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http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cannot-deny-links-between-forest-depts-amp-mining-lobbies/Article1-544119.aspx

India is working to bridge the "trust deficit" with people living in areas affected by Maoist violence, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said.

The government plans "calibrated, controlled" police action alongside a focus on economic development in areas prone to leftwing insurgent attacks, Chidambaram said.Business week reprts.

India could lose $80 billion of investment for developing iron ore, coal, bauxite and manganese deposits should the government fail to stop the violence, according to data by London-based Execution Noble Ltd. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists, known as Naxalites in India and who are active in 40 percent of the country's states, the greatest threat to the nation's internal security.

"The problem is formidable and there is no easy answer," Chidambaram said in a speech in New Delhi today. "We must find a way in which money can actually flow to the areas."

Only two-thirds of funds set aside for building roads, schools and hospitals, and bringing electricity and child care to Maoist-hit areas are spent because the administration faces obstacles to delivery, Chidambaram said without elaborating.

In 2009, Maoists targeted 71 school buildings, 67 telephone exchanges and towers, 46 pieces of railway infrastructure, two power plants and three mines, the government has said. They were responsible for killing at least 908 civilians and members of the security forces last year. In April, Maoists killed 76 police in Chhattisgarh state, where NMDC Ltd. operates its biggest iron-ore mine.

"A major part of India is in deep distress, virtually a conflict zone," Chidambaram said. Businessmen "must go beyond the confines of balance sheets, profit-loss accounts and look at what is happening in several parts of India and try to help the government."

The Naxalite rebels, named after the 1967 peasant uprising in the West Bengal village of Naxalbari, have waged a violent campaign against the government, police and landowners for more than four decades in a bid to install communist rule.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-12/india-working-on-trust-deficit-to-stop-violence-correct-.html

Jairam Ramesh, 56, has been India's environment and forest minister since May 2009. His ministry gives environmental clearances — mandatory for all mining activities. In November last year, it rejected coal-mining proposals in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. In April, activist groups along the Western Ghats wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi praising the minister's efforts to protect India's forests.
Now just see how does Hindustan Times reports on this episode!

The question that's on everyone's minds -- is the earth really getting warmer?
Anecdotally it certainly seems to be true. Every time the temperature shoots up to over 42 degrees, and since all of us are amateur scientists we think it is… but is there incontrovertible evidence to show that the world is getting warmer? Well, responsible scientist like James Hansen of NASA is on record as having said that the earth is getting warmer. Rainfall patterns have certainly become irregular - every time I go to Cherapunji for example, people tell me it's raining much less than what it used to earlier. So yes, perhaps, the earth is getting warmer.

Let's talk about mining. We've been seeing cases of rampant and illegal mining tumbling out - it has become a serious issue now. How has your ministry responded to it?
Well, we have identified regions of our country where clearly mining has reached limits that may cross the carrying capacity of that region. Goa is a classic example, where we have put a moratorium on future mining. Western Ghats is another area where I've set up an expert panel under the chairmanship of Madhav Gadgil, one of our top ecologists who is identifying the critical areas in the Western Ghats. Then we have put critical mining projects on hold, like the Vedanta project is still under examination. We are much more careful now. We've put a number of coal mining projects on hold. We've identified go areas and no go areas and have actually rejected a number of coal mining openings in no-go areas particularly in Chattisgarh. But we need to mine. Let us be very clear. Mining activity cannot come to a halt. But illegal mining must stop. We have taken very tough action. I've written to the chief minister of Karnataka for example where a lot of illegal mining has taken place, we've cancelled a number of mining leases also in Karnataka. Mining must go on, legal mining must go on. But even where there is legal mining and if it is in dense forest areas, then we have to have a second look as is in the case of coal. It's a ticklish issue. But unfortunately in our country, mining has not been done in an ecologically sustainable manner so far…

Is there a sustainable way to mine?
Well yeah, the Germans have done it, the Americans have also done it. Even in India, Neyveli Lignite is a good example of sustainable mining. Singareni is another one in Andhra Pradesh. If we are more sensitive we can come up with ways. But we have to be careful of mining in tribal areas particularly - where you have to look at issues like who's going to be the beneficiary of those mines…

How do you read mining scams like the Reddy brothers in Karnataka, Madhu Koda in Jharkhand?
I can't do anything about the scams. I can only enforce the acts, which are the Environment Protection Act, the Forest Conservation Act and the Wildlife Protection Act. Those are the only three instruments I have. I can't go after Madhu Kodas, if he has violated any of these acts, then I can take action.

Ok, so how does the ministry look at the state forest departments who are in collusion with mining lobbies in their states?Well, I cannot deny the collusion. Whether it's Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh…any state, there is collusion. But then remember state governments are also under pressure to show results of investment. Chief ministers want to get private investment; they want to show their economies are doing well.

In the case of Goa, recently there were two approved projects that your ministry overturned, and there is enough material to prove that the forest department of Goa is hand-in-glove with the mining lobby there. How does the ministry look at this?You take tough action…

What kind of tough action?
We've issued a moratorium on mining, we're rejecting projects… what more action do you want?

What about action against such officials?
There is a fine constitutional balance to be protected here. I can only bring it to the notice of the state government. They have to take action against its officials. If there are officers in the forest department, in our regional offices, then we can take action against them.

What about forest departments denying the presence of tigers in certain areas because they don't want buffer zones that would affect mining? Again taking an example from Goa.
Yes, that and even Maharashtra has been very slow in declaring buffer zones around Tadoba. Traditionally, state governments have been reluctant to declare buffer zones because it would preclude mining activity. But I've also rejected a proposal of opening a coalmine in Tadoba buffer zone in Maharashtra. I think the signals that have gone from the ministry are strong. But the idea is not to stop mining activity or bring economic activity to a halt. The idea is to deal with illegalities in mining and ensure mining doesn't violate the three acts under the environment ministry.

So how do you look at preventing illegal mining?
We've taken action against Oubalapuram where there were allegations of illegalities. We've ordered a survey. Supreme Court has also intervened. I've written to the chief minister of Karnataka where there are a lot of allegations of illegal mining. If they are violating the forest conservation act we can take action against them.

Let's talk about the dams coming up in Arunachal Pradesh…
See, on the same river you can have a series of projects and we know the project wise assessment is not going to work, so we must look at the carrying capacity of the river. We have done this for the north Teesta, we have put a halt to five projects. Similarly we have made recommendations on abandoning projects on the Bhagirathi because you need a minimum environmental flow in these critical rivers. The idea is not to stop dam construction per se but the idea is to say look at balance between development and environment. And where these projects are essential, let's do them in an ecological sustainable manner.

Forest clearances are required for mining. How does the ministry look at these? People on the ground in Goa have said that mining continues in places without relevant leases.
That the state government has to take action. All I can say is if a project has got clearance under the Forest Clearance Act, it's not an illegal project. An illegal one is where they don't have permission. It'll start with the local authorities where the state governments have to play their role. I can't be a policeman al the time, only a facilitator. The laws are central; the legislation has to be local.

How does one enforce them?
The state government has to enforce them. The machinery is under them…

In case there's violation, how does the ministry deal with it?
We can certainly take action if there s violation. In the case of Vedanta, we sent a team, they gave a report, we are examining that report. Where reports come to us of violations we don't have the machinery to check ourselves so we send teams. I have sent teams to Kerala, on Vedanta, Goa, Karnataka…

How has the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) played out on India's coastline over the years?
We have a CRZ 1991, we have had 25 amendments to it. We're now in the process of Draft CRZ 2010, which will clean up a lot of the CRZ 1991. We don't want to weaken CRZ 91. We're coming out with CRZ 2010, which will strengthen CRZ 1991 and recognise that certain areas in India that need specialised treatment. For example Goa, Kerala, Mumbai, Andamanas, Lakshwadeep. You may have an overarching CRZ but for each of these ecologically special areas, it'll require special treatment. The Draft will be put in public domain; I've already had five public consultations in Goa, Mumbai, Cochin, Puri and Chennai with the public and fishermen...

The mining policy in India is not legally bound. But the government is in a position to regulate activities. How does the government look at the scams?
I can't do anything about the scams, my mandate is limited. I have to ensure the laws are not violated. You're asking larger questions of the nexus of mining and politics, I can't get into that, I don't have the wherewithal…

But the environment ministry plays a big role in clearing mining leases...
The environment ministry's mandate is to ensure the three laws are complied with. We can't get into corruption act, money laundering etc, that's not our mandate. We have to see that our troika of acts is implemented in letter and spirit.

What kind of development is the environment ministry looking at?
There are three responses I will have to any project - one is yes, second is yes but, third is no. This can't be a 'yes yes' ministry, it can't be a 'no no' ministry, it has to be a nuanced ministry. The nuance is that today a bulk of the projects are in the 'yes' category, a good number in the 'yes but' category, a few in the 'no' category. The headlines only end up on the 'no' category, the media will focus on clashes between two ministries. The fact is that this ministry clears 95 per cent projects from an environmental point of view, over 85 per cent from the forest point of view...

Then how do some projects get clearances faster than they should?
Some projects have had push and pulls. Today the system is transparent, I have removed all conflict of interests, I have changed chairmen of environmental appraisal committees. Today all information on each pending project is on the website, we are making it as business like as possible.

How are you planning to crackdown on illegal mining projects?
We will be more careful…

How can violations by forest departments in states be dealt with?
Not clearing projects without feasibility studies, we will take action if there are violations. Look at them more carefully. I have turned down many proposals recommended by forest advisory committees. We plan to do more studies. It all starts from the top; I have to send the right signals.

What about sustainable economic development?
There's no magic formula. All three have to form part of finding the balance, find the golden mean. You can't be theological, you need development, you need projects, they create employment.

India is looking to increase its forest cover and yet there's rampant mining taking place. How do we reconcile these two?
We have identified go and no-go areas especially in the case of coal mining in nine major coalfields. Almost 35 per cent of coal blocks are in no go areas, where there is high tree density and forest cover. We haven't done this for iron ore yet. Coal is serious because we have to double our coal production in the next 7-8 years. Incremental coal is going to come from forest areas -- Orissa, Jharkhand, MP, Chattisgarh…

How will you look at illegal mining?
Stop illegal mining. Courts. Only way to do it. Rule of law prevails.

Maoist guerrillas have killed six civilians, including a village head, in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district on charges of spying, police said on Sunday.

The bodies of the six people were found dumped in a forested area of Manpur locality in Uchapur village in Rajnandgaon, about 175 km from here, Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Vishwa Ranjan said.

The victims included a village sarpanch (head) who was abducted early this week along with five others by armed Maoists on charges of spying for the police. All the bodies were found with their throats slit.

The latest terrorist act of the Maoists targeting civilians has created panic among the residents of Rajnandgaon that borders Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district.

The state has witnessed a spurt in Maoist violence in recent months with the rebels carrying out the biggest ever attack April 6 in Dantewada district when Maoists massacred 76 security personnel. This was followed by another attack May 8 in Bijapur district in which eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed when their vehicle was blown up by the guerrillas.

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Economic times reports:
If there were no conflicts, there would have been enough money to buy a Mercedez Benz car for every family on earth. This is an off-the-cuff remark from the globally acclaimed security expert Rohan Gunaratna when asked about the costs of global conflicts.

The writer of Inside Al Qaeda, and one of the handful of men on this planet who got access into the territory of Osama bin Laden, may not have researched costs of conflicts, but his guesstimate is close to reality.

Conflicts, whether triggered by sovereign nations or by non-state actors like Al Qaeda, come with a big price tag, forcing many rich countries to set aside sizeable resources on prevention of such menaces than reacting to terror incidents.

Ajay Sahni, executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, says: "A steep increase in India's home ministry's budget is an indication that conflicts have a huge cost attached to them." The last Union Budget made a provision of Rs 30,000 crore for the country's police force alone.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5935699.cms

Manipur CM's protest may scuttle Muivah homecoming

TNN, May 16, 2010, 02.41am IST

NEW DELHI: Manipur chief minister Ibobi Singh's strong protest lodged with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress leadership against the Centre's attempt to facilitate Naga separatist leader T Muivah's visit to the state seems to have fallen on receptive ears.

The chief minister's plea that Congress was in a politically strong position and Muivah's proposed visit to the Naga leader's native village of Somdal in Manipur would create problems are seen to have some merit. Ibobi Singh's success in consolidating his position as undisputed leader as compared to the flux before he became CM has also helped his cause.

The political uncertainty before his tenure as CM was seen to have been exploited by Muivah for the Nagalim cause. Now that Ibobi Singh is in control of things, he does not want Muivah to play a disruptionist role and the CM appears to have successfully stalled the home ministry's initiative to bring the NSCN (I-M) leader to Manipur.

While the home ministry on Saturday expressed its "disappointment" over BJP's criticism of the Muivah initiative, it is clear the doubts are shared within Congress as well. The move to inject Muivah into Manipur has boomeranged and with Singh sticking to his guns, the resultant blockade organised by Naga groups protesting the CM's action has created a serious headache for the Centre.

It is felt that Muivah need not have been accomodated to such an extent without keeping Singh's sensitivities in mind. Though talks with NSCN are crawling, the separatist outfit's influence has been waning. In Nagaland too,Neiphiu Rio of the Nagaland People's Front, is a second term CM. But as he could not but criticise Manipur for not allowing Muivah's visit, it has created avoidable friction.

The home ministry has said Muivah had been told that his visit could be facilitated in consultation with the Manipur government. The statement notes Singh's objections and his visit to Delhi to meet home minister P Chidambaram, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and defence minister A K Antony. "After his return to Imphal, the CM reiterated his stand that visit of Muivah could not be allowed at this stage," the statement added.

The home ministry argued that it was after considerable groundwork NSCN (I-M) leaders were persuaded to return to India for talks. Though it is not clear whether Singh agreed to the visit to Somdal during his discussions with central leaders, the log-jam in the state has worsened. The Centre's efforts are now focused on devising an alternate route to deliver supplies to the blockaded state. The Congress core group was briefed of the Manipur situation earlier this week.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Manipur-CMs-protest-may-scuttle-Muivah-homecoming/articleshow/5935424.cms

Tigers, elephants getting pushed into 'conflict' zone,Hindustan Times reports:

Shrinking habitat for wildlife is making tigers and elephants vulnerable to man-animal conflict. As many as 31 elephants and five tigers have died because of this conflict in the past year, data released by NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said.

The issue cropped against last Sunday with two tiger cubs allegedly poisoned to death in a day by villagers in outskirts of Ranthambore tiger reserve. State Chief wildlife warden R.N. Mehrotra said at least four cubs have been wandering for the last four months in the outer areas of the reserve and may have killed some goats as prey. In retaliation the villagers poisoned two cubs. In January this year, a tiger was allegedly poisoned in Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and another died of suspected poisoning in Bareilli district of Uttar Pradesh. "Both tigers were victims of revenge killing by villagers," said an environment ministry official.

Data with the environment ministry has shown that forest areas for tigers and elephants have shrunk by 15-20 per cent in the last two decades. India has 88 identified elephant corridors connecting habitats of 27,000 elephants, whose population is rising since 2000.

"The corridors have shrunk forcing elephants to wander into agriculture fields. And, it has caused conflict in Uttarakhand and West Bengal," said A.N. Prasad, director of Protect Elephants in the environment ministry. The result of this has been death of 31 elephants and injury to many more.

The wildlife experts, however, find a thin difference between revenge killing and poaching. "Last year, a water hole was poisoned in Central India killing 20-25 animals. It was basically an attempt to poach a tiger," said Tito Joseph of NGO WPSI.

Problem of shrinking habitats is more in reserve with good wildlife population such as Corbett Tiger Reserve.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Tigers-elephants-getting-pushed-into-conflict-zone/Article1-517196.aspx

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Joint Statement of Forest People's Movements

12 May, 2010
Countercurrents.org

Halt the Offensive Against People and End Militarisation of the Forests
Joint Statement of Forest People's Movements

Today, the police have killed one person in Kalinganagar and critically injured at least thirty more; at the proposed POSCO plant site in Jagatsinghpur, Orissa. 25 platoons of police have been deployed to crush the people defending their land. They expect an attack tomorrow or the day after.

As national platforms of democratic forest movements, with more than 200 organisational members spread across the country, we unequivocally condemn this brutality. But such atrocities are not occurring in isolation. Operation Green Hunt and the increasing miitarisation of the conflict in central India is wreaking devastation in our homelands.and closing the space for democratic struggles. We first reiterate the following facts, to expose the myths being promoted by the government:

> In all the areas where Operation Green Hunt is underway, aside from individual atrocities, security forces are now preventing people from entering the forest, cultivating their lands or collecting minor forest produce. The numbers that are threatened with starvation or disease as a result is not even known. These facts have been ignored even as the tragic loss of lives in Maoist attacks have received a lot of attention. How can an offensive with such results be justified?

> An offensive in the name of the "rule of law" has been launched in areas where the government has never shown the slightest respect for the law. Under the law, land acquisition in Scheduled Areas is subject to consultation with the gram sabha (village assembly); diversion of forest land in all forests is subject to the consent of the gram sabha; and people have rights over village common lands, forests, water bodies and grazing areas. Can the government name a single place in the country where the rights of people over forests and lands have been fully recognised and respected? Can it name a single "development" project in the forest areas that has complied with the requirements of law? Rather, in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh alone, after 2006 the government has illegally granted in principle or final clearances for the use of 15,411 hectares of forest land to various "projects".

> The government's true intentions are revealed by their response to democratic movements in the majority of forest areas, where the CPI(Maoist) does not exist. As an indicator, in just the few weeks between March 20 and April 20, activists in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal were arrested or attacked by police for the crime of standing up for the law and demanding legal rights. The protesters at POSCO and many other places, who have no link whatsoever with the Maoists, are being attacked. These are examples of a trend that has become far worse with Operation Green Hunt, under which the label "Maoist" is used to justify all kinds of brutality. The Home Minister's latest statement threatening anyone "supporting Maoism" with jail is clearly aimed at justifying yet more such brutality.

> The conflicts in forest areas, whether with the CPI(Maoist) or with other movements, have nothing to do with "security" or "development". What is at stake is the right of people to control their ecology, their production systems and their lives. Can a community lead a life of dignity when they are harassed, beaten or killed every time they cultivate forest land, collect minor forest produce or protest evictions? People are not demanding welfare; they are struggling for the right to live with freedom and dignity. This is the true meaning of security, development and the rule of justice.

> It is clear that the government's offensive is driven by more obvious interests – resource grabs (in water, minerals and land) have become a key source of profits. As the Maheshwar Dam, Vedanta or POSCO projects were found to break the law, the government has scrambled to bend or break the law itself to favour the corporates. When the Forest Department promotes illegal policies in international negotiations on climate change (i.e. the REDD agreement), these are not just condoned but promoted as a point of pride. Meanwhile, people's rights over minor forest produce, forest land and common lands are frustrated at every turn by official violations of the Forest Rights Act. Clearly this is why the government now wants to crush all resistance, whether it is organised by the CPI(Maoist) or not.

