concern, Zeliang said. “The government has been a partner in organizing various tribal festivals and other related cultural extravaganzas which aimed to boost state tourism industries, create more lively and vibrant environment for the people, especially the youths,” he said. Today, the minister said, with the advent of Christianity, festivals are no longer celebrated by performing rituals like the forefathers used to. Celebration is more of an occasion only to showcase “our rich and unique culture and traditions in line with the Christian principles”. People celebrate festivals for different reasons- some to invoke God’s blessing before harvest or after sowing, some for fun and merry making and some for both. However, with so many changes taking place in this world people are changing even their style of celebrating festivals. In addition to fun and merry making, people have started using festivals to dream and vision, to challenge and motivate people with innovative thoughts and bring about what they can be best conceive or formulate to benefit the masses. Perhaps, he said, festivals these days have become sources of many new ideas, which in turn has helped the people live better. continued on page 3

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Dimapur

LOCAL

Saturday 1 November 2008

The Morung Express

‘Losing our culture will lead to loss of identity’

Dimapur, October 31 (MExN): The Liangmai community of Dimapur, a sub-tribe of the Zeliangrong, today converged at the Tenyimi Complex and celebrated one of its revered festivals of sanctification, the ‘Chaga Gadi’, with pomp and gaiety. Joining in the celebration, Deputy Chairperson of the Dimapur Municipal Council, D P Angami, called upon the people to be determined to promote and preserve customs and beliefs of our forefathers, to bring about oneness among the present generation. Angami, who was the chief guest at the celebration, appealed for peace and unity so that one might live with pride in Dimapur. Terming himself part of the Liangmai family, which is also an integral part of the Tenyimi community, D P Angami sought further cooperation in creating a beautiful Dimapur for posterity. He further conveyed ‘Chaga Gadi’ greetings to all the members. As guest of honour, President of Naga Council Dimapur, Savi Liegise, said that the rich culture of the Nagas is unique in nature, and has made our identity unique. Pointing out how the world is in turmoil, Liegise said Naga

(Left): A Liangmai Naga elder playing a traditional musical instrument as part of the Chaga Gadi, harvest festival of Liangmai Naga tribe, at the Tenyimi Union complex in Dimapur, on October 31. (Morung Photo/Zakir Hussain) (Right): Young Liangmai women perform a dance during the celebration of the Chagah festival at Dimapur on Friday. Chagah festival is one of the most celebrated festivals of the Liangmai Nagas, celebrated in the month of Chagah Hiu (October). It is both a festival of war and of sanctification. (Photo Caisii Mao)

Church at Phek ‘Under Mon’s Wangkhao College completes 25 years Construction’ for 13 years Kuzhovesa Soho Phek | October 31

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Following a mandate decision taken up during its Deacon Board consultative meeting for construction of a new church building of the Phek Village Church (PVBC) under its 10th years plan, a construction foundation stone was laid down in the year 1995 by Rev. K Luruo, Executive Secretary of the Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC). But it still lies “under construction” even after 13 years. According to the local Church pastor, Nuchicho Venuh, the said construction building could not be completed within the framed time duration due to some local problems especially from within the church community, which subsequently led to financial constraints and thus construction work was halted for some period of time. However, with contributions from the church members and donation from the well-wishers much effort was being put for the speedy completion of the same. On behalf of the church institution he expressed his profound gratitude to all the donors and contributors of cash and kind. He further prayed to the Almighty to bless each one of them in manifold ways. He expressed special gratitude to Azo Nienu, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland, who had enormously contributed both

in cash and kind towards the said construction. “With the contributions and donations from the members and well-wishers, our mission will be completed next year (2009) and would be dedicated in the same year,” Venuh added. The construction project, which aimed at a seating capacity of 2500 plus congregation, was approximately estimated at a cost of Rs.2 crores and is expected to be completed at an amount of 2.20 crore rupees, he revealed, adding that the new church building is expected to rank among one of the biggest churches in Nagaland. Commenting on the various groups and individuals who had “tirelessly rendered valuable service” towards the decade-long construction work, he remarked, “Your every piece of deeds sacrificed for the construction; God with enthusiasm was counting in His heart to reward you back in the form of invisible rewarding.” In view of the delayed construction, he said, “Sometimes things could not proceed as we deserve, where we have to wait for more time. So let’s all be patient, for even Rome city too was not built in a day,” adding that a time would come for everyone to harvest the best spiritual seeds, “for God never fails in His mission.” He further urged all believers to pray for the fruitful completion of its mission, and sought their cooperation and coordination.

Acknowledgement Late Puhokul Sophie

In gratitude Family of Late Puhokul Sophie

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to stop the practice of violence, tribalism, racism and regionalism. He stressed on the need to work jointly to bring peace, unity and tranquility for the upliftment of the Naga society. SDO (Civil) Mon, L T Konyak, Rtd. DC, and A M Toshi, Director of Higher Education, Nagaland also spoke on the occasion. The other highlights of the programme were folksong by Wangkhao College students and a special number by Petleo Konyak.

‘Many changes made to improve the hospital” Kiphire, October 31 (DIPR): The dedication and inauguration ceremony of the paying cabin ward at District Hospital Kiphire was held on October 23, with Chairman of Kiphire Town Council, Joshua, as the chief guest. The chief guest in his address said that in the past, there were no beds in the hospital and doctors treated patients from house to house. He also conveyed gratitude towards the MS, CMO, doctors and nurses for their reliable services towards the people. He mentioned that compared to earlier days, at present, many changes had been made to improve the hospital, and that now, people were getting good treatment at the Hospital. Dr. P Tia Jamir, MS, said that the hospital was established on October 2, 1980. He expressed happiness at the facility provided to the people. Pointing out that the DHK had a long way to go, he said that people have aspirations to see the hospital upgraded to a well-equipped District Hospital by 2020, with specialist trauma center and regional diagnostic centre. DC and Chairman of District Hospital Management Society, and the CMO also spoke on the occasion. In the meeting, land encroachment and the shortage of manpower, doctors, nurses and dental surgeons were also discussed. The meeting was attended by representatives from NGOs, student leaders, officials and Town Councillors.

The function began with invocation prayer by Rev. Tenwang, Pastor KBCM, followed by welcome address by Dr. Toshiba Echa, Principal of Wangkhao College. Public leaders, officers, founding members and well-wishers attended the celebration. In the second session, Advisor to Chief Minister, Z Lohe was the guest of honour. Speaking at the programme, Z Lohe challenged the students stating that it was their responsibility to erase their ‘back-

wardness’. Deputy Commissioner, Dinesh Kumar, IAS, said that acquiring a graduate degree alone should not be a goal, and advised the students to acquire quality education. Others who spoke on the occasion were President of Konyak Students Union, Khongjah, and Tongwang Yanlem, while VicePresident of Wangkhao Government College, rendered the vote of thanks. Other highlights of the programme included special songs, male voice and choreography.

eGovernance for policy makers

Kohima, October 31 (DIPR): The department of Information Technology & Technical Education is organising a two-day workshop on eGovernance on November 3 and 4, 2008, at the Zonal Council Hall, Kohima, for policy makers. The workshop on Day 1 (November 3) is for Legislators and Administrative Heads of Departments (AHoDs) while Day 2 (November 4) is for Heads of Departments (HoDs), Jt Secretaries and Department Nodal Officers for IT. The main objectives of the workshop are to: 1. To sensitise on the principles of e-Government. 2. To disseminate holistic understanding of e-Government and build capacity to address the challenges in conceptualising and implementing e-Government projects. 3. To emphasise the importance

of Change Management and Leadership 4. To understand issues related to government transformation, by way of Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) and Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) 5. To give an understanding of the National e-Governance Plan and the State’s e-Government Road Map (EGRM) The workshop will dwell on several topics such as overview of National eGovernance Plan (NeGP), conceptualisation of a State Mission Mode Project, impact of eGovernance Projects and critical success factors, eGovernment initiatives of the Government of Nagaland such as eModop project, and core infrastructure for eGovernance, besides discussion on challenges and issues in implementing eGovernance projects in Nagaland.

‘Change is inevitable’ Mokokchung, October 31 (DIPR): A seminar on socio-economic vision of Mokokchung village was held on October 31 at the village public ground with Minister for PHED, Nagaland, Dr. Ngangshi K Ao as the chief guest. While addressing the citizens of the village, the chief guest stated that change is inevitable, so no matter how difficult it might be, we have to change with time. He also said that during this transition period, one has to retrospect keeping in mind the perspective of the future. He maintained that the community as a whole, in order to develop and progress, needed to have a sense of unity in every field, to pool in common resources, and to preserve our rich cultural heritage. He further called upon the elders to instill the importance of work culture and clear vision amongst the younger generation. R Asenla Keitzar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Mokokchung, Dr. Supong Keitzar, Director of Agriland, Kohima, and T I Temjen Longkumer, DAO Phek, also spoke on various topics. Earlier, N Sobu, Pastor MBA, pronounced the invocation and the welcome address was delivered by Tatar J Temjen.

Seminar on Oral Literature of Nagaland underway Morung Express News

01.04.1944 28.10.2008

He died on October, 28th, 2008, leaving behind a trail of tears. But he’s not gone forever; that consoles us. And through this painful ordeal, we have been surrounded by friends and well wishers, sharing our sorrow and making it easier to bear the pain of separation. Thank you so much to all who stood by us. It is comforting to know that in you, we have found a big family through Christ.

Mon, October 31 (DIPR): The Wangkhao Government College, Mon, celebrated its Silver Jubilee at the college campus on October 30. Wangkhao, the Chief Angh of Chui Village, graced the occasion as chief guest. In his speech, the Chief Angh thanked the founding members and pioneers of the college through whose efforts Wangkhao College could celebrate its Silver Jubilee. He also thanked the teaching faculty and urged the students

society has not been spared from the clutches of evil. He, therefore, called upon the Liangmai community to take upon the responsibility to teach each other to build a better world. He also conveyed success to the Liangmai community in their endeavour in building the society and the Nagas in general. Manipur MLA, Awangbou, who was also the guest of honour, highlighted the tremendous transformation that has taken place in the Naga culture with the advent of Christianity, whereby many good qualities of our forefathers have been forgotten. Without any prejudice against Christianity, Awangbou said losing our culture would ultimately lead to losing of identity. While stating that losing culture would only degenerate ourselves, he made an appeal to the community to imbibe the good qualities of the forefathers and to propagate these values among the younger generation. Songs, traditional dances and feast marked the first ‘Chaga Gadi’ celebration organised by the Liangmai Aruang Dimapur. Chaga Gadi, the fest of the great harvest, is observed bythe Liangmai community on October 30 and 31 every year.

Dimapur | October 31

Dr. Panjung (2nd from left) along with other officials at the seminar at the conference hall of NEZCC, at 4th Mile, Dimapur, on October 31. (Morung Photo)

The two-day seminar on the Oral Literature of Nagaland, organised by the Sahitya Akademi (SA) and the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) got underway today here at the conference hall of the NEZCC. Professor Desmond L Kharmawphlang, Director of North East Centre for Oral Literature, Sahitya Akademi Shillong, while delivering his keynote address, said, “Folklore as a term was coined by William Thomsin in 1846 in a popular journal called ‘The Athaeneum’. Thomsin was particularly interested in the ‘beliefs,’ ‘superstitions’ and ‘practices’ of the people of rural England whom he encountered during his tours to these places.” Explaining that ‘folk’ meant people and

‘lore’ meant knowledge, he said, when used as a compound word, ‘folklore’ means knowledge of the people. He maintained that folklore has been divided into four broad divisions, including folk literature or oral literature, folk practices, folk arts and crafts, and folk science and technology. Guest of honour Dr. Panjung, (Retd) Director of Health and Family Welfare, said, “Naga culture had become diluted and contaminated due to contact with alien civilisation and foreigners since many years.” He continued that the decay and disappearance of culture of some tribe was a big loss to them. Earlier, the programme was chaired by Z Lhousa, NEZCC, and the welcome address was proposed by Goutam Paul, SA. The vote of thanks was delivered by Talinokcha, NEZCC.

Dr. Kire emphasises on ethical medical practice Dimapur, October 31 (MExN): Reminding doctors of the principles of their profession, Dr. Nicky Kire today spoke at length about the ethical issues related to the medical profession. Dr. Kire, MLA and Chairman of Nagaland Khadi & Village Industries Board, reminded doctors present at the 6th annual general meeting of the Indian Dental Association (IDA), Nagaland State Branch, the need to uphold principles of their profession and shed all unethical means of earning. You cannot buy respect, rather earn it, he said and told doctors (dentists) to keep in mind what was expected of them as individuals and as a fraternity. “We have ethics to follow; we have taken an oath so keep in mind what is expected of you,” he said. He also stressed on the need for doctors not just to fight for rights but also perform their duties honestly and properly. Dr. Kire expressed happiness that Nagas are becoming more conscious about their oral health, which, he said, was a good

sign. Accordingly, he told doctors that there was need for them to educate people on the importance of oral hygiene and simultaneously make the discipline important. He encouraged them to conduct dental clinic and health camps and highlight dental issues in newspapers. Dr. Kire hoped that dentistry would be given further importance, and told the IDA members that he would take up the issue of more recruitment in the government services for dentists, with the health minister and the Chief Minister. He pointed out that crores of money was being pumped out of the state by people for medical treatment outside the state due to lack of specialists in the medical profession, and challenged the doctors to keep updating their knowledge and skills. MLA Dr. Nicky Kire speaking to the medical doctors (dentistry) at the 6th annual general meeting of the Indian Dental Association (IDA) Nagaland State Branch at Tourist Lodge, Dimapur. (Morung Photo)

LOCAL

The Morung Express

Saturday

1 November 2008

College students protest hostel fee hike

Morung Express News Dimapur | October 31

THE STUDENTS of Tetso College, Sovima today observed strike to pressing their demand for reducing the hostel installment fee. The strike began at around 7:30 in the morning, informed the students. Representatives from the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union and the All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) rushed to the school and had a meeting with the school authority; however no decision could be arrived at. Another meeting between the DNSU, ANCSU the board members of the College and the hostellers has been fixed on November 8 at 2 pm to sort out the matter. According to the students, the hostel fee of Rs. 3,100 was increased to Rs. 5,200 this year with the same

Students of Tetso College, Sovima on a strike in protest against the hostel fee hike at its college premises at 5th Mile in Dimapur, on Friday. (Morung Photo)

facilities. The students informed that the board members of the college increased the hostel installment fee so as to increase the salary of the lecturers by Rs. 400. Despite the increase in fee, the facilities as mentioned in

the college prospectus were very poor, they said. The students, during the strike, also displayed placards that read reduce the installment fee and demanded ‘justice and fair decision’ from the board members of the college.

The college authority sticks to a different story and termed the hike as “substantial”. The Principal of Tetso College, TS Lorin this evening asserted that the hike in the tuition fees was necessitated to improve the all round devel-

opment of the college and improve the quality of education being imparted in the college. The college fee is paid in three installments; one during admission, second installment to be paid by November 10 and the third installment in February. Lorin maintained that the “substantial increase” in the college fees had been notified to the students well in advanced before the admission took place. The decision to increase the fees ‘substantially’ was taken by the Board of Directors of the college earlier and notified to the students well in advance in the college prospectus. Lorin also informed that the parents of the students are well aware of the fees hike. In this regard, Lorin lamented about the agitation by the students at this juncture and said that the students should not be agitating about the

fees in the middle of the academic session and that also after their admission in the college, since they have been notified clearly about the increase in the fee structure. Theprincipalalsoinformed that the DNSU and ANCSU members today met with him regarding the issue; a meeting with the Board of Directors of the college has been agreed on by the students union’s leaders on November 8. However, it remains to be seen what outcome the November 8 meeting would be since, the college authorities maintains that decision about the amount of college tuition and hostel fees solely depends on the prerogative of the Board of Directors, and the students union if they have to intervene, have to make a clear cut decision about the fees which in turn should be applicable to al the colleges.

NPCC mourns Assam blast victims Bomb scare in Dimapur DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MEXN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee mourns for the victims of yesterday’s terror attacks in Assam, stating that no crime against humanity has been so dire. Expressing deep pain at the bloodshed, the Congress mourned the death of a Naga student who also fell to yesterday’s tragedy, Pitolu Yeptho of Viyikhe village in Zunheboto. He was killed at Pan Bazaar in one of the Guwahati bomb explosions on October 30. On the death of Late Pitolu at the hands of ‘mindless terrorist’, the NPCC his demise is a great loss as he was a sincere student and was about to complete his B.Com Final Year from R G Buruah College in Guwahati. “No crime against humanity in the world is as grievous as that of Assam blasts where the savage perpetrators

had randomly triggered bombs causing large number of deaths and injuring hundreds of innocent people” the NPCC said in a message from its president KV Pusa. The NPCC said to strongly feel that the despicable and terrible incident has thrown a challenge to all sensible people and all the political parties to stand above party politics and united join hands to root out terrorist activities in all its forms. “Moreover the terrorist cannot gain anything out of restoring to pervasive and mindless act of killing and inflicting harm on innocent people but only earned wrath of the people and God” the NPCC said. The NPCC conveys its heartfelt sympathy and condolences to all the bereaved families and wishes speedy recovery to all those who sustained injuries from the blasts.

All Sumi Students’ union condemn

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MEXN): The All Sumi Students’ Union (SKK) expressed grief at the sudden demise of Pitolu Yepthomi, son of late Tohoshe Yepthomi, who was killed in the serial bomb blast at Guwahati on Thursday. A press release issued by General Secretary of the union, Vitolu Chophy, stated that the victim, who was a student of R.G. Baruah College, had been a sincere and innocent student and a bonafide member of the union. The union conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayer for the departed soul, while also condemning the inhuman act committed by terrorists in public places.

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): In a clear case of the ‘near-panic existence’ that the people of Dimapur are living in, an accidentally fired mortar created huge alarm in the early hours of the morning. At about 7:00 am this morning, the sweeper of St. Michael School in Lingrijan, Dimapur, discovered what looked like a bomb inside one of the classrooms and alerted the school administration. A huge furore was created and students of the said school and the nearby Government Middle School, Lingrijan, were sent home while the district administration and police were informed of the discovery. However, it was discovered that the bomb scare was

a false one, and that it actually happened to be a sand mortar fired from the CRPF 14 B Battalion in the Transaction Camp at ADC Court, Dimapur. The CRPF reports that the mortar was not meant to be fired, but had gone off by accident while one of the hawildars was giving a demonstration to the trainees at about 6:45 am. The CRPF said a search party had soon been sent out to locate where the mortar had landed, but it was discovered by the school authorities before they were able to trace it. Apologising profusely over the careless accident, the CRPF personnel informed that the hawildar was reprimanded for the mistake.

Robbery, threat of clergy condemned ‘Progress demands Peace and Harmony’

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The Diphupar Naga Youth Organization (DNYO) and Diphupar Naga students union (DNSU) in a joint release today strongly condemned the incident where an unidentified gun robbed “Pastors and a deacon” who were traveling in the Church vehicle (Chakhro Baptist Church Council) to Kohima to attend a Church programme. The incident took place this morning at around 5:15 am

near the Diphupar gate. The joint note issued by Thejangulie Suokhrie president DNYO and Kitoi Sumi president DNSU noted that “In spite of several appeals the miscreant robbed them (pastor and his colleagues) at gun point and later took away their mobiles and money and later threatened them and chased them away”. The note raised serious concern over the treatment meted out to those in Ministry and expressed

KMC reminds footpath vendors KOHIMA, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) today stated that despite notices to footpath vendors being “issued and published time and again through local papers, radio and DDK” as reminders, it however registered regret at the “blatant violation” of the directives by the vendors. “The unlawful occupation of footpath by the vendors has become a serious issue and concern for every citizen,” stated Neilaselie Kire, Convenor of Market & Slaughter Houses Committee, KMC, in a notice received here. Reminding the footpath vendors within the jurisdiction of Kohima, the KMC warned that on failure to comply with the order, “the violators shall have no chance to continue their business in Kohima city.” The KMC further appealed to the public to cooperate in mitigating the menace in order to avert accidents.

