Mercury levels in N-W may relent from weekend

Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 25 The atmospheric pattern upstream of northwest India is witnessing a churn yet again, which is soon expected to help moderate the high mercury levels being experienced in the region.
A resident semi-permanent trough (of low pressure, rising air and convection) across the border is now in the process of being replaced by a counterpart semi-permanent ridge (of high pressure, sinking air and compression).
These seasonally alternating systems positioned roughly over the Pakistan-Afghanistan region have a substantive role in dictating weather downstream over northwest India – from the seasonal warm and moist to the cold and dry and vice versa.
WESTERLY TRAIN The resident trough has been sending in a relentless array of western disturbances into northwest India, which has been setting off snow/rainfall events even while keeping the mercury level above normal for sometime now.
But this trough had earlier broken the ‘jinx’ to bring western disturbances and resultant wet weather from February, after December and January proved dry like never before and had threatened Rabi crops.
‘Disconcertingly frequent’ westerly systems have been hitting the region back to back, not allowing any to stay anchored for a reasonable period of time (two to three days) and rain down the contents except over the hills.
Assent of the ridge is now expected to help switch off the western disturbances and make the way clear for cold but dry northwesterlies into the region. The mercury levels are expected to be brought down but without rain or snowfall events.
STILL HIGH On Tuesday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that both minimum and maximum temperatures continued to be above normal by 4- to 6 deg Celsius over many parts of northwest, west, central and east India.
But it also added that the current meteorological analysis indicated a slight fall in temperatures over these regions during the next three days.
Formation of the ridge would also mean that the band of northwesterlies would be split, with one part getting diverted and made to flow around the ridge to dip into a trough over the region adjoining Northeast India.

This is now expected to set off thunderstorm activity over the region over the next five days, which the IMD has been repeatedly mentioning in its forecast since the past two days.
On Tuesday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that both minimum and maximum temperatures continued to be above normal by 4-6 deg Celsius over many parts of northwest, west, central and east India.
But it also added that the current meteorological analysis indicated a slight fall in temperatures over these regions during the next three days.
Formation of the ridge would also mean that the band of northwesterlies would be split, with one part getting diverted and made to flow around the ridge to dip into a trough over the region adjoining Northeast India.
This is now expected to set off thunderstorm activity over the region over the next five days, which the IMD has been repeatedly mentioning in its forecast since the past two days.
On Tuesday, it reiterated that interpretation of numerical weather prediction models suggested scattered rain or thundershower activity over the Northeastern States.
Isolated rain or thundershowers is also likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. Rain or thundershowers are likely at a few places over Arunachal Pradesh.
Rain or thundershowers have been forecast at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during the next two days.
Under the influence of the prevailing western disturbance over Jammu and Kashmir, isolated to scattered rain or snow is likely over the Western Himalayas on Wednesday and isolated thereafter. Rain or snow is likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next two days.

1655 associations received foreign contributions of Rs. one crore in 2006-07

New Delhi, Feb 19 : Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal, today said that a total number of 1655 associations have received foreign contribution of an amount of more than Rs. one crore in 2006-07.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha today, Jaiswal said that out of 1655 associations, 155 have received foreign contributions from donors based in India.

“As per the provisional data compiled so far for the year 2007-08, 1435 associations have received foreign contribution of an amount of more than Rs. one crore, out of which 122 associations received foreign contribution from donors based in India,” Jaiswal added.

Chin locals forced to work on road reconstruction

Feb 19, 2009 (DVB)-Locals in Chin state's Htantalan township are being forced to work on the reconstruction of an old road and donate money towards the project in order to gain favour with authorities.

An ethnic Chin local in Hakha village said that Dr Mu Htan, who was elected by Htantalan as an independent representative for the people's parliament in 1990, is making locals work on the reconstruction.

"He is forcing locals to contribute one head per household for one week for the road construction with no meal provided," said the man.

Mu Htan is known to have close business deals with the government. It is thought that locals are being forced into the work to gain favour with Chin state's Peace and Development Council chairman colonel Hon Ngai.

"Also he is aiming to collect 62 million kyat donation money for that project and has been pressuring parents of local youths who are living abroad now to ask for money from them," said the man.

The reconstruction is being done on an old road linking the state's capital Hakha to Hmandaw village in Sagaing division, halfway between Kalay and Gantgaw townships.

Hakha locals have said they were worried they might miss the marking of the Chin national day on 20 February because they had to do work for Mu Htan.

Mu Htan was unavailable for comments.

Governor leads in condemning dastardly killing

Imphal, February 19: Governor Gurbachan Jagat has expressed pain and anguish at the brutal killing of SDO Kasom Khullen Dr Thingnam Kishan Singh along with his two subordinates A Rajen and Sharma and and Y Token after abducting them by some unknown persons.

Condemning the incident, the Governor urged the State Government to take swift and effective action against the perpetrators, so that the rule of law and respect for authority is maintained.

Gurbachan Jagat said, "Dr Kishan was known to be a man of principle and his death will cause a great vacuum not only in the family but also in the State administration and Manipuri society".

A meeting underway to decry the killing of the officials

He appealed to the people of the State to come together and share the grief of the family of the deceased and also to resolve to work together for peace and security, so that such incidents are not repeated in future.

Taphou Kuki Village Authority strongly condemned the dumping of dead bodies of Dr Th Kishan and his subordinates inside the area of the village.

The VA urged the concerned to clarify on the incident.

The village also shared the grief and sorrow of the bereaved family.

Chandel Naga People's Organisation and Anal Naga Taangpi (ANTA) while condemning the killing pledged support to the bandhs called by different organisations in connection with the killing.

Zeliangrong Union (AMN) and Zeliangrong Youth Front (AMN) also strongly condemned the inhuman killing of Dr Th Kishan and his subbordinates.

ZU said that the State Government and 'revolutionary groups' must deal such inhuman acts according to their law and own capacity.

The people of Manipur should take a pledge to oppose and take a collective action against the organisations and individuals who involve in such brutal acts.

Kuki Students' Organisation, Sardar Hills while condemning the incident urged the concerned to clarify regarding the killing to avoid any misunderstanding amongst general public.

Naga People Organisation (NPO), Senapati District Women Association (SDWA) and Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA) while expressing strong resentment over the killing stated that the organisations would not tolerate or accept the anti-social elements to create chaos and antagonism among people.

The bodies urged the concerned authorities to book the culprits at the earliest.

Kabui Mothers' Association, (KAMA), Zeliangrong Students' Union, Manipur, Mao Naga Women Welfare Association, All Tribal Women Organisation, Chandel, Kuki Students' Organisation, Mao Council, Thadou Students' Association, Komrem Students' Union, Moyon Students' Union and All Jiribam Welfare Association also condemned the killing. Condemning the inhuman killing, AMSU called a 12-hour general strike from 6 am to 6 pm of February 19.The students body also pressed the Government to bring the culprits into book.

Condemning the killing, Manipuri Students Federation (MSF) accused that the perpetrators is responsible if any untoward incident happens in the State because of the killing.