Beyond Green Hunt: A Call for Democratic Space

We believe in and stand for the mass democratic struggle of the working people for social transformation. From this perspective, the damage is not limited to this offensive and the devastation it is wreaking. More insidious but much longer lasting is the destructive impact this militarisation is having on the democratic space for people's struggles. This militarisation is not limited to Operation Green Hunt.

Even outside this offensive, the government has consistently used its force against all democratic formations and those who speak the language of people's rights; it has thrown the Constitution to the winds. The CPI(Maoist) has also engaged in indiscriminate physical attacks against those who are of a different political allegiance, and has often shown little tolerance for those who are engaged in other movements or who are critical of them. The turning of vast areas of the country into war zones, where all else is subordinated to the perceived military needs of the government or the CPI(Maoist), is unacceptable. It constitutes a betrayal of the values that both the CPI(Maoist) and the government claim to believe in. For this reason above all, there is an urgent need at this moment to restore basic democratic norms in the conflict zones.

Our Call:

1. The paramilitary forces must be withdrawn and the salwa judum, as well as other similar private militias in other states, must be disbanded. Public facilities – schools, clinics, etc. - must be treated as out of bounds for the conflict.

2. The government must respect the rights of people over their lands, forest produce and community forest resources as provided by the Constitution, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, the Forest Rights Act and other such laws. It must comply with the requirements under these Acts relating to the consent of the community prior to diversion or acquisition of land.

3. The security forces must stop interfering with the rights of people to cultivate their fields, go to markets and engage in their livelihood activities.

4. Illegal arrests, fake encounters and police murders must be halted immediately.

5. The CPI(Maoist) should make clear its position on the activities of other political forces in the conflict areas. It should respect the right of the people to be members of other parties, including opposing parties, or other movements and to otherwise exercise their democratic rights.

6. The right of refugees and the displaced to return home, especially in Dantewada, must be respected by the security forces and their private militias.

The list of signatories to the joint statement of forest people's movements was inadvertently left off the previous mail. It is as follows:

Campaign for Survival and Dignity:

Madhya Pradesh Jangal Adhikar Bachao Andolan
Jangal Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti (Maharashtra)
Bharat Jan Andolan (Jharkhand)
Campaign for Survival and Dignity - Orissa
Jan Shakti Sanghatan (Chhattisgarh)
Adivasi Mahasabha (Gujarat)
Jangal Jameen Jan Andolan (Rajasthan)
Orissa Jan Adhikar Morcha
Campaign for Survival and Dignity - Tamil Nadu
Adivasi Jangal Janjeevan Andolan (Dadra and Nagar Haveli)

National Forum of Forest Peoples and Forest Workers:

Adivasi Banihar Shakti Sangathana (Chhattisgarh)
Nadi Ghati Morcha (Chattisgarh)
Jharkhand Jangal Bachao Andolan (Jharkhand)
Chattisgarh Jan-ban Adhikar Manch
Birsa Munda Vu-adhikar Manch (Madhya Pradesh)
Patta Dalit Adhikar Manch (Uttar Pradesh)
Kaimnoor KShettra Majdoor Sangharsh Samittee,Sonebhadra,UP
Ghad Kshettra Majdoor Sangharsh Samittee,Uttarakhand
National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (North Bengal Regional
Committee)

http://www.countercurrents.org/jsfpm120510.htm

CPI seeks PM's intervention in POSCO issue

Hindustan Times - ‎40 minutes ago‎

PTI The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Sunday appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene in the Orissa POSCO project issue and instructed the ...

Nine injured in clash over setting up of Korean steel plant in Orissa

Oneindia - ‎5 hours ago‎

Jagatsinghpur (Orissa), May 16 (ANI): At least nine people, including six policemen, were injured in a clash in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur District as violence ...

Cops, villagers clash at Posco site

Times of India - Sandeep Mishra - ‎18 hours ago‎

BHUBANESWAR: Violence erupted yet again in the area earmarked for the mega Posco project on Saturday with villagers opposing land acquisition fighting a ...

"The district administration is negotiating with the local people to clear the road, not to put any hurdle on the road. We believe in peaceful industrialization in our state and that no one should indulge in violence," said Naveen Patnaik.

more by Naveen Patnaik - 5 hours ago - Oneindia (5 occurrences)

Left parties condemn use of force

The Hindu - ‎20 hours ago‎

NEW DELHI: The Left parties have condemned the firing and use of force by the police against those protesting land acquisition for the Posco project in ...

100 injured in police action at Posco-India project site

The Hindu - Prafulla Das - ‎20 hours ago‎

— Photo: PTI BHUBANESWAR: About 100 people were injured when police fired rubber bullets and teargas shells, and lathi-charged hundreds of villagers in ...

Posco puts Orissa on the boil again

Hindustan Times - ‎20 hours ago‎

The Orissa police on Saturday fired rubber bullets and teargas shells at hundreds of activists protesting South Korean steelmaker Posco's plan to build a ...

25 injured in clashes between Posco protesters, police

Economic Times - ‎21 hours ago‎

BHUBANESWAR: At least 25 persons including some police personnel were injured on Saturday in violent clashes among the anti-Posco protesters and armed ...

Nine injured in clash over Posco India project

Reuters India - Jatindra Dash - ‎May 15, 2010‎

BHUBANESWAR (Reuters) - At least nine people, including six policemen, were injured in a clash on Saturday as violence flared over a ...

Entry point to proposed Posco plant cleared of agitators

Hindustan Times - ‎May 15, 2010‎

PTI The police on Saturday cleared the entry point to the proposed Posco mega steel plant at Balitutha, of protesters resisting land acquisition since ...

Orissa: Anti-Posco protests turn violent

Oneindia - ‎May 15, 2010‎

Bhubaneswar, May 15: Following the arrest of CPI MP Bibhu Prasad, the anti-Posco protests in the state took a violent turn as the agitators clashed with the ...

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	CPI seeks PM's intervention in POSCO issue ‎40 minutes ago‎ - Hindustan Times
	100 injured in police action at Posco-India project site ‎20 hours ago‎ - The Hindu
	Entry point to proposed Posco plant cleared of agitators ‎May 15, 2010‎ - Hindustan Times

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Anti-Posco agitation in Orissa
NewsX - May 15, 2010 Watch video

Maoist kill eight villagers in 'revenge' attack

AFP - ‎5 hours ago‎

RAIPUR, India — Maoist rebels killed eight villagers in an apparent revenge attack on suspected informers in a central Indian state, police said Sunday. ...

Oneindia

West Bengal villagers take shelter in camps during anti-Maoist operation

Oneindia - ‎2 hours ago‎

Hundreds of families have been staying in camps set up by Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), to avoid problems during the ...

Video: Bodies of CPI (M) workers, killed by Maoists,recovered in WB

Asian News International (ANI)

CPI-M attacks intellectuals for silence on Maoist violence Hindustan Times

5 CPI(M) supporters killed in Maoist attack The Hindu

Calcutta Telegraph - Sify

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War on Maoists needs to fight poverty first: Gandhi

AFP - ‎May 15, 2010‎

NEW DELHI — India's ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi has spoken out in a mounting debate over a deadly Maoist revolt, saying poverty was at the ...

Address root cause of Naxalism, says Sonia The Hindu

Address root causes of Naxalism: Sonia Indian Express

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In tribal heartland, India fights Maoists with herbs and honey

Daily Times - Pratap Chakravarty - ‎May 14, 2010‎

India's war against Maoist insurgents cannot be won with guns alone, experts say — economic development and solutions to the grievances of rebel ...

Phone media brings news to India's Maoist heartland AFP

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SINDH TODAY

Maoists are not terrorists: Digvijay Singh

Times of India - ‎May 12, 2010‎

Singh condemned the violence by Maoists, their theory of armed struggle, and their objective to overthrow India's political system, saying it was "totally ...

Digvijay: I didn't mean to hurt Chidambaram NDTV.com

Even after Dantewada, Naxals are not terrorists for Digvijay Economic Times

Maoists are not terrorists, says Digvijay Singh Hindustan Times

IBNLive.com - NetIndian

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Telegraphnepal.com

Nepal-India Relation: Nothing Personal against India, Maoist leader Kiran

Telegraphnepal.com - ‎12 hours ago‎

Senior Vice-Chairman of Unified Maoists' Party, Mr. Mohan Baidya 'Kiran' has said that his party will not support moves to extend tenure of Constituent ...

Chidambaram rules out using army against Maoists

Economic Times - ‎May 12, 2010‎

"The people in these areas do not have the faith in good sense of the business people of India," Chidambaram said. "Even the Tatas cannot do today, ...

Video: Govt will be able to contain Maoist menace: Chidambaram

Asian News International (ANI)

People distrust govt in Naxalite-hit areas: Chidambaram Times of India

Electoral consideration can't be ignored: PC on Naxalism Hindustan Times

Hot National News (blog) - The Hindu

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India fights Maoists with herbs, honey

AFP - ‎May 13, 2010‎

India's war against Maoist insurgents cannot be won with guns alone, experts say -- economic development and solutions to the grievances of rebel ...

Arms and the Maoists The Hindu

When police disseminate statistics Express Buzz

Resettlement and the heartburn it causes Livemint

The Dawn (blog) - Monthly Review

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Video: Anti-Posco agitation in Orissa

Insurgents kill civilians in central India

Independent Online - ‎7 hours ago‎

New Delhi - Armed rebels had killed six villagers in India's central state of Chhattisgarh on suspicion of being police informers, a news report said on ...

India: Maoists kill 6 civilians in Chhattisgarh The Muslim News

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Boston Globe

Maoist resurgency in Nepal threatens India

Rupee News (blog) - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Rudyard Kipling author of "White Man's Burden" India is has tried to put in place a pro-Indian government and keep the Maoists out of power. ...

What next for Nepal? The Guardian

Locked In A Fatal Embrace Tehelka

Letting go Nepali Times

NewsBlaze - www.reviewnepal.com

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Industry chamber CII has projected the Indian economy to expand by up to 8.5 per cent in the current fiscal from estimated 7.2 per cent in 2009-10, but called for greater reforms, particularly in the financial sector, to push growth to double digits.

"CII estimates GDP growth at 8-8.5 per cent in 2010-11 ...A recovery in agriculture is likely in the coming years leading to upside in GDP growth; Industry and services to remain strong as capacity expansion takes place to take advantage of the rising demand," Confederation of Indian Industry President Hari S Bhartia said.

Bhartia further said that the industry is estimated to grow by 8.5 to 9 per cent, services by 9.3 to 9.5 per cent and agriculture by 2 to 3.5 per cent this fiscal.

However, if the country is looking at 10 per cent GDP growth, manufacturing sector must register 11-12 per cent growth and services must continue to remain robust.

To achieve this on a sustained basis, the government will have to fast-track financial sector reforms, he said, and added that the CII is all for enhancing FDI in the insurance sector.

A bill to hike FDI in insurance from 26 per cent to 49 per cent is pending in Parliament.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has also pegged the economic growth at around 8.5 per cent in the current fiscal from estimated 7.2 per cent in 2009-10.

The GDP growth slowed to 6.7 per cent in 2008-09 due to the global financial meltdown.

However, the government's stimulus packages and stepped-up public spending pushed growth to an estimated 7.2 per cent in fiscal 2009-10.

Economic growth could have been higher, but poor performance of the farm sector owing to weak monsoon retarded overall growth.

Farm sector output contracted by 0.2 per cent during 2009-10 on yearly basis

CPI seeks PM's intervention in POSCO issue

Hindustan Times - ‎40 minutes ago‎

PTI The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Sunday appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene in the Orissa POSCO project issue and instructed the ...

NewsX

Left parties condemn use of force The Hindu

Eviction in Orissa, unlike in Nandigram Calcutta Telegraph

Oneindia

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Maoist Leader Kishenji Is Alive And Announces 48 Hour Bandh india-server.com

KolkataObserver.com

Kishenji speaks against IPL, POSCO and PSUs

Hindustan Times - ‎May 15, 2010‎

Kishenji also said that the CPI (Maoist) was against handing over 15000 acre to steel maker POSCO in Orissa and favoured subsidy to the oil companies to ...

Maoists call general strike in 5 states indiablooms

Kishenji gives 48-hour bandh call in 5 States BreakingNewsOnline.

Thaindian.com

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Orissadiary.com

Orissa govt mobilising forces near Posco plant site

Economic Times - ‎May 13, 2010‎

... PTI BHUBANESWAR: With Orissa government mobilising forces to start forest survey and land acquisition at the proposed plant site of Posco-India near ...

Orissa Govt deploys 25 platoon forces at Kujang to evacuate Posco protestors ... Orissadiary.com

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Police set fire, beat up women and children: PPSS

Press Trust of India - ‎8 hours ago‎

Bhubaneswar, May 16 (PTI) Amidst claims by Orissa government that it had cleared the road connecting the proposed POSCO plant site near Paradip, ...

Biz in conflict zones: India Inc wants to play safe

Economic Times - ‎20 hours ago‎

South Korea's Posco is facing the heat in the Naxal-infested belt of neighbouring Orissa and in Chhattisgarh, mining companies are having a torrid time. ...

Calcutta Telegraph

SAIL pushes for Posco deal

Calcutta Telegraph - Jayanta Roy Chowdhury - ‎May 13, 2010‎

The Mittals, whose plans for large mills in Orissa and Jharkhand have not made much headway, now want to set up a 3-4mt plant in a joint venture with SAIL ...

SAIL to set up Rs 60000-cr steel project in Jharkhand

Economic Times - ‎8 hours ago‎

SAIL is currently in talks with South Korean steelmaker Posco to jointly set up two steel plants, entailing an estimated investment of Rs 15000 crore, ...

Video: Govt meets on rising steel prices

After Posco, ArcelorMittal seeks to partner SAIL

Economic Times - ‎Apr 22, 2010‎

Posco is also looking to join hands with the PSU as its steel project in Orissa has not taken off yet due to problems related to land acquisition and ...

NDTV Profit

Posco, Arcelor seek to tango with SAIL: reports domain-B

Mittal Steel partners with SAIL BreakingNewsOnline.

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NSE:SAIL - BOM:500113 - AMS:MT

India permits Posco to export iron ore from India

Steel Business Briefing (subscription) - ‎May 10, 2010‎

The Indian government will permit Korean steel maker Posco to export 400m tonnes of iron ore from Orissa state – host of its long-delayed 12m tonnes/year ...

Orissadiary.com

Pro-POSCO body changed decision to talk with Orissa administration over ...

Orissadiary.com - ‎May 11, 2010‎

Report by Amarnath Parida; Jagatsinghpur: The activists of United Action Committee, a purportedly pro-Posco outfit in the project site area have changed ...

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Business in conflict zones: India Inc and government have to pay

16 May 2010, 0700 hrs IST,Shantanu Nandan Sharma,ET Bureau

The Power List of Top 100 CEOs
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NEW DELHI: If there were no conflicts, there would have been enough money to buy a Mercedez Benz car for every family on earth. This is an off-the-cuff remark from the globally acclaimed security expert Rohan Gunaratna when asked about the costs of global conflicts.

The writer of Inside Al Qaeda, and one of the handful of men on this planet who got access into the territory of Osama bin Laden, may not have researched costs of conflicts, but his guesstimate is close to reality.

Conflicts, whether triggered by sovereign nations or by non-state actors like Al Qaeda, come with a big price tag, forcing many rich countries to set aside sizeable resources on prevention of such menaces than reacting to terror incidents.

Ajay Sahni, executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, says: "A steep increase in India's home ministry's budget is an indication that conflicts have a huge cost attached to them." The last Union Budget made a provision of Rs 30,000 crore for the country's police force alone.

Around Rs 1,975 crore of that was earmarked as assistance to states for modernisation of the force, thanks to growing incidences of Naxal or Maoists violence in natural resources rich areas of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhatisgarh and even West Bengal, where businessmen want to explore the available resources and set up factories.

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Then there are places such as Jammu & Kashmir. Nearly half a million troops are deployed to man the J&K border with Pakistan and to maintain internal peace. Some estimates suggest it costs the country in excess of Rs 20,000 crore a year. Huge money is also going into managing conflicts in the north-eastern states, where the issue is more ethnic in nature.

All this is a matter of consternation for India Inc too. In the recent past, Indonesia's Salim group put on the backburner a 10,000-acre special economic zone project in West Bengal's Nandigram after violent protests by Maoists-backed locals.

South Korea's Posco is facing the heat in the Naxal-infested belt of neighbouring Orissa and in Chhattisgarh, mining companies are having a torrid time. Oil companies and tea estates in the north-eastern states have historically been the target of insurgents and violent ethnic groups.

In fact, most conflict zones in the world are replete with natural resources—largely oil and gas—and hence are politically quite potent. If Indian companies have to grow, they have to tap these resources, but they will also need to deal with these turbulent issues.

"It's a viscious circle. Industry has to reach out to these areas with development programmes. If you don't, people will remain poor and deprived; if you want to go there but aren't allowed, they will still remain deprived," says K Subrahmanyam, strategic affairs expert and former defence production secretary.

Industry body Ficci in a task force report on 'National Security & Terrorism' has warned that future attacks could take place in economic nerve centres. It recommended separate tailor-made plans be prepared for Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, in addition to the national plan for strengthening counter-insurgency.

Significantly, the report prepared by a group of heads of corporate houses such as Rajeev Chandrasekhar of Jupiter Capital, Harsh Pati Singhania of JK Paper and Yogendra K Modi of Great Eastern Energy Corporation, among others, recommended a collaborative approach on a public-pirvate partnership model that will extensively tap into private sector capabilities for managing risks.

In fact, the private sector is now willing to engage not just in protecting vulnerable targets as pure short-term measures, but paying attention to investing in security strategies as a long-term goal. What it wants from the government is a clear framework, and incentives such as tax breaks among others.

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BJP clears name of Arjun Munda for Jharkhand CM's post

Ranchi, May 15 -- The BJP Central leadership has decided to appoint Jamshedpur MP Arjun Munda (42) as next chief minister of Jharkhand, with support of its allies- JMM, AJSU Party and JD (U). The four-party coalition has strength of 44 in 82-member Assembly.

Sources in the BJP said, the party's central leadership cleared the name of Munda for the post of CM after a marathon meeting of its top central leaders in New Delhi on Friday night. Munda's name was to be officially announced by the BJP on Saturday, but it was deferred for the next two/ three days due to sudden death of former vice-president Bhairo Singh Shekhawat this morning.

In the meantime, Munda has been asked by the central leadership to ensure support of all JMM legislators, especially disgruntled one, for smooth sail during the likely floor test in the Assembly. Sources also revealed that the both the main allies- the BJP and the JMM- have agreed to share the chair of CM for 28-28 months on rotation basis.

The JMM has also accepted the demand of BJP to rule the state in the first phase of 28 month. Sources also said, the JMM Supremo and present CM Sibu Soren (66) would soon resign from the post and pave way for swearing-in of Munda as the eighth chief minister of state.

If Soren resign as per the agreement, it would be third term for Munda as the CM. Munda was earlier CM from March 2003 to February 2005 and February 2005 to September 2006.