DMC prohibits sale of gutkha DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): In pursuance of the order issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur, prohibiting the sale of gutkhas like Tez/Talab/Shekar, the DMC has directed all concerned shopkeepers within its jurisdiction not to sell any of the banned items. D P Angami, Deputy Chairperson of DMC, has in this regard informed that anyone found violating the order would be dealt with under the provision of the law.

anguish: “If the safety of a pastor or a missionary is not guaranteed then what about the general public.” Stating that ‘such a kind of act meted against the missionaries and the public in general is against the principle of a Christian faith,’ the DNYO and DNSU further urged the authority in concern to provide “precautionary measures for the safety of the public in general as the most waited Christmas season is soon approaching”.

From page 1

THE MINISTER also said that the history of any ethnic tribe cannot exist without culture and traditional background. In this area, he said, the Zeliangrong people are fortunate to have meaningful art and culture ‘with colorful dresses, dances, folk songs landed down to us by our ancestors and our dances perform together with meaningful songs carry significance of interesting history or poetry, besides war dance’.

He strongly observed that “if we can harvest these potentials of culture and traditions, we can surely make our land a place of tourist destination from different parts of the globe.” The minister also said preserving and keeping culture alive has also become a need of the day especially for two reasons: firstly, he said, maintaining own unique identity, especially at a time when many tribes and races are losing theirs because of

the vigorous assimilation into culture of other races. Secondly, with the growth of global tourism industries, rich and colorful culture like the Nagas’ has become a resource pool for revenue and income generation by making their land an attractive tourist destination, he said. Chairing the function, Neiba Newmai said the Liangmai celebrate Chaga Gadi honoring womenfolk for their prominent contribution in sustaining the family.

CMCF Peren cadres arrested Dimapur tighten security... NSCN DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): 1 candidates informed FromThepage Jawans of the NAP (IR) during a routine DC has also urged the authorities in DIMAPUR , OCTOBER 31 (MExN): All concerned applicants are informed that the last date for submission of Chief Minister Corpus Funds form 2008-09 for Peren District to District Planning Office is extended to November 10. This was informed in a release issued by DC Peren N. Mesen.

PSUK session held KOHIMA, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The Pochury Students’ Union Kohima (PSUK) held its 28th annual session cum freshers’ day on October 28 last under the theme “Racing with the time.” Chitho Nyusou, advocate, the speaker on the day challenged the students to compete with the rest of the world with God given talents and also to reach for the higher heights. Meanwhile, the Union acknowledged the contribution of parliamentary secretary for law & justice, tourism and art & culture, Gravity, View Point Lodge, Thuchu and others towards the success of the session.

concern to check ILP (inner line permits) issued to outsiders, with utmost detail and proof to check influx of illegal immigrants. Naga Council President, Savi Liegise who was also present at the meeting urged the authority to beef up the intelligence network and suggested increasing mobile squads around Dimapur. He said a system to bring the situation under control needs to be worked out.

foot frisking and checking today arrested two NSCN (IM) cadres at Railway Bazaar area at around 12 noon. Later, police identified the cadres as Akhato of Yevito village under Nuiland sub-division and Huseya Sumi of Tohezhe village under Aghanuto sub-division of Zunheboto district. Police recovered one M20 and one 7.65 pistols along with 1 magazine each with 14 and 15 live rounds respectively. Police also recovered a cash of Rs. 6, 485 and two mobile handsets from their possession.

Mr & Miss Tokhu Kohima 2008 today KOHIMA, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The Kyong Naga Cultural Society is organizing Mr & Miss Tokhu Kohima 2008 at the State Academy Hall, Kohima on November 1 at 11:00 AM. Altogether, 19 contestants are vying for the coveted title, of which there are 9 male and 10 female contestants. The event will also feature various popular artistes and folk troupes. W. Kithan, parliamentary secretary will be the chief guest while M. Yanthan secretary to the Government of Nagaland will be the guest of honour.

Encounter

Apollo Hospitals Medical Camp Dated: 05/11/08 & 26/11/08 in Dimapur and dated 27/11/08 in Kohima postponed due to disturbances in Assam. Sorry for the inconvenience. Delta Services, Church Road, Dimapur. Tel# 232326/230695

Equip

Holy Cross School celebrates Parents’ Day

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): Speaking today at the parents’ day celebration of Holy Cross Higher Secondary School, Dimapur, the chief guest, Imkong Imchen, Home Minister of Nagaland, elucidated the need to ensure a conducive environment for the children in Nagaland. Referring to the deteriorating situation in the state, Imkong said that all kinds of blood bath, fratricidal killings, extortions and other such elements in the society need to be brought to an end to ensure that children’s education is in no way threatened. Calling an end to the senseless violence in society and the protection of the future of society, the Home minister strongly asserted that fight-

ing should not be carried out at the expense of the children, who are basically the future of the Naga society. The minister also showered praises on Holy cross school administration, parents and the teachers who play important parts in molding of the children, thereby contributing to the state by bringing up eminent and strong citizens. He especially conveyed appreciation for the Catholic institutions, which he said was largely responsible for providing good education to the people of the state. During the celebration of parents’ day, Imchen also released the school magazine and contributed a sum of Rs. 50,000 towards the school funds. Rt. Rev Jose Mukala DD, Bishop of Nagaland graced

the Parents’ Day celebrations which began at 2:30 pm here at the school premises as Guest of Honour. The program saw a colourful display of creative items performed by talented children, who kept the audience thoroughly entertained. One of the highlights of the program was “Vision 2020”-a short pay which presented a boy’s Herculean vision of turning Nagaland into a peaceful state and India a developed nation. In a clear indication of the situation of the state having penetrated into the children’s consciousness, one of the steps outlined towards the realization of this dream was given as; “I will not support militancy, extortion, drug addiction, alcoholism and tribal differentiation.”

Date : November 3-5, 2008 Theme : Daughter of Zion, Women of Worship Time : 9:00 AM – Seminar, 4:00 PM – Open Services Praise & Worship: Sinai Ministry, Dimapur. Speaker : La Vetta Williams and Team USA.

STARTING LINE-UP

United Colony social work November 1

ResidentsofUnitedColonyareinformedofamasssocialworkon November1at6:00amuntil9:00amwithin‘20ward’jurisdictionforcleanlinessdrive.Allbusinessestablishmentswillremain closedduringthismasssocialwork.GBsandCouncilmembersare responsible for the cleanliness of their respective sectors. ESSU joint meeting November 1

EasternSumiStudents’Union(ESSU)hasconvenedajointmeeting withalltheFormerPresidentsandExecutivesofESSUonNovember 1at10:00amatWe2Haven,NewNSTBusStand,DimapurtodeliberateontheforthcomingGoldenJubilee.TheUnionPresidentina releaseissued,requestedallpresentandformerexecutivemembers, advisorsandseniorleaderstoattendthemeetingpositively. SRSU meeting November 1

ThisistoinformtoalltheFinanceCommitteeofSuruhutoRange Students’UnionthattheGoldenJubileemeetingwillbeheldonNovember1at11:00amattheresidenceofErShikatoJakhaluEE Power,atPurnaBazar,Dimapur.ConvenorErVKRochillhasthereforerequestedallthememberstoattendthemeetingwithoutfail. CLCUD freshers day November 1

CityLawCollegeStudents’Union,DimapurwillhavetheAnnual Freshers’cumPartingSocialonNovember1at11:00amatHotel Saramati.FinancialInvestmentConsultant,Nagaland,IsaacZhimomiwillbethechiefguest.Allpresentandex-studentsofCLC arerequestedtoattendthefreshers’daywhilethevolunteersare requested to report at the venue by 10:00 am. PTCSU GM November 1

PfutseroTownChakhesangStudentsUnioninformsallstudents underPfutseroTown,especiallystudentleaders,seniorstudents, school/collegerepresentativesandwellwishers,thattheFirstGeneralMeetingofthePTCSUwillbeheldonNovember1at11:00 amatBaptistSchoolPfutsero.Thereforeallconcernedmentioned abovearerequestedtoattendthesaidmeetingwithvaluableagenda/agendumpertainingtostudents’activitiesandforthewelfare of student’s community.

FHW School of Nursing silver jubilee DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The FHW School of Nursing, District Hospital Tuensang will celebrate its silver jubilee on November 6 next at 2:00 pm at its school premises. In a press note, Nepralyu Keyho, vice-principal of the school informed all former staff and passed out students to attend the function.

NSACS NAGA IDOL 3.08 2nd VOTING ROUND RESULT VOTES CAST FOR IDOL 17 - TOSHINARO 27754 IDOL 16 - MHATHUNG 27581 IDOL 06 - SHENIETA 25949 IDOL 13 - INATOLI SWU 25510 IDOL 01 - KENEILEZONUO 24238 IDOL 12 - LEDEN JAMIR 23062 IDOL 10 - TIATEMSU 20197 IDOL 15 - TINUREN 19896 IDOL 02 - BAKUP PHOM 19761 IDOL 11 - MERIBENI 18854 IDOL 08 - SENKATHUNG 16805 IDOL 18 - IMNATULA 14173 The last voting round for the NSACS NAGA IDOL 3.08 will begin on the 5th of November 2008 and will conclude on the 12th of November. The grand finale will be held at the Town Hall, Mokokchung on the 15th of November where the final results of the competition will be declared. Aren Changkiri Press Secretary NSACS NAGA IDOL 3.08

CONGRATULATION

The good ofﬁce of the Tsungiki Students Union (TSU) under Wokha District has congratulated Er.Sutemo Kikon and Er. Jenithung Kikon son of Shri Lithungbemo Kikon of Tsungiki Village on being selected through Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) combined technical service examination 2008 ﬁrst class-I Gazetted for the post of SDO Irrigation & Flood Control and SDO PWD Work & Housing Department respectively. Further, the Union wishes for their success and urges them to discharge their duties for the public in general as a whole and prayed that our Almighty God will grant them good health in their future endeavour. Mr. Zulamo N. Shitiri President, TSU

BORDER ROADS ORGANIZATION CHIEF ENGINEER, PROJECT UDAYAK, C/O 99 APO NOTICE INVITING TENDER NIT No: 80615/02/E8 1.

Features of the Program Morning – Evening –

There will be powerful teaching sessions for women Prophetic messages, Healing & Deliverance (Entire program will be interpreted in Nagamese)

How to get forms?

Forms are available at Christian Literature Centre, Word of Christ Literature Center, Bethany Hostel and Nan’s Viand, below Co-operative Bank. Contact : 9436261011, 9436003140, 9862145043, 9436013859, 9436072990

“Come and be transformed in the renewing of your mind. Rekindle your calling, reclaim your destiny, and rebuild your altar in your life and family unto the Lord!”

Your daily Meetings, Appointments, Information and Reminder column

Empower

CONFERENCE&SEMINAR Protect the Future of Naga Society WOMEN’S Venue : IMC (Old Lapa Loma Theater)

Dimapur

5. 6.

Chief Engineer, Project Udayak, C/O 99 APO invites applications preferably by 14 Nov 2008 from the registered/enlisted contractors of BRO/MES/CPWD/Railways/State PWDs/any other Govt organizations for issue of the tender documents for “SUPPLY AND STACKING OF STONE METAL 63-45 MM, STONE METAL 53-22.40 MM, STONE SCREENING 13.20 MM AND STONE SCREENING 11.20 MM AS PER MOSRT&H SPECIFICATIONS FOR WBM WORKS IN BETWEEN KM 32.000 TO KM 37.000 AS PART-I AND IN BETWEEN KM 37.000 TO KM 41.930 AS PART-II ON MON-LUNGWA ROAD IN NAGALAND STATE UNDER 100 RCC/752 BRTF OF PROJECT UDAYAK”. The approximate cost of work is Rs 40.90 Lacs for Part-I and Rs 40.80 Lacs for Part-II. Applicants must attach with their applications, cost of the tender documents in the form of Bank Draft for Rs 1000.00 (Rupees One thousand only) issued by the State Bank of India drawn in favour of the Chief Engineer, Project Udayak, payable at SBI Tinsukia, Code No 0196 (Assam State). Please note that the applications received without bank draft towards cost of the tender documents, will not be entertained. A copy of the application with photocopy of demand draft towards Cost of tender may also be sent as advance copy through Fax at No. 03759-240218. Tenderers are advised to visit the site by making prior appointment with Commander 752 BRTF (Phone No 03786223431) C/O 99 APO/Officer Commanding, 10 RCC (GREF) (Phone No 03869221320), C/O 99 APO well in advance before quoting the rates in the tender form. In addition to the above, applicants must attach with their application, registration/enlistment letter, particulars of financial and technical resources, list of similar nature of works executed by them during last three years indicating the name and designation of Officers under whom such works were executed. In case above documents are not enclosed with their application, their application for issue of tender documents will be rejected without assigning any reasons thereto. The tender documents will be issued wef 17 Nov 2008. The last date and time for receipt of tender is 08 Dec 2008 at 1200 Hrs. The tender will be opened immediately thereafter. Further details cab be seen at the Indian Trade Journal at the BRO website http://www.bro.nic.in and http://www.gref.nic.in. The tenderer may also contact SSW/ASW of Project Udayak at 03759240607 during office hours.

davp 37102/11/0460/0809

SE (Civil) SSW For Chief Engineer

C M Y K

business 4 Steep agent fee on air tickets Govt approves Horizontal Aviation Agreement with EU Dimapur

Saturday

The Morung Express

1 November 2008

New Delhi, October 31 (Agencies): Government on Friday has approved an agreement with the European Union to bring all 26 bilateral air services agreements with member nations in conformity with legal requirement. "The new arrangement will bring all the existing bilateral air services agreements between EU member states and India in line with the European Commission law at one go, thereby obviating any threat of legal challenge," Finance Minister P

Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi. The Union Cabinet gave an ex-post facto approval last night to the Horizontal Aviation Agreement, signed in Marseilles on 28th September during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visit to France at the India-EU Summit, he said. The landmark pact on civil aviation would work like an 'open skies' agreement, encouraging more airlines to offer services between the continents. Nearly 5.7 million passengers traveled between India and the

EU in 2007, with India ranking 11th in terms of passenger traffic between the EU and non-EU countries. Over the past three years, passenger traffic on this sector has grown by 75 per cent. The liberal aviation deal ends nearly six years of legal uncertainty, which began when the European Court in November 2002 decided that bilateral deals on civil aviation services between EU member states and third countries discriminated against airlines from other EU states.

NEW DELHI, October 31 (Agencies): With airlines deciding not to pay travel agents commission on ticket sales, travel agencies have decided to levy a transaction fee of Rs 350 to Rs 500 on domestic tickets sold by them. For international flights, agents will be levying Rs 2,500 per ticket for economy class; Rs 5,000 for business and Rs 10,000 for each first class ticket to all parts of the world.

fees. If airlines stop commissions and agents are still not ready to collect the fee, there will be chaos from Saturday," warned TAAI president Rajinder Rai. However, the loss-making Indian airlines are in no mood to extend the date. For the travelling public that still books tickets via agents, there could be a double whammy in store — they will have to pay a steep fee and also get caught in the

Travel agencies have decided to levy a transaction fee of Rs 350 to Rs 500 on domestic tickets sold by them. For international flights, agents will be levying Rs 2,500 per ticket for economy class; Rs 5,000 for business and Rs 10,000 for each first class ticket to all parts of the world. "Some issues are yet to be resolved with the airlines because of which we want the move to be deferred. There must also be a remuneration arrangement between us and the airline, and not just between us and the passenger. Agents have not been provided training for the new system. And finally, the public has not been provided any education about this

crossfire between adamant airlines and unprepared agents. "There is no plan to reduce these charges," said Rai while admitting there could be a "huge turmoil" in the market. Travel agents point out that a majority of their sale is on credit while they pay airlines within a fixed period. On their part, airlines point an accusing finger at the hefty

Bill to raise LIC equity to Rs 100 cr to be tabled in Parl New Delhi, October 31 (Agencies): A bill to increase the paid-up capital of state-run Life Insurance Corporation to Rs 100 crore from the current Rs five crore and to bring it at par with private insurers, will be tabled in Parliament. “LIC (Amendment) Bill, 2008 is being tabled... This is one short bill that raises equity from Rs 5 crore to Rs 100 crore,” Finance Minister Visitors inspect Nissan's new KIX mini sport utility vehicle at the automaker's showroom P Chidambaram told reportin Tokyo, Friday, October 31. Nissan Motor Co. reported a 39 percent drop in fiscal sec- ers. It will be tabled separately ond quarter profit Friday, as a strong yen and a contraction in the US market combined to from other insurance bills like Insurance (amendment) batter earnings at Japan's No. 3 automaker. (AP Photo)

Bill, 2008, General Insurance Business (nationalisation) Act, 1972, and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) Act, 1999. Currently, insurers have to maintain minimum paid-up capital of Rs 100 crore as per the IRDA Act, but LIC was the exception since it is covered by a separate Act. LIC policies are also guaranteed by the government, which also raises objections from the private players for not creating level-playing field vis-a-vis government-run company.

fee structure proposed by the agents. "Paying this kind of fee just for booking a ticket does not make sense. Agents can justify their charge by providing services like ensuring that a taxi is arranged at airport for arriving guests; hotels are booked and other local things like sightseeing and travel tied up. Then people won't mind paying a reasonable charge. We would like more people to log on to airline or travel websites for booking tickets," said an airline official. But security agencies are baffled by the nature of Thursday's blasts in Guwahati and they started probing the jihadi angle, as regional rebel outfits of Northeast usually don't have the expertise to trigger off such powerful blasts in the past. Till now, a 5% commission for agents was built into airline fares. Realizing that the move to charge a separate fee will lead to an outcry among fliers, Travel Agents' Association of India has asked airlines in India – AI, Jet and Kingfisher – to defer the zero commission move. It has warned of chaos if the airlines don’t reconsider their move.

Public discourse No one is allowed to mislead Sumi people again In connection with the recent statements issued by some self-centered person from Sumi Region in the name of NNC, I am bound to issue this statement in the interest of Sumi people in particular and the Naga people at large that, the Nagas are a nation like other world nations and has its own Constitution and national laws. Each and every citizen of Nagaland should follow it. And the Naga national leaders are elected or entrusted by the Naga people according to the provision of Nagaland Yehzabo (Constitution). Therefore, who is not elected according to provision of Nagaland Yehzabo is self styled leader and has no right to claim as national worker or leader. The NNC President Ms. Adinno Phizo and the Kedahge (President) of the Federal Government of Nagaland Gen. (Retd.) Viyalie Metha are the only constitutionally entrusted and elected leaders of the Naga nation. The persons who are not working under the constitutionally elected leaders are mischievous leaders and self-styled leaders. It was the fact that Sumi Naga people had been misled by some Sumis in the past history, such as the so called Revolutionary Government leaders, NSCN leaders and now some Sumis are again trying to mislead Sumi people in the name of self-styled NNC. As consequences of misleading our people, our people are facing now more sufferings than that of the other Naga people. The Sumi Regional Council, NNC and the Sumi Regional Government, FGN therefore will never allow anyone to mislead the Sumi people once again henceforth. Tokiho, President, Sumi Regional Council, NNC

Suzuki lowers forecasts on India, Europe woes

WTO supports US objection to India's wine duties

C M Y K

Geneva October 31 (Agencies): The World Trade Organization’s highest appeals court — the Appellate Body — today upheld the United States’ challenge against India’s imposition of “additional duty” and “extra additional duty” on imported alcoholic beverages. It maintained these two duties are inconsistent with the trade body’s core scheduled tariff commitment rules as they result in the imposition of duties in excess of those committed by the Indian government in its schedule of tariff concessions. However, the Appellate Body declined to make any recommendations to the WTO’s dispute settlement body what India should do in the light of its ruling. The

government has already removed the additional duty on wines and spirits last year. Similarly, it exempted various products from the extra duty, making the case redundant. But the US went on to challenge these two duties before the Appellate Body after a disputes settlement panel pronounced that Washington had failed to establish that the two duties imposed by India are inconsistent with Articles II:1(a) and II:1(b) of the GATT 1994. Now, the Appellate Body reversed the panel’s findings and upheld Washington’s complaint that both these duties levied by the Indian customs authorities are inconsistent with Articles II: 1(a) and II: 1(b). Under

these two provisions — Articles II:1(a) and II:1(b), WTO members cannot impose duties more than ordinary customs duties that are spelt out its tariff schedules. India also challenged some aspects of the panel’s conclusions, while the European Union, Australia, Chile, Japan and Vietnam participated as third parties. At the core of the dispute is whether India can impose duties in the form of additional duty or other duties and charges on alcoholic beverages and other items that are in excess of what are called the ordinary Customs duties which are notified to the trade body. India had maintained that the additional duty was imposed as a means to “counterbalance” state value-add-

ed and sales taxes, the central sales tax and other local taxes, arguing that they are justified under Article II:2 (a). These duties had been in vogue since March 2003 and last year, the government removed the additional duty. Similarly, India also imposed an extra-additional duty in 2006 at the rate of 4 per cent ad valorem. In the face of the legal challenge, the government exempted various alcoholic beverages from the extra-additional duty last year. The US maintained that both these two duties, irrespective of their current status, violated the trade body’s scheduled legal commitments. The Appellate Body endorsed the US complaint by saying that the dispute

settlement panel was wrong in its interpretation between a border measure (ordinary Customs duty) and an internal tax. The highest court said there should be a qualitative comparison of all these measures, arguing that the disputes settlement panel had failed to carry out such a comparison. It maintained that that additional duty and the extra-additional duty cannot be justified as they amount to imposition of charges on imports that are more than those imposed. Despite its pronouncements, the Appellate Body chose not to make any recommendation to the disputes settlement body as required under Article 19.1 of the dispute settlement understanding.