AISF Manipur State Council, DM College of Arts Students' Union, Kangleipak Students Union, Democratic Youth Federation of India and Malom Tulihal Students Union also condemned the killing of Dr Thingnam Kishan and his two subbordinates.

FRIENDS, Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba Manipur, Thangmeiband Kendra Development Committee, Centre for Organisation Research and Education, Social Volunteers' Association, Lok Janashakti Party vice-president Sapam Shamungou, Progressive Writers' Association, All Manipur Nupi Marup, International Manipuri Mothers' Association, Salai Apunba Nupi Lamjing Lup, Thangmeiband Apunba Nupi Lup (THANIL), All Manipur Democratic Women Association, Manipur State Committee, Ching-Tam Apunba Sheishak Lup, Minuthong Hatta Social Welfare Union, Secretariat Services Association, Citizens' Club, All Manipur Rickshaw Drivers' and Pullers' Welfare Association, Jana Neta Irawat Foundation, All Manipur Youth Protection Committee, Manipur People's Party, Uripok Congress Committee, Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillon Apunba Lup (MEELAL), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Manipur State Council, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Manipur State Committee, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Manipur State, Communist Party of India, Manipur State Council, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Manipur, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Manipur State, All Manipur PHED Workers and Employees' Association, All Manipur Government Higher Secondary Lecturers' Welfare Association, All Manipur Government Drivers' and Technicians' Association, SLUCO, Human Rights Initiative, Anti Drug Committee of Kiyamgei Muslim Awang Leikai, English Literary Society, Jiri Development Organisation (JDO), former Minister Dr M Nara Singh also condemned the killing.

WEST MIDNAPORE: Lalgarh bond for Morcha

BY AMIT UKIL

Lalgarh (West Midnapore), Feb 19 : The tribal leaders of the south and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders of the north today shook hands and pledged support to each other’s movements.

At the invitation of Chhatradhar Mahato, the leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri and media and publicity secretary Binay Tamang attended as chief guests a public meeting called to condemn the torture of tribal villagers in the hands of police and CPM supporters.

After a little over an hour of closed door conversations, the leaders of both sides emerged from the forest rest house to the venue nearby, where over 5,000 tribal villagers had gathered to hear them.

“The Morcha fully supports your movement against the CPM and the police, who are not allowing democratic rallies in the Dooars. The CPM is creating a divide between the Adivasis and the Gorkhas. But we are with the Adivasis in the Dooars and Terai and want the closed tea gardens to open so that the tribal workers get back their jobs,” Giri said.

“Party chief Bimal Gurung could not attend as he is in Gorubathan heading a similar movement against the CPM and for the tribal people of the Dooars. But he will speak to you over the mobile phone,” Giri said while connecting the number. “We are against the police atrocities in Lalgarh. Our movements are similar; we must be united in the struggle. We are with you,” Gurung said over the phone, held to the microphone.

Tamang was a bit more vehement. “The Left Front sees the Adivasis and Gorkhas as animals. The condition of the tribals in the Dooars gardens is very bad…If needs be, we will paralyse life in north Bengal with your support,” he said.

Joydeb Mukherjee, the secretary of the All-India Legal Aid Forum, said the Lalgarh protests were the “semi-finals”. “The finals will be when you block the whole district if the chief minister himself does not come here to apologise for his policemen’s atrocities,” he said.

Chhatradhar later told reporters he had accepted the invitation to go to Darjeeling when the Morcha plans a similar rally there.

Murders Most Foul

The savagery of the murder would appal anybody except pathological killers. Dr. Thingnam Kishan, SDO Kasom Khullen, his official driver Rajen Sharma and mondal Y Token Singh, were blind-folded, hands tied behind their back and their faces and heads bludgeoned into disfigurement.

Their dead bodies were discovered near Taphou village in the Senapati district, four days after their vehicle was commandeered by an assailant in Ukhrul district headquarters.

Our heartfelt condolences to his subordinate colleagues, but in Dr. Kishan’s death, the state government, and indeed the state as a whole, have lost a part of its own future.

In the late officer was combined the rare values of academic brilliance and a strong commitment to society and justice.

When he decided to join the Manipur Civil Service, having cleared the last long and torturous recruitment process, he was already a lecturer of English literature in the DM College of Arts, and also had an appointment letter to join the Manipur University English department as lecturer.

Earlier still, he was lecturer of English on ad hoc basis in Shyamlal College, University of Delhi.

His academic credentials are beyond question. He had also shown extraordinary commitment to social reform and justice exhibiting immense activist instinct in bringing out a quarterly journal “Alternative Perspective” which intellectually addressed the many unsettled issues faced by Manipur and the northeast.

He left all this behind to join the MCS. Sceptical Manipur whose faith in the bureaucracy or its intent is in one of the lowest ebb in these troubled times, thanks to the monolith of corruption which has come to be associated with the establishment that profession is the engine, would surely raise eyebrows.

The natural and cynical suspicion today is, anybody who enters these services do so lusting the spoils of office and power. But this attitude is wrong although understandable, and a new crop of bureaucrats like Dr. Kishan were out to prove this.

Sure, bureaucracy has a special lure and in its essence this has hardly to do with any corrupt sense of power or lucre, although this we must admit has become our reality at this moment.

On the other hand, it has a lot to do with a powerful sense of agency of change and reform, which the bureaucracy, together with the political establishment, is indeed.

This sense of the power to reform society and in a definite sense influence lives of people other than just the self, gives this profession a special significance and attraction, making it undoubtedly the most sought after career.

You can either enter it enamoured by the prospect of power and riches, or else with a sense of mission. Dr. Kishan who preferred it to a promising career as an academic, probably belonged to the latter category. It is unfortunate that someone whose mind was ignited by the fire of idealism should die even before the journey has begun.

There is nothing which can be done to reverse things but there are plenty of ways to minimise the chances of such crimes happening again.

In this a common pledge of the public to jointly fight such mindless and sinister violence together is most essential.

Happily this seems to be happening in the unreserved public outrage all over the state, overlapping and crossing known fault lines between communities, hills and valley etc.

A strong, united and unyielding disapproval of this kind of violence by the public at large, more than even tough policing, in the long run would prove the surest guarantee against a repeat of such tragedies.

This however does not mean the law enforcing mechanism has no part in ensuring security.

After witnessing the breakdown of law and order in the state, more than at any other time, the anxiety induced by the chaos of the extended English Civil War of the mid 17th Century which broke out in 1642 between the Royalists and Parliamentarians which made Thomas Hobbes presume that the State must have to be the repository of all powers for law and order to prevail, now seems compelling logic.

Max Weber in the 19th Century was to extend this argument further to define the State as an entity which claims monopoly to “legitimate use of violence.”

This is the time for the Manipur state law keeping mechanism to assert and re-establish its authority. It can begin by leaving no stone unturned in digging out the truth behind the triple murder, booking and fittingly punishing the culprits.

Manipur Govt. to hand over officials' killing case to CBI

Imphal, feb 19 : The Manipur Cabinet has decided to hand over thexase relating to killing of a sub-divisional officer and his two staff members by suspected hill-based militants to the CBI, as over 50 vehicles were damaged during a 48-hour statewide bandh to protest the slaying.

Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh at a meeting late Tuesday night decided to hand over the case of the killing of SDO of Kasom Khullen in Ukhrul district, Thingnam Kishan, his driver Aribam Rajen and an official of his department Y Token, whose bodies were found on Tuesday at Taphou in Senapati district.

The three were reportedly kidnapped from Ukhrul district on February 13.

Supporters of the bandh called by a Joint Action Committee of local residents, damaged over 50 vehicles at Sagolband, Kakwa, Yumnam Leikai and many other places, reports said.

Bandh supporters blocked roads in Imphal and greater Imphal areas and set fire to vehicles.

Funds to All INDIA Radio/Doordarshan under North East Special Package

LOK SABHA

            All India Radio has been allocated Rs. 150.00 crores and Rs. 219.83 crores have been allocated to Doordarshan under the North East Special Package in 11^th year Plan.  The details of the allocation are as under:-

                                                  All India Radio                          Doordarshan  (Rs.in crore)

Year                                     Allocation          Expenditure        Allocation   Expenditure

2007-08	Acquisition of software	1.00	1.18	15.00	15.00
	Hardware	4.00	2.02	40.0	43.73
2008-09 upto Dec 08	Acquisition of software	3.03	0.43	13.53	12.49
	Hardware	36.00	6.76	15.00	6.88

This information was given by Shri Anand Sharma, Minister for Information and Broadcasting & External Affairs in a written reply to a question in the Parliament today.

Report card on tea tribes

File picture of a tea labourer in Assam Guwahati, Feb 19 : Dispur is preparing a “report card” to highlight the steps it has been taking for the welfare of the tea tribes in the state. The report card, being prepared under the instruction of chief minister Tarun Gogoi, would not only be a comprehensive list of its ongoing and new schemes but also be a comparative study of the steps taken by the government in power and the AGP-led government it succeeded.  The instruction came last month soon after the floating of the National People’s Party, which has been espousing the cause of the Adivasis/tea communities. The state government has drawn flak for dilly-dallying on the issue of according Scheduled Tribe status to the tea community. Sources today said the tea tribes welfare department, which implements a majority of the schemes through its Rupnagar-based directorate, has submitted a list of its achievements to the chief minister last week for his perusal before being compressed into a report. The final report could be published as a white paper or it could be incorporated in the party’s manifesto for circulation in the run-up to the elections to counter the negative vibes emanating from the tea belt, which has otherwise been traditionally voting for the Congress. They said the directorate has already submitted a report showing budget allocation, budget expenditure, total allocation of plan budget, utilisation of plan funds, among others, for the period from 1996-97 to 2008-09. Going by the initial report, the government would be harping on how the allocations of the directorate have been increasing from Rs one crore a year till 2001-02 to Rs 10 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 23 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 37 crore in 2008-09. “We have set up a permanent five-storey address for the directorate here which will have facilities for a rest house, a 22-bed girls’ hostel, a museum and a conference hall,” a source said. The paper will highlight the steps taken to empower the students and youths of the community like the construction of the 50 skill development training centres across the state. The training centres would cater to the need of vocational training of the targeted communities from March, setting up of 11 boys and 11 girls’ hostels, financial assistance for higher studies like MBA and IIT and distribution of bicycles and solar lamps to matriculates and Class VIII students respectively. The schemes would provide healthcare by tying up with garden hospitals and boosting the water supply and sanitation scheme, in association with the public health engineering department and Unicef. Financial assistance would also be provided to the community for earning a livelihood.

Combat terror with civil policing: Expert

US professor for more funds for local cops

David Bayley speaks during the seminar at Gauhati University on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections Guwahati, Feb 19 : “Civil policing is a much more effective tool than armed aggression in fighting terrorists in the Northeast and as such more funds should be spent on the local police force.” David Bayley, professor, School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, State University of New York, said this at a seminar — “Counter-terrorism: task for local police” — at the peace and conflict studies section under the department of political science at Gauhati University here today. Bayley, who has been doing extensive research in policing in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, said unless the civil police force was strong and capable enough, it was not possible for any country to fight terrorism. “Only the local police can provide the basic information about terrorist activities at a particular location, since they are in touch with the grassroots level of society,” he said. Bayley said much stress has not been laid in India, particularly in the northeastern region in regard to empowering the police force, especially the civil police. “As such the success rate in countering terrorism in the country has not been high,” he added. The professor said it was time the Indian authorities gave more stress on spending more funds to strengthen the local police forces in the face of new threats from terrorists. “Crores of rupees are spent on armed forces every year but little is done to upgrade the local police forces. It is time the authorities in India view this seriously,” the professor said. Bayley, however, said it was also the duty of a policeman to gain confidence of the local communities so that they are kept posted with the latest happenings in a particular area. “There are allegations of corruption and highhandedness in the police force. The civil police should change this attitude and try to win the confidence of the people,” he said. The professor from the US said it would be a Herculean task for the army and the paramilitary forces to fight terrorism in any country unless the local police provide the requisite intelligence inputs.

Incentive for schools with best performance in exam from 2009

Imphal, February 18 : The new scheme of the Manipur government, Grant of Financial Assistant to Schools producing students with first division in the High School Leaving Certificate Exam conducted by the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BSEM) will start implementation from this current year 2009, official source said.

Manipur government has recently announced that assistance and incentives will be provided to the schools irrespective of private, aided or government run that could produced students with first division in the HSLC exam.

The government announcement aims at to motivate the school, teachers and students to perform leading to an overall improvement of the academic scenario in the state.

Silent future of the scheme which government has decided to start implementation from this year stated that all schools whether government, aided or private in Manipur and affiliated to the BSEM are eligible for receipt of financial assistance under the scheme.

Quantum of grant of financial assistance will be in proportion to the number of students of the school passing in first division including percentage of marks in the annual HSLCE conducted by the BSEM.

That is the rate of financial assistance to be granted per students will be Rs 5000 for the students with 75% onwards and Rs 3000 per students for the students with but below 75% and above 60% .

The incentive will be distributed to the students, teachers and school management authorities.

That is, of the Rs 5000 incentive given to the school with a student getting above 75%, the student will get Rs 3000, school management and teachers will get Rs 10000 each.

The scheme has been taken up with a view to encouraging the students to perform better in the HSLC exam and also develop a sense of competitiveness.

Government will spend an estimated amount of Rs 1.23 crores annually in the implementation of the scheme and for this state education department which would be the implementing agency has earmarked Rs 2 crores in the current fiscal year, 2008-09 budget, the source said.

The amount has been estimated to the records of the students performances in the pass years HSLCE.

In 2008 exam, the source said 3842 students out of 24609 appeared in the exam got first division.

Out of the total 462 students are from the government school, 106 are from aided schools while 3274 are from the private schools.

The scheme will continue for a period till the performances of the schools in general comes upto a standard which will not warrant further incentives, the source maintained.