India Today

'Sri Ram Sene ready to riot for money'

Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik is willing to unleash violence on the streets of the country and stage riots in return for money, a Headlines Today-Tehelka joint investigation has revealed.

Muthalik, whose outfit had attacked a pub in Mangalore in January 2009 and beaten up women in the name of protecting Indian culture, has been caught on camera saying that he is ready to arrange any violent protest anywhere as long as he is suitably paid.

To expose the Sene, our investigation team first met Muthalik. Posing as an aspiring artist, our reporter discussed a plan to hold an exhibition that Muthalik's goons would vandalise, thereby lending the artist immediate publicity.

For over a month, our dummy artist met some of the Sene's top leaders to discuss the deal. Far from being shocked, Muthalik even agreed that the art exhibition should be held in a Muslim-dominated area so that the impact was maximum.

Here are excerpts from the conversations.

Reporter: I want popularity as it will help my business. Tell me how much it (the protest) will cost and how many people will be required. I will not file a police complaint as this will be done as per our understanding. Sir, I shall pay whatever advance you want.

Muthalik: This can be organised in Mangalore...In Bangalore.

Not only was the Sene chief ready to do the job, he even agreed to arrange it in the Karnataka capital.

Reporter: Sir, let me know for sure. Or else, I can come after a few days. Let me know the total expense and I shall arrange it.

Muthalik: What I am saying is that our president there...

Reporter: In Bangalore?

Muthalik: Yes in Bangalore...He (Vasant Kumar Bhavani) is very powerful. Have you been introduced to him?

Reporter: Last time I knew it was Patil sahib.

Muthalik: He (Bhavani) is very strong.

With Muthalik agreeing to stage the violence, all that remained was the fixing of the price. For this we were told to contact Muthalik's trusted lieutenants - Prasad Attavar, the Sene's national vice-president, and Vasant Kumar Bhavani, the head of the Bangalore unit.

Attavar met us four times, and only once as a free man. He was arrested soon after our first meeting, but that was no hindrance. Attavar's clout was such that we could freely meet him inside jail compounds and discuss the plan.

Reporter 2: We will pay you Rs 15 lakh.

Attavar: Yes?

Reporter 2: Rs 15 lakh.

Attavar: No let me calculate that...

We met Attavar twice at Mangalore jail and once inside the high-security Bellary jail. He promised us an attack similar to the one staged in the Mangalore pub in 2009.

Attavar: I will tell you how much money I want.

Reporter 2: How many men will you deploy?

Attavar: Fifty.

Reporter 2: So there will be 50 people indulging in arson?

Attavar: Yes of course. Just like that (Mangalore) pub case.

But the most practical riot-arranger was Bhavani. He not only suggested the location but also the timing of the attack. And most chillingly, he told us who the chief guest at the event should be.

Bhavani: Should we call Mumtaz Ali?

Reporter: Who?

Bhavani: Mumtaz Ali Khan.

Reporter: Who is he?

Bhavani: He is the (Karnataka) waqf board minister.

While Muthalik had no qualms about letting loose his goons, he wanted to be sure his image wasn't tarnished.

Muthalik: I can't get directly involved. I have an image in the society - that of being a man of principles and a Hindutva supporter. I don't want one incident to spoil that.

Reporter: But nobody would come to know.

Muthalik: All that is fine, but my inner voice tells me I am doing something wrong.

On one hand Muthalik talked of an inner voice, and on the other he was ready to stage an attack similar to the one on M.F. Husain's exhibition in 2008.

Reporter: You know, like M.F. Husain and others' exhibitions.

Muthalik: Yes yes yes.

Reporter: I want a similar protest (at my exhibition). In Shivaji Nagar (Bangalore) or in Mangalore. At any place in their (Muslims') area.

Muthalik: What kind of support do you exactly want?

Muthalik even suggested areas where the riots could easily be arranged.

Muthalik: It can be done in Mangalore...Bangalore.

We even suggested that the vandalism could be triggered in Muslim-dominated areas and got a confident reply.

Muthalik: Yes we can do that.

Wily enough not to arrange the dirty work himself, Muthalik directed us to contact Attavar. He gave us a contact number.

Muthalik: In Mangalore, we have Prasad Attavar.

Reporter: Is he in (jail) or out?

Muthalik: No, he is out.

For arranging the riot in Bangalore, we were asked to contact Bhavani.

Reporter: You mean Vasant ji?

Muthalik: Yes, he has a warrant against him.

Reporter: His mobile is switched off.

Muthalik: He is underground.

Reporter: So will you talk to him?

Muthalik: Oh yes. After talking to him, the three of us will plan how to do it. We will definitely do it.

Reporter: Sir, do you want the payment in cash or cheque?

Muthalik: Let' see. Let me talk to him.

On the question of money, Muthalik was not ready to commit to a figure.

Reporter 2: Are you okay with Rs 60 lakh?

Muthalik: Who told you this?

Reporter 2: I had talks with Vasant ji.

Muthalik: Yes yes.

Reporter 2: So I thought...

Muthalik: I can't confirm the money. This is their (Muthalik's aides) job, they will do it.

Ground battle holds key to success

16 May 2010, 0219 hrs IST,
Vishwa Ranjan, Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh police chief Vishwa Ranjan says there is no "zero casualty" policy while fighting terror. Despite facing a setback from the growing Maoist insurgency in the state, he says the government machinery is determined either to flush out the Naxals or to make them surrender. While talking to Shantanu Nandan Sharma, Mr Ranjan, director general of police (DGP) of one of the conflict-ridden states in India, says the aim is to bring back the same kind of life that existed a decade back. Some excerpts:

Goals Now...

We are fighting our battle with a few targets. We need either to force them out from their stronghold, or to make them surrender. My target is to ensure that people of the Naxal-affected areas enjoy the same life as they experienced a decade ago. In Northern Chhattisgarh, we have succeeded in flushing out the Naxals. Many of them moved to Jharkhand.

Naxal Strength...

If you count all Naxals in our state, including semi and low militarised ones, it could be about 50,000. But the strength of the highly skilled ones is about 8,000 to 10,000.

Local Stakeholders...

It's a myth that villagers believe in the Maoist ideology and help the Naxals every moment. They do help, but it's at gunpoint. The way Maoists kill people is really gruesome. Many poor tribals are killed just because they are not following the diktat of the Naxals.

Business And Investment...

As far as the Naxal-infested areas are concerned, it's mostly forestland. So the question of exploiting the resources there does not arise at all. If we talk about private investments in the state, let me make it clear that the Naxal problem is limited just to one part of the state. I don't think it would in anyway impact the state's chances of wooing investments. We have zero power cut in the state and electricity is cheapest. I feel the problem won't hamper investments.

Sri Lankan Type Of Assault...

Ours is a much bigger area compared to the Sri Lankan conflict zone. But whether we should adopt the same methodology as the Lankans will be decided at a higher level. There has to be a cost-benefit analysis of our possible strategy and outcome. But, the ground battle holds the key to success.

Experts decontaminate Delhi's radiation hotspots

Hindustan Times - ‎4 hours ago‎

A team of experts from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on Sunday started the process of ...

Radiation risk still remains in Delhi scrap market: Greenpeace

Oneindia - ‎May 14, 2010‎

New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): Greenpeace has said there are still radiation-related risks to people at a scrap market in New Delhi where a person died last month ...

Delhi market still not radiation free?

NDTV.com - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Ground zero of India's first radiation death, Mayapuri in Delhi, may still not be safe. Environment group Greenpeace says it has found high radiation levels ...

Mayapuri scrap market still in danger, says Greenpeace

The Hindu - Bindu Shajan, Priscilla Jebaraj - ‎May 14, 2010‎

NEW DELHI: The Mayapuri scrap market here is still a danger zone, with some hotspots registering radioactivity that is up to 5000 times higher than normal, ...

Mayapuri: new survey finds 6 n-hotspots

Hindustan Times - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Foreign technicians of international environmental organisation Greenpeace identified six radioactive spots near the shop where traces of radioactive ...

Nuclear liability Bill does not cover many risks, says Greenpeace

The Hindu - Priscilla Jebaraj - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Going by the compensation being promised to those affected by radiation in the Mayapuri scrap yard last month, the government will find it impossible to ...

Radiation probe hits a dead end

Hindustan Times - ‎May 14, 2010‎

The police have failed to fix responsibility for the negligent auction of "gamma irradiator" — the source of Cobalt-60 — by a Delhi University (DU) chemical ...

Six radioactive 'hotspots' detected in Delhi: Greenpeace

AFP - ‎May 14, 2010‎

NEW DELHI — Greenpeace said Friday it had detected dangerously high levels of radioactivity near a New Delhi salvage yard where radiation poisoning last ...

Army Hospital provides proper treatment to Cobalt-60 exposed patients

Oneindia - ‎May 14, 2010‎

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): The Army Hospital (Research and Referral) would soon discharge the two patients exposed to radiation from nuclear scrap. ...

Greenpeace probe reveals radiation risk in Mayapuri

Times of India - ‎May 13, 2010‎

NEW DELHI: An investigation by environment body Greenpeace has revealed immediate radiation risk to people at a scrapyard in west Delhi's Mayapuri area ...

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Now, insurgents can avail UID numbers

15 May 2010, 1039 hrs IST,Prashanth G N,TNN

BANGALORE: Unique identification numbers (UID) will be offered to Maoists and insurgents despite them not believing in the Constitution of India and waging war against the Indian state, Union home secretary G K Pillai has told TOI in an email interview.

Questions on UID numbers for the insurgents were emailed to Pillai after UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani told TOI during a recent visit to Bangalore that a plan was yet to be worked out on reaching people in the interior and conflict-ridden areas of the country.

Pillai elaborated: "We consider Maoists and insurgents residents of India unless there are foreigners among them. They can have UID numbers if they are willing to offer details about themselves and are ready to offer photographic and biometric data."

When asked how numbers could be rolled out to people who did not believe in the Constitution of India and how such people could be considered residents , Pillai said: "Well, we are all aware that there is a conflict going on. We have offered talks, and we are willing to look at peace. At the same time, if Maoists and insurgents are willing to come on board and be part of the system, they will be given that space."

Pillai added: "While we will not permit anyone to wage war against the Indian state and Constitution, and (will) ensure that law takes its course, we have to be aware that it is a matter of fact that they are residents of India. They are our own people."

How would authorities reach people living in areas dominated by Maoists and insurgents ? Pillai said: "There are local registrars in different forms who will receive details about each person. The registrar may be a banking official , commissioner, income tax official, whoever. Information is given to them, and from there information flows to the UIDAI which itself is stationed in New Delhi." "UID is a question of people coming forward and offering details about themselves. If people are willing to be photographed and fingerprinted and even if they happen to be Maoists, why should we prevent it?"

Making profit out of 'poverty'

16 May 2010, 0944 hrs IST,TNN
Caste proponents say the census must include questions on caste to establish true caste ratios. Opponents say questions on caste are socially divisive. They also raise a behavioural objection: the very announcement of a caste census could encourage people to claim, fraudulently, that they belong to a caste entitled to reservations.

This behavioural objection applies as forcefully to surveys for determining poverty. The National Sample Survey Organization conducts periodic surveys on consumption, and data from these surveys are used to determine the official poverty head count. The government assumes that people tell NSS surveyors the truth about themselves. Really?

NGO workers in rural areas tell me that if a villager talks to fellow villagers, he will probably exaggerate his living standards to get local prestige. But if a villager is talking to outsiders who may influence the giving of subsidies or other benefits, then the villager will vehemently claim to be poor and deserving of any benefits available. He has no reason to admit any improvement in living standards.

Any psychologist will tell you that such duplicity is both inevitable and universal. People respond to incentives and disincentives. So, a necessary condition for an honest survey is that no benefits or penalties should flow from people's replies. That is true for surveys on caste, poverty or anything else.

But governments have long been promising ever more subsidies and entitlements targeted at the poor. This is a strong, growing incentive to under-report consumption. The evidence suggests that this has long been happening.

In the 1970s, consumption measured by NSS surveys was 87% of consumption measured by national income statistics. This divergence was bearable. But the divergence has steadily increased over decades. In 2004-05, consumption reported by the NSS was just 48.7 % of that reported by national income statistics.

Why so? Left economists claim that rich people are progressively under-reporting their consumption to the NSS, but poor ones are not. This is implausible. In the 1970s, income tax of 97.75% and wealth tax of 3.5% caused a flight to black money, which nobody reported to the NSS. Consumer imports were illegal and provided by smugglers.

Obviously richer people under-reported such consumption. Yet in the 1970s, the two measures of consumption were not far apart.

But over the next three decades, income tax has fallen to 30%, wealth tax is virtually abolished, imports of consumer goods are legal and lightly taxed, and the share of white money transactions has clearly risen, even in real estate. So, the rich have much less reason to hide their consumption than in the bad old days.

However, poorer folk have been given increasing incentives to under-report living standards. In the 1970s, most freebies were universal, not targeted at the poorest. Subsidized food, power, canal water, fertilizer, bank credit and employment schemes were open to all rural folk, not just the poor.

Targeting came later. The IRDP scheme provided subsidized microcredit to the poor. The Indira Awas Yojana provided housing subsidies to the poorest. BPL (below poverty line) ration cards provided a higher food subsidy than APL (above poverty line) cards. Rural employment in some cases was targeted at the poor, and so was the farm loan write-off in 2008. The DMK in Tamil Nadu provided colour TV sets to those below the poverty line.

Many such schemes were poorly implemented, and often little money reached the poor. Yet villagers realized that some benefits could flow from fraudulently claiming poverty, while no profit at all flowed from honestly reporting improved living standards.

This must have affected the honesty of reporting in NSS surveys. This seems at least a partial explanation of the growing gap between NSS estimates and national income estimates.

Officials continue to treat NSS data as sacred. But companies selling cellphones, shampoo, TVs and other consumer goods view NSS estimates as rubbish. NSS data suggests high poverty and little improvement in rural demand. In fact companies find rural demand is booming, producing record sales. Thanks to rural penetration, cellphone connections are increasing by 19 million per month!

Economist Surjit Bhalla has long denounced official poverty estimates as fiction. By making adjustments consistent with national income data, he reckons actual poverty is less than one-third the official figure. Other adjustments can be made by looking at independent data on rural consumer goods sales.

The government has recently raised the poverty line. Around 37 % of people are below this higher line. Such upward adjustments are appropriate as living standards rise. But this should not distract from the terrible flaws of NSS data. Government policies have made it profitable for rural folk to exaggerate their poverty.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/columnists/swaminathan-s-a-aiyar/Making-profit-out-of-poverty/articleshow/5936429.cms

UPA govt gets 7/10 from Indian corporates: Assocham

opics:

BCCI bigwigs to meet IMG officials tomorrow

The BCCI top brass will meet officials of the sports management firm IMG tomorrow to seek details of the financial dealings during suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi's tenure.

IMG conducts the Indian Premier League and recently hit the headlines for being part of Modi's alleged plans of starting a rebel Twenty20 league in England.

The firm would be represented by its senior vice president Andrew Whiteblood and legal experts Paul Manning and John Loffhagen.

They are scheduled to meet BCCI President Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan at the BCCI's headquarters and also expected to be present are interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin and his advisor Bharat Patel.

The meeting has been convened for the IMG officials to apprise the top Board officials on all matters relating to IPL, including the awarding of the global broadcast rights to Multi Screen Media-World Sports Group, since its conception, according to sources.

The meeting comes less than 48 hours after Modi responded yesterday to the BCCI's show cause notice on allegations of financial irregularities and bid riggings related to the T20 League with a voluminous reply running into over 10,000 pages.

In January, 2008 the IPL was put on board with the conduct of bidding for eight city-based franchisees for which invitations to tenders were issued in December the previous year.

The successful bidders on January 24, 2008 for the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Mohali,Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata were GMR Holdings (USD 84 million), RIL Pvt. Ltd. (USD 111.9 m), India Cements Ltd (USD 91 m), UB Group (USD 111.6 m), Preity Zinta/Ness Wadia, Karan Paul/Mohit Burman (USD 76m), Emerging Media (USD 67 m), The Deccan Chronicle (USD 107.01m) and Shah Rukh Khan/Juhi Chawla/Jay Mehta (USD 75.09 m) respectively.

Sentiments upbeat after positive results season
Stock analysis helps build strong portfolio
Stocks: Gainers, losers & recos

NEW DELHI: When it comes to raising funds, both the government as well as the private sector appear to be flocking to the share sale route with plans to sell shares worth a whopping Rs 1,20,000 crore this year.

Besides the government's disinvestment target of Rs 40,000 crore through initial and follow-on public offers of state-run firms this fiscal, the promoters of private sector companies could also raise a similar amount through public offers, the country's top investment banking and brokerage firm ICICI Securities has said.

Companies are looking to raise another Rs 40,000 crore through QIPs (qualified institutional placements) or sale of shares to institutional investors, taking the total amount to be raised through share sales this year to Rs 1,20,000 crore, I-Sec managing director and chief executive Madhabi Puri Buch said.

Last the government and the private industry together mopped up about Rs 1,00,000 crore through IPOs, FPOs and QIPs last year. That included about Rs 50,000 crore raised in the primary market through public offers of both private and public sector companies and the remaining through QIPs.

Asserting that there is enough appetite in the market for such a strong pipeline of IPOs, FPOs and QIPs, Buch said the market has the potential for a much bigger primary market, when compared on a global perspective.

There have been voices in the market that a large number of big-size public offers tend to suck out liquidity from the markets which is still in a developing stage, and the recent 'dismal' performance of some high profile IPOs and FPOs could dampen sentiment for upcoming issues.

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→ WDM trades worth Rs 4,879.54 cr at NSE

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Buch, however, said none of the major IPOs in the recent past could be dubbed as disappointing as they managed to sail through and meet the targets for raising funds despite weak global cues. "I disagree that these were dismal performances. One criticism was that retail segments was under-subscribed, or retail investors not showing enough interest," Buch said.

"However, this has more to do with the size of the offerings. When there is a large offer, the portion reserved for retail investors also become large and there occurs the chances of under-subscriptions. But, the regulations permit the unsubscribed shares of one segment to pass through to other segments like that of institutional investors, which are over-subscribed," she argued.

Noting that there is enough appetite for more share sale offers expected in the market over the coming months, Buch said a strong pipeline is there and the response is also expected to be robust for them.

The I-Sec head honcho Buch further noted that "when we talk about the size of the market, we are nowhere near the international benchmarks. This fiscal, the government has set a sell off target of Rs 40,000 crore and then an equal amount could be raised by private sector through IPOs and FPOs."

"This Rs 80,000 crore is for the primary markets only and QIPs would be additional, possibly another Rs 40,000 crore. However, even this cumulative figure of Rs 1,20,000 crore is not much of capital formation when seen as percentage of the GDP of the country-- this is just about 2.5 per cent of GDP and capital formation of this size is nothing when compared to global benchmarks," Buch argued.