D S

Tokyo, October 31 (Reuters): Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp issued its firstever profit warning on Friday, predicting a 33 percent drop in operating profit this business year as the worst financial crisis in 80 years pulls down even the healthiest automakers. Suzuki, a maker of compact cars with about half of India’s market, now expects to make an operating profit of 100 billion yen ($1.02 billion) instead of 140 billion yen, and net profit of 60 billion yen instead of 80 billion yen for the year to March 31. It was the first profit warning since it began report-

DAILY CROSS WORD

LEISURE W

Models pose at the Suzuki booth during the Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta in this July 2007 file photo. Suzuki issued its first-ever profit warning on Friday, predicting a 33 percent drop in operating profit this business year as the worst financial crisis in 80 years pulls down even the healthiest automakers. (Reuters Photo)

N E N F Z R T L J L N Y K N N Y T N L I C L T H I B V W V C R U G J E P X I I T X D Q O A S V A P E C I T O M Y Z L A R

SUDOKU

The Morung Express number game

Sudoku # 1124

Kohima Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home:

8 9

N T H P G D Q A M F G U J D L I Y P B H 11

X B I Y I Y O Y G K X I W I P O C P V T

K V A R B E Z O O M C D S P L N O E J A 14

L X T W L C O A F D E N E G O M Y Z R X

T J E B J I N B W J J R F T K L U O J N 18

I T I Y Z T E J U E K C K V G C C O O J

I O B E B S D T Q Z D N R W C G Z S B D 22

G H M I Y A F S H F A T A H K N Z P H S

O A O S L L A Q F L U C I L H C Z O L J B D Z O P P O V P W X N M F S R V R N R

I Y O G E O G O O E I F T A G K K E A B H T I N E Z I R C O N I U M A L P N S F Z B A R I I E T J C O E O K B H L N M D D R C N J O Q R L P L G R O W O H P A M E N C L D N C V O I Y M N K Q Y F R C B G M S I E H T O O Z O O N O T I C J G H

ZEBRA ZENITH ZEPPLIN ZERO ZIGZAG ZINC ZION ZIPCODE ZIPPER ZIRCONIUM ZODIAC ZOMBIE ZONE ZONED ZOO ZOOLOGY

ZOOM ZOONOTIC ZOOPLANKTON ZOOPLASTIC ZOOSPORE ZOOTHEISM ZOPPO ZUCCHINI ZYCO ZYGOMA ZYGOTE ZYME ZYMOGENE ZYMOTIC

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 #1123

1. Arresting element? (6) 4. 100 have cause to show blame (6) 9. Beat the plant (5) 10. Call about the insect talking angrily (7) 11. Price increases rapidly for these fireworks (7) 13. Heated crime? (5) 14. To mean, to need somehow (6) 15: Spies to get the cutlery back (6) 18. Free five give extreme excitement (5) 20. Flying post? (7) 22. Passage from book contains shaky car text (7) 23. Sway on children’s seat (5) 24. Skill for making beer in dynamite (6) 25. Keeper from the strage reserve (6)

where Suzuki recently ramped up production capacity, have also added to worries about its outlook. For the April-September first half, operating profit fell 23 percent to 60.7 billion yen, while net profit plunged 26 percent to 34.2 billion yen. Revenues declined 0.5 percent to 1.72 trillion yen. Shares of Suzuki have lost about 55 percent in the year to date, sharply underperforming the Tokyo’s transport sub-index , which has fallen 30 percent. Before the results, Suzuki shares ended down 6.4 percent at 1,404 yen, while the sector lost 6.2 percent.

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

Chevrolet Car Price List

across

Y V D Q I O O R O D Y Q L O A V Y S C B

DIMAPUR

Civil Hospital: Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Fire Service: Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital)

CROSSWORD # 1140 1

ing consolidated numbers a decade ago. A poll of 11 brokerages had put its operating profit at 124 billion yen, although the business environment has become increasingly unpredictable in the past few weeks due to volatile exchange rates and uncertainty over when economies will rebound. While Suzuki has little exposure to the United States, it is feeling the pain of slowing European and Asian sales, including of motorcycles, as well as the yen’s surge against the euro and a basket of Asian currencies. The acute economic crises in Pakistan and Hungary,

DOWN 1. Skip about the shrub (5) 2. Bird on the road (7) 3. Look both ways (3) 5. Fool says thanks in the Royal box (9) 6. A world body, it’s just single things though (5) 7. Odd seeing a way in the machines (7) 8. Jack’s cold welcome (5) 12. Amuse with an intent ear, perhaps (9) 14. Change sides with 50 in, and bend (7) 16. I ran and got muddled talking (7) 17. Belt back with the bits (5) 19. Essential the learner and I get the VAT sorted (5) 21. Royal stands on head for drink (5) 23. White, Black or Deep blue, maybe (3)

Answers to CROSSWORD #1139 Across: 1. Desturb, 6. Cap, 8. Epoch, 9. Mined, 10. Orderly, 12. Draw, 14. Cher, 15. Design, 18. See, 19. Stable, 22. Aide, 23. Star, 25. Antique, 28. Nerve, 29. Alien, 30. New, 31. Anxious. Down: 1. Damascus, 2. Sent, 3. Under, 4. Below, 5. Poodle, 6. Char, 7. Pony, 11. Log, 12. Drab, 13. Apse, 15. Deft, 16. Soar, 17. Needless, 20. Ton, 21. Uquid, 23. Senna, 24. Annex, 25. Avon, 26. Thaw, 27. Trio.

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For details contact: Urban Station, Near NSC Petrol Pump, 6th Mile Dimapur. Ph No : 240994 Currency Exchange

CURRENCY NOTES US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Japanese Yen /1000 Malaysian Ringtt Singapore Dollar Thai Bhat / 100 U.A.E. Dirhams Euro

BUY(Rs) 48.30 79.05 5.37 478.36 12.34 30.64 135.00 12.38 62.00

SELL(Rs) 50.73 83.22 7.35 528.04 15.27 35.77 146.50 14.45 65.11

Blast victims mourn loss as fear grips Assam GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 31 (CNN-IBN): Assam was rocked by 12 high-intensity serial blasts on Thursday in which 61 people were killed and nearly 300 injured. Even though the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has denied its role in the blasts, but sources have told CNN-IBN they suspect a splinter cell of ULFA was behind the blasts. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered a high-level investigation into the blasts. The serial blasts have, however, left behind a dark scar on the face of the people. While the injured are fighting for their lives in the hospitals, many are struggling to accept the sad truth that they have lost their near and dears ones forever. Dulal Mondal, 62, is in Guwahati Medical

College fighting for his life. Dulal thinks that his wife is also battling her burn wounds in another ward but he is unaware that she is dead. “I’d gone to Ganeshguri with my wife. In the blast my wife fell on one side and I on another. I remember her saree was burnt. She is in the ward below,” he says. For Dulal’s son, Joydeb Mondal, a 24-yearold student, the impact of the loss is yet to set in. “I spoke to my mother. She wanted water and then saline was given. Then she died. I have not told my father,” says Joydeb as he lifts the cover to see her face. Joydeb is not the only one whose family has been torn apart because of this blast. Prabhakar Sinha, 28, came to the city with his mother to visit relatives but lost her to the blasts. “My mother came to

Tripura CPM leader resigns

AGARTALA, OCTO BER 31 (PTI): A prominent member of the CPI(M) Tripura committee, Jiten Sarkar, has resigned from the party accusing the leadership of “autocratic” and “undemocratic” behaviour. Sarkar, former speaker of the Tripura Assembly, told reporters today that he had sent his resignation letter to the state party secretary, Bijan Dhar, recently. “There is no inner party democracy and if any body raises any question, he would be heckled because the party has become very autocratic in nature,” he said. Sarkar, along with a group of party workers, joined the newly-formed Dalit Samajtantrik Dal, recently floated by another former MLA

and leader of CPI(M) Nakul Das. He also alleged that scheduled caste people were dominated by members of other castes within the party and many able leaders were jettisoned only because they belonged to the scheduled caste. Sarkar has been elected from Teliamura constituency for consecutive five terms since 1978 and was the speaker of the Assembly for two terms from 1994. In 1995, a party stalwart and long-standing chief minister of Tripura, Nripen Chakraborty, was ousted from the CPI(M) on the charge of criticizing the party leadership especially Jyoti Basu. He had also alleged that there was no “democratic centralism” in the party.

collect her pension. She had gone to the market. After the blast I kept looking for her, till I finally came to this hospital and found her dead,” Sinha says. Even for doctors in the hospital or ministers on their routine rounds, the blast has set fear in everyone. “Actually in the morning I was there in the casualty. I was very sad when I saw a little boy standing near his dead mother,” says Dr Bhaskar of Guwahati Medical College. “The city has a habit of fighting back, but there is some kind of panic after the Ganeshguri episode of people attacking and burning vehicles,” Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Minister for Health and IT, says. As hundreds fight for their lives and politicians pay their regular visits, it’s a sad time that many would not like to look forward to.

Saturday

REGIONAL

The Morung Express

1 November 2008

Dimapur

Cops conﬁrm use of RDX

From page 1 The Arakan Liberation Army is believed to be playing an active role in sea-route transportation of arms. The sources say the main source of arms for Ulfa and most other outfits was Pakistan. The shipments after arriving at the Chittagong port are taken by trucks to the Comilla and Mymensingh border. The sources also point to the Phulbari area in West Garo Hills, where Ulfa is believed to have set up camps after it was forced out of Bhutan. These two borders along with the Tamabill border in the Jaintia Hills and Lower Assam border are being used for ferrying RDX. The sources say the explosives that come through Myanmarese border are mostly those used in land mines which are found with rebels in Manipur and Nagaland. Ulfa has expertise in handling improvised explosive devices. The outfit had used RDX in blasts at Machkhowa in Guwahati last year and also at Kumarikata in Baksa district in June this year. Explosive materials for Ulfa are usually routed Jagadish Barman, 45, father of Mani Barman who died in a bomb blast, cries at the morgue in Gauhati Medi- through the Indo-Bangla border. It is also cal College hospital, in Gauhati on Friday, Oct. 31. Investigators searched through rubble Friday for clues easier for Ulfa to bring in explosives, inon the kinds of explosives used in more than a dozen coordinated blasts that killed at least 77 people in cluding RDX, from Bangladesh as their crowded streets and markets of Assam. (AP Photo) top leadership is based there.

Manipur panel to probe arson NSG starts probe in Guwahati Two-member team to investigate bus burning in Karbi Anglong

IMPHAL, OCTOBER 31 (THE TELEGRAPH): The Manipur government yesterday constituted a two-member panel to probe the circumstances leading to the burning of a Guwahati-bound bus in Karbi Anglong by militants recently. M. Karnajit Singh, inspector-general of police (law and order), and Devashekhar Sharma, commissioner, department of inquiry, will conduct the probe. The assistant commandant of 2nd India Reserve Battalion, Bijananda Singh, will assist the two officials in the inquiry. The order issued today by under secretary of the home department Th. Amal Kumar asked the panel to submit its report within two weeks. The terms of reference of the inquiry include finding out how the incident took place and also sugges-

tive measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future. Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who also holds the home portfolio, took the decision to hold an inquiry into the incident during a security review meeting yesterday. It was attended by senior officials of the state police, army, Assam Rifles, other paramilitary forces and civil departments. Militants burnt the passenger bus in the Karbi Anglong sector of the Assam-Nagaland border last Thursday. Two passengers, including a woman, died in the fire while more than 10 others were wounded. Ibobi Singh has already announced compensation for the relatives of the dead and also financial assistance for the injured. While claiming responsibility for the arson, the Kuki

Liberation Army/Kuki Liberation Organisation said “action” was taken against the bus after the All-Manipur Inter-state Bus Association failed to pay “tax” to the outfit. The association is yet to resume its services, which were suspended from Friday as a mark of protest. It is demanding full-proof security along the highways in Manipur and other states of the Northeast. An official source said Ibobi Singh requested the army’s 3 Corps in Dimapur to take security measures along National Highway 39 connecting Imphal and Guwahati with Nagaland. The chief minister also directed the security agencies operating in the state to beef up patrolling along the Manipur sector of the Imphal-Dimapur highway, the state’s main lifeline.

GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 31 (UNI): National Security Guard (NSG) sleuths swung into action to pick up clues and find trails of yesterday’s terror attack that claimed 71 lives and injured more than 300. The NSG experts visited the bomb blast sites after sealing off the entire area and picked up some vital clues, official sources said. The NSG experts did not speak to media, but Assam Police top brass admitted that all the five blasts in Guwahati were caused by car bombs. Altogether 12 highly powerful bombs ripped apart lower Assam and Guwahati, leaving a trail of devastation, reminiscent of wartorn Baghdad as dozens of cars were burnt. The serial blasts angered common people, who went on the rampage, chasing and beating policemen and destroying government property, forcing

the authorities to fire in air and clamp curfew in the capital city for a brief period. The state Government had already formed a special task force to deal with the situation, while experts from the Union Home Ministry had arrived in two separate batches to ascertain the involvement of ‘’Jehadi’’ elements. The ULFA had already denied their involvement in the blasts and senior police officials had confirmed that suspicion was on the ‘’Jehadi’’ elements. ‘’The needle of suspicion points to jehadi outfits, which are behind subversive activities in the state, ‘’ IGP (Special Branch) Khagen Sharma said. The Jehadi elements, including Bangladesh-based HUJI, could be working in groups or individually, he said, adding the modus operandi pointed out to their involvement.

Mizoram warns against ‘nameless banks’ Surrendered woman

Newmai News Network Aizawl | October 31

Senior BJP Leader LK Advani addressing media persons during a press conference at Circuit House premises in Guwahati on October 31 after he visited the blast sites in Guwahati and also the injured victims at MMCH, GMCH today. Yesterday,w an unprecedented serial blasts in the state including Guwahati city within a span of one hour killed at least 66 persons including 33 in Guwahati city, while, more than 350 others were injured in the blasts. (UB Photos)

Shillong initiates strong security measures Newmai News Network Shillong | October 31

HEAVY SECURITY drills in the Meghalaya capital Shillong have been carrying out after a high alert was sounded prompted by the serial blasts of Assam on Thursday. Following reports that Shillong could be the next target of the jehadi militants like the HUJI police mobile party intensified their patrolling, throughout the city, while vehicles were checked and all the hotels were thoroughly checked. The police while calling on the people of Meghalaya not to panic because of the high alert sounded and security measures undertaken by the security forces, police spokesman, B.L. Buam said today, “This drills are part of the precautionary measures.” Buam refused to say anything on the media report about Shillong being another likely target. However, he was apt that besides the above mentioned measures, security has been mounted in some pockets of Shillong. He said, “I don’t want to come with premature analysis”, while another police source said that there are eight vulnerable areas that have been identified in Meghalaya. Meanwhile, with the terrorists suspects likely to use the state as a transit point to Bangladesh, the Meghalaya and Asom Police have started sharing each and every intelligence inputs on an hourly basis.“With Meghalaya known for being used as safe passage for terrorist elements, enhance intelligence sharing is pivotal to prevent the perpetrators from using the state as a passage in their return journey to Bangladesh or to be used for shelter”, stated Buam. After sounding a high alert, Meghalaya police immediately alerted all the units of the state police, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF. Calling for public co-operation by informing the police about strange and suspicious people and motor vehicles, the police also said that the public should bear with inconvenience due to the security drills. Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) has sealed the entire Indo- Bangladesh border in the state, besides intensifying patrolling in the porous edges.

MIZORAM CHIEF secretary Haukhum Hauzel has put a stamping against ‘nameless banks’ in the state, asking investors in the banks to withdraw their accounts before the state police launches investigation against the nameless banks. ‘Nameless banks are fast becoming popular in Mizoram of late. In a statement released from the chief secretary’s office, Hauzel beseeched that the ‘nameless banks’ which claims to offer upto 30% interest per month for investors is not to be trusted and depositors should withdraw their accounts as soon as possible as complaints

have been lodged against the banks and the police are now set to launch a proper investigation against the banks. “The claims made by the bank agents that I myself has issued a stay order against the banks is an outright lie, a ploy made by the banks to delay all money transactions. The claims made that me and my wife has deposited a huge sum of money to these nameless banks are also outright lies as we have never been involved with such banks. If a complaint was lodged against these banks I would have issued a stay order a long time back but since no complaint was made I could not take any actions,” the chief secretary further said. Hauzel added that a

number of depositors have tried to withdraw their money but for some reasons, none of the depositors have been successful. As a result, a few of the depositors have filed a FIR to the Aizawl Police Station against the nameless banks and the state police have now undertaken investigation. “As the state police have launched their investigation, I urge all depositors to withdraw their money as soon as possible so that a case may not be filed against them,” he added. Meanwhile, rumors have started to boil that the owners of such nameless banks have taken the last opportunity they have to flee with the deposited money and there is little hope that any of the depositors may get back their money.

Total shut down in blast-hit Kokrajhar

GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 31 (PTI): A total shut down was observed today in blast-hit Kokrajhar on a call given by VHP and the BJP while schools and educational institutions remained closed in Guwahati in the wake of serial explosions that rocked Assam, claiming 77 lives. Only a few shops in the city were opened and vehicular traffic was thin as most people kept indoors. Twenty-one people lost their lives in Kokrajhar in the se-

rial blasts. BJP leader L K Advani, who arrived here this morning, visited the blast site near the Deputy Commissioner’s office where he faced a group of angry lawyers who shouted slogans ‘Advani go back’. He also visited the Guwahati Medical College Hospital and met the injured in the blast. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who is scheduled to arrive later in the day, will visit Kokrajhar and Barpeta. He will also hold a high-level meet-

ing at the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in the evening. A team of NSG experts from New Delhi also visited the blast sites at Ganeshguri, the Deputy Commissioner’s office and Fancy Bazaar. Meanwhile, all examinations scheduled under the Gauhati University and State Education Board of Assam (SEBA) has been cancelled till further directive. Attendance in the offices was thin and in many areas shops and

business establishments, particularly those in and around the blast site remained closed. Few public transport were seen plying on the roads in the morning. Opposition Asom Gana Parishad is observing a ‘Black Day’ today with all its leaders and cadres sporting black badges. Lawyers of both Gauhati High Court and Sessions Court in Guwahati abstained from work and held protests outside the court premises.

militant dies of malaria

AGARTALA, OCTOBER 31 (THE TELEGRAPH): Kamala Debbarma braved many bullets in her jungle hideouts as a National Liberation Front of Tripura militant but succumbed to mosquito bites at a camp just when she was preparing for a new life after surrendering before the government with her husband. Kamala 29, had joined the NLFT eight years ago with her lover Pradip Tripura, 33. Their marriage was solemnised in an NLFT hideout at Chapling Cherra in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. They finally surrendered before the authorities in 2006. “We had taken a great risk by deciding to surrender because in NLFT you can never return without permission from the higher authorities. So, we trekked through long hilly routes before reaching Kanchanpur where we surrendered,” said a grieving Pradip over phone from Lachi camp. But the surrender itself did not solve their problems. They had to wait for one-and-a-half years before their professional training for rehabilitation began in January this year at Lachi under Shantir Bazar police station

of South Tripura. The couple reached Lachi in January and rented a house nearby. “We used to undergo training as an electrician and a tailor in the camp,” said Pradip. There was, however, no other problem except the hard work involved in training at the end of which the couple was visualising their first step towards starting a “normal” life. “We were waiting to start our new life, but since this July, Kamala started getting fever, which at times ran high. So we consulted the doctor who used to visit the camp on a weekly basis. The doctor, however, said nothing and merely prescribed some strong tablets,” Pradip said. Kamala’s condition worsened and gradually she became too weak to work. On October 21, Kamala fell critically ill and Pradip took her to the Tuikurma primary health centre, where she was declared dead on arrival. Following a post-mortem, the doctors in Belonia sub-divisional hospital said Kamala had died of malaria. The inmates of Lachi camp have decided to petition the chief minister for a probe into Kamala’s death.