Naga mothers must rebuild our broken home: Sano

Kohima, Feb 17 :Stating that the present Naga society “is a sick society,” Sano Vamuzo, chairperson, Nagaland State Commission for Women said there are great challenges before the Naga mothers to heal our land. Speaking on behalf of Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) founding members at the silver jubilee celebration of NMA here Saturday, she strongly felt that Naga mothers can and must play a vital role in rebuilding our broken home.

Sano, who is also former president of NMA, said that as the NMA crossed 25 years of its journey, “we strongly feel the need of revamping the Association to meet the challenges that lies before us.”

At the stage, she said, the Naga women organizations, tribal Hohos, NGOs, societies etc. all need to come networking together for the healthy growth of the society.

Also welcoming constructive suggestions from any quarter, she said “Our approach on many issues such as social evils, drug and HIV problems, peace work, health and education, total prohibitions, electoral reforms and many more will be through common interest, mutual understanding, openness and positive approach through God’s guidance.”

Indian Government to set up 100,000 common service centres

New Delhi, Feb 17 : The government will set up 100,000 common service centres (CSC) across the country by March 2010, Communications and IT Minister A. Raja said here Tuesday.

“The government has sanctioned Rs.10,600 crore (Rs.106 billion) for e-governance projects out of which Rs.5,742 crore (Rs.57.42 billion) will be used for setting up CSCs,” Raja said after inaugurating a CSC here.

The CSCs is a government-run one-stop shop that offers web-enabled e-governance services in rural areas, including various application forms, certificates, and utility payments such as electricity, telephone and water bills.

Raja added that Rs.17.87 billion will be used for the state wide area network (SWAN) project.

Minister of State for Communications and IT Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was also present on the occasion, said about 25,195 CSCs were already up and running.

Raja said almost all CSCs will be set up in the public-private partnership mode and about 10,000 centres will be set up before March 31 this year.

Bad Roads blocking Development

Dimapur | February 17 : The Joint Forum of GBs and Areas (5 Areas) public leaders, hailing from Central Jail, Dimapur to Rengmapani, Niuland submitted a joint memorandum to G Kaito Aye, Minister for Road and Bridges, highlighting the bad road condition between Central Jail, Dimapur to Rengmapani, Niuland, covering an approximate length of 50 kms. The memorandum was submitted to the Minister on the sidelines of the 10th MBE Zhuikhu Memorial Gold Cup at Hozuqhe village on February 10 last.

The memo, which was appended by village GBs, Chairmen, Ad-hoc Town Council and Organisation, stated that “there existed a road (approximately 50 kms long) between Central Jail, Dimapur to Rengmapani, Niuland, which used to serve the need of the people spread over more than 125 villages and 5 areas viz. Niuland, Nihokhu, Agunaqha, Kuhuboto and Khaghaboto. Except the said road there was no other road communication available to those lakh and lakhs of people. This was the main road and ‘Life Line’ to the inhabitants in the ‘Land Locked’ areas.”
Villagers submit memorandum to Minister
Referring to the road, the memo stated that “the existing road has been totally damaged, destroyed and become completely unserviceable for any vehicular traffic to ply; the people cannot even take journey on foot through this adverse condition of the road, which is totally disastrous. Instances are not remote, when a sick person had to undertaker journey on human shoulder for obtaining medical-aid had breathed his/her last due to hazardous journey.”
The deplorable roads besides causing hardships to the local populace, has also taken its toll on the governance of the area. The memo pointed out that “due to such deplorable road condition the officials of the ADC, Niuland and other officials posted to our areas make excuses for their irregular attendance to duties, which in turn leaves an adverse impact on the functioning of the Government over here besides causes unexplainable hardships and harassments to the people.”
Narrating on the development front, it stated that the non-availability of the only road communication has its severe impact on the all-round development of these ‘Land-Locked Areas,’ resulting into heavy set-back to the people, ‘as no development of the modern days could reach them, nor their economy could receive a lift from age-old darkness’.
“The rainy season is fast approaching and knocking the door, and unless the said road is re-constructed immediately with proper black-topping etc. we are afraid, the entire society in these areas shall face further sufferings, hardships and harassments beyond any imagination.”
The memo also assured the Minister that all villages and the areas will extend its fullest co-operation in the matter of construction and widening of the said road. “We may also assure that the authority may always count on the co-operation of the GBs Union of these villages and the areas in this regard,” it added.
The memo ‘sincerely’ urged the Minister to sanction immediately for re-construction of the said road with black-topping, widening and with other necessary developments etc. However, it also ‘requested’ the Minister that the work of re-construction of the road may be entrusted upon a renowned, honest and sincere organisation or a company instead of giving to any individual/private contractor.

India’s northeast acts as bridge to Vietnam, Southeast Asia

Tourism is the most effective way to increase the still negligible trade between India’s northeastern region and Vietnam, an Indian official has said.

Position of the Northeastern region in India

“Northeast India and Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia are so near, yet so far,” Jarnail Singh, Secretary of the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City February 15. 
 
The three-day conference, the first of its kind in Vietnam, opened on Feb 12, 2009 and was organized by the ministry and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, bringing together government and business delegates from Southeast Asia and eight northeastern Indian states.
 
ASEAN North East India Investment and Trade Opportunities Summit came as part of India’s “Look East policy” to build closer ties with Vietnam and Southeast Asia.     
 
Mr. Singh said the conference focused on tourism as the key to increasing Indian-Vietnamese trade.
 
Thirteen tourism companies attending the conference showed interest in future cooperation.
 
Rajeev Singh, secretary general of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, said a key challenge to tourism and trade is the northeastern region’s lack of “proper road connectivity” to Myanmar and the rest of Southeast Asia.
 
“[With good roads], transportation time and cost will be reduced by half and trade will go on,” he said, adding India plans to “revive” the land and water routes that used to connect its northeastern region and traditional trading partners in Southeast Asia.  

View of the Himalayas from Sikkim state of Northeastern region

Dhananjay Kumar, chairman of the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam, said trade with ASEAN accounts for just 9 percent of India’s overall trade, and with Vietnam, a mere 0.8 percent.
 
A lot of opportunities are thus to be seized, he added. 
 
Jitendra Nath Misra, the Indian consul in HCMC, said the conference is just the first of India’s “irreversible” search for business with Vietnam.   
 
He said a delegation from the Indian Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Export Promotion Council would visit HCMC this week, and another from the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council in March. 

North-West bracing for dry phase as rains lift

Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 16  Weather-making western disturbances bound for northwest India are set to take a break with an ‘exchange of guard’ across the border by semi-permanent parent weather systems. A resident trough (low-pressure area) over Pakistan/Afghanistan has been setting off a train of rain and snow-producing western disturbances into northwest India during the best part of the month.

CPC DATA This is corroborated by the data put out by the Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services showing precipitation estimated by satellites and expressed as a percentage of the seasonal normal. According to the CPC, precipitation recorded during February 1-13 has been above normal over north Konkan, parts of central Gujarat, eastern flanks of Jammu and Kashmir, north and east Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, east Uttar Pradesh and parts of east India adjoining the North-East.

The weekly statistics as on February 11 put out by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is more or less in agreement. But rainfall was in deficit over most parts of the region during entire January which saw mercury climb up to unprecedented levels at many places.