She also pointed out that there is a very strong demand for shares of Indian companies, both from global and domestic investors. "There is demand for having an exposure to the Indian economy that has been growing at a high rate even during the worst days of global economic times and there is also a very good policy support (from the government and regulators)," she said.

I-Sec has been associated with a number of PSU public offerings in the recent past and has been already short-listed for the upcoming issue of Engineers India. In the private sector also, it is managing the upcoming issues like that of StanChart and Emar MGF.

Buch said there is certainly a very strong international appetite for Indian shares and this is unlikely to be affected unless there are some big tremors in global markets.

According to a study by consultancy major Ernst&Young, India saw the third largest number of IPOs globally in the first three months of 2010. Globally also, the global IPO activity in the first quarter of 2010 showed substantial improvement over the similar period last year, but the revival has been primarily led by Asian markets like China and India.

In total, there were 267 IPOs globally worth over $53.2 billion, marking a five-fold surge from 52 offerings worth $1.4 billion in Q1 2009.

However, the ongoing debt crisis in Europe has affected the IPO market with deals worth a total of more than %6 billion getting cancelled in the first week of this month alone. But, none of these cancelled IPOs were from India.

The government itself is aiming to raise Rs 40,000 crore this fiscal through stake sale in about a dozen PSUs and the first issue, that of power sector firm SJVNL, has already closed successfully.

Other share sale targets for the current financial year include IndianOil, MMTC, Coal India, SAIL, RINL, Shipping Corporation, Engineers India, Hindustan Copper, PowerGrid, Manganese Ore India and MMTC.

opics:

Greece crisis
Q4 Earnings
Stocks: Gainers and losers

WASHINGTON: The European debt crisis is a stark reminder for the United States to tackle its own massive budget deficit, which some fear will remain at trillion-dollar levels for many years to come.

President Barack Obama, who inherited the flood of red ink from his predecessor George W. Bush, has promised to urgently ease the deficit.

But some analysts believe his administration is not taking the crisis seriously.

Just three days ago, Obama and his Treasury chief Timothy Geithner prodded European leaders grappling with a balloning debt crisis to put their house in order.

Then data last Wednesday showed the US government had suffered its 19th consecutive month of red ink in April, the highest ever for that month.

Also Read

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→ China revaluation would hurt US: World Bank

→ Markets or ministers, who will prevail in EU crisis?

→ UK faces "enormous" economic challenge: Osborne

"The irony of American officials telling Europeans to tighten their belts was accentuated" by the fresh deficit data, Ed Yardeni, chief investment strategist for Yardeni Research said.

The April deficit brought the shortfall for the first seven months of the 2010 fiscal year ending September 30 to 799.68 billion dollars.

The White House has forecast the 2010 deficit will swell to a new record of 1.555 trillion dollars due to massive spending to stimulate recovery from the worst recession in decades.

As debt contagion fears grip Europe sparked by problems in Greece, analysts warn the United States has only limited time to forge a credible plan to end its own fiscal woes.

"Interestingly, however, the sense of urgency about near-term fiscal tightening, so evident this week in the UK and euro area, is largely missing in the US," Dean Maki, head of Barclays Capital US economic research, noted.

Partly this was because investors tend to flock to rather than keep away from US Treasury bonds when risk aversion spiked, he said.

The US dollar, which has risen rapidly against the embattled euro amid the European debt crisis, is the premier reserve currency and viewed as a safe haven during financial turmoil.

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anivar Aravind <anivar@movingrepublic.org>
Date: Sat, May 15, 2010 at 9:43 PM
Subject: [OrissaConcerns] Police Attack on Anti-POSCO People's Movement - Chronology of Incidents
To: connect <connect@lists.orissaconcerns.net>, freebinayaksen-us@googlegroups.com, Greenyouth <greenyouth@googlegroups.com>, Invites <invites@yahoogroups.com>, Invitesplus <invitesplus@yahoogroups.com>, in-keralam@googlegroups.com

http://orissaconcerns.net/2010/05/chronology-of-incidents/
Police Attack on Anti-POSCO People's Movement - Chronology of Incidents

'More than 100 villagers injured, the condition of 5 persons is serious and 18 persons including 5 women got arrested by the Police under the direct supervision of Orissa Chief Minister'- POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS)

8.30 PM: PPSS President – Abhay Sahu appealed everybody extend immediate support for the treatment of the injured people. Also, he requested the all concerned and well-meaning people extend their solidarity for the causes of people in struggles.

8.20 PM: Information received from PPSS activists from Dhinkia that about two Activists named Natha Swain (32 male from Nuagan) & Ramesh Das (35 male from Dhinkia) are critically injured with metal bullets. Immediate Medical Care is needed for them as they lost a lot of blood so far. All roads to anti POSCO Villages are blocked & sealed by Police. There is no way to get medical support /go out of the Village because of the police blockade. Among the 100 persons injured persons more than 60 percent are women or children.

6.10 PM: Manorama Khatua, woman leader, PPSS informed that women were mercilessly beaten up by male police.The situation is under tense. 5 persons are seriously injured. Injured people are not able to access for medical treatments.

5.00 PM: An alliance of some people's organizations and activists organized a protest Dharna in front of the Governors' House against police atrocity at Kalinga Nagar (TATA)and Balitutha(POSCO).

4.00 PM: Information reached that Police have blocked all the roads to the proposed site and the people are forced to remain inside their villages. Outsiders are not allowed to enter into the area.

3.15 PM: More than 100 persons got injured by teargas shell and police firing. 18 persons including 5 women got arrested. The houses, shops, sheds, tents belonging to local people in and around dharna location were burnt down by the Police.

3.10 PM: News came in local TV channels that CPI has called for a 12 hours Kujang Bandh (shut down) in protest of police atrocities and arrest of its leader and activists, which was confirmed from CPI state office.

2.30PM: Police version: people threw country bombs at the police therefore the forces retaliated! PPSS version: it's a blatant lie. Company deployed anti-socials and some pro-POSCO leaders joined with the Police, threw bombs to mislead the democratic and peaceful movement.

2.25 PM: After tear gas, rubber bullets, the police started firing with real ones.

2.10 PM: Police action started against the people by throwing tear gas & rubber bullets from 100 meter distance.

1.43 PM: The district collector and superintendent of police made announcements over microphone asking people to disperse immediately or else face the action.

12.00: Around 50 activists of All India Youth Federation, All India Students' Federation & Communist Party of India demonstrated before the Police Commissioner office at Bhubaneshwar. They were arrested and later released.

11.38M: Standing at 20 meters' distance from Dharna place was taking positions and waiting for orders to fire.

10.45 PM: Congress ex-MLA Umesh Swain on his way to Balithuta was detained at Kujang police station.

10.40 AM: About 600 pro-POSCO people joined the anti-POSCO camp and participated in the resistance.

10.38 AM: At Balithuta, numbers of villagers have swelled up from 600 to 3700. Villagers were in no mood to retreat, more people joined from Nuagaon, which was earlier considered as pro-POSCO area.

10.36 AM: Section 144 of IPC was introduced in the areas covering 3 kilometer radius of Balitutha. Police warned people to leave the place within 10 minutes.

10.15 AM: There is spontaneous protest of the people in front of Paradeep Police station and Kujang against the illegal detention of the MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai.

At Balithuta, numbers have swelled up. There are about 3700 villagers facing 1500 or so armed police. Villagers are in no mood to retreat, more people are joining from Nuagaon panchayat .

10.07 AM: D. Raja, Politburo Member, CPI informed that he has spoken to Orissa Chief Minister. The CM told him that he would enquire to the matter and assured that no force would be used.

9.45 AM: Condemning the aggression by the Naveen Patnaik Government, Prasant Paikray, the spokesperson – PPSS told, 'the chief minister is directly implementing the police operation through his Principal Secretary, who is issuing instructions to SP and District Collector.

9.25 AM: Appeal made to concerned citizens to call SP (-Debadatta Singh)'s mobile no-09437094678 urging him not to use force. Responding calls of human rights activists, political leaders, environmentalists, journalists, advocates, film-makers from across the country, he informed - 'POLICE HAS COME PREPARED TO USE FORCE AGAINST THE PEOPLE'.

8.57 AM: District Collector and Police Superintendent spearheaded police in 15 Vehicles towards dharana place.

7.00 AM: Around 600 villagers sat in dharna place at Balithutha . Police vans arrived at the dharna place

4.00 AM: Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Member of Parliament (MP) of Jagatsinghpur from CPI was detained and put at Circuit house at Kujang at 2AM (mid-night of May 15) on his way to Dhinkia.

May 14, 2010 – Police made flag-march from Kujang to Balitutha.

May 11, 2010 - 25 platoon of Police forces, 5 ambulances and 3 magistrates enter into the area and forcefully occupied the nearby school campuses.

May 3, 2010: Bijay Kumar Patnaik, IAS, Principal Secretary to CM returned back from South Korea after 15-days' visit. PPSS leader Abhay Sahu alleges that on behalf of Chief Minister, he has represented to settle the 'deal' with POSCO Company and the entire cost of his visit was borne by the POSCO

For more information, please contact: Prasant Paikray, Spokesperson, PPSS, and Cell: 09437571547

Prepared on May 15, 2010 (9.25 PM)

--

Anivar Aravind
+91 9448063780

_______________________________________________
connect mailing list
connect@lists.orissaconcerns.net
http://lists.orissaconcerns.net/listinfo.cgi/connect-orissaconcerns.net
http://orissaconcerns.net

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Initiative India <initiativeindia@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, May 15, 2010 at 8:39 PM
Subject: [initiative-india] Mumbai Slum-dwellers' Satyagraha for justice intensifies
To:

[]
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS
A Wing First Floor, Haji Habib Building, Naigaon Cross Road
Dadar (E), Mumbai-400 014 Ph. No-2415 0529 E-mail: napmindia@gmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Satyagraha by thousands of slum-dwellers in Mumbai intensifies

Hundreds of women and men storm Mankhurd Police Station

Force Police to register FIR against Reliance Energy for death by electrocution

The indefinite and spontaneous Satyagraha launched by the thousands of slum-dwellers in Mumbai against the unjust demolition of the Annabhau Sathenagar Basti in violation of their constitutional, legal and human rights entered its third day today. Organized under the banner of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, hundreds of people, led by the valiant women from the bastis challenged the increasingly corporatized State that is bulldozing its own people to make 'space' for the plush infrastructure of private capital.

Hundreds of people from the basti stormed the Mankhurd police station today afternoon and demanded justice for Shivaji Bhutekar, whose unnatural death due to electrocution was sought to be passed off as an 'accident'. People did not budge and his body was not cremated until post-mortem was conducted on him and a First Information Report registered against the Reliance Energy Company, for being responsible for the death due to its negligent and culpable act. With the electricity services in the area privatized and handed over to Reliance Energy, the company, as in the cases of demolitions had immediately severed its power connections. But there were certain connections which were put in place by the people, through which electricity was passing and Shivaji died a painful death when he was repairing the fan of this home.

When the police also tried to defend their earlier illegal act by arguing that 'there was no lathi-charge', the women bared their wounds to demonstrate the brute physical force unleashed upon them and not sparing even elders and children. "What more proof do u need of the violence that has been inflicted on us?" an enraged Nasreen questioned.

At the Satyagraha sthal today, people also denounced Chief Minister Mr. Ashok Chavan's reported statement from Nanded that removal of such encroachments is inevitable if development is to take place! The Andolan feels that the statement reeks of ignorance and insensitivity, since the CM did not even care to find out if at all this attempt to 'remove encroachment' had a better 'public purpose' to achieve and did not even know as to what extent of indefensible atrocities have been committed upon people.

Support for the brutalized, albeit resilient people poured in from different quarters of the city in the form of provisions, clothes and other necessities. The Associations of Railway Boot Polish Workers and Small Railway Caters have also chipped in to contribute to the people's needs and cause. The Andolan also acknowledges the coverage that the just struggle of the basti-dwellers has received in the press. We look forward to your extended hand of support and solidarity in this moment of crisis and hope you will write letters to the concerned authorities demanding action and also volunteer in whatevery way possible.

Santosh Thorat       Jameela Begum   Simpreet Singh     Sumit Wajale      Medha Patkar

Contact Nos: 09423965153 / 09969363065

National Alliance of People's Movements; National Office: Room No. 29-30, 1st floor, 'A' Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400 014;
Ph: 022-24150529
E-mail: napmindia@gmail.com

Delhi Contact : 09818905316

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Somnath Mukherji <mukherji.somnath@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, May 16, 2010 at 8:52 AM
Subject: [ReachIndia] Stop Police Suppression of Peaceful Protests in Orissa
To: ReachIndia@lists.aidindia.org

Call the authorities asking them to reign in police force against the peaceful demonstrators.

The SP, Debodatta Singh, 09437094678
The Collector, Narayan Jena, 06724- 220199
ADM 09937755508
The CM's office 0674-2531100
The Home secretary, 0674-2531515

Read the article in Hindu: Orissa Tribals Seek Opposition Backing for their agitation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STOP POLICE ATTACKS ON PEACEFUL PROTESTORS

IN ORISSA

15 May 2010

New Delhi

We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the unprovoked firing and arson carried out by the Orissa state police against a dharna of farmers and fisher folk opposed to the proposed POSCO steel project in Jagatsingpur district.

As per latest reports, today over 100 people have been injured and many shops and houses in Balitutha village, the site of the dharna, have been set on fire by the policemen. Around 40 divisions of policemen were involved in the operation, which continues even now as we write this. Hundreds of villagers belonging to the PPSS (POSCO Pratirodh Sangharsh Samiti) have been sitting in a peaceful dharna since 26 January 2010 to express their dissent against the proposed plant.

It is also outrageous to note that the atrocities and arson by the police at Balitutha at the moment is being led by the SP of the district while chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar is issuing statements like "We are for peaceful industrialization" to the media. Naveen Patnaik is known for his ruthless manner in which he has dealt with democratic resistances in the past 10 years in the state, in which many innocent people have lost their lives to police firing and other forms of violence perpetrated by the state.

Prior to today's police action, there was already an economic blockage imposed by the state administration of the villages earmarked for land acquisition and where resistance is the strongest. There is a strong fear that any police raid on the villagers to oust them from their land will result in the loss of innocent lives in an area where thousands were already killed when the Orissa Super Cyclone hit the area just a decade ago. Nevertheless, the area is endowed with rich natural resources and has a prosperous economy of its own, and the local communities – as they have expressed it over and over again – do not want to trade their resources, economy, and cultural identities for mere corporate greed.

We believe that, to crush peaceful dissent in such a brutal manner can only serve to undermine Indian democracy and push large sections of the Indian population to the point of desperation. At no point, in their struggle for over five years, have the anti-POSCO protestors indulged in any violent activities and have instead set an example to the rest of the country on how to carry out a democratic struggle based solely on the mass support of ordinary men and women.

We appeal to all Indian political parties and concerned citizens to oppose the Orissa government's ill-considered and draconian action against the anti-POSCO protestors and demand the immediate withdrawal of police forces from the area. It is only through peaceful negotiations that a resolution can be found and the common people's crumbling faith in Indian democracy restored.

Yours sincerely,

   1. Prashant Bhushan, Advocate, New Delhi
   2. Medha Patkar, NAPM
   3. Arundhati Roy, Writer and Activist, New Delhi
   4. Sandeep Pandey, NAPM
   5. B Ramakrishna Raju, NAPM
   6. Praful Samantara, Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Orissa
   7. Meher Engineer, Academic, Kolkata
   8. Ashok Chaudhury, NFFPFW, New Delhi
   9. Subrat Kumar Sahu, Independent Filmmaker, New Delhi
10. Sanjay Bosu Mallick, NFFPFW
11. Madhumita Dutta, Vettiverr Collective, Chennai
12. Nityanand Jayaraman, Journalist, Chennai
13. Shweta Narayan, Community Environmental Monitoring, Chennai
14. Dr Karen Coelho, Academic, Chennai
15. Shazia Nigar, Delhi University and NAPM, New Delhi
16. Soumitra Ghosh, NFFPFW – North Bengal Regional Committee, Siliguri, West Bengal
17. Mamata Dash, Researcher and Activist, NFFPFW, New Delhi
18. Amit Sengupta, Journalist, New Delhi
19. Satya Sivaraman, Journalist, New Delhi
20. Ravi Hemadri, the Other Media, New Delhi
21. Manshi Asher, Environment Research and Action Collective, Himachal Pradesh
22. Shalini Gera, Friends of South Asia, Delhi
23. Shibayan Raha, New Delhi
24. Madhu Sarin, Researcher and Activist, Chandigarh
25. Nandini Sundar, Professor of Sociology, Delhi University
26. Saswati Swetlana
27. Ashish Fernandes, Bangalore
28. Amar Kanwar, Independent Filmmaker, New Delhi
29. B Karthik Navayan, Advocate, Hyderabad
30. Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center
31. Madhuresh Kumar, NAPM
32. Maj Gen (Retd) S G Vombatkere
33. Rashida Bee, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
34. Champa Devi Shukla, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
35. Syed M Irfan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
36. Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action
37. Satinath Sarangi, Bhopal Group for Information and Action
38. Safreen Khan, Children Against Dow Carbide
39. K P Sasi, Independent Filmmaker, Bangalore
40. Anivar Aravnd, Movingrepublic, Bangalore
41. Kanchi Kohli, Kalpavriksh, New Delhi
42. Latha Jishnu, Journalist, New Delhi
43. Chanda Asani, Academic, Jaipur

...and many more concerned citizens

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anivar Aravind <anivar@movingrepublic.org>
Date: Sun, May 16, 2010 at 12:16 AM
Subject: [OrissaConcerns] "Our next target is obviously Dhinkia village, epicentre of the anti-Posco agitation": Inspector General of Police
To: common-concern <common-concern@googlegroups.com>, connect <connect@lists.orissaconcerns.net>

See the news-story from Hindustan Times below. The police is confirming that they are heading for Dhinkia village next. We have to continue the email, fax and phone campaign.

While we continue to target the Collector, ADM and to SP, we should also go higher up the food chain and target senior bureaucrats (if we can get hold of them).

* Special Secretary to the Orissa Govt, Amrit Mohan Prasad 0674 2536761, email: amritshikha@hotmail.com, am_prasad@mail.svpnpa.gov.in
* Chief Secretary, Orissa govt. (& Chief Development Commissioner) Tarun Kanti Mishra: 0674 2534300, 2536700,
EPABX-2196, Fax: 2536660 csori@ori.nic.in
* Home, Principal Secretary, Aditya Prasad Padhi 0674-2531515 (Fax: 2402115) padhiap@ias.nic.in
* Director General of Police, Orissa, MANMOHAN PRAHARAJ : TELEPHONE NO. 0671- 2304451, 2306501, FAX- 2304033

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entry-point-to-proposed-Posco-plant-cleared-of-agitators/Article1-544092.aspx
Entry point to proposed Posco plant cleared of agitators

Press Trust Of India
Paradip, May 15, 2010
First Published: 17:53 IST(15/5/2010)Last Updated: 17:55 IST(15/5/2010)

The police on Saturday cleared the entrypoint to the proposed Posco mega steel plant at Balitutha, of protesters resisting land acquisition since January 26, using rubber bullets, teargas and batons, leaving at least 30 people injured.