Tourism also to be casualty in Assam

GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 31 (AGENCIES): The aftershocks of the serial blasts are likely to resonate across Assam’s tourism industry. For the moment, national security forces have thrown a tight security blanket at strategic installations like oil refineries, pipelines, gas installations and railways. Picturesque Shillong has been topping the popularity charts on global travel maps this season. But in the aftermath of the Guwahati blasts, Shillong tourism is slated to take a serious hit since Guwahati happens to be the Northeast. What’s more, even tourism to the thrilling Kaziranga National Park is likely to take a beating. The game park, which is scheduled to open on November 1, was just gearing up for a wave adventure seekers this autumn. One of the biggest tourism promotion festivals of Meghalaya is slated to kick start on first week of November. The Autumn Festival 2008 opens with the Shillong Carnival on November 1 with a street parade consisting of over 15 tableaus accompanied by over 200

traditional dancers, pipe bands and traditional musicians from Meghalaya. Guwahati, which incidentally is the temple tourism hub, is likely to take the jolt as people may refrain from visiting the state after serial blasts in the prime locations of the city. According to the tourism ministry the Buddhist monasteries of the region were also emerging a tourist destination. But things could go terribly wrong in the wake of the blasts. Be that as it may, the KNP has made elaborate arrangements with safari, jeep safari, tracking for welcoming tourist. On an average 4 lakh tourists visit Meghalaya including 13,000 foreign tourists every year. In 2006, the arrival of foreign tourists in India was around 4.46 mn, out of which Northeast received around 0.38 mn foreign tourist. In 2007, the country received nearly 5 mn foreign tourists and the foreign exchange earning was about $12 bn. In 2008, the tourist arrivals were showing an increasing trend and were up in April this year. There is already an increase of 10

percent in the tourist arrivals in comparison to the previous year. Sources in state police said that the market places and malls will have to bear the burnt of the explosion. “Market places through out the state wore a deserted look and it will take time in winning back people to market places and malls. The explosion in Barpeta town took place in market place. It is a vegetable hub and vegetables from this place are supplied to different place of Assam,” he said. The normal working of oil refineries was not affected due to serial blast. However police sources added, “Police pickets have posted in all vital oil establishments. The central industrial security forces, which guard these installations, are put on alert. Police has asked to do round the clock patrolling of oil pipeline. Railways and airports have put alert. Surveillance has been increased,” he said. He added, “There are four refineries in Assam. Oil pipeline has been soft target of militant attack in past,” he said. Assam is perhaps back to its good old days. Security forces point fingers at Jihadi out-

fits and at Ulfa, but Ulfa has categorically denied having had any role to play. Ulfa, in a correspondence to all newspapers, has said that it viewed the act as a “design to derail the peace process”. So who done it ? Kagen Sarma, inspector general of police, special branch, told ET : “Prima facie, the needle of suspicion is on Ulfa and jihadi outfits. It can be the two together also. The explosions were, however, a desperate attempt by militant outfits to register their presence, because they have been hounded by security forces all this while. There were altogether nine blasts today”. Car bombs and RDX, are suspected to have been used in Thursday’s blasts, which unofficially, was put at 12, not nine. Sources in security agencies said that they are probing the role of Jihadi outfits like Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) in Thursday’s blasts. The presence of HuJI militants was amply testified when Army jawans in September gunned down seven Huji militants in Dhubri district of Lower Assam.

Young girls seen rehearsing on October 31 for the upcoming beauty contest (Miss Kut) which is orginized every year in connection with the crop harvesting of the Chin Mizo Kuki communities. (UB Photos)

Advani demands revival of POTA From page 1 “It is important that we meet the problem as the menace of the massive influx of infiltrators from neighbouring Bangladesh,” he said. Advani said that it was the government’s job to pre-empt terror strikes by gathering timely intelligence and then neutralising the terrorists before they could cause any damage. “The UPA government lacks both the political will and ability to fight terror,” he alleged. If the BJP-led NDA was voted back to power, Advani said, “we will put in place a very strong legal framework, revive POTA, revamp the national intelligence structure, besides ensuring that Bangladesh is not used as a base for anti-India activities.” “We want POTA to come back. A very stringent law has to be in place. The present law is not adequate,” the BJP leader said.

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express Saturday 1 november 2008 VOL. IIi ISSUE 303

Scourge of Violence

oday, we are once again reminded of how violence just destroys human hopes and dreams; and so long as there is continued perception that violence works, human hope will remain in peril. The horrific bomb explosions which struck Assam have caused much tragedy and human loss; and yet it only goes on to establish the diabolical nature of violence. By instilling fear, violence succeeds in breeding only more violence, and it’s a ferocious cycle that refuses to just go away on its own. Violence has caused the most basic sense of public trust to be suspended and has brought to the forefront the deep expression of anguish and collective loss and generated a profound sense of powerlessness in bringing it to an end. While the cry of anger and retribution is a human response, yet we are called upon to seek ways that will break the cycle of violence. The chosen manner of response by the United States government in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedies has had far reaching consequences. The US government’s decision response to violence through greater violence has perhaps altered the discourse of world politics and a one that has definitely transformed the nature of human relationships; thereby broadening the scope of conflicts around the world. Is it therefore possible to effectively and efficiently respond to violence without resorting to violence? John Paul through his experiences in protracted armed conflict observes, ‘Anger that escalates to violence is generational, identitybased anger, which develops over time through a combination of historical events, perceived sense of threatened identity and experiences of sustained exclusion.’ While one may not fully agree with his observation, there are elements of truth and one that is important to understand because it is imperative that one does not reinforce the cycle of revenge and violence. There is no doubt that a collective intervention is required to break the cycle of violence. One cannot remain immune. Yet the intervention must be strategic in which the systems and principalities of violence must be engaged with. The intervention must be about building new hope in which differences need to be addressed with clarity and in truthfulness the roots of violence must be engaged so that the cycle of violence does not regenerate itself again. To break the cycle of violence is to step outside of it. Indeed realities are constructed. Therefore the healing and creation of a new society demands a process of building and sustaining different perceptions and interpretations of the same reality, and even facilitating the space for it to be defined by opposing opinions. In essence, the question of violence can be broken by a change of perception, which chooses to strategically respond to differences in unexpected ways. Hence, at its core, any intervention must touch the core with renewed perception, so that the cycle of violence does not regenerate in itself. The answers to finding effective responses to complex and complicated situations lies in the power of simplicity. By this, one is not suggesting simplification of problems; rather it is about creating effective and simple ways to undo violence. When interventions are kept simple, they are easier for people to participate in, energetically pursue and most importantly to sustain. The power of persuasion is critical towards defining the process to address the burdens of history and the challenges of a common future. Effective and strategic interventions emphasize on followthrough to ensure that the cycle of violence does not regenerate itself. This demands nurturing and nourishing authentic patterns of human association and just relationships. The challenge is to elicit a new ethic of life which supports and sustains genuine engagement that encourages people to seek that which assures respect and dignity and to build a political, social and spiritual life that responds to fundamental human needs. There is no other choice but to break the cycle of violence. As John Paul put it; ‘We will not win this struggle for justice, peace, and human dignity with the traditional weapons of war. We need to change the game again.’

left wing |

Ida Karlsson

End Fifty Year Crackdown in Manipur

n the world’s largest democracy, people are shot to death on mere suspicion. For half a century, the population of Manipur State in northeast India has suffered from a law that gives the Indian army extraordinary powers, rights groups say. “India is a U.N. member and one of the world’s largest contributors to peacekeeping operations. But there is a double face. It contributes to peace in the rest of the world while not respecting it in some parts of its own country,” Binalakshmi Nepram told IPS. Nepram has seen the problem with her own eyes, experiencing the terror brought by both the Indian army and the militants operating in the region. Now she is a writer and activist, and a co-founder of the Control Arms Foundation of India, a disarmament group. She also founded the Manipur Women Gun Survivor Network in order to help women affected by the violence in her home state. “According to my research, there are 32 armed groups in Manipur and over 40 battalions of the Indian army operating in this tiny state of two million people,” she said. Rights activists say that militants have carried out torture, killings, indiscriminately used bombs and land mines, engaged in forced recruitment, and conducted widespread extortion. At the same time, the Indian government has failed to curb abuses by its own security forces, and extrajudicial executions and torture of detainees, particularly suspected militants and their supporters, remains common. Manipur was once an independent kingdom. The conflict started in 1949 when the region was annexed to the government of India. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) took effect in 1958, conferring on Indian security forces the authority to arrest and shoot people in the area where the Act operates. Since that time, various rebel groups have continued to fight for the state’s independence. Dr. Walter Dorn, a consultant to the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said he was alarmed when he heard about the situation in northeast India. “This is clearly underreported. Manipur is in desperate need of U.N. investigation, an impartial conciliation process and even a U.N. peacekeeping operation,” Dorn told IPS. “There are many human rights violations by both rebels and the Indian government and there is a strong need to maintain peace and human security.” The AFSPA goes far beyond permitting soldiers to use lethal force in combat situations, empowering officers to shoot to kill for the maintenance of public order. “In this part of India, anybody can be arrested, tortured, killed on mere suspicion,” Nepram said. The Act also provides virtual immunity from prosecution to those forces acting under it. According to Amnesty International, no member of the security forces has ever been prosecuted for a human rights violation. “In the land of Gandhi, where has it gone? India got its independence by non-violence. In that spirit this act must be removed. The army could be removed and the police could take over,” Nepram said. She said that the United Nations should recognise the political and humanitarian crisis that is going on in Manipur. “They should at least acknowledge that these things are happening. India should be called to explain strategies and policies there and the international community should provide observers there,” Nepram said. Manipur is closed to foreigners, and the first report on abuses there by Human Rights Watch, which was released in September, was made possible only through the help of a local consultant. According to the report, at least 20,000 people have died violently since the conflict in Manipur began in the 1950s. Estimates suggest that at least 50,000 soldiers and paramilitaries are deployed in the state -- one for every 20 Manipuris. The report notes that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to a review of the Act in 2005. It concluded that the law should be repealed, although the government has not acted on this recommendation yet. Inter Press Service

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Anita Sharma

The Core Crisis: Standing With The Poor

The importance of the project to end global poverty is accentuated not diminished by the world’s financial troubles

he international effort to end world poverty may not at present be the highest-profile one on a global news agenda dominated by financial turmoil and worries over the coming recession. But the public engagement with the issue is real and sustained. This was reflected in an extraordinary global mobilisation on the weekend of 17-19 October 2008. “Stand Up and Take Action” was supported in 131 countries by nearly 117 million people, who participated in diverse events - from marches to religious ceremonies - and were united by a shared demand that this generation of political leaders do their utmost in the anti-poverty endeavour. True, the global financial crisis does threaten to erase gains made in the fight against poverty, and puts budgets and existing commitments in jeopardy. But this makes the “Stand Up...” initiative, and those like it, all the more urgent and appropriate. The implosion of key pillars of the world’s credit system is the culmination of a debilitating year in which rising fuel and food prices have pushed more than a million more people into extreme poverty, and caused countless others to make life-or-death deliberations about how to spend their meagre resources. It is precisely now that the poorest people in the world need solidarity.

A cause unwon Indeed, 2008 was supposed to be the year when world leaders reaffirmed their pledges to improve the lives of the poor; for this is the halfway point of the timetable for the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This global eight-point compact - agreed by 189 leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 - aims by 2015 to reduce poverty, improve health and education, and protect the environment through partnerships between developed and de-

veloping countries. There have been important successes in the 2000-08 period - among them the reduction of deaths from HIV/Aids by a million, the increase of school-enrolment numbers by 40 million, and the access of some 1.6 billion people to safe drinking-water. Among the confluence of factors responsible for these achievements, external aid to the poorest countries and debt cancellation have played a crucial role. This provisional but real progress can continue if the MDGs are backed by good political leadership and adequate resources (see Andrew Shepherd, “The anti-poverty relay: a progress report”, 24 September 2008). At the same time, debilitating poverty persists: more than 1.4 billion people barely survive on $1.25 a day, 50 million people die each day of preventable causes, and half the population of the developing world lacks access to decent sanitation. Even before the financial crisis hit, developed countries were cutting back on their foreignaid commitments, with few on target to meet the agreed figure of 0.7% of gross national income. The global financial downturn is certain to put even more strain on the poorer nations of the globe. This places even more responsibility on the global north to maintain its support for the MDGs. The financial summit on 15 November 2008 in Washington, DC will begin the discussion of how to reform the governance of the international economy. It is vital that the voices of the people who have stood up against poverty will be heard as this project gets underway. In the words of United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon after a meeting with five eminent economists and the head of the United Nations Development Programme on 23 October: “While recently we have heard much in [the United States] about how problems on Wall

Street are affecting innocent people on Main Street, we need to think more about those people around the world with no streets. Wall Street, Main Street, no street - the solutions devised must be for all.”

A breath of hope The performance of the United States is critical to the realisation of many of the world’s anti-poverty aspirations. The George W Bush administration may be credited for increasing United States foreign assistance in 2001-08, but the US still spends less than 0.2% of its budget on development assistance. Moreover, it has been less than vocal in its support of the MDGs; and instead of coordinating efforts multilaterally, it has established parallel institutions such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The next United States president will face a host of global challenges, including energy and food crises, climate change, and health emergencies. All of them will have to be addressed in the context of the unfolding financial crisis and the resulting economic slowdown, which will place even more pressure on funding resources (see Simon Maxwell, “Development in a downturn”, 4 July 2008). In these circumstances, the new administration must combine innovative and cost-effective solutions with a continued dedication to keep its own and its partners’ promises to the world’s poor. This in turn will require international-development cooperation, and here the MDGs - increasingly embraced by the private sector as well as civil society across the globe - provide an unmatched framework for action. Both US presidential candidates have strongly indicated their support for fighting global poverty, with Barack Obama going so far as to say that if he is elected, the MDGs will become America’s goals.

In fact, it is a striking feature of an otherwise partisan political landscape that many leading political figures across boundaries of party recognise that it is in the US’s moral, economic and security interests to encourage a world that is healthy, stable and prosperous. These promises are being monitored in the United States by a growing global anti-poverty movement. In addition to the more than 50,000 people who participated in Stand Up events around the country on 17-19 October 2008, a survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org has found that 75% of Americans expressed willingness to pay the amount required (approximately $56 per person, per year in the US) to meet the goals of cutting world hunger and global poverty in half. This survey was taken before the financial crisis hit, but it is evidence of a genuine ethical and humanitarian commitment that can increase as much as decrease when times are hard. A number of organisations active in the field - among them the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, the Better World Campaign, Jubilee USA, ONE, and the US Global Leadership Council - have put forth proposals to channel and build on this concern. They include smarter US development assistance, fairer trade practices and further debt-cancellation for the poorest countries. These policies would go very far to address the endemic social, economic and indeed governance and security problems that afflict many countries around the world. The fact that United States citizens, like their counterparts overseas, are prepared to contribute to such an effort is heartening. If this level of global public sentiment can continue to fuel the work of civil-society organisations and campaigners, the new generation of international political leaders will have a strong foundation to deliver effective change.

Where stories are possible

f the countless words Barack Obama has uttered since he opened his campaign for president on an icy Illinois morning in February, 2007, a handful have kept reverberating in my mind: "For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible." Perhaps the words echo because I'm a naturalized American and I came here, like many others, seeking relief from Britain's subtle barriers of religion and class, and possibility broader than in Europe's confines. Perhaps they resonate because, having South African parents, I spent part of my childhood in the land of apartheid, and so absorbed as an infant the humiliation of racial segregation, the fear and anger that are the harvest of hurt - just as they are, in Obama's words, "the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow." Perhaps they speak to me because I live in New York and watch every day a miracle of civility emerge from the struggles and fatigue of people drawn from every corner of the globe to the glimmer of possibility at the tapering edge of the city's ruler-straight canyons. Perhaps they move me because the possibility of stories has animated my life; and no nation offers a blanker page on which to write than America. Or perhaps it's simply because those 22 words cleave the air with the sharp blade of truth. Nowhere else could a 47-year-old man, born, as he has written, of a father "black as pitch" and a mother "white as milk," a generation distant from the mud shacks of western Kenya, raised for a time as Barry Soetoro (his stepfather's family name) in Muslim Indonesia, then entrusted to his grandparents in Hawaii nowhere else could this Barrack Hussein Obama rise so far and so fast. It's for this sense of possibility, and

not for grim-faced dread, that people look to America, which is why the Obama campaign has stirred such global passions. Americans are decent people. They're not interested in where you came from. They're interested in who you are. That has not changed. But much has in the last 8 years. This is a moment of anguish. The Bush presidency has engineered the unlikely double whammy of undermining free-market capitalism and essential freedoms, the nation's twin badges. American luster is gone. The American idea has, in Joyce Carol Oates' words, become a "cruel joke." Americans are worrying and hurting. So it is important to step back, from the last machinations of this endless campaign, and think again about what America is. It is renewal, the place where impossible stories get written. It is the overcoming of history, the leaving behind of war and barriers, in the name of a future freed from the cruel gyre of memory. It is reinvention, the absorption of one identity in something larger - the notion that "out of many, we are truly one." It is a place better than Bush's land of shadows where a leader entrusted with the hopes of the earth cannot find within himself a solitary phrase to uplift the soul. Multiple polls now show Obama with a clear lead. But nobody can know the outcome and nobody should underestimate the immense psychological leap that sending a black couple to the White House would represent. What I am sure of is this: An ever more interconnected world, where financial chain reactions spread with the virulence of plagues, thirsts for American re-

newal and a form of American leadership sensitive to humanity's tied fate. I also know that this biracial politician, the Harvard graduate who gets whites because he was raised by them, the Kenyan's son who gets blacks because it was among them that mixed race placed him, is an emblematic figure of the border-hopping 21st century. He is the providential mestizo whose name - O-Ba-Ma has the three-syllable universality of some child's lullaby. And what has he done? What does his experience amount to? Does his record not demonstrate he's a radical? The interrogation continues. It's true that his experience is limited. But Americans seem to be trusting what their eyes tell them: Temperament trumps experience and every instinct of this man, whose very identity represents an act of reconciliation, hones toward building change from the center. Earlier this year, at the end of a road of reddish earth in western Kenya, I found Obama's half-sister Auma. "He can be trusted," she said, "to be in dialogue with the world." Dialogue, between Americans and beyond America, has been a constant theme. Last year, I spoke to Obama, who told me: "Part of our capacity to lead is linked to our capacity to show restraint." Watching the way he has allowed his opponents' weaknesses to reveal themselves, the way he has enticed them into self-defeating exhaustion pounding against the wall of his equanimity, I have come to understand better what he meant. Stories require restraint, too. Restraint engages the imagination, which has always been stirred by the American idea, and can be once again.

W R I T E - WI N G

Roger Cohen

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.