During that month, above normal rains were confined to a narrow swathe along a northwest-southeast axis across Jammu and Kashmir and appearing to link Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh as well.

BREAKING UP The shift in fortunes in February was attributed to the building of the semi-permanent trough, which may be breaking up now. International models see a weak ridge (high-pressure area) area building around Afghanistan that would repel inbound westerly systems. But even this ridge formation is destined to die out over the next five days, if model forecasts are to be believed, which should once again make the way clear for western disturbances.

The first such system is forecast to roll in around February 19/20. Late on Sunday evening, the IMD too concurred with this outlook. The wet and cold/dry weather are shown to alternate, thereafter, and stay as such until the month-end.

MERCURY FLARE Meanwhile, a narrow strip where mercury is likely to flare up has been indicated eastward from west central India during the rest of the month. The maximum temperature level is expected to touch 40 deg Celsius over this stretch.

The ‘hot spot’ should get progressively concentrated to east-central (mainly the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa belt, and occasionally testing the fringes of east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand).
On Sunday, the IMD expected minimum temperatures to fall by 1-3 deg Celsius over northwest to adjoining west and central India as a prevailing western disturbance exits the region over a period of the next three days.

An induced cyclonic circulation traced to over central Pakistan and adjoining Punjab had since moved into over Punjab and neighbourhood. This is currently holding up the minimum mercury level over the northwest. It is expected to move away into the northeast, helping colder northwesterlies to fill the plains.

GOC lays peace onus on people

Imphal, February 16 : GOC of 57 Mountain Division Maj Gen Shakti Gurung has asserted that only people's aspiration can bring tranquility in the State.

The officer while interacting with mediapersons on the sideline of a flag-in programme of an educational tour organised at Leimakhong said, "People have to come forward and say 'enough is enough' to the activities of underground elements."

Maj Gen Shakti Gurung receiving the students at Leimakhong

The GOC further said that Army and paramilitary forces are here only to facilitate in bringing peace in the State.

The decision whether to bring peace or not in Manipur must be decided by the general public of the State.

Responding to a question whether he needs more security personnel to contain the situation in the State, Shakti Gurung said that more than 45000 troops are currently deployed in the State, and it is not that peace can be brought with greater number of security personnel.

It will be possible only when people raise their colective voice against UGs, he added.

Hinting that border fencing of only 10 kms of the 376-km Indo-Myanmar border cannot control cross-border insurgency, the GOC said that only a joint operation of Myanmarese and Indian SFs will be the answer to the issue.

Despite repeated appeals, Myanmarese Govt is seemingly not ready to respond to India's request; maybe it is due to their own constraints, he added.

On querying whether Army wants to bring back Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA-1958) in Imphal Municipal areas, Shakti Gurung said, "The State Chief Minister is doing his best to control law and order in these areas".

Earlier, the GOC flagged in an educational tour of Rajasthan for the students of various schools of Senapati and Tamenglong districts.

Brahmaputra Valley Tea in Assam

The Brahmaputra Valley in Assam has recorded higher tea prices at the auctions than prices in North India as also the all-India average.

While all India auction tea prices in 2008 touched Rs 86 per kg, the North India average price was Rs 94 per kg and Brahmaputra Valley price was at Rs 99 per kg as against Rs 76 per kg in 2007, an increase of Rs 23 per kg.

The average North India price for 2007 was Rs 73.56 per kg. Monojit Dasgupta, secretary general of the Indian Tea Association (ITA) pointed out at the annual general meeting of the Assam branch that the production gain in the Assam Valley was less than the all India average.

While the all India tea production registered an increase of 36 million kg to 981 million kg in 2008, production in the Assam Valley registered a marginal gain of 1.8 million kg. Total consumption in 2008 was estimated at 825 million kg.

Orthodox production in North India of ITA members had increased by about four million kg. “To encourage higher orthodox production and to meet international demand, Tea Board is providing higher financial assistance for modernization/installation of orthodox machinery under the quality upgradation scheme,” said Dasgupta.

Since 2007 ITA had been working with the Tea Board culminating in GI approval for Assam Orthodox teas.

“Assam Valley orthodox tea can be differentiated for its inherent qualities. As Assam Orthodox is greatly prized in several key markets such as Germany, Iran, Japan and Russia, these teas needed better definition for strategic positioning,” said Dasgupta. ITA had conducted an exercise on domestic consumption, which showed that the growth rate of consumption of tea was around 3.3 per cent.

Dasgupta said, during the 11th Five Year Plan period, Tea Board planned to spend about Rs 30 crore, which would include organized media campaign, domestic fairs, exhibitions, advertisements. ITA feels that an ambitious and aggressive “Brand India” tea promotion campaign should be launched and sustained by the Tea Board in the coming years.

NSA cases to be disposed soon

Imphal, Feb 16 : Authorities of the Manipur government here said that it is thinking of comprehensive procedures to be followed in dealing and disposal National Security Act (NSA) cases at the quickest way.

For this, state chief secretary, Rakesh has convened a high level meeting on Tuesday (February 17), official said Sunday.

Out of 475 prisoners currently lodging in the jails in Manipur, 166 including 11 women are meeting NSA terms with the detention orders issued by the district magistrates and 78 including nine women are militants under trial.

Of the total 475 prisoners, maximum of them that is 417 are lodging in the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa.

Out of the 417, 62 prisoners including nine women under trial underground activists (which government classified as extremists), 21 are undergrounds and other persons under trial under Arms Act while 173 including 12 are convicted while 134 of them are NSA detenus.

Only one person among the prisons was striker, according to a latest statement on prison population submitted by the jail authority to the state home department which the department consider necessary for the scheduled meeting.

Apart from this currently six prisoners are in the security ward of the JN hospital, Porompat which could be counted as strength of the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa.

They are lodging there for attending medical treatment.

Among the six, three including one woman are NSA detenus, one each of under trial, convicted and female striker.

A total of 50 prisoners are currently lodging in the Manipur Central Jail, Imphal.

Among them 28 are NSA detenus, 15 are under trial and seven are convicted.

43 of them are militants belonging to PREPAK, PLA and UNLF.

Of the 17 PREPAK militants, 13 are NSA detenus while four are under trial, 13 each are PLA (9-NSA detenu, 4-UTP) and UNLF (6-NSA and 7-UTP) .

Two more prisoners from the Imphal Central Jail are currently lodging at the same JN Hospital, Porompat.

One of them is PREPAK cadre meeting NSA term and the other convicted prisoner.

Official analysis to the prison population observed that the NSA detenus and under trial prisoner more than others which their cases need to be disposed off at the quickest way.

In order to find a procedures which could expedite and disposed the cases of NSA detenus, state chief secretary is convening the high level meeting on Tuesday which the state DGP, additional chief secretary who is holding the charge of home department, law secretary, all district magistrates and district superintendent of police and government advocates (high court), the official source said.

The objective of the meeting to discuss and chalk out procedures which can dispose the pending cases related with the state NSA detenus, the source added.

Meanwhile, sittings of the Advisory Board of the NSA held on Febraury 12, 13 and 14 has examined the cases of detention of six militants and two vehicle lifters and recommended for issued of confirmation to the state home department, source said.