"The people on dharna at Balitutha defying prohibitory orders have been evicted," Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Debadutta Singh said.

The police which ordered the 1000-odd protesters, mostly women and children, to leave immediately cracked down when 50 crude bombs were thrown at them, he said.

He did not reply to allegations that the temporary camps of protesters were set ablaze by the police.

Police used baton, teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the anti-Posco agitators, Inspector General of Police, Central Range, S K Upadhaya said.

Some people received minor injuries in the police action, he said, adding, 11 others were also arrested.

"Our next target is obviously Dhinkia village, epicentre of the anti-Posco agitation," Upadhaya said.

The police will remain in the area till officials surveyed the forest area and land was acquired for the proposed mega steel plant, he said.

"We have been successful in restoring law and order at Balitutha being held by anti-project activists since January 26," Jagastsinghpur district collector N C Jena told newsmen.

Earlier, local CPI MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Congress leader Umesh Swain and Jayant Biswal were arrested as a preventive measure, though former CPI MLA Narayan Reddy joined the agitators at Balitutha.

The administration had deployed 1500 security personnel, six magistrates, four ambulances and two fire tenders at Balitutha prior to the operation, police added.

_______________________________________________
connect mailing list
connect@lists.orissaconcerns.net
http://lists.orissaconcerns.net/listinfo.cgi/connect-orissaconcerns.net
http://orissaconcerns.net

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anivar Aravind <anivar@movingrepublic.org>
Date: Sat, May 15, 2010 at 10:19 PM
Subject: [OrissaConcerns] Police Open Fire for Illegal Mineral Robbers: The Real Story of the POSCO Project
To: connect <connect@lists.orissaconcerns.net>, Invitesplus <invitesplus@yahoogroups.com>, common-concern <common-concern@googlegroups.com>

Police Open Fire for Illegal Mineral Robbers: The Real Story of the POSCO Project

From Forest Rights act

Today, Orissa police opened fire on peaceful protesters sitting on dharna for their lands and livelihoods. We join other democratic forces in condemning this atrocious brutality, in which at least 50 people have been injured, markets have been burned and many more are likely to be wounded or killed. We also wish to draw attention to the following facts:

This is not just a "dispute over land acquisition for development." The POSCO project is illegal and will not bring any benefits for the local population or the country's economy. Rather, it is simply plunder of lives and resources:

    * The POSCO project is illegal as it violates the Forest Rights Act of 2006. Under that law, no forest land can be given to anyone until 1) all the rights of the people in the area are recognised and 2) their consent is given to the project. This is the requirement of the law, acknowledged further by an Environment Ministry order of August 3, 2009. This has never been done in the area despite the people demanding it. The Central and State governments have no legal right to hand over this land to POSCO. In law, not just in public view, this is daylight robbery. Please see the attached timeline for more details.

    * The project is nothing less than a robbery of the country's natural resources by a multinational. There is no conflict between people's rights and "development" here. Despite grand talk of 51,000 crores of foreign investment, what is not mentioned is that POSCO is getting a huge amount of:
          o land: 4,000 acres for the plant, 2,000 acres for a "township", 25 acres in Bhubaneshwar for their office, plus an unknown amount in the mining and port areas;
          o water: an estimated 12,000 crore liters from the river Mahanadi, threatening the water supply of Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack;
          o iron ore: 600 million tonnes in the form of captive mines, and a further 400 million tonnes will be "allocated';
    * in exchange for which it will:
          o pay essentially nothing for the water and the land;
          o pay a pittance as royalty, allowing it to make tens of thousands of crores in profits just by the difference between market prices and extraction costs (one 2005 estimate put the net profits at 96,000 crores from extraction alone);
          o practically no income and other direct taxes, as it is seeking SEZ status;
          o provide 13,000 jobs – by their own estimates, which in the case of all industrial projects have proven to be gross overestimates – while displacing around 40,000 people in the plant and port sites alone (not including the mines). More than 20,000 people will lose employment in the plant site alone.

In sum, no tax revenue, net loss of employment, no royalties, loss of 15% of India's proven ore reserves, environmental devastation and the forced displacement of 40,000 people. This is what our government considers "development."

Today's police action shows better than any other that the government is neither concerned about law nor resources nor development – it is interested in daylight robbery. We stand by the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, who are among the many unsung heroes of our country today, fighting not only for themselves and their homes but for the idea of true democracy in India.

Timeline of Events in POSCO Project Area Relating to Forest Rights

From Forest Rights Act

June 22, 2005: MoU signed between Orissa government and POSCO-India, subsidiary of the POSCO Corporation of South Korea. MoU pertains to an integrated iron ore mine – steel plant – private port project. Rs. 51,000 crore investment is spoken of. Critics point out that there are almost no linkages with local or national economy; operation consists of extracting iron ore while paying extremely low rates of royalty, processing into steel without paying full land, electricity, water or tax costs (due to SEZ status and use of State government's powers for all these resources), and exporting it.

MoU allocates an area of 4,004 acres for the steel plant in Jagatsinghpur District. Of this, 1,253 hectares (approximately 3,000 acres) are officially classified as forest land. However, this "forest land" is largely under cultivation by various betel vine, cashew nut and other cash crop cultivators as well as people engaged in aquaculture. Some of these people have lived in the area for over a century and most have been there for several decades. The land was classified as forest land as a result of an agitation in the 1950's demanding afforestation in the area. The main actual forests of the area are mangroves, which occupy only a small part of the "forest" land.

Due to absence of title, out of an estimated 4,000 families that will be physically displaced by the steel plant, only 270 odd are officially entitled to compensation.

August / September 2005: POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti formed to oppose project. A people's blockade declared in three gram panchayat areas affected by plant. The blockade allows all persons entry and exit except government officials and POSCO employees. The Samiti calls for negotiations. No negotiations have been held till date.

December 18, 2006: Forest Rights Act passed by Parliament. Some sections that are relevant:

2(o) declares that all those living on forest land for at least three generations (75 years), as well as forest dwelling scheduled tribes, have rights under the Act

3(1)(a) recognises right to land under occupation and/or cultivation in forest areas

3(1)(c) recognises right to own, use, collect, dispose of minor forest produce

4(5) bars removal of any forest dweller without recognition of rights

5 empowers gram sabha to protect and manage forests as a statutory authority

November 29, 2007: Police and hired goondas attack PPSS dharna at one entry point with bombs – more than 50 people injured – dharna tent demolished. The protesters are driven back into one gram panchayat (Dhinkia). Police set up camps in the schools of the other two villages, deploy in heavy force.

January 1, 2008: Forest Rights Act notified into force.

August 8, 2008: Supreme Court upholds "in principle" clearance for use of forest land but directs Environment Ministry to proceed "in accordance with law." No final clearance granted. The case is only between Orissa government, Central governent and POSCO; no opponents to the project are represented.

March 23, 2008: Gram sabha of Dhinkia passes resolution electing a Forest Rights Committee and starting process of inviting claims under the Forest Rights Act. Resolution also states the gram sabha's decision to protect the surrounding area from environmental destruction in exercise of its powers under section 5. Claism are filed, but Sub-Divisional Officer illegally refuses to accept them. The State government takes no steps to implement Act in the area. Claims are till this date with the gram sabha.

August 3, 2009: Following prolonged protest, Environment Ministry issues circular clearly stating that no application for "diversion" (i.e. clearance for non-forest use) can be made without inter alia certificates from gram sabhas of the affected area stating that:

   1. The process of implementation of the Forest Rights Act is complete and all rights have been recognised
   2. That they consent to the diversion after being informed of the nature and details of the project and rehabilitation project.

50% quorum is required. Without these requirements, the Ministry says, no final clearance can be granted.

December 29, 2009: In violation of its own circular and the Forest Rights Act, Ministry grants final clearance for diversion of forest land.

January 5, 2010: POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti writes to Ministry against illegal action. CPI also raises issue, and various people's organisations protest.

January 8, 2010: Environment Ministry "clarifies" that clearance is subject to the August 3rd, 2009 circular, including "informed consent of the tribal people" (emphasis added). There are no tribals in the area, but there are people eligible as other traditional forest dwellers, who are also protected to the same extent by the Forest Rights Act. Taking advantage of this obvious and illegal loophole, POSCO responds within a few days that there are no tribals in the area. Despite the "clarification", illegal final clearance is not withdrawn and all government officials are treating it as final.

First week of February, 2010: In response to a request from the Collector for the opinion of the gram sabhas, all three in the steel plant area pass resolutions refusing consent for diversion of forest land and demanding recognitin of their rights and power to protect forests. As per law, the forest clearance is now clearly illegal and has to be withdrawn. Despite this, till date MoEF has done nothing and the clearance is standing.

February 2010: PPSS begins a three month dharna at main entry point at Balitutha.

May 11 2010: 25 platoons of police deploy in the area. Attack on protesters expected at any moment.

May 15 2010: Attack begins. At least 50 people injured, market areas and protest camps burned, police attacking people.

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Timeline Of Events In POSCO Project Area Relating To Forest Rights

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Stay up to date on these results:

ISI cell in NWFP targeting Indians in Kabul

Nearly three months after the attack on Indians in Kabul, Afghan Security agencies have traced back recent anti-India operations in Afghanistan to an ISI outfit located inside a military cantonment in Kohat in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

According to information available with Indian agencies, this was mentioned in a dossier on Pakistani intelligence activities in Afghanistan, prepared for Afghan President Hamid Karzai ahead of his just concluded visit to the US. He is believed to have shared the information with US authorities.

While this was a detailed dossier on ISI activities across Afghanistan, there was a section that specifically dealt with Pakistani efforts to target Indian assets in Afghanistan which included the Indian embassy, its consulates across that country, Indian companies and their projects.

For the first time, two Pakistani officials, Major Siraj and Major Mohammed Ali, have been named. The two officers, according to Afghan authorities, have been operating out of an ISI office that is referred to as MI-422 and was allegedly behind the February 26 attack. This is said to be in an Army cantonment in the Tal area of Kohat. These two officers, sources said, have been planning and coordinating activities against Indian entities through various terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

The information in the dossier comes in the backdrop of earlier intelligence shared by Afghan agencies with their Indian counterparts that certain ISI operatives did travel across the border on the day of the attacks this February, apparently to assess the damage. In fact, two officials from the Pakistani mission in Kabul were also spotted at the explosion site after the incident and were apparently seen taking pictures and surveying the damage.

Subsequently, Afghan authorities also apprehended one Shah Mohammed, an Afghan national from the Paktia province, who alleged that he had been tasked by Pakistani ISI officials to film locations where Indians were being put up and revealed that he had passed on photographs and videos of sites where Indian companies are at work.

He is also said to have told interrogators that he had been taken to Miranshah on the Afghan-Pak border for receiving instructions and then sent to Kabul in March to specifically carry out monitoring of residential premises of Indian officials. Afghan authorities believe that a Brigadier-rank officer is based in the Pakistan mission in Kabul to specifically help execute the tracking and monitoring of Indians which is then sent across to the outfit in Kohat.

Earlier this month, Afghan Interior Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar, accompanied by his intelligence chief Amrullah Salih, told the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House) that 16 suicide bombers had been arrested in April alone and of these, six were Pakistanis. One of these, he informed, was apparently from the Lashkar-e-Toiba. While the youngest of those arrested was aged 14, the oldest was a 55-year-old man.

Despite these details, sources said, Afghanistan has been cautious in making much of the information public given the sensitivities involved in pointing fingers at Pakistan. Most of the information is made known to US authorities, who in turn seek to corroborate it with Pakistan.

For this reason, India too has been cautious in prodding Afghanistan beyond a point lest the delicate balance be disturbed. But the assessment is clear that more and more terrorist attacks are being planned against Indian assets in Afghanistan and so the instruction to every Indian there is to assume that their movements are being monitored, tracked and mapped very closely.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articlelist/1925871456.cms
Forest: Ultimate Conflict Zones of India

Avilash Roul
Article No:126, August 2, 2007

India's forest land which is rich in natural resources, like forest derivatives and minerals is undoubtedly the cauldron of various degrees of conflicts. From civil wars in Chhattisgarh to armed conflict in North East, it has created internal security more volatile than ever before in India. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has a special wing to neutralise this 'internal security' with strong policing. The growing number of incidents of conflicts in the forest area have threatened the forest resources as well the livelihood of inhabitants. At least 'a million mutinies' in and around the forest area is ticking to explode. However, who triggers these conflicts or social unrest has been a serious concern which needs to be addressed at the earliest. Recently, in its affidavit to country's apex court, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) requested to wrap up Green Bench appointed by Supreme Court which contributed in the flaring of the civil unrest and a burst in Maoist activities in major states by risking forest resources. While forgetting its own forest laws, rules and guidelines, the government squarely put the blame on Supreme Court on the excess of anti-state activities. Do we need either Green Bench or Forest Laws? Both Forest laws and Green Bench under Supreme Court have delayed justice to tribal people and failed to manage forest resources. Since the filing of writ petition in 1995 in the Supreme Court, the MOEF feels that the process has resulted in 'judiciary usurping the executive's powers' and 'eroding of separation of powers'. The major apprehension of MOEF is that scientific forestry has not been administered due to the Supreme Court's hearings for the last 12 years. It is believed that since 1995 the Supreme Court has been managing the forest resources in India! Therefore, government wants to use its scientific forestry in the forest areas without intervention of none. It should be noted that the Maoists activities did not start in 1996 when the Supreme Court first pronounced its forest related hearings. The Indian forest laws like Indian Forest Act (IFA) 1927 is much older than Maoist movement of late 1960s. There have been places still in India where campaigns against the IFA are going on for the last 75 years or so. Similarly, the 1980 Forest Conservation Acts (FCA), at best, has alienated tribal people, which provides new support base for Maoist movement. Not only these policies have failed in its primary objective to conserve and manage the forest, they have created social unrest, people's movements and so on. The objectives of transforming 33 percent of India's geographical land to forest area do not arrest spreading of conflicts side by side. The conflict arises not only between Mogli (human) and Sher Khan (animal) as in the famous Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, but within people as in the case in Salwa Judum, people and forest laws (IFA, Indian Wildlife Protection Act, FCA, Joint Forest Management, Forest Development Projects and so on) and people and private companies (Jindal, Tata, Vendanta, Utkal Alumina). The Country's most predominantly tribal districts with natural forest like in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh are prone to conflicts due to poverty, dispossession of people over forest resources, ecological degradation and above all the government's forest policies and developmental plans like dams and mining activities. The exercise of control and legitimacy has been the signature of India's forest area. As always the losers in this battle are the tribal. An estimated 40 million people (of whom nearly 40 per cent are tribal) have lost their land since 1950 on account of displacement due to large development projects. The biggest landlord in the country is facing the obvious threat i.e., its relevance! The official logo of the Forest Department (FD) in India is diagonally divided half red and green. But interestingly, the FD has now more red (read conflict) than green (forest). The intensity of conflict between the tribal and the forest officials are increasing manifold for wrong reasons. Not a single forest administered unit in the country is free from conflict. Most forest inhabitants feel that the FD which is rewarded as the single largest land lord in the country possessing nearly 23 percent of the geographical land has become the instrument of oppression. While the resource conflicts evolve as the competition over extraction and exploitation of lootable or commercial viable resources between two parties, in India, the only competitor is the state government and its agencies and private companies. The reign of terror using by state government couple with defunct basic administration and flaws in forest laws has given birth to 'red corridor' in India. The evil axis of government-business-legislatures-brokers has created more avenues for potential provider to conflict situations. After the 2002 Indo-Pak stand-off at the LOC, the maximum number of national security meeting was commenced on the issue of Maoist violence in forest areas than securing India's international boarder. As usual India's ministries involved in this conflict zones are Prime Minister Office, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Water resources, Ministry of Mines, and of course, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and joining of Ministry of Defense won't be a surprise by seeing the increased violence. When India's powerful cabinet portfolios are engaged in conflict resolution it bounds to create cacophony. After discussion with tribal and more than 100 forest officials of Central and East India, I believe that the resolution of this increasing potential conflict is not feasible at least in coming decades. As long as people are being kept out of resource management or forest development, the explosion of million ticking mutinies is not a distant hypothesis.


[ *Avilash Roul is a New Delhi based environment and development analyst ]*

http://sspconline.org/article_details.asp?artid=art139

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Tamil women denied the right to live in peace

In developing parts of the world like Sri Lanka, women remain more or less subjugated, writes Kalyani Inpakumar.

As Tamils in Australia, we feel for our brothers and sisters back home in Sri Lanka. The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) was formed to unit all the Tamil organisations to make our voice more powerful.

ATC is part of a global organisation which is Global Tamil Forum and in March Global Tamil Women's Forum was also launched.

I am from Tamil Eelam, a land that has been torn by the struggles of war for the last 30 years.

Women are the most vulnerable victims in armed conflicts and post conflict situations. No age group is sheltered from the heinous acts of rape, sexual harassment, trafficking, prostitution and murder.

Innocent females face the painful aftermath of short and long term physical, psychological and social trauma which is further complicated by the absence of adequate facilities and trained staff in war-torn settings.

For those who have no carers to provide basic psychological support, the emotional injuries may be as debilitating as any physical injuries. It could have easily been me or my daughters who are going through all our nightmares, which is the Tamil women's reality in the island of Sri Lanka.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the status of women improved the most in economically progressive areas dominated by Western culture. In Australia, North America and Europe, women have enjoyed a rising status - getting closer and closer to achieving economic, social and political equity.

In developing parts of the world like Sri Lanka, however, women remain more or less subjugated, and in some countries they are stripped of any human rights.

It is the stripping of these human rights that I would like to talk about.

It is the stripping of these human rights that results in an estimated 35 million people worldwide being displaced by conflict, and most of them are women and children.

One of the consequence of these abuses are the recent boat loads of asylum seekers attempting to seek refuge in Australia. Recently we saw the 100th boat for the year.

Increasingly, these people are from Sri Lanka and they are Tamil. While the media and our politicians argue about people smugglers and border security and who should and shouldn't be allowed to be part of Australian society, the reason – the oppression that forced these people to risk their lives, paying thousands of dollars to get into leaky boats and attempt the dangerous voyage to Australia, continues.

Many western countries have started to acknowledge the Sri Lankan government's unacceptable treatment of Tamils and spoken out.

Australia is yet to openly show disappointment. As Australians we need to demand that our government deplore a regime such as that of Sri Lanka.

Since early 2009 young Tamils including 556 children held in detention centres in undisclosed areas by the military – have no access to ICRC (the Red Cross) or any other international agency.

While the war in Sri Lanka has been over for months now, peace does not prevail.

Despite hostilities to the country's civil war being declared 'over' by the Government of Sri Lanka in May 2009, some 100,000 Tamil citizens remain illegally held in squalid internment camps wrought by allegations of torture, rape and abductions.