SATURDAY

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

1 NOVEMBER 2008

PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

Part I

Were Ancient Nagas a Dreaded Race? known primitive living. And many of them are still unable to catch up with modern development. Their isolation has caused them to remain backward; their prejudice against cross-cultural union has kept them within their distinct tribal confines; and the love of their own hilltops has distanced them from urban civilization. But in ancient times, the Naga ancestors wisely adapted to their mountainous topography and appropriately adopted some kind of rural civilization: They lived in isolated, self-sufficient village communities where each family owned a house often adorned with sculpture and paintings, a field for crops and some forests for firewood. Their governing system reflected superior democratic forms; their fighting skills were legendary; their terrace agricultural systems were well-designed; their embroideries were unique; and their costumes were finely decorated with beads, shells and Mazie Nakhro ivory. They were builders of stone towers, stone monuments, and defensive The Nagas are one of the most misun- gates of artistic design. They also disderstood people groups in the world. played a profound understanding of ecoEven the little people know about them logical nature and herbal medicines. is often distorted or at best superficial. Who are the Nagas ethnically? Where di d they get their name? As far as genetic affinity is concerned, Some assume that the name “Naga” the Nagas do not belong to the families came from the Burmese word “naka,” of the Caucazoids, the Negroids, the Cameaning “perforated ears.” Others be- poids or even the Austroids. They are lieve that it is from the Kachari word from the Mongoloid stock. Some would “noka,” meaning “fighter.” But neither say that one such sign is the Mongolof these theories can be substantiated by oid birth-mark on their rear at the time existing literary evidence. And we have of birth. Other visible features include no historical basis of that oral usage high-cheekbones, narrow eyes, flat nose, among the Burmese or Kachari people straight black hair, and a light-brown in the past. Another very popular theo- complexion. So as a Mongoloid race, they ry is that the name “Naga” came from could have been part of the ancient Monthe Sanskrit “nagna,” meaning “naked.” gol civilization anytime between 2000 BC This theory, again, is certainly not de- and AD 1368 when the Mongol Empire scriptive of all Naga peoples. extended to Europe and most of Asia. In my estimation, the name "Naga" comes from the Sanskrit "Nag," meaning Where did the Nagas come from? “mountain,” thus implying "hill people” Obviously, the Naga peoples were or “Naga” as a generic term for “snake.” not migrating altogether at the same Whatever the origin of the word time and through the same route. Some “Naga” may be, one thing is conclusive: of them could have taken the north-east The appellation was given by outsiders Indo-Myanmar corridor. Others could and it must be interpreted from their have come through the more common perspective. This means that most hill north-western route into the lower Hitribes in north-east India could easily fit malayas. into that given name. According to some Naga scholars, the Naga ancestors originally migrated Are the Nagas tribals? somewhere from mainland China toSince the British Colonial period, the ward southern Myanmar where they Nagas have been branded as “tribals.” lived near the seas for a period of time. This is a classificatory label, having divi- They support their view by citing the sive and degrading effects; and it is loaded Nagas’ liking of sea shells in decorating with negative meanings such as nomadic, their traditional dresses. Some folktales forest-people, backward, uncivilized, eth- and folksongs, according to them, imply nic minority, etc. But the Nagas are not that the Naga ancestors retreated to the rootless nomads; they are not a forest- north-west direction along the Salween people group who live in the wild; they River toward Irrawaddy and Chindwin are not even an ethnic minority in the Valley, where they must have lived for sense of being placed from outside within another period of time. And from there an already existing dominant society. they eventually migrated in several Nagas are “tribals” only in the sense waves along the Imphal River and Barak of belonging to a tribe and as in main- River to their present Naga Hills as early taining their ethnic identity without ra- as the 300 BC or at the latest before the cial mixture. Perhaps the most accurate Ahoms entered Assam through the eastway to describe them is the term “hill ern hills in 1228. people” (from “Nag”) or simply “NaSome Indian historians, however, begas” of native Himalayans because they lieve that the Nagas were part of an abare the original settlers still living sed- original Mongoloid people who inhabentarily as the dominant group within ited the eastern Himalayas for over 3000 their ancestral homeland from time im- years (Akshoy K. Majumdar, S.K. Chatmemorial. terji, etc.). The Vedas called these Mongoloids as “Kiratas,” meaning “hillmen” Have Nagas known any civilization at all? (Shukla Yajurveda, ch. 30.6; Krishna Without a doubt, the Nagas have Yajurveda, ch. 3.4, 12; Atharvaveda, ch.

10.4, 14). They were described as having a gold-like complexion, unlike the Nishadas or the Dasas, who were dark. They established their own dynasties. As warriors, they used elephants in battles (cf. certain Nagas use ivory armlets as emblems of their warrior status to this day). They were hunters of animals and enemies to the Brahmins. The IndoAryans considered them as degraded Kshatriyas, implying their ruling status or existing civilization (Manu's Dharmashastra, ch. 10.44; The Vayu Purana: Last Book, ch. 39. 28). If so, the Nagas made their contribution to an early Indian civilization and possibly became admixed with other Indian populations. As it is, several DNA analyses confirm a wide admixture of Aryans, Dravidians and Mongols in the Indian population. Now tracing all the way back to the beginning of human history, Satan has been always figuratively portrayed as a serpent in disguise. Even today, if we see a shrewd or dangerous person, we would say, “He is a snake!” Similarly, many ancient groups would call any adverse force as from a “serpent race.” In other words, the term “Naga” was not necessarily an ethnic name; rather, it was a common nickname in many cultures (e.g., Filipinos, Thais, Japanese, Indian, etc.). The Vedas, The Mahabharata, The Ramayana, and The Puranas are filled with mythological stories but they are often presented within historical contexts. If we strip off the myths, we find some facts. For example, since the Rig Vedic period, the Naga kings and warriors were portrayed as a serpent race. They were depicted as mysterious creatures who could disguise themselves in many forms. But recent studies have shown that these Nagas could be an actual human race in historical times. In India, they were linked with River Iravati (“Irrawaddy”?) in Kashmir and were said to have settled in the lower Himalayas. After his visit to their land, Narada Muni declared it as more enchanting than the heaven. Even the Aryans described the Nagas as handsome and intelligent. Naga princesses were sought after as brides for the Indian princes. But they were crafty rulers, hated for their dangerous inhuman activities. A prominent Naga king known as Ahivritra (a Sanskritized rendering) was especially depicted as a sworn enemy of Indra, the Aryan God. These were possible reasons why the Nagas of Sanskrit were mythologized by the Indo-Aryans as a serpent race. Evidently, wars were fought against them. Their race in northern India was almost exterminated by Janamejaya, the Kuru king in Arjuna’s line, who conducted the massacre of the Nagas at Takshasila (The Mahabharata, Book I: Adi Parva, Sections 13-58). However, this genocide was stopped by Astika, a Brahmin whose mother was coincidentally a Naga. So, who were these Nagas according to the Indo-Aryans? It seems apparent that the Nagas of Sanskrit were not an actual serpent race. Neither were they an ethnic group of snake worshippers nor a religious sect who practiced nakedness as a religious sign of worldly renunciation. Rather, they were dreaded rulers and warriors of a non-Aryan race who once lived in the lower Himalayas. Could the Nagas of north-east India be one of the serpent races in the IndoAryan mythologies? Again, if at all the

name “Nagas” was given by the IndoAryans, it must be interpreted from their point of view. After all, the Nagas of north-east India bear the same name. Otherwise, we must provide satisfactory answers to these questions: How would the Indo-Aryans give the name “Nagas” to the hill people of north-east India if the latter group has no connection to the so-called serpent race? Or if the Nagas of Sanskrit literature were actual humans, what was their racial origin? If the Aryans called them a serpent race, what did they call themselves? Since the Mahabharata (Book I: Adi Parva, Section 20) depicts the Nagas negatively and calls them “persecutors of all creatures” (animals?), were they even believers in the Indo-Aryan religion which is Hinduism? And if the Naga race was not completely annihilated, would there be a remnant still living somewhere in the Himalayan region today? If so, what people groups would best fit the description of this socalled serpent race? Why did the Nagas end up in the Himalayan regions? The prevalence of primitive living conditions among the Naga people in a not-so-distant past shows signs that they were starting life again. Could it be possible that the Naga people faced a near ethnic extinction experience at the hands of a more powerful enemy at some point in history? Did the Indo-Aryans in the Plains reduce the “Naga race” to a point of near annihilation as implied in the Sanskrit literature? Or did a much better equipped Chinese power force them to migrate further south in some distant past? For example, China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (221-206 BC) was known for his ruthlessness against certain ethnic groups. He burnt their books and executed more than 400 scholars. Using a forced labor of 700,000 troops and peasants, he built the Great Wall of China. The fact that the Nagas eventually settled on the hills instead of living in the fertile plain suggests that they put self-protection as priority over economic prosperity. For them, protecting their kith-and-kin was everything. Their brutality against their aggressors was wellknown. This protective spirit of theirs was evidently displayed in the fact that they resisted the British colonial power. They fought bravely against the Japanese who swept down through Malaya, capturing Singapore, and advancing through Burma into India, only to be stopped at Kohima, Nagaland, in 1944. The same spirit is also evident in their unwavering resistance against the Indian forces for the last half a century. What’s next? Admittedly, we have more assumptions than proofs to connect the dots about the Naga history. Perhaps, genetic science could point us to our closest biological link so that further research is in the right direction. And there may be some archeological evidence about the Naga ancestors still laying buried under piles of rubble in Mongolia, China, or somewhere within the lower Himalayas. There is also a very high probability that further light could be shed on Naga history through historical records written in Sanskrit, Mongol script, or the Chinese language. But who is willing do the hard work?

ELECTRICITY "LIFE LINE OF MODERN WORLD" Er. Akito Muru

hrough your esteemed daily I would like to highlight my opinion on electricity and how its consumers are to take their own share of responsibility for efficient and uninterrupted power supply. In this fast growing world its just electricity and electricity nothing can replace it, where everything starting from your kitchen to your bedroom and off-course all the sophisticated gadgetry you possess making your life so comfortable and sophisticated, adding spice to your life to desire and yearn for life. Electricity like any other commodity is purchased and sold where the department of power representing the Govt. of Nagaland is only a nodal agency for supplying and distributing electrical energy to the consumers, unlike other commercial commodities it cannot be procured nor stored at our convenience but it being instantaneous can only be distributed and supplied through a systematic system for which the department of power is the nodal agency for it and with the fact the our state with very limited infrastructure and resource the department tries its best to make the best use of this limited resource in giving the best of service possible to the esteemed consumers. Now, under this circumstances no matter how much of effort and energy is pumped in by the department, the whole process will be a futile exercise if there is no positive response and co-operation from the consumers, for this the basic civic sense has to be instilled in the mind of the general public. First and foremost the general public has to understand that electrical energy

consumed is not free of cost and hence it is our bounden duty and priority to pay for what we consume, we cannot ignore to pay for what we have already utilized, it is not only a disgrace to one's own image and prestige but a sin too. In this aspect though it may be harsh to mention. In a layman's term refusing to pay electricity bill is like refusing to pay for the food we eat in a hotel. Many of us readily accept and pay charges for telephone, mobile, cable T.V. etc. etc but are very reluctant and hesitate to pay light bill. Many people are readily paying your mobile bills in thousands without a word some are paying for the cable T.V in advance for months together for the fear of disconnection but are least bothered to accept the fact that in the absence of electrical energy everything starting from your kitchen to your Hi-Fi gadgets will be defunct, no water pumps, refrigerators, charging mobile phones, computers, running your Tata Sky, dish T.V, A.C etc. Now this clearly speaks volume that its electricity first and then comes other equipments similarly it should be electricity bill first then other bills because without electricity there's no reason for you to live since there's no destiny without electricity in this modern world. As mentioned earlier just because there's electricity it adds spice to your life urging you to keep going even in the most trying times, weather conditions etc. by keeping you cool from the scorching summer heat or keeping you warm in a cold winter night in your Air conditioned room. Secondly we have been ignorant not illiterate in understanding and accepting the fact the any property owned by the state Govt. is a sole property of each

and every citizen and that it is the duty of every citizen to preserve and protect it, many of us are of the view that it is the property of the Govt. so why care about it, why are you bothered even if I do not pay the light bill but it is high time for us to be more responsible citizen and learn that destruction of the Govt. property is destruction to our personal belonging. The down fall of the Govt. is downfall of the people. Thirdly we have to educate ourselves to conserve Electrical energy which is the solution for economical, consistent and improved power supply. Let us work on simple but very interesting facts and figures in our journey towards conserving energy. Consider a house fitted with just 6 (six) nos. Incandescent lamp (ordinary bulb) of 100 W, where it is burnt for an average 10 hrs a day. The bill works out to 6 X 100 W X 10 hrs. = 6000 Watthour = 6 KWH =6 units a day. (1 unit means 1000 watts burnt for one hour). i.e 6 units a day means 6units X 30 days = 180 units a month. This works out to Rs. (30x2.3 + 70x 2.9 + 80x3.2) + 5 =Rs.533 Had this incandescent lamps been replaced with a low power consuming CFL lamps or Fluorescent tubes which are mostly 18 W, 20 W, 36 W, 40 W etc. The bill worked out for same number of lamps and same period if 20 W CFL or tube light is used works out to be as below. 6 lamps X 20 W x 10 hrs =1200 Watt-hour =1.2 KWH= 1.2 units for one month the consumption = 30 x 1.2= 36 units Bill for 36 units = Rs. (30x2.3 + 6x2.9) + 5= Rs. 91.4

Total saving works out to be Rs. 533.00 - 91.00 =Rs. Rs.442.00 in a month Hence in a year you save Rs. 422.00 x 12 = Rs 5304.00 If the above suggestion is well taken, then Dimapur alone with a consumer of approximately 37,000 (including commercial and industrial etc) the saving in Rupees will work out to be Rs. 5304 x Rs. 37000 =Rs.196248000 =Rs 19.62 crores a year. The above load condition is a very rare phenomenon rather many of the modern houses are fitted with much more electrical fittings and equipments under this circumstances in addition to replacing with CFL and fluorescent lamps we can save even more energy and money by judiciously using electrical energy, such as putting off the lamps when not in use, switching off your electrical equipments such as AC, fan, PC's etc when not in use, many consumers are in the habit of constantly putting the refrigerators on even when not required especially in the winter. Preserving energy not only helps in reducing your bill but prolongs electrical equipments right from your kitchen up to the distribution transformers due to the fact the every thing has its own life hence switching off your equipments when not in use automatically enhances the life of your equipments. Before I wind up I would make it very clear to our readers that this article has nothing to do with anyone in person and in no way intends to hurt the sentiments of a single person it is purely with the intention to make ourselves aware of electricity and preserving it so please read it positively and for sure we will gain out of it.

The issues of Climate and Global Warming have today become the greatest challenge to the human strive for its continued and dignified existence. Together, they impact every aspect of life on earth and constitute a threat like never before in human history. Therefore in our humble attempt to create public awareness that will result in public action, the Morung for Indigenous Affairs and JustPeace in partnership with LEAD, is introducing the weekly Climate Change Corner, which will be published every Saturday. Hope you will find it useful.

Climate change consciousness of the community

C Furkumzuk, Climate Change LEADer

ver the past few weeks on the Morung Express Climate Change Corner, we have been following a series of articles on climate change. This morning also I would just like to reinforce a little more on what my friend Ella Mary had written on climate change corner dated the 25th October 2008. Of the 6.7 billion people standing over this cool planet earth, how many do you think would actually know the challenges of climate change! Are we all really aware of the terms and consequences of Climate Change? Plain teaching or talking about awareness on Climate Change may not have achieved the desired results to lead to action at the local level. The local communities may not be seriously conscious of the changing patterns on the given ecological domain that they are dependent upon. The level of awareness in Nagaland like in many parts of the world is therefore still low. Discussions on the issues of environment and development, global warming, green house effect, and so on must be linked to the local issues, as these are most tangible. Scientifically, climate change study requires lots of long term monitoring of rainfall, humidity, temperature, wind directions, pollutions, other meteorological and climatic parameters, but at the same time, the wisdom of the local people cannot be ignored. Traditional farming system, traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous technical knowledge are clearly at the cutting edge in adaptation to climate change. While scientists and policy makers work to find solutions, local people have knowingly or unknowingly rolled up considerable adaptation and coping mechanisms of how to cope, based on their observations and experimentation. Here, the wisdom of conservation from an ecosystem perspective plays an important role. Conserved ecosystem offers many other services vital for adapting to climate change. For instance, wetlands are important reservoirs for flood water. Vegetation such as hedges protects agricultural landforms from excessive water or wind erosion in times of rainfall or drought. By preventing erosion on hillsides, vegetation also reduces the risk of landslides when rain comes in heavy bursts. Watersheds with intact plant cover slow the movement of rainfall to rivers and so reduce flood risk downstream, just like the mangroves acting as coastal buffers protect the coast from cyclone damage by reducing the strength of waves before they reach the shore. As a responsible citizen, one must not only be conscious of climate change but strive to make each and every individual aware. An octogenarian from your locality or village may unconsciously have quite a lot of stock on climate change information and such information could be a good indicator of climate change. Interested readers are requested to start with personal projects on documentation of climate change and I would, through this article request, those interested to mail us and share your ideas or experiences at - ccl.nagaland@gmail.com. One must however, be aware of the anecdotal data on changing pattern of nature. Experiences and traditional wisdom alone cannot simply conclude the evidence of climate change. On being queried upon climate change to lay people, village elders and even researchers, the most common reply is that there are changing rainfall patterns and uncertainties over the local weather conditions. Who could have ever imagined that cloudbursts in May 2005 ( 170.7 mm of rainfall recorded at the Meteorological Observatory Mokokchung, Dept. of Soil and Water Conservation, stationed around milak watershed) would flood half of Tuli Town and kill fourteen innocent lives? The same day persistent rains in Mokokchung Town triggered landslides destroying life and property. Is it just because of the thin vegetal cover around the Milak watershed that caused the flashflood? Or, poor planning and management that caused the landslides simultaneously at different locations? Or, does it also have climate change implications? People also commented on the reduced yield productivity of the paddy when compared to the past decades. Has the productivity really reduced? If so, what could be the possible reason? Should we then also think of climate change and food security? Yes, indeed and therefore, it is very crucial that each and everyone of us becomes not just aware of climate change but also ensures that this awareness leads to action. Then there are the reports of migratory birds in the districts of Mokokchung, Wokha, Dimapur (more migratory birds all around Nagarjan locality!) and elsewhere every year. Could this be linked to climate change? Maybe! You and I, as a climate change conscious citizen, should start to study and observe the nature of such migrating species, e.g. the most commonly seen around this season referred to by the Ao’s as ‘Molulem’ will probably help. It would be interesting to study whether there are any changes at transit sites, which are key to survival, and whether the seasonal availability of food sources are synchronized with migration times. And of course, there is every day talk of early occurrences or flowering and ripening of flowers, fruits and crops. While these could be because of the natural climatic and seasonal upheavals, the fact that it is becoming so unpredictable even for traditional varieties is worrying. Naga society is well known for its tribal culture, floral and faunal diversity, landuse pattern including jhumming practice and its rich traditional knowledge base. It is the society and the community itself that can play the vital role in the participatory approach to climate change awareness and mitigation. Our society is a social network of interacting individuals. There are 1286 (2001 census) villages in Nagaland. 82.26% of the total population of Nagaland (1.9 million, 2001 census) is rural. All these villages have strong village councils, organizations and governance. The rural community based approach of governance can be a powerful weapon in climate change mitigation. We also have a strong set up of Civil Societies including the Churches. The Naga Hoho, NBCC, The NSF, the Municipal and Town Councils, and the likes can play pivotal roles in environmental and climate change awareness campaigns. Indeed, this will help to investigate the role of social learning and capacity in enabling communities to work collaboratively with the main stream policies. Could the government through its innovative ‘Year of Capacity Building’ also capacitate such organizations and institutions to face the challenge of climate change? Our society is looking for environment friendly and climate change conscious leadership. Candidates with this agenda should be supported and elected. Your sermons, public speeches, lectures, classroom teaching, or a causal chat with a little concern on environment and climate change is what the world wants you to be. Now is the time to start. The Climate Change Leaders (CCL) programme is sponsored by EHDRC, LEAD India (www.leadindia.org ). There are 8 CCL’s in Nagaland and 30 in the North East Region. The Nagaland CCL’s invite you to respond to this article on-line at www.morungexpress.com or email ccl.nagaland@gmail.com

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

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Saturday 1 November 2008

NEWS FILE Canada govt introduces new visa formalities for Indians

The Morung Express

UN chief calls India ‘an enduring partner’

Toronto, October 31 (agencies): Canadian government has issued a new questionnaire for Indian applicants seeking visas to visit the country. The two page questionnaire asks the applicants to disclose their affiliations with any political, religious, social or banned organisations or groups within or outside the country, local media reports said yesterday. The applicants are also asked to disclose if they or their family members have any association with the banned organisations like Khalistan Commando Force, the Khalistan Zindabad Force, the Khalistan liberation Front, the Babbar Khalsa International, the All India Sikh Student Federation, the International Sikh Youth Federation, the Lashkar-eTayeba or Markaze-Dawat-War-Irshad. The applicants have to answer similar questions on behalf of their family members as well, even if the members are not visa applicants. The questionnaire also seeks information whether the applicant has ever served in the “military, paramilitary force, police” and was involved in Human rights violations.