The militants recommended for detention under NSA for a period of one year are Khundrakpam Ibosana alias Sana alias Chouba (28) son of Iboyaima of Heirok, Salam George alias Naoba (24) son of Somorjit of Singjamei Chnigamakha, (KCP activist), Soram Ajit alias Pangkhei (18) son of Kesho of Kakwa (KCP activist), Langpoklakpam Shanta alias Keirencha (27) son of Bira of Nillakudhi (KCP-MC activist) and Heikrujam Romen alias Sunil son of Jomangol of Serou Mayai Leikai presently residing at Thangmeiband Polem Leikai, Imphal.

The two vehicle lifters were Md Mujibur Rahaman alias Ethem alias Naha (30) son of late Abdul Hei of Lilong Hangamthabi and Wahengbam Diamond alias Thoiba alias Thoibi (18) son of Loken of Singjamei Chingamakha Ninthoujam Leikai.

Manipur seeks more forces

Imphal, Feb. 12: The Okram Ibobi Singh government is seeking nearly 90 companies of additional central paramilitary forces for smooth and violent-free conduct of the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

The state election office will make this demand to the Election Commission in a report about the state’s poll preparedness, which is likely to be sent in the next few days. “We will seek 86 additional companies of central paramilitary forces. If this strength is given with the state’s own forces and existing paramilitary forces, we can manage a trouble-free election in both the Outer and Inner Manipur seats,” an official source said.

The source said state police, India Reserve Battalion and Manipur Rifles would also be engaged in election security.

In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the state used 216 companies of paramilitary forces with additional 76 companies provided by the Centre. The election was by and large peaceful, the official said.

Though the state’s 2,193 polling stations are yet to be categorised, the election official said most of them were hypersensitive and sensitive. Intelligence reports suggest that militants might try to disrupt the polls in both the constituencies. “With almost all the militant groups belonging to tribal communities having a suspension of operation agreement with the Centre and state governments, cadres of these groups may take part in the election campaign in favour of one or other candidates, creating problems in the process,” a home department official said.

The state election office is expected to recommend two phase polls in the state. “This will make the job of security arrangements easier,” the source said. 

The state election office will also request the Election Commission for four helicopters to ferry election officials and poll materials in the interior areas in the hills.

“In the last Lok Sabha elections we used four choppers. This time also we will require the same number of choppers for timely deployment of personnel and collection of the poll materials after polling is over,” the source said.

The election office will also request the Election Commission to provide at least 15 motorboats for transportation of poll materials and officials for polling stations located at Tipaimukh of Churachandpur district and Vangai range of Tamenglong district.

The source said the state election office would recommend holding of the elections in the two seats before April 15, before the onset of monsoon. Political parties are also favouring polls around this time.

“We are preparing a report about the preparation and requirements of the state. We will send it to the Election Commission in the next few days,” an election official said.

Two Day National e-Governance Conference Begins in Goa

Two Day National e-Governance Conference Begins in Goa

Goa : The two day conference National e-governance conference beginning in Goa on Thursday.

Goa, Feb 13 : The two day conference National e-governance conference beginning in Goa on Thursday.

E-governance initiatives of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Bihar, Karnataka and Tripura state government's will get the gold medals for best projects in different fields.

Following is the list of best declared awards wining projects:

1. The online Public Distribution System, by Chhattisgarh government's department of food and civil supplies.
2. E-City, a measure of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and e-governance department, Ahmedabad.
3.  Jaanakari by Bihar government
4. Sujala Watershed Project by  Karnataka government
5. Teleopthalmology project by Tripura government

The Union department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in association with the Department of Information Technology and Goa Government has organised the seminar.

Google Internet Bus Reaches India to Expand Internet Base

Google Internet Bus Reaches India to Expand Internet Base

Chennai (ABC Live): Internet giant company Google now reached India with Internet Bus to educate Indians about power of internet.

Chennai (ABC Live): Internet giant company, Google has  now reached India with Internet Bus to educate Indians about power of internet.

According to information the Internet-enabled bus will focus on the four themes education, information, communication, and entertainment.

 

The bus project has been started off from Chennai on February 3, 2009, and will cover numerous cities in Tamil Nadu over the next month and a half.

 

Internet Bus equipped with well researched and informative content in English and Tamil. Google said it will showcase how the Internet can make everyday life simple through services like search, email, social networking, maps and others.

Following is the schedule that the Google Internet Bus:

No oil reserve in Ganga basin, Cairn calls off exploration

Darbhanga (Bihar), Feb 13 : Oil exploration major Cairn India has wound up its work in Ganga basin area of Bihar&aposs Darbhanga district after failing to trace oil reserve.
District Magistrate Arun Prasad said today the company, which had started the drilling work in May 2008 at Hawidih village after taking 4.5 hectare of lands on lease from farmers, decided to wind up operations as scientific tests of mud extracts after digging showed no signs of oil reserve.

Cairn had secured the contract for oil exploration work at Hawidih village under Baheri block.

Meanwhile, the first consignment of heavy machines, used for drilling purposes, has left Darbhanga for Barmer in Rajasthan.

Chingkhei Hunba enter last four

Manipur Polo

Imphal, Feb 12 : Chingkhei Hunba Polo Club (A) entered the semi-final of the 26th Manipur Polo Tournament, defeating Lamyanba Pakhang Polo (B) 3-1 at Imphal Polo Ground today.

Chingkhei Hunba are the second team after Lamyanba Pakhang Polo (A) to book a semi-final berth.

The Chingkhei Hunba Polo Club rode hard and M. Jawan Singh and T. Pradeep Singh scored a goal each in the first chukker.

Dominating in the second chukker, Chingkhei Hunba’s Jawan Singh scored the team’s third goal.

In the final chukker, Lamyanba Pakhang Polo (B) saw a valiant effort by Ksh. Sidhartha who scored the team’s lone goal.

In another match, Khurai Polo Club outplayed Tekcham Polo Club 7-0.

The Khurai team scored in each chukker. In the first chukker, P. Jotin Singh struck twice while Th. Momocha Singh chipped in with one goal.

In the second chukker, Momocha Singh scored another goal. Khurai riders Jotin Singh and Th. Basanta Singh scored a goal each while L. Ojit Singh nailed the final goal in the fourth chukker.

Manipur campus shut

Imphal, Feb 12 : Tension prevailed on the Manipur University campus after students locked up the offices of three of its officials, bringing the functioning of the administrative block to a halt today.

The members of the Manipur University Students Union (Musu) locked up the offices of vice-chancellor Ch. Amuba Singh, registrar N. Lokendro and pro-vice-chancellor H.N.K. Sharma from 10.30am today, not allowing any officials to enter the administrative block.

The students were protesting the cancellation of the interview to recruit a physics lecturer and the indefinite postponement of the interviews for the two posts of mathematics lecturers. 

The interviews were to be held yesterday along with the interviews for some other posts. 

No university official was available for comment.

The university authorities, however, cancelled the interviews yesterday without “giving any valid reasons”, the students alleged.