As you can imagine, as always, women - as widows, mothers and victims of rape and abuse - bear the brunt of this.

Today 100,000 Tamil people remain in these internment camps – denied access to proper healthcare, sanitation or even their loved ones… let alone the freedom of speech, cultural rights or the right to self determination that we all enjoy.

100, 000 people are being denied the right to go back to their homes, establish new lives for themselves and live peacefully.

But it's not simply a matter of going back to live peacefully. This is hardly possible for most Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Continually we hear reports and stories about the ongoing discrimination and abhorrent treatment of Tamils in their homeland, continually under scrutiny and suspicion of anti-state activities, they cannot lead peaceful lives.

Unfortunately, the Australian media does not report on it too well, but recently in the international media I read that it was a very sad day for one young asylum seeker on Christmas Island.

He learnt yesterday that his 14-year-old brother (back home in Sri Lanka) had been kidnapped and then murdered. He comes from a reasonably well off Tamil family. The inability and unwillingness of the Sri Lankan authorities to protect Tamils is another reason why they are fleeing from their lives.

Background to Sri Lanka

To provide some context to the situation in Sri Lanka, I'd like to tell you a little bit about the country's history. I'll try to avoid giving you a history lesson but I think it's a really important to grasping my story, and the plight of the Tamil people.

In Sri Lanka, the Tamil community constitutes a large majority in the northern part of the island, but a small minority in the country overall. Tamils are a distinct people: they are culturally different from the dominant Sinhalese, have a different heritage, speak a different language and most have a different religion. Prior to colonisation, the Tamils had their own separate kingdom on the island.

During the colonial period, the Tamils, a very hardworking nation were generally better educated and formed the backbone of the civil administration. This permitted resentments against them to grow.

Independence was granted in 1947, just as in India. But whereas India was partitioned, Sri Lanka was not. As a result, the Tamils became a permanent minority in the new nation.

Racist laws against the Tamils were enacted almost immediately. The parliamentary and legislative system did little to acknowledge, let alone protect the rights of minority groups and, a process of parties outbidding each other in the demonisation of the Tamils ensued.

The measures adopted against the Tamils became increasingly discriminatory, to the point where we were effectively denied tertiary education altogether and even tuition in their own language. Politicians whipped up pogroms in which thousands died, often with the police looking on or participating, and systematic 'disappearances' of Tamils were common.

Our struggle for freedom and independence had taken many different paths and phases. The first phase was a peaceful struggle but the Tamil people were met with state sponsored violence and death and conventional warfare ensued. It's been described as one of the longest, bloodiest and protracted wars ever.

The Tamils sought an independent homeland, Tamil Eelam, in the north of the island - and for decades, in fact, they ruled such a homeland, amidst a bloody conflict.

Sri Lanka's minority Tamil population have endured more than half a century of marginalisation and subjugation.

The government of Sri Lanka has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Anyone interfering with its rule is at risk of extrajudicial murder. Many journalists and editors - even those of Sinhalese background - have been killed.

As I mentioned earlier last year, the civil war came to an end but as it did Sri Lankan government troops indiscriminately shelled hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians trapped in a small area. On 18 May, Tamil leaders, seeking to prevent further bloodshed, arranged with international mediators that they would carry white flags and give themselves up. When they did so, they were murdered in cold blood.

Now that the decades-old civil war is over, hundreds of thousands of Tamils remain behind barbed wire in unsanitary concentration camps.

Now we are in another phase of our struggle. Hopefully this phase which is peaceful will achieve the freedom that all of us crave.

As a woman, and as part of this struggle I often reflect on the experiences of my sisters back home.

Women experience armed conflict in diverse ways as victims, survivors, leaders and peacemakers. Violence against women in conflict zones is often an extension of the gender discrimination that already exists in peacetime.

Because of their lack of status within society women are systematically excluded from decision-making opportunities, they are often stereotyped as victims and their experiences and contributions are virtually ignored in conflict zones and in nations emerging from war.

Despite this women can also play a significant part in peacemaking if they are properly supported and genuinely included.

http://www.thescavenger.net/people/tamil-women-denied-right-to-live-in-peace-29674.html

After the Elections: Demilitarize Development for Sustainable Peace

May 12, 2010 at 10:20 am · Categories: Colombo, Development, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Trincomalee | by Darini Rajasingham Senanayake

"Counter-terrorism is terrorism's best ally." –Joseba Zulaika in "Terrorism: The Self-Fulfilling Prophesy" (2009)

On April 12, 2010 the majority of citizens of the island's two main linguistic communities celebrated the "Sinhala and Tamil New Year" and the categorical end of war and terrorism with considerable optimism, despite lack of a clear political solution to the 'ethnic conflict'. The New Year celebrations, the first since the end of the State's 30 year war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were in the wake of recently concluded parliamentary elections that returned the ruling party to power. President Rajapaksa, who in January had already won the Presidential elections for another 6 year term, noted that the New Year brings into focus shared culture and kinship ties between the Sinhala and Tamil speaking communities in the island. There was not talk of 'human rights violations' or 'war crimes' or the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon's plan to set up an Advisory Council on Sri Lanka. Members of the international community, particularly the west, congratulated the regime and seemed circumspect with regard to questions of reconciliation, reconstruction and the detritus of 30 years of war in Lanka.

The end of election season in Sri Lanka should see the beginning of sustainable peace, which is to be distinguished from the end of war. Although the war ended almost a year ago on May 20, 2009, and opened a space for dealing with its root causes, the country had been in transition in anticipation of elections. Now that the election season is over the challenge of winning the peace, demilitarizing democracy and governance for locally owned development, and integrating the minority communities to ensure reconciliation and lasting peace remains. The post-conflict challenges may be divided in two: immediate humanitarian and human rights issues and long-term political settlement with devolution of power to the conflict affected regions, restoration of democratic institutions and checks and balances, and recognition of and institution of multiculturalism. On both these counts the Government of Sri Lanka is under considerable pressure from India, the US and EU and the United Nations to speedily resettle internally displaced people and stem the tide of refugees.

The election outcome has made it increasingly clear that the island would be evolving its own model of post-conflict reconstruction, development and reconciliation with the help of mainly Asian neighbors and donors, principally, India and China, which tend to be less demanding than western donors on the human rights front. The ruling United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was returned to power with a comfortable majority in the face of a divided and lack luster opposition, whose leader Ranil Wickramasinghe, would now be required to consider exit strategies, if the United National Party (UNP), historically, the country's oldest and most inclusive political party which has been dealt a stunning defeat, is to pose a challenge to the hegemony of the emergent Rajapaksa dynasty. The low voter turnout – only 52 percent of the population is partly explained by this. The Tamil minority also seems to have been disinclined to come out and vote in numbers, and there has been an overall reduction in members of parliament from the minority communities. The ruling UPFA garnered 117 out of the 225-seat parliament, about 6 seats short of a two thirds majority required to change the Constitution. Rajapaksa has consolidated power with a hat trick of three victories if one counts the defeat of the LTTE, the victory at the Presidential elections and the parliamentary elections.

The April elections marked a new beginning for the people in the post-conflict zones of the north and east, who had been prevented from participating in previous elections by the LTTE. They were able to exercise their vote relatively freely and they voted for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA/ITAK). However, Douglas Devanandan an ally of the ruling coalition (UPFA), and former militant of the EPDP (Eelam Peoples Democratic Party), were able to secure almost a third of the votes in the north. Also noteworthy at the recently concluded elections was the defeat of the hard-line nationalist Jathiak Hela Urumay (JHU) party and JVP/ DNA (Democratic National Alliance) headed by the jailed former Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka (who nevertheless won a seat), signaling that the majority are not impressed by extremism. With a clear majority and needing fewer hard-line coalition partners, Rajapaksa should ideally bring down the number of cabinet members and work with the TNA which has promised to cooperate with him to find a solution for the minorities with the framework of a united Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka Model

Various international terrorism, conflict and peace building experts had predicted that the thirty-year war in the island, one of South Asia's longest, would drag on for many years. The comprehensive defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), listed as one of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations, by the Sri Lanka Government's armed forces in the tiny multicultural and multi-religious teardrop island, strategically located at the cross roads of major trade routes in the Indian Ocean was viewed by some international peace and conflict experts as a test case. The Rajapakse government had after all argued that it was fighting a "war on terror", and capitalized on the diminished tolerance in the international community for political violence in the aftermath of 9/11, despite recognition that "one man's terrorist may be another's liberation fighter" –depending on the context. Some terrorism experts even suggested that Lanka may constitute a model to fight "terrorism" in South and South East Asia, including Afghanistan and Pakistan (Guneratna). Others have been more circumspect about lessons to be learned from the Sri Lanka case, particularly, due to concerns about human rights and the need for a political solution to the minority issue.

Perspectives on the relevance of the Sri Lanka example for ending insurgent or terrorist conflicts differ depending on the commentator's commitment to the spirit (rather than form), of democracy as well as recognition of the fact that rarely have such long drawn, low-intensity, globally net-worked and locally embedded conflicts come to so conclusive an end. Every conflict is different, and in other parts of South Asia "terrorism" and insurgency seems unlikely to wind down so efficiently unless the "root causes" of violence such as poverty, underdevelopment and political and cultural discrimination are addressed.

The conflict in Sri Lanka had been termed a 'terrorist' conflict, an 'ethnic conflict' and a liberation struggle. It was arguably all three, having begun as an ethnic conflict that subsequently morphed into a liberation struggle for the Tamil minority in the north east, only to become highly militarized and a self-sustaining dirty war with its own war economy. In the final stages the LTTE which claimed to be fighting for the rights and liberation of the Tamil minority in northeast Sri Lanka had become a terrorist organization that was as brutal to its own constituency as towards the Sri Lanka State from which it sought independence. At the same time, ending the thirty-year war in Sri Lanka was difficult and happened with considerable damage to the country's democratic culture and institutions. Democratic culture and traditions tend to check the State's propensity for internal war against segments of the citizenry who may be fighting for ethno-religious self determination or economic and social justice, or both, as was arguably the case with the Tamil and Muslim minorities in the northeast of Sri Lanka.

Demilitarizing development, ensuring Human Security

Though the war in Lanka is over the identity conflict that preceded it may persist in different forms until issues of power sharing with the peripheral regions due to over-centralization of State institutions, and erosion of democratic governance are addressed. The current regime's preferred model of reconstruction and peace building appears to be fast tracking economic development and reconstruction as a solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka along the lines of authoritarian democracy visible in countries like Singapore and Malaysia, where the state's emphasis on economic development has trumped and muted ethno-religious identity conflicts. This strategy may work in the medium term, until a comprehensive plan for devolution of power to the north-east regions is worked out. In the longer term, there would be need for the implementation for devolution of power particularly to the regions where Tamil speaking minority communities predominate — in the north and east.

Often conflicts that have their roots in poverty and economic marginalization by political elites and majorities that control the modern nation-state tend to be articulated in terms of ethno-religious identity conflicts. In other words "ethnic" identity conflicts tend to have a resource base, and there is a need to de-ethnicize conflict analysis in order to address the root causes of the conflict in Lanka. The majority of ordinary people in the conflict zones are tired of promises of "liberation" by various politicians and ethnic entrepreneurs peddling ethnic identity politics and ethnic "liberation" particularly in the wake of the LTTE's failure to secure any respect for the grievances of the Tamil minority. Many citizens in the north and east simply assert that they wish to rebuild their lives and livelihoods and look forward to a decent education and future for their children. By and large, ethnic out bidding for short term political gain has become a feature of Sri Lanka's post/colonial political culture in the absence of visionary leadership conscious of the need for inclusive development policies.

Devolution for Equitable Development

Sri Lanka which has traditionally had a far more vibrant democratic culture, civil society and a social welfarist approach to development than Malaysia or Singapore will need to finds its own post/conflict economic development model, between neo-liberal laissez faire policies and over centralised government led development. Neither of these approaches really worked in the past and it would be necessary to strike the appropriate balance between open economic policies and excessive government control of reconstruction and post/conflict economic development.

Simultaneously, economic development cannot be a substitute for the devolution of power or for human security. Indeed, for equitable and locally owned development, devolution of power is essential so that local communities benefit and are better able to benefit from the end of the war, and harvest the local agricultural and fisheries wealth in the north east, and benefit from the large-scale infrastructure projects. The military mindset that led to the concentration of power in the centre in Colombo under the Presidential Task force for Reconstruction in the North and East headed by Basil Rajapaksa, the President's brother, is counter-productive to locally owned and equitable economic development, public-private partnerships, and entrepreneurship by the local business community in peace time.

The Military Foot Print and Civil-Military Relations

The first step in getting post-conflict economic development right would be unraveling of the vestiges of the war economy of terror, taxation and rent-seeking by those who carry guns, and ensuring that development is planned, owned and implemented by local people and communities in the north and east. Clearly, the trend to promote military businesses in the post/conflict zone that economist Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvanandan has identified in the field of transport and small shops and businesses along the A-9 , coupled with the need for security clearance for traders and business persons going to the north is counter-productive to locally entrepreneurship and conflict sensitive post conflict economic regeneration.

There appears to be a new form of militaristic development ongoing in various parts of the country. In the heart of Colombo, poor and vulnerable people, mainly from the minority communities who were displaced and impoverished by the war are being displaced and many of the city's old and beautiful trees cut down at this time in the name of city beautification, security and "development". The Urban Development Authority of the city headed by the Defense Secretary has authorized destruction of "unauthorized structures" even as in other parts of the country land is being appropriated in the name of development.

What Sri Lanka needs at this time is people-centered development that promotes human security and reconciliation among diverse ethno-religious communities. Yet, the military footprint is heavy along the A-9 and armed personnel carry out various businesses which constitute mission and mandate creep, inappropriate for the military in a democracy such as Sri Lanka where there has never been such a precedent. At this time there needs to be rethinking and down-sizing of the military and other armed forces rather than the expansion of military businesses similar to the Pakistan or Indonesian military model. Such a precedent would impact negatively on the structure and culture of the Sri Lanka armed forces and tarnish their reputation in the long run. The excessive security for political figures and Ministers and the check point culture in Colombo is also costly and detrimental to the image of the armed forces, many of whom are increasingly uncomfortable with their new role of policing civilians in the absence of a clear terrorism threat. The militant model of post/conflict development may elicit a back-lash and make "terrorism" a self-fulfilling prophesy.

For proper economic development the remnants of the war economy that functioned on terror and taxation with those who carried guns extorting and taxing the population that was apparent in the north and east during the conflict years must be fully undone. Local private sector and entrepreneurs need to have the space to start their businesses and provide employment. Currently, though the A-9 is open public transport to and from Jaffna is not done by civilian or business community. Rather, the Air Force operates flights to Jaffna and the buses are controlled by a government allied Tamil politician who still has a paramilitary outfit. The High Security zones which in Jaffna occupy prime real estate in the centre of town as well as, prime agricultural land around Pallay need to be released for agricultural and urban renewal. Land appropriation for tourism development in the post/conflict zones in increasingly a feature of the current development push that would cause new conflicts and the return of old. The road constructed by the Navy through Willpattu national part for a proposed tourist resort on the northern border of the park at the behest of the all powerful Minister for Economic Development and Tourism, is a case in point. The practice of claiming prime lands for "high security zones" that morph into super-luxury tourism development projects, with little regard for the local populations who were displaced is apparent in other parts of the county, particularly the post/conflict zones where rent seeking behavior by some national and local politicians and associated crony capitalists is counter-productive to the government's stated agenda of sustainable peace building through equitable development.

Learning from the Past: Ensuring Local Ownership of Development

Unless development is demilitarized in northeast "terrorism" may ironically become a self-fulfilling prophesy in post-conflict Sri Lanka, as Basque Anthropologist, Joseba Zulaika has noted in his perceptive book on how the international "terrorism discourse" post 9/11 has become a self-fulfilling prophesy. The current development trust, with emphasis on infra-structure and road is top down, rather than people-centric. Citizens have yet to see the peace dividend materialize, and funds spent on the war machinery may be diverted towards education and health sectors which suffered considerably in the conflict years. Post/conflict development must be done to defuse the old land and resource conflicts and forms of state-sponsored discrimination against minorities that were at the root of the 30 year old war in the north east. The right to development that was stymied when the Accelerated Mahaveli development scheme did not benefit the minority dominated Vanni regions is an example of the need to avoid skewed development and the reality and perception of discrimination in various forms.

The fruits of post-conflict development in Sri Lanka must accrue to local communities in the post-conflict zones and resource conflicts need to be addressed in a transparent manner to ensure that local communities benefit from development that enables reconciliation. This is particularly important for people who have been caught between, displaced and traumatized by the 30 years of war. In the context, post conflict reconstruction assistance provided by foreign donors must have good governance conditionalities and be conflict-sensitive. There must be provision to ensure transparent tracking, monitoring and evaluation of aid projects to ensure that funds reach their intended beneficiaries rather than politicians, paramilitaries, rent-seekers and crony capitalists that thrive in war economies and post/conflict scenarios.

In the medium term then, the following conflict transformation challenges are apparent:

Demilitarizing democracy and governance and actual implementation of the 13^th amendment to the constitution, particularly in the north and east. This requires restoration of development and reconstruction decision making, planning and policy to civilian administrative structures in the north and east, while enabling capacity building of local government institutions and decision making in the provincial and district levels in post conflict regions.
Divesture of the High Security Zones to enable internally displaced people (IDPs) to return and settle in their villages and urban centres, as well as, disarming of the Tamil paramilitary groups linked to the state now that the LTTE threat no longer exists on the ground.
Dealing with the Tamil Diaspora since Diasporas often tend to be far more intransigent and unwilling to compromise than those who remained at home. Sinhala and Tamil ultra-nationalism is most visible at this time from the respective Diasporas, and there is an emerging disconnect between the Diaspora leaders and those in-country who wish to compromise and co-exist with "other" communities.
Doing development right by ensuring good governance, and balancing a political solution for the minorities with economic development for all. Demonstrating that win-win solution is possible and that the progress and development of the minorities need not be a loss for the majority community.
Restoring the Institutions that ensure accountability to the people such as the Bribery Commission and the Human Rights Commission which have become defunct on account of the 17^th Amendment to the Constitution, and setting up of a special mechanism for resolution of resources conflicts in the North and East.
International aid donors will need to co-ordinate and target their assistance to maximize assistance to the people. In the context the EU may wish to revisit its decision to revoke GSP Plus concessions that would hurt the business community and poor women in the garment sector, while IMF would need to be clear about its aid conditionality to ensure greater accountability from the State.