One detained for sending e-mail threat to Sonia

New Delhi, October 31 (agencies): The Kerala Police have arrested a youth for sending an email to Rashtrapati Bhavan threatening to kill Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The email had threatened that two bombs would go off in Kochi and Chennai. The youth identified as Arun Surya, was arrested from Kochi in Kerala after the email was traced to a cyber cafe in the city. The mail was sent to Rashtrapathi Bhavan office about four days ago from an internet cafe at nearby Palarivattom, police sources said. According to sources, Arun is a B tech student in Kochi and was arrested after Rashtrapati Bhavan alerted the Kerala police on October 24, following which five people were detained for interrogation. Initially sources had said that the youth has sent a similar e-mail threat to President Pratiba Patil also, but later clarified that the mail only threatened the life of Gandhi and was sent to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan office. Police said Arun’s motive behind sending the mail was not immediately known.

Land mine blast injures 17 cops in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, October 31 (Agencies): At least 17 policemen sustained minor injuries on Friday when Maoist guerrillas detonated a powerful land mine in front of their vehicle in Chhattisgarh’s southern Bastar region. The incident took place on a state highway in Narayanpur district, some 250 km south of capital Raipur. “It was a huge blast but fortunately it missed the target. The mine exploded 10 metres in front of the mini bus with 25 policemen on board,” Inspector General of Police AN Upadhyay said. “The blast created a huge crater on the road, and flying stones smashed window panes of the vehicle, injuring the policemen,” the officer said. The injured men were rushed to a hospital in Narayanpur town, 18 km from the attack site.

C M Y K

Adopt Kannada or pay Rs 10,000 Bangalore, October 31(CNN-IBN): Kannada activism is going to cost shopkeepers in Bangalore a pretty penny. A new order issued by Karnataka government, effective from November 1, has made signboards in Kannada compulsory, failing which a fine of Rs 10,000 would be levied. The rule also mandates that the size of the lettering in Kannada should be identical to the English ones. the smaller signboards will have to be changed. The deadline to switch over to the new signboard format is January 1. “First and second offence would attract a penalty of Rs 10,000. The third time, the offender would be prosecuted,” Labour Minister, B N Bachche Gowda, said. The penalty used to be just Rs 100 before – something that people could take quite lightly. While some say Rs 10,000 is too heavy, others say it’s important for the proper implementation of the order. A lot expressed their discontent over the use of a regional language, especially in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore. The last few months have seen quite a few shops adding on Kannada to their signboards due to the stepped up Kannada activism in the state.

Finally baby Manjhi to go home

(Left) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and his wife Ban Soon-taek offers a floral wreath at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi October 31. (AP Photo) (Right) In this photo provided by Indian Presidential Palace, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, shakes hands with Indian President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan, or Presidential Palace, in New Delhi, October 31. (AP Photo)

New Delhi, October 31 (agencies): In a boost to India’s case for a seat in the Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon Friday termed New Delhi “an enduring partner in facing ever more complex global challenges” even as he called for more “political will” to advance UN reforms. Describing India as “a leading voice in the developing world, a long-established democracy and a growing economic power,” Ban lauded India’s contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations around the world. “This country’s contri-

bution has helped to make our peacekeeping operations more effective in some of the world’s toughest places, from the former Yugoslavia a decade ago to the Democratic Republic of Congo today,” Ban told reporters at the end of his two-day visit to India, his first visit to the country since he became secretary general of the global body nearly two years ago. India currently provides more than 8,000 troops for UN peacekeeping operations, making it the third largest contributor after Pakistan and Bangladesh. “Our discussions have

reaffirmed my belief that, as India reaps the benefit of its economic growth and its commitment to democracy it stands ready to play a greater role on the world stage,” Ban said after holding talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pratibha Patil and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Thanking India for its strong support to the UN in many areas, the UN chief stressed that “India has been and still is a very engaged partner in international affairs.” “The UN counts on India as an enduring partner in facing ever-more com-

plex global challenges,” Ban stressed. Ban, who began his diplomatic career in South Korea’s embassy in New Delhi and has visited India earlier as his country’s foreign minister, recalled fondly fond memories of his stay in India and praised India’s achievements in different fields, including cuttingedge science and research. “Just last week the entire world could measure India’s progress simply by looking up at the night sky, knowing that India had successfully launched its first mission to the man,” he said, while adding that Chandrayaan space-

PM raps Maharashtra govt over immigrant row

New Delhi, October 31 (agencies): Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has rapped the Maharashtra government over its failure to stem violence in Mumbai against the north Indian community living there. The Prime Minister has also conveyed the “sense of the Cabinet” on the need to stop attack against non-Maharashtrians and improve the law and order situation across the state. “The Prime Minister informed the Cabinet that he had written a strongly-worded letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister and that he would convey the sense of the Cabinet to the Maharashtra government,” Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said here Friday. He was briefing the media on the deliberations of a Cabinet meeting here late Thursday, presided over by Manmohan Singh. The Maharashtra government is headed by the same Congress party that leads the ruling coalition at the Centre. “The Cabinet expressed its serious concern (over the violence in Mumbai) and expressed its sympathy with the families of those who have lost their lives,” Chidambaram said. “The Home Minister was

asked to take the necessary steps (to restore normalcy),” the Finance Minister added. During the Union Cabinet meeting last night the Cabinet demanded the MNS chief to be booked under National Security Act and a judicial inquiry into the killing of two youth from Bihar and UP youth in the state. In the absence of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, Fertilizer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan took the charge against Thakceray’s campaign and wondered what the Centre was doing when national unity and integrity was being challenged. He felt Thackeray was being made a hero by arrest-and-release “drama” of the state government and demanded that he be booked under NSA. He was supported by RJD’s P C Gupta and Raghuvans Prasad and Congress’ ministers P Chidambaram, H R Bhardwaj, Kapil Sibal and S Jaipal Reddy. The ministers with legal background Chidambaram, Bhardwaj and Sibal were understood to have favoured a judicial inquiry into the killing of the Bihari youth in a bus by Mumbai police on the ground that a civilian probe would not suf-

fice. Bhardwaj is understood to have pointed out that since allegations had been levelled against police in the case of killing of a youth from Bihar, a judicial or a magisterial inquiry would be appropriate. Sibal and Reddy voiced concern over the violence against north Indians in Maharashtra, saying the developments did not send the right signals. Patil told the meeting that his ministry had issued three advisories to Maharashtra government over the violence against North Indians and 56 cases were registered against Thackeray in connection with these incidents, the sources said. When Patil said that his ministry had issued three advisories to Maharashtra, Paswan said if the state government still did not act to stop violence, the Centre should think about other options. Pressing for Thackeray’s arrest under NSA, Paswan said the MNS chief was getting out on bail in whatever cases had been filed against him. Asked whether the government was contemplating a ban on the MNS, Chidambaram replied, “The decision, if and when taken, will be conveyed by the Home Ministry.”

craft will benefit not just India but also the world. Describing the UN reforms as “one of the most important items,” he said: “Everybody wants to see an enlarged Security Council which is more representative and democratic.” Indicating that the reform process was moving, he said member states had adopted a resolution at the conclusion of the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly last month about beginning informal discussions on this issue at the plenary level. “Member states should demonstrate political will and flexibility that they

are able to agree on a final draft (for the expansion of the Security Council),” he said. India is part of the G4 initiative, which also includes Brazil, Germany and Japan, for permanent Security Council seats for these four countries and one or two representative countries from Africa to make the global organisation more democratic and reflective of the 21st century realities of the world. Manmohan Singh made a renewed pitch for the expansion of the Security Council during his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York last month. Ban also called for strong and active participation on the ongoing global discussions on climate change and stressed that India’s contribution can be “very effective” in a globally acceptable agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol by the end of the next year. Climate change was among global issues, which also included the international financial crisis, terrorism, and the situation in Myanmar and Pakistan that figured in his discussions with Indian leaders. He also praised India’s constructive role in promoting democratic transition in Myanmar and hoped that it would continue to help in this process. Underlining his concerns about the spurt in terrorism and extremism and Pakistan, Ban expressed hope that India and Pakistan will continue to improve their relations through dialogue.

J&K Polls

Filing of nominations for 1st phase ends today

2 months hence, Orissa cops probe attack on Christian priest

Bhubaneshwar, October 31 (CNN-IBN): More than two months since Father Bernard Digal was brutally attacked during communal violence in Kandhamal and two days after the 47-year-old died in Chennai, the Orissa Police has ordered a crime branch investigation on the attack and what led to his death. The body of Father Digal was brought from Chennai to a church in Bhubaneshwar for the last rites. Though medical reports suggest that he died of cardiac arrest, church authorities believe that he succumbed to the injuries sustained during the communal violence in Khandamal. He was beaten with iron rods by a mob and left in the church naked and bleeding. “His death is partially due to the injuries he suffered during violence. He was so badly beaten up that his entire body had wound marks,” says Father Joseph Kalathil, Vecar General, Orissa. Father Digal had wished that his last rites should be performed in his village at Raikia in Kandhamal but it could not be done due to security reasons. The 47-year-old was born in Tiangia village under Raikia police

station in Kandhamal district and he became a priest in 1992. “Since slowly peace is returning to Kandhamal, we do not want to make the situation tensed by carrying his dead body to Kandhamal,” says Father Kalathil. “I feel very sad that my brother’s wishes could not be fulfilled. I myself have not seen

my children for last two months who are in the relief camp. In such a situation how could we fulfill his wishes?” says Laxi Digal, elder brother of Father DigalNo action was not taken against the attackers because an FIR was not filed. But now the Orissa DG has ordered for a crime branch investigation into the incident.

Five cops suspended in nun rape case Bhubaneswar, October 31 (PTI): Orissa government today suspended five policemen in the nun rape episode in Kandhamal district after a joint report was filed by the District Collector and Superintendent of Police. “Five policemen have been placed under suspension for misconduct and negligence of duty in connection with the nun episode,” Home Secretary T K Mishra told reporters. The action was taken on the basis of a joint report filed by Kandhamal collector Krishna Kumar and Superintendent of Police Prabin Kumar. Patnaik had on Wednesday a sought a report on policemen deployed at K Nuagaon in the district

where the nun was allegedly raped during the Orissa bandh on August 25. The policemen suspended with immediate effect were an assistant sub-inspector Rasananda Mallick, havildar major K N Mohapatra and havildars S K Hamim, J S Khan and B K Mohanty, official sources said. With the action taken against the five, a total of six policemen having been suspended so far in the incident. Earlier, Baliguda police station officer in-charge K N Rao was suspended for failing to take steps after the nun lodged an FIR on August 26. The move was aimed at restoring the confidence of the people, particularly in riot-ravaged Kandhamal district, the sources said.

Kashmiri Muslim protesters hold portraits of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Mohammed Yasin Malik and shout pro-freedom slogans during an anti-election protest in Srinagar, October 31. Government forces fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse hundreds of Muslim protesters demonstrating Friday against the upcoming elections in Kashmir, officials said. (AP Photo)

Srinagar, October 31 (agencies): Filing of nominations for the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections ended on Friday. Polling will be held on November 17 in 10 constituencies. The date of scrutiny is November 1 and last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 3. Meanwhile, the Centre has dispatched 70 companies of para-military forces for ensuring security during the seven-phase elections in the State. Security officials said that the Centre has so far sent 70 out of 425 sanctioned companies for ensuring security for polls during first phase of polling on November 17. The State Government had demanded for 625 companies of security forces for poll duty but due to elections in other five states only 452 were sanctioned.

Drawn from the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Special Services Bureau (SSB), the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), the companies will have strength of 60 each. They will be sent to Poonch, Rajouri and Bandipora areas for poll duty. There are 8109 polling stations in the state and they would be guarded as per their specifications of sensitive and hyper-sensitive nature. Three-tier security will be provided at sensitive places like venues of election rallies and all candidates will get security in the Kashmir valley and troubled areas of Jammu region. The sevenphase assembly polls are expected to draw over 65 lakh voters at 8,000 polling stations in the state.

SC acquits man accused of murder 30 years ago

Jaipur, October 31 (agencies): At last all decks seem to have been cleared for baby Manjhi’s return to Japan with her grandmother, Emiko Yamada who will leave Jaipur for Delhi tomorrow. Little Manjhi, the surrogate baby, concieved in Japan and stuck in Jaipur for the past two months, can finally leave India and travel with her grandmother Emiko Yamada back to Japan. The baby will now be taken to the Capital and then leave for Tokyo tomorrow at 11 am. This comes after the Jaipur Passport Office recently issued her with an identity certificate. Manjhi’s return to Japan had been delayed after Indian laws over adoption of a surrogate baby had thrown up legal hitches to her return to Japan. Manjhi was born in July to her biological father, Dr Ikufumi Yamada and a surrogate mother in Gujarat .

New Delhi, October 31 (Agencies): More than 30 years after a man was arrested for allegedly committing a murder, the Supreme Court has acquitted him due to lack of evidence and inconsistent statements by the eye-witnesses. The apex court took the view that non-examination of the investigating officer and the doctor who performed the autopsy of the victim would be justification enough for discarding the prosecution’s claim and gave the benefit of the doubt to the accused. The apex court upheld the

Kirandeo Prasad’s acquittal ordered by the Patna High Court which had reversed a session court’s decision to sentence him to life imprisonment. The murder which occurred on the “holi festival” on March 25, 1978, was alleged to have been carried out with the help of a gun and other lethal weapons in Bihar’s Nalanda district. A Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and Mukundakam Sharma also concurred with the view of the High Court that there were inaccuracies in the statements made by the eyewitnesses and

the failure of the prosecution to examine the investigating officer and the autopsy doctor. In this case, Prasad along with others accomplices allegedly murdered Sukhu Mahton, which according to one version was a sequel to the failure of the deceased to attend a “Satyanarayana Swamy vrath” held at the house of the accused. The sessions court while acquitting the others, convicted and sentenced Prasad to life imprisonment, but the High Court acquitted him of the charge. Later, Kapil Deo Sinha, informant and purported eye-witness to the mur-

der, filed an appeal in the apex court. Agreeing with the findings of the High Court, the apex court held that it was improper for the prosecution not to have examined the investigating officer who had filed the chargesheet and also the doctor who performed the postmortem on the deceased. The apex court further pointed out that the statements of the eye-witnesses could not be believed as these were inconsistent. For instance, while one of the witnesses claimed that they were singing holi songs when the murder occurred and he could not

identify the accused as it was dark but another eye-witness claimed that they did not participate in the holi celebrations at all due to the murder. The apex court pointed out that according to the prosecution, the attack took place in the evening. “Therefore, the family member could not have anticipated that in the evening there will be an attack and loss of life and therefore, they would not celebrate holi,” the apex court observed. The apex court said there was no reason to interfere with the judgement of the high court.

INTERNATIONAL

The Morung Express

Saturday 1 November 2008

Dimapur

Palin Polarizes, Charms In Equal Measure

WASHINGTON | October 31 (Reuters): Whether Republican John McCain wins or loses his bid to become the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, his running mate, Sarah Palin, appears unlikely to disappear from public view any time soon. Love her or hate her, she has captivated Americans in a way that a vice presidential candidate has not done for years. One small indicator -- Sarah Palin masks were reported to be one of the biggest sellers for Halloween on Friday. With her high national profile, there is already talk of the 44-year-old first-term Alaska governor running for president in 2012. If McCain does not win Tuesday, Palin could return to Alaska, where an ethics inquiry found earlier this month that she had abused her authority by pressuring subordinates to fire a state trooper involved in a feud with her family. Lorne Michaels, executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," the satirical television show that has seen ratings soar on the back of its merciless lampooning of Palin's folksy persona and verbal gaffes, said the telegenic former TV sports reporter and beauty queen could easily have her own television show. Since being McCain's surprise pick in August and thrown into a bitterly fought campaign against Democrat Barack Obama, Palin has attracted controversy but also a strong following in the Repub-

lican Party's conservative base. The choice caught Obama's campaign off-guard as Palin campaigned on a platform of change as a down-toearth working mother of five -- a "pitbull with lipstick" -- and a maverick reformer who had taken on her own party to protect Alaskans' interests. She reprised her well-received speech to the Republican National Convention, making much of her opposition to a costly project called the "Bridge to Nowhere" while drawing criticism for failing to mention that she had at first supported it. Despite falling ratings, Palin still draws large crowds to rallies as the mouthpiece for the McCain campaign's most pointed attacks on Obama. Her nomination was widely seen as an attempt by McCain to court female voters, but pollsters say she has been a polarizing force, alienating many independent women, particularly over her staunch anti-abortion views. Some conservative commentators have also questioned McCain's decision to choose Palin after her stumbling performance in a series of television interviews raised questions about her inexperience. During a discussion of foreign affairs in one U.S. network interview, the former small-town mayor was asked how Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy insight. "They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alas-

ka," Palin said, a remark that late-night comedians pounced upon as a sign that she was in over her head. Dubbed the "hottest governor" in the United States, her beauty queen looks and wardrobe, along with her trademark swept-up hairstyle and distinctive glasses, have attracted almost as much media attention as her views. Supporters say such scrutiny is sexist and belittles her candidacy. The McCain campaign has tightly controlled Palin's appearances and interviews, but in recent days there have been reports that she has "gone rogue," angered by the party's handling of the disclosure that it spent $150,000 on clothes for her and her family. Critics said the disclosure hurt Palin's attempts to portray herself and her husband Todd, whom she refers to as the "First Dude," as just an average American couple who are carefully watching their money as the U.S. economy worsens. But Palin is difficult to pigeonhole. She is an avid hunter and outdoorswoman as well as an ambitious working mother who has one son serving in Iraq, another who was born in April with Down syndrome and an unmarried pregnant daughter. Her personal story, from small-town mayor to first woman to run on a Republican presidential ticket, has proved compelling for many Americans and Tuesday's election will likely not be the final chapter but simply a bookmark.

Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at a campaign ralley, Thursday, October 30, in Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo)

'Proof' that David slew Goliath ‘Zimbabwe crisis worsens amid impasse’

Jerusalem, October 31 (Agencies): Astounding new evidence has been unearthed in Israel that could confirm the biblical story of King David. Until now, almost nothing has been found that would prove the biblical account of a shepherd boy from the 10th century BC who slew the giant Goliath and went on to become the King of Israel who founded Jerusalem. But today Hebrew University archaeology professor Yosef Garfinkel announced the discovery of a tiny, but potentially invaluable, piece of pottery at the site of the ruins of an ancient fortified city southwest of Jerusalem dated to the time of King David. Garfinkel said that it carried the earliestknown Hebrew inscription, some 850 years earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Scholars are still trying to decipher the full text of the inscription, but Garfinkel said they are excited at the prospect of a link to David because they have already translated the words for "king," "judge," and "slave", which he said suggested it was some sort of official note from the time of his reign. Until now, scholars have been unable to say whether King David was indeed the heroic, psalm-composing monarch depicted in the Bible or the local and unimportant leader of a small tribe. Only one biblical-era inscription with the words "House of David" has ever been discovered, leading some scholars to question whether King Da-

vid existed at all. The pottery fragment was inscribed with five rows of text in black ink divided by black lines written in an early Hebrew-Canaanite script. Archaeologists also found lamps, pottery jars and other items. Carbon-14 tests carried out at Oxford University dated them to the 10th century BC, the era according to the Old Testament of King David and his son Solomon, who built the Temple in Jerusalem. The ruins of the Elah Valley fortress was discovered in 2003 near the modern Israeli city of Beit Shemesh in the Judean Hills, southwest of Jerusalem. The huge complex is spread over nearly six acres and surrounded by a 700-metre long city wall built with stones weighing up to eight tons each. Detailed excavations began only earlier this year. The fortress would have controlled the ancient trading route from Jerusalem to the coast and overlooks the plain where David engaged in his legendary mortal combat with Goliath, giant champion of the rival Philistines. Goliath's home town of Gath was unearthed just a few miles away to the south. "The chronology and geography of Elah Fortress create a unique meeting point between the history, historiography and origins of the early Davidic Kingdom," said Garfinkel. "This is the oldest Judean city uncovered to date, and its very construction has unprecedented implications on our under-

In this photo taken on Sunday, October 26, Archeologist Yossi Garfinkel displays a ceramic shard bearing a Hebrew inscription at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Garfinkel says the ceramic shard containing five lines of faded characters written 3,000 years ago at the time of the Old Testament's King David, was found in the ruins of an ancient fortified town south of Jerusalem and is the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered, according to Garfinkel. (AP Photo)

standing of this era." Garfinkel said the sophistication and size of the city suggested it was part of a strong, centrally-planned kingdom. It has been a busy week for archaeologists searching for King David and his family. In Jerusalem, a researcher said she had found an an-

cient water drain mentioned in the Bible as the route used by David's forces to capture the city from the Jebusites. In Jordan, scholars said they had uncovered an ancient copper excavation site that tests showed could be the legendary King Solomon's Mines.