The conduct of the authorities infuriated the students’ union and candidates who turned up for the interview.

“The conduct of the authorities smacks of irregularities and corrupt practices. This tarnished the image of the institute. We do not take it lightly,” the president of the students’ union, Ksh. Narayan, said.

The union is now demanding the resignation of the three senior officials and said it would boycott them.

No university official was available for comment.

The vice-chancellor and other officials did not turn up at the university today.

The students also burnt effigies of the three officials near the administrative block.

Sources said the three officials met at an undisclosed location in Imphal today and discussed the development.

The lockout is likely to continue tomorrow.

Marayan said the agitation would not disturb the classes and appealed to students and teachers to attend classes regularly.

HILL TRIBES OF MANIPUR: A QUESTION OF INTEGRITY

Dr. Tualchin Neihsial

THE IDEA OF INTEGRITY of the Manipur hills and plain is not a novel concept. It was there in the past and inspite of religious, cultural and political differences, the people of Manipur somehow had lived together under one political head. However, this issue comes up now and then and is a burning probe today, thus exposing the validity of this very unity.

There is always a tendency, thought quite natural to shift the blame to the former administrators- indigenous or foreign and ignoring the possible responsibility of the present society which also plays a vital role. Yet, one cannot but, do so, as today’s society was built on the yesteryears. Thus, to understand the present problems, the study of the past is essential so as to bring about a positive solution, to the present day problems. It is something like diagnosing the disease of a person so that remedies can be taken.

The distinction between the tribesmen and the plainsmen was already there even before the British. The contrast between the Vaishnavite Manipuris and the freedom loving tribesmen of the hills was particularly glaring. The boundaries of the state did not enclose a cultural unit but were rather a measure of the limit to which the Darbar was in the past able affectively to extract tribute from the hill tribes. The hill tribesmen were obviously made a source of profit and till 1891 as much tributes as possible was extracted from the hills while not a single rupee was spent for their benefit. They were excluded from the direct rule of the Rajas.

 

Right from the establishment of British Paramountcy in Manipur in 1835 till they left the state in 1947 the administration of the tribesmen was in the hands of the British Officers such as Political Agents, Vice-Presidents and President of Manipur State Darbar. Inspite of the two major anti-British movements of the tribesmen of Manipur as a result of their “DIVIDE AND RULE POLICY” and ineffective administration in the hill areas, the British Government refused to hand over the hill administration to the Raja of Manipur on the excuse that “the Manipuri has not yet learn to look upon the hillmen as a human being.” In 1937, the Maharaja was anxious to appoint his own nominee as President of the Darbar. In fact, he intended to appoint his second son to the post. In such an eventuality it was proposed by the British government that the administration of the hill areas should be taken over by the Political Agent. It was made clear that “to place the Manipur hill tribes under the direct administration of His Highness and the Darbar would be far more dangerous than to place the Assam hill tribes under the ordinary administration of the Assam Legislature” In this way, the gap between the twos remained wide.

Throughout their rule, the British adopted a similar policy towards all the hill tribes of the Northeast India. Their motive was to create a Crown Colony somewhere in the Indo-Burma frontier areas consisting of the tribal inhabited hill areas. Justifying this Coupland Plan, Sir Robert Reid, the Governor of Assam stated that he saw, “no other line along which we (the British) can fulfill our duty to these primitive peoples. They will not get a square deal from an autonomous Indian Government and the sequel would rebellion, bloodshed and ultimate ruin.” His prediction has proved true in the present context and the “ULTIMATE RUIN” is left in the hands of the government and the present generation.

Now, having traced the root-cause of the present problem to the indigenous and the British Colonial Periods, can we just be satisfied? Remain silent and wait for a time to solve by itself or for foreign powers to unite us? Can we erase the historical facts? The answer is definitely “NO”.

There can be no ideal society in a sense of the term where people are not given equal treatment and share. There will be always some trace of inequalities due to physical abnormalities or wealth. In the case of the plain people of Manipur, there is a distinct sense of discrimination against the tribes based on their social and religious beliefs. The hill people were never treated by their counter-parts on equal footing. To be specific, there are few matrimonial alliances between the two communities and that too only in one-way traffic i.e. the Meitei men marrying the tribal girls but the tribesmen could hardly marry girls from the plains. This is an example of social discrimination. In addition to this, the tribal girl married to the Meitei can never feel quite secure because her husband is likely to bring another and she can be divorced easily.

When we open a book on Manipur, we find mostly the history of the Meiteis and their culture and only a passing reference is made on the indigenous people such as the tribes thus keeping them at the back seat, whereas, the two have affinity in their origin, language, and in modern politics. The theme on the integration of the two has been high-lighted and discussed in some books, articles and at seminars but they have failed, to influence the public as a result of the attitude of the people remained unchanged.

When we open the economics and commercial book of Geography, we find that localization of industries or factories depends to a great extend on the supply of abundant quantity of raw materials at the lowest cost and therefore nearness to raw materials is an important point for consideration regarding growth or establishment of a particular industry or factory. It is a fact that the hill districts of Manipur especially Churachandpur District is the greatest producer of pine-apple, sugar-cane and cotton but Fruit Juice crushing centre, Spinning Mill etc. were all located in the Valley. In addition to this the tribals are sometimes forced to sell their goods at cheaper rates as they must return home before sunset.

With the joining of Manipur to the Constituent Assembly and the introduction of the responsible government, the hill tribes of Manipur were politically integrated with the plains people but their emotional integration remained an open question.

It has been observed that the so-called “CHINGTAM” [hill and plain] relationship have only maintained a low level equilibrium. A high level equilibrium will not be achieved unless we touch it with “A FEELING A MUTUAL LOVE” and “A SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING”.

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Anti-Islamic film's maker faces UK ban

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A Dutch lawmaker who made a controversial film about Islam planned to travel to Britain on Thursday despite a ban on his entry.

Dutch authorities filed charges against Wilders last month, accusing him of inciting racial hatred.

Geert Wilders said he was invited to screen his film, "Fitna," at the House of Lords on Thursday evening, but was informed by the British ambassador to the Netherlands that he would be refused entry because the beliefs expressed in the film would threaten public security.

Wilders said he still intends to fly to Britain in the hope that he will be let in.

Britain's Home Office confirmed that Wilders had been denied entry. It said the move is permitted under European Union law, which allows states to refuse entry on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health.

"The government opposes extremism in all its forms," said a Home Office spokesman, who would not be identified, in line with policy. "It will stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country."

Wilders called the move "incredible."

"This is freedom of speech. I mean, let's have a debate," Wilders told the BBC. "This is how a democracy and the rule of law and a civil society should work. If you disagree, talk to one another."

Wilders is a member of the Dutch parliament for the right-wing Party for Freedom. He released "Fitna" online in March 2008 to immediate controversy.

The 15-minute film features disturbing images of terrorist acts superimposed over verses from Islam's holy book, the Quran, to paint Islam as a threat to Western society.

Caroline Cox, a member of Britain's House of Lords who is not affiliated with a political party, invited Wilders to screen his film at a private session in parliament. She told CNN that she wanted lawmakers to see the film to provoke discussion.