Dr. Darini Rajasingham Senanayake

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xman said,

May 13, 2010 @ 2:36 am

darini, the people who would have voted for the DNA have been slaughtered or kept in the camps or have been forced into exile… i guess that is how the 'moderates' win in sri lanka – kill, imprison, or banish those you don't agree with…

Magerata said,

May 13, 2010 @ 4:08 am

I seem to get no where with your article. When ever I begin to see the light you throw me back to the darkness. May be it is my English or perhaps I need to read again under better circumstances. But I get the idea that you want a better Sri Lanka.
My feeling is that we all need to recognize this is a small island, thus one entity, rather than small pockets of whatever. If we are to grow, the whole island need to prosper, north and east as well as south and west. Also not forgetting the middle, where another group of minorities have been waiting to be integrated in to the main stream for a quite a while. Whole country suffered under the war and whole country need to recover.
If "one man's terrorist may be another's liberation fighter" is valid as you seem to think, then demilitarization need to wait. We do not want liberation fighters to become terrorists again. Military could also be a good source of labor and means of development, providing dual roles. Just because war is over you can't simply send the military home.
Your dislike for Karuna and his group may not be shared by all, even those who dislike him. He is an (s)elected member of parliament and he might be still scared of liberation fighters. I think his army will disappear, in good time.
Education and economic development is a must but if there are no infrastructure to handle them nor roads to carry the commerce, they will go nowhere. I hope the government will employ some knowledgeable people and get advise from or work with unbiased organizations in the field of post conflict development. I really cannot understand why almost everyone, including you, still trying to draw lines between Sinhalese and Tamil, rather than bringing all together as Sri Lankans.
Lastly may I ask why Malaysian or Singaporean models may not be enough?
Anyway you got me exercising my gray matter, thanks.

Ravi said,

May 13, 2010 @ 5:31 am

What we have to be careful is somebody turning the military in the north and east against the power in the centre as a quick fix to the excess military and excess power in the centre.

niranjan said,

May 13, 2010 @ 11:11 am

margerata,

The line dividing the Sinhalese and the Tamils is a deep one. The end of the war does not mean that the line has disappeared. The Government needs to study the roots of the problem and find a solution. Economic development may not be enough. Adequate devolution of power is imperative. Now is the best time to do it as the Government has a near two thirds majority in Parliament.

Ravi said,

May 13, 2010 @ 12:39 pm

Magerata, We are Srilankans, Tamil Srilankans. May be you are Sinhala only not Srilankan. That's why your mind is set in that way. We can't even bring all the Tamils together. How can we bring all the Srilankans together.

Please don't think the unthinkable. Tibelisum at its best in the UK at the moment, after election.

ranjit de mel said,

May 13, 2010 @ 5:21 pm

i find mrs d.r.s. article o.k,but : – there were many conflicts in s.l. from independence.today the ethnic conflict is the main issue.the politics of s.l. was mainly determined by the so called elites.these elites were not only sinhale but also tamils specially from the northen province.even the leftist leaders belonged to this so called elites(jvp is a national socialist party,and premadasa was a exception.)all these leaders from different parties never worked for the well being of the masses.sinhale,tamil,muslims all were discriminated.majority of the s.l.ans did not get the benefits from the so called development strategy of these elites.these governments from 1948 did not have a development plan for the upliftment of the quality of life of all s.l.ans.MRS. D.R.S. WHAT I WANT TO STRESS IS WE IN S.L. WE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS,IRRESPECTIVE OF OUR ETHNICITY.THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE ELITES IN S.L. AND ONE COULD ALSO SAY THE DEVELOPED WESTERN COUNTRIES.A SOLUTION FOR OUR MANY PROBLEMS CANNOT BE THE WAY THE TAMIL ELITES WANT.THE PRESENT PRESIDENT M.R. WHO DOES NOT BELONG TO THESE E.FAMILIES BELEIVES THE BEST SOLUTION FOR OUR PROBLEMS SHOULD BE THROUGH DEVELOPMENT SUITABLE FOR S.l. .HE SAYS FOR HIM THERE IS NO MAJORITYIES NOR MINORITIES.THAT MEANS HIS POLITICAL PROGRAM IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL S.L.ANS.I WAS,IS AND WOULD BE FOR FEDERAL STATE FORM OF DEVOLUTION OF POWER, ALLTHOUGH KETESH L. WHOM I USED TO MEET ATLEAST 2TIMES A YEAR ADVICED ME NOT TO INSIST ON A FEDERAL S. FORM FOR THE TIMR BEING.IAM FOR A FEDERAL STATE FORM IN S.L. NOT BECAUSE OF THE RUBBISH HOMELAND THEORY OF MANY TAMILS,BUT BECAUSE THE PEOPLE LIVING IN A CERTAIN PROVINCE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DECIDE THE WAY THEY WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOPE THEIR PROVONCE TOGETHER WITH THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT,ACCORDING TO THEIR MENTALITY AND CULTURE.BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN ANY PROVINCE HAS GOT THE RIGHT TO STOP OTHERS BELONGING TO ANOTHER COMMUNITY WITH A DIFFERENT MENTALITY OR A CULTUR TO HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AS THEIR OWN PEOPLE.SPECIALLY TNA HAS TO UNDERSTAND THIS.A SOLUTION FOR OUR PROBLEMS SHOULD BE A SOLUTION FOR ALL S.L.ANS.THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST PARTY THE JVP IS ALLMOST DEAD,THIS MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE PRESIDENT TO ACHIEVE WHAT HE WANTS.
RANJIT DE MEL BERLIN/COLOMBO

Yoganathan said,

May 13, 2010 @ 6:07 pm

It seems to me -the Sinhalese are heavily militarizing the Tamils Homelands.

Their behaviour is that of conquerors – superior, demanding, arrogant, insulting, indifferent to the feelings of Tamils, contemptuous of their language, religion and way of life.

The The Sinhalese , new Colonial Masters will not see themselves as guests but as those who now live there by right of conquest, under the protection of "their" government and army.

So " liberation " of the North-East of Sri Lanka is disingenuous, specious, even cynically deceitful, and contemptuous……

Gunalan said,

May 13, 2010 @ 6:19 pm

The reality is that Tamil homeland is being occupied and the Sinhalese are trying to settle under the protection of their army and their Sri Lankan government

The Tamil people who are now displaced in their own Tamil Homelands and deprived of the livelihoods by the savagely repressive regime !!

Tamil people have a genuine international claim that they are undergoing genocide ever since the British colonists handed over their sovereign state to the majority Sinhala nation.

The decimation of the minority Tamil population by selective killings and the refugee exodus due to SL government aided pogrom against the Tamil civilians is a fact of life in SL for the past 60 years

Burning_Issue said,

May 14, 2010 @ 12:35 am

Dear Yoganathan & Gunalan,

We can protest about militarization of the North and East; we can protest about state sponsored Sinhala only colonisation programs, but we should welcome those Sinhalese who want to come and settle in N&E by their free will. This, every Tamil must make it clear when commenting on this topic! It is the general perception of the Sinhala that the Tamils are racists that they are ok to settle in the South but protest when the Sinhalese settle in the North & East.

We should expose the majority aggression but should not portray ourselves as embodiment of racism that we are not. We are insecure as we are an insignificant minority but we should try and see things in perspective. We should work towards implementing the Tamil language provision nation-wide and eschew the idea of a nation with a nation; this will bring us nowhere! The Sinhalese settling in N&E is not an issue, but whether the Tamils get equal treatment or not is the issue; this, we need to expose by moving the Tamil polity to the centre and thus influencing the Sinhala centre to work on our behalf. This is not an easy task, but it is the only one that is achievable!

Gunalan said,

May 14, 2010 @ 7:42 pm

Burning_Issue

You are naïve

Tamils feel that they are insecure in their traditional homeland. Anti-Tamil cultural events are on the rise in the Tamil homeland

. Young people have been given drugs in order to ruin their future, and many other anti-social events have taken place with the support of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

The Tamil paramilitaries, which are supporting the government, help these anti-social activities.

Kidnappings, raping, and killings are back to normal in the Tamil areas.

In the recent past that was common during the war time.

This is the ground reality, in the Tamil areas, the Tamils are still a security threat in Colombo and other Sinhala areas.

The Mahinda administration, so far, has not offered a political solution to the Tamils' grievances.

Rather, the government is making anti-Tamil activates, such as deploying Sinhala families, to occupy the residents and properties belonging to the Tamils, in the North, as how they do it in the East.

They are building Buddhist shrines, establishing military camps, and deploying more troops in the Tamil areas.

SomewhatDisgusted said,

May 14, 2010 @ 9:27 pm

Dear Gunalan,

No Gunalan. You are being naive. The only way forward is to leave your emotions at home and think intelligently about how to make things better for the Tamil community. Please read this post here: http://www.groundviews.org/2010/05/07/jaffna-after-the-war-observations-by-a-visitor/#comment-18774

cheers,
/SD

wijayapala said,

May 14, 2010 @ 10:24 pm

Dear Yoganathan and Gunalan,

I don't think that Burning_Issue would disagree with what you're saying. The main difference though is that Burning_Issue is trying to find a way out of this mess, whereas you guys have not really come up with any ideas.

What do you propose that we do about the Tamils' suffering, that's better than Burning_Issue's ideas?

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West Bengal polls to be held next year: Buddhadeb

Times of India - ‎56 minutes ago‎

KOLKATA: Scoffing at Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee's claim that the West Bengal assembly polls would be advanced to October, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday said only the state government has the right to decide on whether to ...

Buddhadeb rejects Trinamool demand to advance Assembly poll

The Hindu - ‎6 hours ago‎

PTI West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday rejected Trinamool Congress' demand for advancing 2011 Assembly elections in the State, saying it was only the State government which could make a recommendation in the matter. ...

CPM hits out at Mamata before polls

NDTV.com - ‎6 hours ago‎

In the run up to the Municipality polls in West Bengal which are going to be held on May 30, Left leader and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya slammed his rival Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress on Sunday. Buddhadeb said Trinamool MPs are not ...

"Look at the railways. It's in a mess. New things, new trains every day. They are far removed from reality. There are six MPs in our state. What have they done? This is what Trinamool is. What is worse is that the Trinamool is always threatening others, they are unruly and ill-behaved," said Buddhadeb.

more by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya - 6 hours ago - NDTV.com (1 occurrences)

Water Tax Muddle In Civic Poll Plot

Times of India - Saikat Ray - ‎May 14, 2010‎

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's pledge not to burden Kolkatans with water tax if her party is voted to power in the ensuing civic elections may have pleased citizens, but a section of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials is ...

At poll meets, Mamata banks on common touch

Times of India - ‎16 hours ago‎

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee does not want a single Opposition vote to go to waste. Banerjee went para-hopping on Saturday, telling people, "I have witnessed the Parliament fall just for a single vote. Please don't let your vote ...

Civic Polls: Buddha slams Mamata

indiablooms - ‎4 hours ago‎

Kolkata, May 16 (IBNS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Sunday sounded its battle cry against the Trinamool Congress with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ridiculing Mamata Banerjee's works as railway minister and ...

Writers' in 3 months, thunders Mamata

Times of India - ‎May 12, 2010‎

KOLKATA: Civic elections now. Writers' Buildings by August. Trinamool Congr-ess chief Mamata Banerjee was clearly in combat mode as she kicked off her poll campaign on Wednesday. Change is in the air, and your vote can hasten the change, ...

Mamata, Congress attack each other

NDTV.com - ‎May 12, 2010‎

The Congress and the Trinamool Congress have broken apart for the important municipal elections in West Bengal and the attacks against each other have become more and more vicious every day. "Congress has not brought us to power, we are in an alliance. ...

New tension between Congress, Trinamool?

NDTV.com - ‎May 14, 2010‎

The Trinamool Congress has been calling for early assembly polls in Bengal. Mamata Banerjee has even set a month for it - October this year, instead of May next year. But the issue seems somewhat clouded. At a rally in Kolkata on Friday one Trinamool ...

Blow to Cong, Rahul aide joins Trinamool camp

Times of India - ‎May 12, 2010‎

KOLKATA: The Congress received yet another jolt in West Bengal on Wednesday when Mahua Moitra, a member of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi's youth brigade, formally joined Trinamool Congress at Mamata Banerjee's first campaign meeting for the civic ...

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	West Bengal polls to be held next year: Buddhadeb ‎56 minutes ago‎ - Times of India
	Mamata may skip UPA anniversary celebrations ‎May 13, 2010‎ - Economic Times
	Writers' in 3 months, thunders Mamata ‎May 12, 2010‎ - Times of India

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Thailand toughens stand against spiraling protests

Reuters - Ploy Ten Kate, Damir Sagolj - ‎1 hour ago‎

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand took a tough stand against thousands of anti-government protesters on Sunday, rejecting demands for UN-supervised talks and calling on their leaders to surrender after deadly clashes with troops. Hardline comments from the ...

Thai Govt Rejects Negotiations with Protesters, UN Mediation Role

Voice of America - Daniel Schearf - ‎26 minutes ago‎

The Thai government has rejected an offer for negotiations with protest leaders and says it will continue military pressure to close the protesters' camp in Bangkok. At least 29 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in three days of ...

Thailand rejects protesters' UN-backed talks plan

BBC News - ‎37 minutes ago‎

Thai officials have ruled out UN-backed mediation in an increasingly violent dispute with anti-government protesters on the streets of Bangkok. A protest leader suggested the talks, but a government spokesman was quick to rebuff the offer, ...

Thai forces set deadline for final assault against Red Shirts

Telegraph.co.uk - Damien McElroy, Ian MacKinnon - ‎1 hour ago‎

Thailand's government has set a deadline for opposition protesters to surrender women and children before it mounts a final assault on the Red Shirt encampments in central Bangkok. By Damien McElroy and Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok Red Cross workers were ...

Bangkok fighting leaves 30 dead, 232 injured

The Associated Press - ‎2 hours ago‎

BANGKOK — Thailand's main emergency medical center says 30 people have been killed in four days of street fighting between Red Shirt protesters and troops in central Bangkok. It says 232 people have been wounded in clashes that began Thursday. ...

Thailand street battles escalate as Red Shirt leader warns of civil war

Times Online - ‎4 hours ago‎

Urban warfare raged through Bangkok today as anti-government protesters battled with the military and a protest leader warned of civil war. Streets around the protesters' fortified encampment in the capital's commercial heart were designated "live fire ...

Thai protesters 'ready for talks'

Aljazeera.net - ‎4 hours ago‎

A leader of Thailand's anti-government protesters has said they are willing to negotiate with the government to end the current deadly unrest in Bangkok. But Nattawut Saikua said on Sunday the red shirts were only willing to enter into dialogue if ...

Protesters' 'rebellion' against government in Bangkok

BBC News - ‎2 hours ago‎

The BBC's Rachel Harvey outlines the problems facing the Thai government, as they attempt to gain control and alleviate the situation with the protesters. She reports from inside the 'red zone' - the area in Bangkok currently being occupied by ...

Thailand crisis: Bangkok tense; no curfew yet

IBNLive.com - ‎1 hour ago‎

Bangkok: Thai soldiers battled urban guerrillas in the heart of Bangkok Sunday as tyres burned and new barricades were erected in defiance of government orders to disperse. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that schools would be shut and a ...

Rogue general wounded, 1 killed in Bangkok fighting

Reuters - Ambika Ahuja, Martin Petty - ‎May 13, 2010‎

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A rogue Thai general leading a militant wing of anti-government protesters was shot in the head and critically wounded on Thursday, and a man was killed when the army used force to blockade a five-week street rally. ...

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	Thailand continues crackdown despite plea for talks ‎22 minutes ago‎ - CTV.ca
	Clashes, blasts for 3rd day in besieged Bangkok ‎May 14, 2010‎ - The Associated Press
	Ten dead, 125 injured in Bangkok violence ‎May 14, 2010‎ - Times of India
	Bangkok battle: Troops fire on rioting protesters ‎May 14, 2010‎ - The Associated Press
	Live event: Unrest in Bangkok ‎May 14, 2010‎ - BBC News
	Thai protesters hold ground despite lockdown ‎May 13, 2010‎ - The Associated Press
	Thailand puts 17 provinces under emergency decree ‎May 13, 2010‎ - The Associated Press
	Thai PM Calls Off Peace Deal with Protestors ‎May 13, 2010‎ - TIME
	Thai gov't to cut water, power to protesters ‎May 12, 2010‎ - The Associated Press
	Protests expose deep divisions in Thai society ‎May 12, 2010‎ - The Associated Press

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Thai PM imposes Bangkok curfew
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Clashes continue in Bangkok
Al Jazeera - 14 hours ago Watch video

Thailand violence continues
ITN NEWS - May 15, 2010 Watch video

Thailand's Red Shirts refuse to back down
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Thai troops open fire on demonstrators as crisis deepens
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Gap in Rules on Oil Spills From Wells

New York Times - Kate Galbraith - ‎58 minutes ago‎

The catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill began off the coast of Louisiana - hundreds of miles from Mexico and far from any other country.

Video: Purdue Professor calculates oil loss

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BP will make new bid Sunday to contain oil spill-source Reuters

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Gold sales good on Akshaya Tritiya

Economic Times - ‎1 hour ago‎

16 May 2010, 1906 hrs IST, PTI CHENNAI: Jewellers across Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported a good response on the occasion of special sales got up on Akshaya Tritiya, considered auspicious to bring home wealth in any form.

Akshaya Tritiya: Gold, the safe haven for investors Economic Times

Will high gold price dampen Akshaya Tritiya spirit? The Hindu

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Ambani gas talks: a week gone, ice yet to break

Hindustan Times - ‎17 minutes ago‎

Not much has been heard from the camps of the warring Ambani brothers—Mukesh and Anil—after the Supreme Court delivered its judgement on their contentious gas dispute on May 7. But both sides are holding legal consultations, sources close to the ...

Reliance Infra Q4 net slips 27.5% to Rs 251 cr Economic Times

R-Com Q4 net rises 10% to Rs 1220 crore NDTV.com

Economic Times - Hindu Business Line - Business Standard

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State may buy power from TPC, sell it to RInfra

Times of India - Chittaranjan Tembhekar - ‎18 hours ago‎

MUMBAI: The state government seems to be making a last-ditch effort to solve the power tangle in suburban Mumbai. A highly influential minister in the state cabinet has informally asked Tata Power Company (TPC) to sell the 198 MW to it at a concession.

'Tata Power can't sell power outside when Mumbai in deficit' Economic Times

Mumbai supply: RInfra, Tata Power tussle heads for tame climax Hindu Business Line

Business Standard - Hindustan Times - NDTV.com

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Rising corporate NPAs hit SBI profit

The Hindu - ‎21 hours ago‎

The corporate sector seems to have contributed largely to the Rs. 674-crore growth in the net non-performing assets (NPAs) of the country's largest lender State Bank of India during the fourth quarter of 2009-10.

State Bank of India India Infoline.com

SBI Q4 net down 32% at Rs 1.8K crore Economic Times

Financial Express - Reuters - Calcutta Telegraph

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Mangalore airport may go international soon

Times of India - ‎22 hours ago‎

MANGALORE: The much-awaited new terminal building of the Mangalore airport was inaugurated on Saturday by Union minister of state for civil aviation Praful Patel.

Sky's the limit: Mangalore, Mysore airports get a leg up Daily News & Analysis

Praful Patel opens New Integrated Terminal Building at Mangalore airport Bellevision

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Indian Express

Experts decontaminate Delhi's radiation hotspots

Hindustan Times - ‎4 hours ago‎

A team of experts from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on Sunday started the process of decontamination of radiation hotspots in Mayapuri area of west Delhi, officials said.