JOHANNESBURG, October 31 (Reuters): Human rights abuses are going unpunished and the food crisis is worsening in Zimbabwe while President Robert Mugabe and the opposition bicker over forming a unity government, Amnesty International said on Friday. Mugabe and the leaders of the opposition MDC agreed last month to share power, but talks have become bogged down over control of ministries. A deal is seen as critical to reversing an economic meltdown in the southern African nation. Zimbabweans are struggling to survive amid chronic shortages of meat, milk and other basic commodities as a result of the collapse of the agricultural sector. The country is dependent on food handouts and malnutrition is on the rise. “We are worried that human rights have not been at the centre of the negotiation process,” Simeon Mawanza, the rights group’s Zimbabwe expert, said in a press release accompanying a report on the humanitarian situation in the country. “While the parties continue to negotiate on political details, the most vulnerable Zimbabweans are at further risk of extreme hunger. Many Zimbabweans are now only surviving by eating wild fruit.” Londonbased Amnesty said no one had been held accountable for the beatings, torture and other rights violations that

People shop at a market in Harare Friday October 31. Critics of President Robert Mugabe accuse him of destroying his country, once the region's breadbasket, with corruption and mismanagement, while Mugabe blames his international isolation on the country's crisis. (AP Photo)

occurred before the June presidential election even though it said most victims it interviewed could identify their attackers. It said the perpetrators usually were in the security forces, Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party or were pro-Mugabe war veterans. The 84-yearold Zimbabwean leader has blamed the opposition for the bloodshed that killed more than 100 people. A March presidential election won by Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai was generally peaceful, but the June

run-off was marred by widespread attacks on opposition supporters by security forces. Tsvangirai pulled out of the second round, citing the attacks on his supporters. Mugabe won the one-candidate race, prompting an international outcry and paving the way for the start of power-sharing negotiations. Those talks culminated in a Sept. 15 agreement that spurred hopes of a quick economic recovery. But the economy has continued to unravel during the weeks of fruitless talks over forma-

tion of a cabinet, and there are now fears the coming harvest could be worse than last year. Amnesty said the election-related violence had worsened the food crisis because many victims were farmers who were too badly injured to till their land during the coming rainy season. “If we think the food situation in Zimbabwe is bad now, just wait until the end of this year when half of the population is likely to need aid,” Mawanza said. There are an estimated 13 million people in Zimbabwe.

A gifted orator, Obama is on an historic path

WASHINGTON, October 31 (Reuters): Barack Obama burst onto the national stage four years ago with a speech describing himself self-deprecatingly as a skinny guy with a funny name and an improbable life story. On Tuesday, he may make history by becoming the first black man elected U.S. president. Born in Hawaii to a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya, Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia. In the 2004 speech to the Democratic National Convention that vaulted him to rock-star status, he introduced himself to America as someone who hoped to bridge divisions, political and racial. "In no other country on earth is my story even possible," Obama said, highlighting his biracial heritage as a metaphor for his call for unity. "There is not a liberal America and a conserva-

tive America -- there is the United States of America," he said. "There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America -- there's the United States of America." The first-term Illinois senator, known for his stirring eloquence, now draws tens of thousands to his political rallies and is the author of two best-selling autobiographical books. To his fans, he is an inspiring once-ina-generation politician like President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, both assassinated in the 1960s. To his critics, including Republican rival John McCain, Obama is little more than a celebrity with a thin resume, an eloquent speaker who preaches "naive" foreign policies and advocates "socialist" economic policies. But if Obama, who commands a solid lead against McCain just four days before

Election Day, fares as well as the polls predict, the Arizona senator and Vietnam War hero will become the latest in a long line of politicians who have underestimated Obama. They include New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, the former first lady he defeated in the Democratic primary. It was in Hawaii where Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, met his father, Barack Obama Sr., who was from a goat-herding family in Kenya and got a scholarship to study in the United States. They married and she gave birth to her son when she was just 18. Two years later, Obama's father abandoned the family and his mother raised him with the help of his grandparents. Obama has recalled that his mother once had to rely on food stamps to get by when he was growing up. When the family moved to Indonesia for four years after she re- Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a rally in Virginia Beach, Va., Thursday, married, his mother used to October 30. (AP Photo)

regularly wake him at 4 a.m. to tutor him. His mother and his grandparents secured a scholarship that enabled Obama to attend the prestigious Punahou School in Honolulu. He later attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Obama spent his early adult years as a community organizer in Chicago, where he lives with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. He first gained national prominence in 1990 when he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review. He later worked as a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. He was elected to the Illinois senate in 1996 but suffered a crushing defeat in 2000 when he ran for the U.S. Congress against an incumbent Democrat. Nevertheless, in 2004,

he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Using journals in which he used to jot down notes about his travels and experiences, Obama wrote "Dreams From My Father," which focused on his search for identity and his efforts to connect with his father's roots in Africa. The 1995 memoir showcased the lyrical writing style that would later mark some of his best-known speeches. It also helped to shape Obama's political identity. "The Audacity of Hope," published in 2006, outlined Obama's political philosophy, which he says was molded by the Midwestern values of his mother and grandparents. Brisk sales of the two books have made him a millionaire. He has made a point of not running on his race in the presidential campaign, but his candidacy has galvanized many blacks, who constitute some 12 percent of the

population. The issue of race has reared its head at times, including during the Democratic primary contest against Hillary Clinton. Obama came under attack after videotapes surfaced showing his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, making racially inflammatory statements about whites. Addressing the controversy, Obama gave a widely praised speech in March calling for racial healing. As Clinton had during the primary, McCain has tried to use Obama's reputation for lofty speeches against him, suggesting he is all rhetoric and no substance. But the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression has led to a surge in the polls for Obama, who won high marks from many voters for his response to the upheaval. He has benefited from anger at President George W. Bush's economic policies.

Dimapur

SPORTS

Saturday 1 November 2008

The Morung Express

Hamilton expects fair fight

Massa pips Hamilton

Dimapur emerges overall champions

in first Brazil GP practice

McLaren-Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, speeds through the pit lane during the first timed practice session for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix on the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Friday, October 31. (AP Photo)

SAO PAULO, October 31 (Reuters): Lewis Hamilton has dismissed fears that his bid to become Formula One's youngest world champion could be wrecked by underhand tactics in Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. "We're here to race, I believe every driver that's here is a great sportsman and we're all very competitive," the 23year-old McLaren driver told a news conference at the Interlagos circuit on Thursday. "So I just have to trust and believe in everybody and hope that we can have a fair, straight race. "That's what motor racing is all about and that's why I race, that's what makes it so exciting." Hamilton leads Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa by seven points, meaning that the Briton need only finish fifth to take the title even if his Brazilian rival wins the race.

The two collided in Japan this month, with Hamilton failing to score points after being penalised for a wild start and then having to fight back from last position following the Massa incident. Massa denied deliberately colliding with his rival and said at Fuji: "I have a good relationship with Lewis and would not do anything to destroy someone on purpose." However, Formula One has been plunged into controversy in title-deciding races in the past, notably between Michael Schumacher and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 and Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989 and 1990. Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, whose Honda team have been so far off the pace this season that he is unlikely to be in any position to assist his compatriot, predicted a straight fight and urged local fans to show

their sense of fair play. "I don't think I can help him (Massa) much, unfortunately," said the former Ferrari driver. "I would be willing to get some help from him. "All I would ask of the guys who come here to cheer Felipe on is to respect Lewis. "Imagine me doing something against Lewis -- would Felipe be happy with that? Would he be a worthy champion? I don't think so," added Barrichello. "I think the guys have fought the whole championship by themselves and that's the way it has to be. I would not get in the way." While Massa must aim to win and hope for the best, Hamilton is under pressure to make up for his failure last year to become the first rookie champion. The Briton drew a blank in China and then allowed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to make up a seven point deficit and win the title

at Interlagos in 2007 and he has vowed not to let that happen again. "Last year we came here and I'd had one bad race, so it was all a bit hectic and the pressure of being at the last race was upon me and perhaps it got to me," said Hamilton, who this time arrived in Sao Paulo on the back of a dominant win in Shanghai. "But this year I feel it's just another race. We've come from a great race in China and I know here that we will be just as strong if not a little bit stronger. "It looks positive and again, my approach is the same as in the last race," added the Briton, who would be McLaren's first champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 and his country's first since Damon Hill in 1996. "We are just here to do the best job we can and we're not looking at it and saying that we have to do anything again."

SAO PAULO, Oct 31 (Reuters): Home hero Felipe Massa made a perfect start to his Formula One title showdown with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton after lapping fastest in Friday's opening practice at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver, seven points behind Hamilton and embarking on the final stage of what some see as a Mission Impossible to wrest the title from the 23-year-old's grasp, lapped the Interlagos circuit in one minute 12.305 seconds. Hamilton, who can become the sport's youngest champion after blowing his chance last year, was second and just 0.190 off his rival's pace in a cool and overcast session in which he had set the early pace. Ferrari's outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn who made up a seven point deficit in Brazil last year to beat the Briton by a single point, was third de-

spite a spin. Hamilton need only finish fifth on Sunday to be champion, even if Massa wins his home race as expected, and will be unlikely to push too hard in what will be the second race for his Mercedes engine. Both the Ferraris have new engines for Brazil, a boost for their bid to retain the constructors' championship. They lead McLaren by 11 points. "We don't have to win (the race) so that is a pressure off our shoulders," Hamilton said after his arrival at the circuit on Thursday. "We have not come here to finish further down the order but we obviously know that it is not do or die." Poland's Robert Kubica, fighting to end the season in third place for BMW-Sauber, was fourth fastest with McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen fifth and Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso sixth.

SAO PAULO, October 31 (Reuters): Double world champion Fernando Alonso continued his feud with McLaren on Thursday by saying he would rather see any other team win the Formula One championship. However the Spaniard said he had nothing personal against Lewis Hamilton, McLaren's 23-year-old title favourite who leads Ferrari's Felipe Massa by seven points ahead of Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. McLaren, who last won a championship in 1999 with Finland's Mika Hakkinen, are 11 points behind Ferrari in the constructors' standings. "I have said many times that I have great respect for Lewis and we speak together," Alonso told reporters. "Last year was the same thing. We

were in the drivers' room, we speak together and we had no problems. But I think I will always prefer any team other than McLaren to win." Alonso fell out with McLaren bosses while he and Hamilton were team mates last season. Both missed out on the 2007 drivers' title by a

single point to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen while McLaren were stripped of all their constructors' championship points for a spying controversy. The breakdown, with Alonso accusing the team of favouring Hamilton, led to the Spaniard returning to Renault for 2008. Alonso said the

Kohima | October 31

The 3 day state level government higher secondary and high school tournament 2008, concluded today with Dimapur district emerging as the overall champion. In athletics, Dimapur fetched 8 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze, while Kohima took the runner-up position with 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze. Speaking at the closing ceremony, here at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, K.T Sukhalu, IAS, Commissioner& Secretary to Youth Resources& Sports, Fisheries Nagaland expressed contentment for holding such kind of games and sports activities. The chief guest hoped that more of such tournament will be taken up so as to tap talent of young sports persons. In this regard, he also hoped the Education Department would collaborate and join hands with the Youth Resource department to go together in promoting games and sports in the state, where young talented sportsman are recognized and can be taken up for higher participation in higher levels, representing the state of Nagaland. A special number was presented by Shurhosielie, UDA and friends and vote of thanks was proposed by Joint Director, School Education B.Tingshem, followed by Prize distribution for the winners by the chief guest. The tournament was held under the agies of the Directorate of School Education Kohima. Final day results of the state level tournament Overall champion for the Tournament: Dimapur Runners up: Kohima Football : Tuensang – Winner Wokha – Runners up Best football Player : Nribemo (Wokha) Athletics: Champion: Dimapur Runner’s Up: Kohima Individual champion (male): Vesatha (Phek) 2 gold, 1 silver Individual champion (female): Ngulieneinuo (Dimapur) 3 gold Metal tally (athletics):

Fernando Alonso hopes McLaren fail again

Briton was the clear favourite for the championship. "He is seven points ahead and here, if he finishes the race, it will be enough to win the championship. In the top five (is easy because) he is quick enough to win the championship. So Lewis is going to win," he said. The Spaniard said also that he expected a decision about his future to be made next week. Struggling Honda are keen to sign him but, after winning two of the last three races, Alonso is expected to remain with Renault. "I am looking forward to next year, not just because the rules have changed," he said. "Because in 2008 I had not the possibility to fight for the title, and I am looking forward in 2009 to come back to the position to fight for the championship."

The Champion and runner s up team posing for lense with thier trophy Our correspondent

District

gold

silver

bronze

Total

Dimapur

Kohima

Phek

Mokokchung

Tuensang

Zunheboto

Peren

Longleng

Mon

10.

Wokha

11.

Kiphire

MDFA pre-quarters from today The league round of the MDFA Trophy 2008 that began on October 21 came to an end today. The pre-quarter final round will begin from tomorrow, Nov.1, from 12:00 noon onwards. Friday's Results: Ferrari's Felipe Massa, of Brazil, looks at a time sheet Salukum Rogo Ungma 3 : Prodigy SC 2 after the first timed practice of the Brazilian Formula One DEF Boys 3 : Prodigy SC 0 Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Friday, October 31. The Brazilian GP will be held Sunday November 2. (AP Photo)

David Beckham to join AC Milan on loan in January

MILAN, October 31 (Reuters): David Beckham will join AC Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in January after the deal was sealed with his lawyers, the Serie A club said on Thursday. "AC Milan announces David Beckham's arrival on loan. Agreement has been reached and it is official," said a statement on the club's website (www. acmilan.com). "The English player will be a Rossonero from January 7 2009." No de-

tails were given on when the loan deal would end. However, Milan's sporting director Umb rto Gandini told Sky Sports News: "He (Beckham) has a commitment to go back to the MLS and I think he will do that." Since news of the proposed deal broke this month, Beckham, U.S. Major League Soccer and a slightly reluctant Galaxy all said he would return to Los Angeles for the start of the new season in late March. The 33-year-old is join-

ing Milan to keep up his fitness during the United States close season and stay in contention for an England squad place. He has 107 caps and needs two more to beat Bobby Moore's England record for an outfield player. The MLS regular season finished at the weekend with Galaxy failing to make the playoffs. England coach Fabio Capello, who dropped Beckham while they were together at Real Madrid, said his former club Milan were doing good

business. But he did not say whether the midfielder's loan move would help his international prospects. "Milan have made a good addition," Capello was quoted as saying in Italian media. "At Madrid I left him out of the squad because he had signed a contract with Los Angeles but he continued to come on the field and train and I put him back in the team. "He is a very serious lad, very sensible, a professional. People think he is

a playboy off the field, it's not true at all." Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said earlier on Thursday that Beckham's lawyers were coming to the city for talks rather than next week as planned. He hinted a deal was some way off but in the end negotiations were wrapped up swiftly. Italian media had said issues with the image rights of Beckham, one of the most famous and marketable soccer players ever,

had caused an initial hold up last week. Seven times European champions Milan, who failed to qualify for the Champions League this season after finishing fifth last term, moved above city rivals Inter into third on Wednesday after a 2-1 home win over Siena. Coach Carlo Ancelotti traditionally does not play with wingers but has welcomed the arrival of former Manchester United player Beckham as it gives him more options.

DEF Boys Vs Fiorentina

Maradona set to make coaching debut v Scotland

In this Friday, August 3, 2007 file photo Argentina's soccer player Lionel Messi, left, posses for a picture with Argentina's soccer legend Diego Maradona at a hotel in Rosario, Argentina. Messi continues to draw comparisons with soccer legend Maradona. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has welcomed Diego Maradona's expected appointment as Argentina's coach, even though he was recently criticized by the football great as being too selfish a player. (AP Photo/File)

BUENOS AIRES, October 31 (Reuters): Diego Maradona, celebrating his 48th birthday on Thursday, said he expected to make his

debut as Argentina coach in a friendly with Scotland on November 19. Maradona has yet to be officially confirmed by the Argentina Football As-

sociation (AFA) but he has already been making plans and his appointment is widely seen as a certainty. The AFA has said it will confirm the

new coach next Tuesday. One of the greatest players the game has produced and also one of the most troubled, it would be a remarkable turnaround for a man who has fought off drug addiction, alcohol problems and obesity since retiring. Maradona's career peaked when he captained Argentina to World Cup victory in 1986 with some outrageously brilliant performances but dramatically declined as he was banned three times for drug offences, including one at the 1994 World Cup. Bilardo, coach of Argentina's 1986 team, is expected to take on the role as general manager, marking his return to the national team set up after an 18-year absence, and has been involved in meetings with Maradona. "We have to start working as quickly as possible," said Maradona. "We are going to play the game against Scotland with the best team we've

got," he told reporters in front of his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. "I scored a goal there, on a tour with Menotti," he added, referring to his first goal for Argentina in a 3-1 friendly win over Scotland in 1979 under coach Cesar Luis Menotti. Maradona, initially seen as a rank outsider in the race to replace Alfio Basile, has only had two short stints as a coach in the mid 1990s with Deportivo Mandiyu and Racing Club. His 23 games produced three wins. "I really never expected this although I always dreamed of having the chance," he said. "I'm really looking forward to it." His imminent appointment has largely been supported by the media, although public reaction has been sceptical as many see him as too impulsive, inexperienced and volatile. Maradona would take over at a difficult moment with Argentina third in the 10-team South American World Cup qualifying group,

ahead of Chile on goal difference. Argentina need to finish in the top four to qualify while fifth place would mean a playoff against a CONCACAF team. Argentina still have to play Brazil at home, face high altitude trips to Ecuador and Bolivia and must visit neighbours Uruguay. Maradona added he would respect an agreement with Spanish club Barcelona under which Argentina will not select Lionel Messi for friendlies. Barcelona made the agreement in return for allowing Messi to compete in the Olympic Games tournament. "If there's an agreement, we are going to respect it. But it's good that Messi always wants to play for Argentina," said Maradona. He added that no meetings would be held on Thursday as a mark of respect for Boca Juniors president Pedro Pompilio, who died of a heart-attack in the morning. Maradona said talks would resume on Friday.

Prodigy Vs Salukum Match No.