"We're showing it on the basis of freedom of speech," said Cox, who has been a free speech advocate throughout her career. "It's a serious showing, with serious concerns and serious consideration."

Cox said she disagreed with the government's decision to bar Wilders, who was also scheduled to discuss the film.

"I think it's appalling," she told CNN. "(For) the British government to prevent a European parliamentarian coming to speak to parliamentarians over here is very disturbing. I think it will be ready by many people as a sign of appeasement to threat and intimidation."

After its release, the movie drew complaints from the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as concern from the United States, which warned it could spark riots.

Dutch authorities filed charges against Wilders last month, accusing him of inciting racial hatred in speeches and in the film.

"Fitna" opens with a controversial caricature of the Prophet Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb, followed by translated portions of the Quran. The passages are interspersed with graphic images of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States, juxtaposed with audio from 911 calls made by the victims trapped inside the World Trade Center in New York.

The video includes images of other terror attacks; bloodied victims; beheadings of hostages; executions of women in hijab, the traditional full-body covering; and footage, with subtitles, of Islamic leaders preaching inflammatory sermons against Jews and Christians.

In his interview with the BBC, Wilders said he does not hate Muslims but opposes the "Islamization" of the European continent.

The title "Fitna," is Arabic for "strife" or "conflict" of the type that occurs within families or any other homogenous group.

Five years ago, Dutch director Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death by a member of a radical Islamic group after his short film "Submission" used verses from the Quran written on women's bodies to criticize the treatment of women in Islamic cultures.

His co-producer on the project, Somali-born former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali, lived under government protection for several years after van Gogh's killing. She now lives in the United States.

Powerful quakes rock northeastern Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia  -- A powerful series of earthquakes shook far northeastern Indonesia Thursday, injuring at least 42 people and damaging about 500 homes and other buildings, officials said.

The damage is concentrated on the islands of Karakelong, Kabaruang, Selebahu and Sangir, according to Dr. Arikalang, head of the health ministry in the Talaud region.

Setting off the chain of temblors was a magnitude 7.2 quake at 1:35 a.m. (12:35 p.m. ET Wednesday), the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The major quake was followed by no less than 19 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or higher over the next 14 hours.

The quakes were all clustered off the northeastern tip of Sulawesi Island, about 1,550 miles (2,495 km) east-northeast of Jakarta, where three major tectonic plates come together, according to Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Agency.

The plates -- massive, sometimes continent-sized, slabs of rock floating on the Earth's surface -- collide with each other, causing earthquakes.

Indonesia is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The full extent of damages was not immediately known as an estimated 3,000 people fled coastal areas to surrounding hills for safety in the event of a tidal surge, said Priyadi Kardono, an official with the National Disaster Coordinating Agency.

The Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency said no tsunamis were generated.

The Ministry of Health said it sent a team to the epicenter to assess damage and provide humanitarian support.

18-foot python attacks toddler

Parents of a 3-year-old attacked by an 18-foot python have been charged. Affiliate KTNV reports.

New IG for BSF's Assam-Meghalaya frontier

Shillong , Feb 12 Prithvi Raj, a 1987 batch IPS officer from Himachal Pradesh cadre, is the new Inspector General of BSF&aposs Assam and Meghalaya frontier.

Raj has replaced P K Mishra, who will now work as Staff Officer to Director General at the force&aposs headquarters.

A recipient of' President police medal for meritorious service', Raj has experience in fighting militancy in Kashmir&aposs Anantnag district as a DIG.

After assuming charge, he said in an official communique that his priorities will be to have border management par excellence and ensure welfare of the security personnel.

Besides, BSF battalions deployed in the sensitive districts of Karbi Anglong, Golaghat and North Cachar Hills in Assam will remain his focus, the communique added.

India asks Yangon to act promptly on info on N-E insurgents

Mandalay, Feb 12 : Nursing serious concerns over operations of north-eastern insurgents, India on Sunday asked Myanmar to act promptly on information about their activities in its territory as the two sides agreed on a slew of measures to jointly tackle the menace.

"We stressed the importance of timely action by Myanmar on the information given by us on the insurgents in Myanmar territory," Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju told Indian journalists accompanying Vice President Hamid Ansari who arrived in Mandalay on the last leg of his visit to the country.

A graphic map showing the Indo-Myanmar border along the territory of Manipur

He said while the two countries already have an intelligence-sharing mechanism, what was important was timely and effective action by Myanmar in addressing India's security concerns.

Raju, who was a member of the Indian delegation led by Ansari in the talks with Myanmar's top military generals in the last two days, said India has already helped Myanmar by improving the infrastructure on its side of the border.

The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has upgraded the road on Myanmar territory and provided them with some communication equipment, the minister said.

Ansari, who is on a four-day visit to Myanmar, met head of the country's military junta Gen Than Shwe and other top leaders to give a fresh impetus to security, trade and economic ties between the two countries.

Replying to a question, Raju said there was no discussion on joint or coordinated action by security forces of India and Myanmar against the insurgents.

He said the two countries have agreed on the need for more frequent meetings at the field level to combat the insurgents and maintain peace at the border.

The meetings have been taking place but it was felt by both sides that there should be more frequent meetings between security forces of the two sides, Raju said.

The Minister said the action taken by Myanmar against the insurgents was showing results on the ground and both the sides hoped to keep up the momentum of cooperation on the security front.

India strongly articulated its security interest the talks with Myanmar leaders, he added.

The remarks by Raju assume significance in the wake of reports that northeastern insurgents have begun to move to Myanmar from Bangladesh in the wake of a change of government in that country.

Than Shwe yesterday assured Ansari that Myanmar would not allow its territory to be used by the ultras to target India.

Ansari, who travelled here after offering prayers at the tomb of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in Yangon, will tomorrow inaugurate an optical fibre link between Moreh town and Mandalay.

The Vice President will visit the Mandalay Palace and a pagoda on Monday before returning to Delhi.

Bible used by Lincoln, Obama goes on view in DC

Washington, Feb 11 : The small, red Bible used to swear in Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama will go on rare public display to mark the 200th anniversary of the 16th president's birth.

Beginning Thursday, the national Lincoln Bicentennial exhibit at the Library of Congress," With Malice Toward None,'' will showcase the Bible, along with the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, what may be the original Gettysburg Address and even the grammar book Lincoln used to master English.

The three-month display is among dozens of events and exhibits in the U.S Capital celebrating Lincoln's Feb. 12, 1809, birthday"He would not have amounted to anything had he not been president. He would have been a good, successful lawyer,'' said John Sellers, a curator and Lincoln specialist at the congressional library.

"But as an icon, an American symbol, it's really his presidency, and the residue of it is here.'' Many of the most precious Lincoln artifacts are being shown for the first time in years, and it's been at least 50 years since so many of them have been shown together.

Beyond Lincoln's famous documents, the library exhibit will feature the contents of the president's pockets the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in 1865. Two pairs of glasses. A handkerchief with his name printed in red. A pocketknife Newspaper clippings. And a brown leather wallet with a five-dollar note banknote from the defeated Confederacy of secessionist southern states.