Decontamination efforts on in Mayapuri Press Trust of India

Mayapuri scrap market still in danger, says Greenpeace The Hindu

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Techno Legal News (blog)

Security agencies still concerned over Chinese telecom firms

Economic Times - ‎42 minutes ago‎

16 May 2010, 2017 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: The two Chinese telecom firms wanting to do business in India are still under the scrutiny of the security agencies who will take a final call only after they get additional information sought from them.

Govt to go for telecom security regulator Indian Express

India Seeks Chinese Firms' Ownership Data Wall Street Journal

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Bids for one all-India 3G licence hit $3.5 bn

Economic Times - ‎May 15, 2010‎

NEW DELHI: Bids for one set of nationwide third-generation (3G) mobile spectrum licences in India reached Rs 15814 crore ($3.5 billion) on the 31st day of an auction, an indication the government could earn revenue of about Rs 63900 crore from the ...

Delhi bid crosses Rs. 3000 crore The Hindu

3G Auction: Bid for pan-India licence reaches Rs15814.15 crore MediaMughals

Chandigarh Tribune - NDTV.com - Cellular-News - India Infoline.com

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Indian Express

Two men from Bihar volunteer to hang Kasab

Press Trust of India - ‎1 hour ago‎

Samastipur (Bihar), May 16 (PTI) Two people from Bihar have offered their services to hang Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab who was awarded capital punishment by a Mumbai court earlier this month.

Kasab may be shifted out of Mumbai The Hindu

Let ITBP continue to guard Kasab: state to Centre Indian Express

Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times - Moneycontrol.com - Forestlaneshul (blog)

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How Trai got it completely wrong

Financial Express - ‎16 minutes ago‎

: Close on the heels of the raging controversy on releasing spectrum allocation, there is another controversy, courtesy Trai. Its recommendations dated May 11, 2010, on spectrum pricing will wreak havoc—both on telecom users (which means the people) as ...

New norms have left enough scope for M&As: Trai chief Business Standard

TRAI recommendations are pro-customer: Etisalat DB Economic Times

Indian Express - Hindu Business Line - Moneycontrol.com

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LON:VOD - BOM:532454 - NSE:BHARTIARTL

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Sensex slips below 17000, closes 271 points down Sify

Mysore finds place on the aviation map

NDTV.com - ‎11 hours ago‎

It is a city, next only to Agra and Jaipur, in terms of the number of tourists it draws. The footfalls at its main palace have been compared to that at London's wax museum.

Mysore airport takes wing The Hindu

Yeddyurappa inaugurates Mysore Airport The Hindu

indiablooms - Star of Mysore - Star of Mysore

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Indian Express

Wkly Tech Analysis: It's advantage bears below 5130

Business Standard - Rex Cano - ‎21 hours ago‎

After a hectic trading week, the markets ended with gains, despite the near 300-point fall in the Sensex on Friday. The BSE benchmark index rallied to a high of 17389, but closed the week with a gain of 225 points at 16995.

Sensex sheds 271 points on Europe worries Hindu Business Line

India Infoline.com - Indian Express - Economic Times

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BOM:500010

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April inflation cools to 9.59%, eases interim rate hike pressure for now

Economic Times - ‎May 14, 2010‎

NEW DELHI: Wholesale inflation dropped marginally in April from a year ago, bringing some relief to the embattled government and easing pressure on the Reserve Bank of India to raise key policy rates ahead of the quarterly monetary policy review in ...

April inflation eases, rate hike seen in July Moneycontrol.com

Inflation crossed into double digits in Feb Livemint

Hindustan Times - Investing Contrarian - Stock Watch - Wall Street Journal

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Air India to operate services in Chennai-Coimbatore sector

Economic Times - ‎May 15, 2010‎

15 May 2010, 1413 hrs IST, PTI CHENNAI: National air carrier Air India on Saturday announced introduction of services in the Chennai-Coimbatore sector from May 18.

City limits Hindustan Times

Airlines offer a slew of conveniences for travellers Daily News & Analysis

Express Buzz - NetIndian - Press Trust of India - TravelBizMonitor

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Govt lays ground for Rs 50K crore push to infrastructure

Economic Times - ‎May 13, 2010‎

NEW DELHI: The government plans to create a Rs 50000-crore ($11 billion) dedicated fund to set right the country's creaking infrastructure and could raise 40% of the corpus from overseas investors, launching yet another assault on a problem that has ...

Differences over infrastructure debt fund plan Livemint

More safeguards for infra investments on cards Financial Express

Times of India - Reuters India - Financial Times - Stock Watch

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Air traffic flies high with 22% growth

Financial Express - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Mumbai: Against the backdrop of sustained recovery in the aviation sector, domestic carriers have registered a 22.05% growth by carrying 162.82 lakh passengers during the January-April 2010 period as against 133.41 lakh passengers in the same period a ...

Jet tops passenger complaint, flights cancellation lists Hindustan Times

Jet Airways passenger traffic growth up 39% Express Buzz

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Monsoon on track but may not be bountiful

Times of India - Rajeev Deshpande, Neha Lalchandani - ‎May 14, 2010‎

NEW DELHI: Delivering his 2010-11 Budget speech, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had sought Lord Indra's help in keeping the economic recovery on track.

Monsoon likely to set in on May 30 The Hindu

Monsoon to arrive on May 30: Govt Moneycontrol.com

Stock Watch - Mid-Day - All India Radio - Chandigarh Tribune

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Higher 3G mop up to help promote growth, contain prices: FM

Economic Times - ‎May 14, 2010‎

14 May 2010, 2134 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that windfall on account of auction of 3G telephony spectrum would provide more elbow room to the government to promote growth and deal with rising prices.

Pranab Mukherjee happy with 3G auction IBNLive.com

'Check volatility in capital flows' Times of India

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Tata Motors April global sales rises 53% to 77732 vehicles

Moneycontrol.com - ‎May 14, 2010‎

The Tata Motors Group global sales, comprising of Tata, Tata Daewoo and Hispano Carrocera range of commercial vehicles, Tata passenger vehicles along with distributed brands in India, and Jaguar and Land Rover, were 77732 numbers in April 2010, ...

Tata boosted by big rise in Land Rover sales BBC News

Tata Motors plans assembly plant in South Africa Economic Times

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Karabakh Army Chief Dismisses Azerbaijani War Threats

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - ‎May 13, 2010‎

STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh -- The top military commander in the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh has brushed aside Azerbaijan's ...

The unraveling of relations between Azerbaijan and the US

Sunday's Zaman - Amanda Paul - ‎16 hours ago‎

It is increasingly evident that the South Caucasus region is far from being a key issue of US focus these days. Since the arrival of President Barack Obama ...

PM Erdoğan to tackle visas, price of gas and Nagorno-Karabakh on visit to Baku

Today's Zaman - ‎16 hours ago‎

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Baku, scheduled for today, could bring about positive results in several areas, including a natural gas price ...

Topics of the week: Karabakh and visits of European and US high-ranking ...

PanARMENIAN.Net - ‎May 15, 2010‎

PanARMENIAN.Net - According to Aram Safaryan, secretary of Prosperous Armenia parliamentary group, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's refusal to attend ...

We have always extended hand of friendship to Armenians-consul

News.Az - ‎May 15, 2010‎

The newly appointed Consul General of Azerbaijan in Istanbul spoke of the conditions under which Turkey will open borders with Armenia. ...

Turkey not to normalize ties with Armenia to damage Azerbaijan

News.Az - ‎May 15, 2010‎

Leader of People's Republican Party of Turkey Deniz Baykal has recently sent to resignation due to the scandalous tape with his participation. ...

Turkey Linking Armenian Protocols to Azerbaijan Eased The Gas Deal

HULIQ - Armen Hareyan - ‎May 14, 2010‎

On May 16 Turkey and Azerbaijan will sign the much negotiated natural gas deal. It sells Azeri natural gas to Turkey at a favorable and discounted price. ...

Çavuşoğlu vows to be objective on Nagorno-Karabakh

Today's Zaman - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said he will be objective in his approach to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute ...

Press Review

Armenialiberty.org - ‎May 14, 2010‎

"Aravot" believes that Armenian opposition forces should not have discussed domestic political issues with Mevlut Cavusoglu, the visiting Turkish president ...

Yerevan Seeks PACE Assurances On Karabakh Panel

Armenialiberty.org - Karine Kalantarian - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Armenia will not back renewed discussions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), championed by a Turkish ...

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	Yerevan Seeks PACE Assurances On Karabakh Panel ‎May 14, 2010‎ - Armenialiberty.org
	Deputy FM: Azerbaijan welcomes Turkey's involvement in OSCE Minsk Group ‎May 13, 2010‎ - Trend News Agency
	Russian Leader Sees Progress On Karabakh, Backs Turkish-Armenian Thaw ‎May 12, 2010‎ - Armenialiberty.org

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Israeli left flies flag to urge end to occupation

Reuters - Alastair Macdonald, Tim Pearce - ‎24 minutes ago‎

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A weekend rally in Jerusalem by Israelis demanding an end to their country's settlement and occupation of the West Bank was hailed by ...

Abbas to meet US envoy on May 18: Palestinians

AFP - ‎1 hour ago‎

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will meet with the US envoy this week for the first time since indirect peace talks with Israel began ...

Israeli leftists: Zionism and Judaism are not in line with settlements

Ha'aretz - ‎2 hours ago‎

Thousands of left-wing protesters rallied in Jerusalem to call for immediate dismantlement of West Bank settlements, including in East Jerusalem. ...

However, Clinton warned, it would take commitment and hard work to guarantee that the historic Israeli-Palestinian Accord signed that day would "truly be a turning point."

more by Bill Clinton - 10 hours ago - Boston Globe (1 occurrences)

Middle East Plan B

Boston Globe - Sasha Polakow-Suransky - ‎10 hours ago‎

(Rina Castelnuovo/New York Times ) A man walks down the Israeli side of a divided highway around Jerusalem in 2007. By Sasha Polakow-Suransky "I think this ...

05-15-10: The Star-Ledger's Photos of the Day

The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Heather L. Rohan - ‎14 hours ago‎

A left-wing Israeli peace activist (L) tries to stop an Israeli soldier from detaining a Palestinian boy during a peacefull demonstration near an Israeli ...

VIEW: The continuing tragedy of Palestine —SP Seth

Daily Times - ‎17 hours ago‎

Palestine remains the greatest tragedy of the post-World War II period. Israel continues to occupy the Palestinian homeland over and above what was gifted ...

Search begins for settler who allegedly killed Arab teen

Ha'aretz - Avi Issacharoff, Anshel Pfeffer - ‎17 hours ago‎

A Palestinian youth was shot and killed in the West Bank by an Israeli Thursday night, while Israeli ...

Palestinians mark Nakba Day, insist on right of return

Xinhua - Abu Ramadan, Mu Xuequan - ‎20 hours ago‎

GAZA/RAMALLAH, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and in exile, marked the 62nd anniversary ...

Palestinians Mark 'Nakba' or 'Catastrophe' of Israel's Creation

Voice of America - Robert Berger - ‎21 hours ago‎

Photo: AP Thousands of Palestinians have briefly put aside bitter political differences to mourn the anniversary of Israel's creation. ...

Palestinians mark displacement in 1948 Mideast war

The Associated Press - Rizek Abdel Jawad - ‎21 hours ago‎

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Bitter Palestinian rivals marched together Saturday in a rare show of unity as they marked 62 years of displacement in the war ...

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	Israeli leftists: Zionism and Judaism are not in line with settlements ‎2 hours ago‎ - Ha'aretz
	Palestinians claim elderly man killed by IDF in Gaza ‎May 15, 2010‎ - Ynetnews
	Palestinian teen shot dead ‎May 14, 2010‎ - Jerusalem Post
	Palestinian teen killed in West Bank ‎May 14, 2010‎ - CNN
	Palestinians say settlers killed Palestinian youth ‎May 13, 2010‎ - Ynetnews

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First draft agreement unveiled at NPT conference

AFP - ‎May 14, 2010‎

UNITED NATIONS — The first draft agreement designed to free the planet from nuclear arms was circulated here at a conference on the 189-nation ...

At UN, deadline aired for abolishing nuke weapons

The Associated Press - Charles J. Hanley - ‎May 14, 2010‎

UNITED NATIONS — The United States, Russia and other nuclear powers would agree to a global conference in 2014 to negotiate a timetable for abolishing ...

NPT draft paper calls on atomic-weapon states to meet on disarmament

Xinhua - Xiong Tong - ‎May 14, 2010‎

UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- State parties to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) have agreed that atomic-weapon states will meet no later than ...

Our virtuous nuclear posture

Sydney Morning Herald - Hamish Mcdonald - ‎May 14, 2010‎

Kevin Rudd's government has been anxious to reburnish the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation credentials Canberra tried to build up in the Hawke and ...

DPRK upbeat on non-proliferation review: KCNA

China Daily - ‎May 14, 2010‎

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s official news agency said on Friday it was hoping for positive results from the ongoing ...

Being clear about ambiguity

Ha'aretz - Emily B. Landau - ‎May 14, 2010‎

We need to be very clear: When the Egyptians demand that Israel join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - whether at the recently ...

An Iranian in New York

Al-Ahram Weekly - ‎May 13, 2010‎

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used his appearance at the United Nations' Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference last week to assail the global ...

The non-proliferation equation

Al-Ahram Weekly - ‎May 13, 2010‎

For nuclear weapon capable states, a stockpile of nuclear warheads is more valuable than gold reserves, a national army and the gross domestic product ...

US policy on nuclear Iran underscores bias toward Israel

Washington Post - ‎May 13, 2010‎

Israel more than just "complicates efforts against Iran," [Fine Print, May 4]; it makes painfully clear the US government's utter hypocrisy when it comes to ...

Indonesia can't ignore debates on nuclear issue

Jakarta Post - ‎May 13, 2010‎

Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation conferences just concluded in both Washington and Tehran. The hosts of the forums made significant achievements ...

Saarc: Exploding trade myths

Economic Times - Upendra Das - ‎Apr 30, 2010‎

Ever since economic cooperation was brought on the agenda of the Saarc in the early 1990s, it has been clouded by scepticism. What's important is that ...

SAARC Opening Ceremonies in Thimphu, Bhutan

Contra Costa Times - ‎Apr 30, 2010‎

Leaders of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan met in Bhutan for the South Asian Association for Regional ...

China breaks the Himalayan barrier

Asia Times Online - ‎Apr 30, 2010‎

By MK Bhadrakumar Two veteran diplomats, one from China and the other an American, trudge their weary way from their respective capitals to the remote ...

Bhutan SAARC declaration for working together to tackle climate change

Oneindia - ‎Apr 30, 2010‎

Thimphu (Bhutan) April 30 (ANI): With South Asia prone to the ill-effects of climate change, leaders attending the 16th SAARC Summit, which ended here on ...

Getting a region moving

Economic Times - ‎Apr 29, 2010‎

The 16th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), which has reached an agreement on services at Thimpu, could be a milestone. ...

Indian and Pakistani prime ministers meet for talks

Irish Times - Rahul Bedi - ‎Apr 29, 2010‎

THE INDIAN and Pakistani prime ministers have met for the first time in more than nine months on the sidelines of a regional south Asian summit in the ...

SAARC agrees to work together to face climate change

Daily Times - ‎Apr 29, 2010‎

THIMPHU: The 16th SAARC summit concluded here on Thursday, issuing the "Thimphu statement on Climate" that highlighted the issue of climate change and ...

Pakistan, India agree to revive dialogue

Daily Times - ‎Apr 29, 2010‎

THIMPHU: India and Pakistan on Thursday agreed to revive dialogue – without any preconditions – following a meeting between the prime ministers of the two ...

India and Pakistan pledge to improve relations

Los Angeles Times - Mark Magnier - ‎Apr 29, 2010‎

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meet in Bhutan and officials later say they will open discussions on ...

India, Pakistan leaders hold 1st substantive talks in 9 months

Japan Today - ‎Apr 29, 2010‎

The leaders of India and Pakistan agreed in talks Thursday in Bhutan to resume the bilateral peace dialogue process that was stalled after the 2008 terror ...

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	Manmohan, MR discuss Lanka ‎May 1, 2010‎ - Lanka Times
	India, Pakistan Leaders Meet, US Seeks Better Ties ‎Apr 29, 2010‎ - BusinessWeek
	Bhutan declaration on climate change ‎Apr 28, 2010‎ - Kuensel, Buhutan's National Newspaper
	Ministerial meeting finalizes agenda for SAARC Summit ‎Apr 27, 2010‎ - Pakistan Times

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SAARC Opening Ceremonies in Thimphu, Bhutan
Contra Costa Times - Apr 30, 2010 Watch video

Militants kill nine Pak troops as intense clashes continue in FATA

Oneindia - ‎May 11, 2010‎

The death toll was hard to be verified independently as the media is barred from visiting the war-zone. Earlier, media reports said that over 43 extremists ...

NATO In Afghanistan: World War In One Country

Australia.TO - Rick Rozoff - ‎May 13, 2010‎

... will visit the war zone. Throughout March and April US Special Operations Command Europe conducted aviation exercises with the Croatian Air Force based, ...

Several Policy Changes Modify Military Culture

NPR - ‎May 13, 2010‎

And in the Air Force, more pilots are assigned to "drone jock" duty -- flying unmanned aircraft and drones in war zones, from Nev. ...

China's plans to open up North Korea for foreign investment

World Socialist Web Site - John Chan - ‎May 13, 2010‎

While preoccupied with his escalating AfPak war and confrontation with Iran, President Obama has maintained the US hard-line stance towards North Korea that ...

US still relying on private spy ring

Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Mark Mazzetti - ‎7 hours ago‎

In general, according to one American official, intelligence operatives are nervous about the notion of "private citizens running around a war zone, ...

How the LTTE was 'military' defeated: A Soldier's view - Part Ten

Sri Lanka Guardian (blog) - ‎May 12, 2010‎

The alleged nuclear proliferation, global terrorism by AQ, two wars in Iraq and AFPAK, counterfeiting dollars at mass scale by a government in recluse, ...

High-Tech Death from Above: US Drone Wars Fuel War Crimes

Center for Research on Globalization - Tom Burghardt - ‎May 3, 2010‎

I'm sure this comes as a comforting reassurance of America's pure intentions, especially for "Afpak" women and children who've been turned into smoldering ...

Our Unlawful Enemy Combat-Drones and Their Spooky Button-Pushers Firedoglake (blog)

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Playing peace to target Iran

Al-Ahram Weekly - ‎Apr 30, 2010‎

For Arab countries another complaint is that no movement has been made on a 1995 NPT resolution pledging "a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and ...

Column One: Time to plan for war

Jerusalem Post - Caroline Glick - ‎May 7, 2010‎

In diplomatese, "Middle East nuclear-free zone" is a well-accepted euphemism for stripping Israel of its purported nuclear capability while turning a blind ...

Time to Plan for War Right Side News