Date

Time

Team / Club

1st Nov. ‘08

12:00 Noon

Youngster Vs Medemchanger

1st Nov. ‘08

iii

3rd Nov. ‘08

4th Nov. ‘08

vii

5th Nov. ‘08

viii

5th Nov. ‘08

Exodus Vs Moanungsang MSC 12:00 Noon

Arkong SC ‘A’ Vs Marepkong YA Artang YA Vs Amokmulu

12:00 Noon

Majakong Vs Prodigy DEF Boys Vs Salukum Rogo

12:00 Noon

Arkong SC ‘B’ Vs Brotherhood FC Eastern YC Vs Alter Egos

C M Y K

Ent/Tabloid

The Morung Express

Seal's love story with Heidi Klum

1 November 2008

Cher Blasts Cancer Reports

She delivered a bombshell a month into our relationship, but I was already hooked

Jennifer Hudson Announces Foundation for Murder Victim Families

ennifer Hudson's family announced Thursday a new foundation for families of murder victims. The Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims is named in honor of the singer-actress's slain mother Darnell Hudson Donerson, brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King. "The specific purpose of the Foundation is to care for the needs of families who have lost relatives to a violent crime," the family says in a statement. "This encompasses their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter as well as grief counseling." The foundation announcement followed a prayer vigil Wednesday night in Chicago. "Jennifer sang her first song in this church – she said her first prayer in this church," her cousin Shari Nichols Witt said of the Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church. Witt also spoke fondly of the actress-singer's slain neph-

Brad’s biggest fear - divorce!

rad Pitt won't marry Angelina Jolie because he fears getting divorced again. The 'Burn After Reading' star - who split from former wife Jennifer Aniston in 2005, shortly before he began his relationship with the 'Tomb Raider' star - was reportedly left traumatised by the breakdown of his marriage and is refusing to walk down the aisle a second time. A source told a US magazine: "Brad's divorce from Jennifer was painful. It was hard on his parents and he considers it a major failure in his life. His big excuse for not marrying Angelina is that he hates even the possibility of something like that happening again." Angelina recently revealed their six children have begun asking why they have not yet married. She said: "Sooner or later it will be the kids who ask us to get married. You know, they see films and start asking questions. Such as, 'Why are Shrek and his love Fiona married and you're not?'" Meanwhile, the couple have reportedly hired six nannies and several cars to help them cope with their large family while Brad is filming 'Inglourious B******s' in Germany. Mya Walters, a public relations manager for car company Volkswagen, revealed: "We've provided them with more than 20 Volkswagens while they're here in Berlin." During a recent trip to New Orleans, the couple - who raise three adopted children, a biological twoyear-old daughter and three-month-old twins together - originally flew out with four nannies but had to jet in an extra two after reportedly struggling to manage their large brood.

ew, saying 7-year-old Julian King "seemed like he was ahead of his time." The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who spoke at the vigil, said that Hudson, 27, and her family "are overwhelmed by the suddenness and the unexpectedness of it all. This family knows triumph, and they also know tragedy." As the community grieved the loss of the Dreamgirls star's relatives, the 27-year-old parolee considered a suspect in their shooting deaths, William Balfour, remained in police custody Thursday. Balfour – the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia – was being held on an alleged parole violation.

her has brushed off rumours a cancer diagnosis forced her to pull out of her Las Vegas shows earlier this month (08) - insisting she is fit and well. The Believe singer, 62, cancelled two performances at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace - her final dates of the year - at the start of October (08). Her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, quickly shot down reports that a serious ailment had stricken the star - only to prompt rumours she was privately dealing with cancer. Comment on this Article But Cher has laughed off the claims as another bizarre report by gossip-mongers insisting she was unable to

sing due to a sore throat. She says, "My health is great but there's a wind thing that blows there (in Las Vegas) at different months and I have an allergy to it. If I had cancer everyone would know it. I wouldn't tell them, but somebody would. When you have those kind of things happen if you're famous you can't keep them a secret. "(The reports) don't make me angry. People have been saying the weirdest things since I was a teenager." Meanwhile in a separate statement the legendary singer sees no end to her decades-long career - because she wouldn't know what to do with herself if she wasn't performing.

hree months after giving birth to daughter Sunday Rose, Nicole Kidman is still overcome with emotion. "I'm raw and emotional," Kidman, 41, says regarding her baby girl in the upcoming issue of Parade magazine. "I cry even thinking of her. But they are tears of joy. Because I suppose I never thought I would get to [give birth to a child]. To have been given it so late in life – I'm so ready for it." Kidman, who adopted daughter Isabella, 15, and son Connor, 13, with first husband Tom Cruise, said having a baby again after 40 with husband Keith Urban has changed her mindset about taking risks. "It's very bittersweet. Because, at 41, I think, 'I want to see her 21st birthday, and I want to see her get married.' My relationship with death used to be far more ambivalent, I think, and now it's very much about staying in the world," she explains to the magazine. "That's why in the past I could jump out of planes and take a lot of risks. Strangely enough, I think when you have children at 25, you still have that 'what will be, will be' attitude. It's such a different way of parenting." Kidman also spoke about how she and Urban faced down his alcohol addiction when he checked into rehab soon after their wedding. "We became the closest we could become, because we had to bare our souls. We did 10 years of marriage in three months. You go to hell and back with this – when the addiction takes control of the life, it's terrifying. But there is hope, and we work on it every day, and we are in a place of actual peace right now, which is a beautiful place."

obsessed with her appearance. She said: "I'm not enamoured with youth. There isn't wisdom in youth. My own sense of vanity is not that strong. I get ready in five minutes. I'm not a mirror person. But I like to look healthy - the youthfulness is in health. It's very important. "Maybe that comes from my mom having breast cancer. I've seen people suffer. So my desire to stay agile - I want that! I want to be able to run and walk and hike, and get out there. I love being outdoors and I feel caged if I can't get out. To see the sun come up - it puts me in a place to go, 'What a great day.'" Nicole - who has a three-month-old daughter Sunday Rose with husband Keith Urban also revealed she has never felt like she fits in. She added to Parade magazine: "I grew up as a fair-skinned, sort of Irish-descent girl. I was always on the outside, on the periphery Nicole hates looking in the of things. As much as I wanted to be a surfer chick, the girl down on the beach who was mirror the sporty girl, I had to be the bookish girl beThe 41-year-old actress attempts to steer cause I was put in dark rooms and protected. clear of reflective surfaces because she is not I always felt like a bit of an outsider."

Slumdog Millionaire, smash hit at the London Film Festival

06:00 - Seinfeld; 06:30 - The Simpsons; 07:00 - Last Comic Standing; 08:00 - Beauty And The Geek; 09:00 - How I Met Your Mother; 09:30 Samantha Who?; 10:00 Jimmy Kimmel; 11:00 - The Simpsons; 12:00 - Blood Ties; 13:00 - The Unit; 14:00 - Beauty And The Geek; 15:00 - Last Comic Standing; 16:00 - Who Wants To Be A Superhero?; 17:00 - Most Daring; 18:00 - Jimmy Kimmel; 19:00 - Smallville; 20:00 - Prison Break; 21:00 - Bones; 22:00 - Criminal Minds; 23:00 - Most Daring; 00:00 - Who Wants To Be A Superhero ?; 01:00 Smallville; 02:00 - Prison Break; 03:00 - Bones; 04:00 - Criminal Minds; 05:00 - Stacked; 05:30 - How I Met Your Mother

05:45 - Anmol; 09:45 - Balle Balle Amritsar To L.A.; 10:15 - Ishwarya Avatar Sai Baba; 14:45 - Taxi No. 9211; 17:30 - Showbiz; 20:00 - The Tranporter; 22:40 - Big Boss; 01:05 - Apradhi; 05:00 - Subah Ho Gayi Mamu

Nicole Cries ‘Even Thinking Of ‘ Rose

film based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's award winning novel Q & A, has become a smash hit at the London Film Festival which closed here last night. In its review, The Daily Telegraph today said, "The London Film Festival could hardly have ended in more rousing style. Its closing film, Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, was one of a kind liable to send audiences happily skipping out into the cold London night. Yet on paper this British production, partly subtitled and with no stars known in the West, looked an unlikely prospect." In the two-hour long film, Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor is splendid as Prem, the TV show's quiz master, a man who also knows something about re-inventing himself. Other well known actor in the film is Irfan Khan, who plays the role of an Inspector. The film is set in Mumbai, where Jamal (Dev Patel, from Channel 4's Skins), an 18-year-old orphan from the slums, has reached the final question on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Astonishingly, he is about to win USD 20 million: but how can a poor uneducated boy have known the answer to 15 tough questions? That's a loaded question in caste-conscious India. Cheating is the obvious answer, which is why in early scenes Jamal is interrogated brutally by the police. Yet in an ingenious series of flashbacks pinpointing pivotal events in Jamal's short life, the audience learn how Jamal came by the knowledge to answer those highly specific questions.

Dimapur

06:00 - Natural World; 07:00 - Teleshopping; 08:00 - Lords Of The Animals; 08:30 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 09:00 - Corwin’s Quest; 10:00 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 10:30 - Young And Wild; 11:00 O’shea’s Big Adventure; 12:00 - Big Cat Diary 4; 13:00 - Life Of Mammals; 14:00 - Natural World; 15:00 - Max’s Big Tracks; 16:00 - Eye Of The Hunter; 17:00 - Corwin’s Quest; 18:00 - Lords Of The Animals; 18:30 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 19:00 - O’shea’s Big Adventure; 20:00 - Big Cat Diary I; 21:00 - Max’s Big Tracks; 22:00 - Austin Stevens: Most Dangerous...; 23:00 - Eye Of The Hunter; 00:00 - Lords Of The Animals; 00:30 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 01:00 Teleshopping; 02:00 - Petsburgh Usa; 03:00 - Monkey Business; 04:00 - Petsburgh Usa; 05:00 - Monkey Business

omething peculiar happened to Seal one night as he and his supermodel wife Heidi Klum were driving home to Los Angeles through the Napa Valley. An old Sixties hit, Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come, came on the car stereo, and Seal was so moved he had to pull over to the roadside to gather his thoughts. 'I must have heard that song a thousand times, but it broke my heart,' he recalls. 'It brought tears to my eyes. It was written 40 years ago, but its message seemed every bit as profound now. It struck me right then that A Change Is Gonna Come could speak for a new generation. With today's breakdown in family and social values, I felt that it was a song I simply had to sing.' Energised by the experience, Seal phoned his friend David Foster, the producer behind many of Whitney Houston's hits, and set about putting his stamp on the Cooke classic - a poignant anthem of the civil rights movement in the Sixties. For 45-year-old Seal, it was a dramatic departure from the slick dance music that had helped him to sell 15 million albums since he first tasted success with Crazy and Killer in the early Nineties. Talking about the new record over lunch in London, the imposing singer (he's 6ft 4in) mulls over my questions before giving considered, precise answers. Soul music, he says, has always been part of his 'musical DNA'. He adds that the timeless tunes of Cooke, Redding and James Brown gave him solace during a difficult childhood, in which he was shunted between his mother, a father prone to violence and loving foster-parents in Essex. Seal (born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel) admits his tough upbringing had a huge bearing on him. From the day he first performed as a shy schoolboy - singing Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now - he saw the stage as a place of refuge. On a more positive note, Seal also takes inspiration from his life in LA with Klum. The couple have two young sons - Henry, three, and 23-month-old Johan - while Seal is stepfather to four-year-old Leni, Heidi's daughter by motor racing tycoon Flavio Briatore. Seal and German-born Klum met five years ago at the GQ Awards in London, although their relationship didn't begin until a chance encounter in New York weeks later. 'I was taken aback when I met her,' says Seal. 'I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I'd seen. I thought: "Wow! Whoever goes out with that girl is one lucky guy!" 'A month into our relationship, she told me she was pregnant, but was no longer with the father. I told her it didn't change the way I felt about her. Apart from being my wife, she's also my best friend.'

11 PRIME TIME Saturday

06:00 - Telebrands; 07:00 Planet Food; 08:00 - Wild Africa; 09:00 - A Baby Story; 09:30 Amazing Baby Videos; 10:00 Fight Quest; 11:00 - A Haunting; 12:00 - Dirty Jobs; 13:00 - The Beauty Of Snakes; 14:00 Discovery’s Biggest Shows; 16:00 - Wild Africa; 17:00 - A Haunting; 18:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 19:00 - Wild Africa; 20:00 Wild India; 21:00 - Discover India; 22:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 23:00 - Man Made Marvels; 00:00 - Planet Earth; 01:00 - Telebrands; 02:00 - Man Made Marvels; 03:00 - Extreme Machines Ii; 04:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 05:00 - Man Made Marvels 06:00 - Seva Ganga; 06:30 Vignan Shashwat Sukh Ka; 07:00 - Sangam; 07:30 - Raja Ki Ayegi; 08:00 - Kyunki Saas Bhi; 08:30 Baa Bahoo Aur Baby; 09:00 Shararat; 09:30 - Prithviraj; 11:00 - My Friend Ganesha 2; 13:30 - Bidaai; 15:30 - Bhagam Bhag; 19:00 - Jai Maa Durga; 20:00 - Aaja Mahi Ve; 21:00 - Prithviraj; 21:30 - Baa Bahoo Aur Baby; 22:00 - Star Voice Of India; 23:00 - Bidaai; 23:30 - Shararat; 00:00 - Kasturi; 00:30 - Bidaai; 01:30 - Kis Desh Mein Hai; 02:00 - Shararat; 02:30 - Kayamath; 03:00 - BiDaai; 03:30 - Kahaani Ghar; 04:00 - Kyunki Saas Bhi; 04:30 - Raja Ki Ayegi; 05:00 - Jai Maa Durga 04:30 - Fierce People; 06:15 - The King Maker; 08:05 - Night At The Museum; 10:15 - Scoop; 12:10 Bounce; 14:20 - Sunshine; 16:25 Flyboys; 19:00 - The Mighty; 21:00 - Neverwas; 23:05 - Next; 01:05 - Kindergarten Cop; 02:55 Bounce; 04:40 - Wishful Thinking 0:30 - Wwe: Smackdown; 2:30 - Us Pga Tournament - Ginn Classic - Day 2; 4:30 - Gillette World Of Sports; 5:00 - Simply The Best; 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22:30 - The Europeans; 00:30 - Hollywoods 10 Best; 01:00 - The Bone Collector; 02:30 - Dont Move; 04:20 - The Whole Ten Yards; 05:50 - Shore Ditch

C M Y K

The

Morung

SPORTS

Ricky Ponting leads Australia ﬁghtback

P 12

Gambhir handed one-test ban on conduct charge

DAY THREE: India 613-7d v Australia 338-4

Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir is bowled out on the second day of the third cricket test match between India and Australia in New Delhi, Thursday, October 30. (AP Photo )

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 31 (REUTERS): Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir was handed a one-test ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee on Friday for breaching the spirit of the game in the third test against Australia. Gambhir, 27, was found guilty after he was charged for elbowing Australian all rounder Shane Watson while taking a run on the first day of the test on Wednesday, an ICC release said. Both players were summoned for a hearing by match referee Chris Broad on Thursday, where Gambhir pleaded guilty and Watson was fined 10 percent of his match fee. Gambhir had faced a penalty ranging between a fine of 50 percent to his full match fee and/or a maximum ban of one test or two one-dayers, with a right to appeal within 24 hours. He would miss the fourth and final test starting in Nagpur on Nov. 6, the ICC release added. The batsman top-scored

dle

with 206 for his second consecutive hundred following his 104 in the second test in Mohali. "The decision to find Gambhir guilty of a (rule C1) level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that any degree of physical contact is unacceptable," Broad said in an ICC release. He escaped a harsher ban of a minimum of two tests for a second offence within a year, having been fined 65 percent of his match fee for clashing with Shahid Afridi in a one-dayer against Pakistan last November. Broad said the lightness of his contact with Watson and the provocation of the Australian player helped Gambhir's cause. He is the second Indian player to be penalised in the series which has witnessed a series of verbal exchanges between players from both teams. Paceman Zaheer Khan was fined 80 percent of his match fee in Mohali after his verbal sendoff to Australian opener Matthew Hayden was walking back to the pavilion after his dismissal.

NCA to participate in 2nd NE Chess Championship

Australian captain Ricky Ponting hits a shot on the third day of the third cricket test match between India and Australia in New Delhi, Friday, October 31. (AP Photo) NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 31 (REUTERS): Occasional off spinner Virender Sehwag grabbed three wickets but Ricky Ponting struck 87 as Australia reached 338 for four on the third day of the third test against India on Friday. Australian skipper Ponting led a top order fightback in reply to India's daunting first innings 613 for seven declared. Sehwag bowled Ponting and Mike Hussey (53) in the final session after trapping opener

Matthew Hayden (83) before tea. At stumps, Michael Clarke was on 21 with Shane Watson on four, both surviving a few testing overs from Sehwag and leg spinner Amit Mishra on a pitch showing signs of wear and tear. Hayden raised 123 runs with fellow opener Simon Katich (64) before adding another 79 for the next wicket with Ponting in the first two sessions. Australia were coasting at 202 for

one when Sehwag trapped Hayden leg before but Ponting added 82 runs for the third wicket with Hussey as the pair got on top of the Indian bowling attack. However, Sehwag took three for 66 from 22 overs on his home ground to bolster an attack already without injured off spinner Harbhajan Singh. Skipper Anil Kumble was also forced off the field after lunch when the team's lead spinner suffered a bad cut on his left hand after dropping

Hayden on 70 and had to be taken to hospital. Australian top order batsmen rallied the side, down after a crushing 320-run loss in the second test followed by India's huge first innings total. Hayden led the scoring after Australia resumed after lunch on 151-1, playing powerful shots against Mishra and Sehwag. Hayden, under pressure after failing so far in the series, finally regained form until he was beaten by Seh-

wag, playing back to a delivery which straightened after pitching. He hit 13 fours and a six in his 154-ball effort. Ponting, who scored 123 in the drawn first test in Bangalore, eased into his innings and rotated the strike initially before opening out to attack left-arm Zaheer Khan and spin. He survived a testing spell of reverse-swing bowling with the old ball from Ishant Sharma, who has removed him three times this

series. Ponting, who hit 14 fours, got bogged down before Sehwag, back for a fresh spell, beat the batsman as he stepped out of the crease to play a flighted delivery. Sehwag bowled Hussey in the dying moments of the day when he beat the batsman playing defensively to knock back off-stump, gaining sharp turn despite the second new ball only a few overs old. The final test begins in Nagpur on Nov. 6.

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The Nagaland Chess Association has sent five players headed by NCA president Helie Rupeo representing Nagaland to participate in the 2nd North East Chess Championship which is currently underway at Guwahati. The participants are Helie Rupreo, K. Sekhamo, Vithanya Yano, Mughaho Awomi and Sukhavi Achumi. This was stated in a release issued by NCA general secretary.

Ist Inter-Colony Cricket Tourney KOHIMA, OCTOBER 31 (MExN): The United Friends Society, Lower PWD Colony Kohima is all set to organize Ist Inter- Colony Cricket Tournament in Kohima in the month of January 2009 at the Local Ground and High School Ground. For further information, contact, 9856277791/ 9856446161.

Senior Sepak Takraw Team 8th Open Basketball C’ship grand ﬁnale to participate in nationals Our Correspondent Kohima | October 31

Players of the State Senior Sepak Takraw Team along with the team ofﬁcials at the GHSS ground, Half Nagarjan in Dimapur, on Friday. (Morung Photo) Morung Express News Dimapur | October 31

National Championship to be held at Khuman Lampak Indoor Stadium, Imphal in Manipur, from November 3 to 9 next. Team Coach, Holshe Khrieo informed that the team consisting of 24 play-

ers will be accompanied by 4 other officials that include Joy Kumar, Coach of SAI, Dimapur, Aren Toshi and Toshinungsang, National Referees and Manen as Team Manager.

THE GRAND finale of 8th Open Basketball Championship 2008 under the aegis of Nagaland Basketball Association and Suncity, Kohima will take place on November 1 at the Kohima Local Ground at 2: 00 PM. Neise Mechulho, Director, Land Resources Development will grace the closing ceremony as the guest of honor. Faithabllers will meet Eastern Railways in the first semi finals match at 8:30 AM on November 1 while Werewloves Senior will face Air Hoggs in the second semi finals. Earlier, in league match today, St. Joseph College defeated Underdoggs 29-25. In the quarter finals, Faithabllers defeated Hill Knights 73 – 31. Vinod (Faithballers) was declared as man of the match. Eastern Railways defeated Team Gravity 66-31. Man of the match- Imna-

tuba (Team Gravity). Werewolves Senior beat Werewolves Junior 92 -58. Man of the match – Pievokhrielie Rutsa (Werewolves Junior). Air Hoggs defeated Chandmari HSS 43- 21.Man of the match -Avinash (CHSS). Naga Idol 2. 07 Rokovo-

tuo will also present a special number at the closing ceremony. At 12.00 noon, there will be a three-points shooting competition and the entry fee is fixed at Rs.100 and a Free Bun eating competition.

THE STATE Senior Sepak Takraw Team (Men and Women) will participate in C the 2nd East Zone ChamM pionship and 19th Senior Y 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. K Email : editor@morungexpress.com/newsdesk@morungexpress.com, morung@gmail.com. RNI No : NAGENG /2005/15430. House No.4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur 797112, Nagaland. Phone: Dimapur -(03862) News Desk- 281043, Admin -236871, Fax: (03862) 235194, Kohima - (0370) 2291952 For advertisements and circulation, please contact: (03862) 236871, Fax-235194 or email : morungad@yahoo.com

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