Aizawl, April 17 : The Mizoram government will open its second international trade centre near Tlabung on the Indo-Bangla border to boost bilateral trade.
This trade centre, built at the cost of Rs 27 crore, will help curb smuggling along the border with Bangladesh.
Mizoram director of trade and commerce Laltharmawia today said the final project report for setting up this trade centre would soon be sent to Delhi seeking the Centre’s approval and funds.
The director said in order to monitor the trade transactions in Tlabung, an integrated checkpost under the government’s land customs department would be set up.
Tlabung, a town on the bank of Karnafuli river on Mizoram’s southern flank, is 332km from Aizawl along the Silchar-Aizawl-Lunglei National Highway 54.
Laltharmawia also said the whole project and its ancillaries like customs office, an immigration centre, banks, post and telephone complexes and the accommodation for police and BSF would be built in three years.
Mizoram’s first international trade centre at Zokhawthang near the district headquarters town of Champhai on the state’s northeast border with Myanmar and 208km from Aizawl is expected to be inaugurated in May or June by Union commerce minister Anand Sharma.
The construction of the trade centre in Zokhawthang began in 2002 and was completed early this year at a cost of Rs 9 crore.
The delay in setting up this centre was attributed to the slow pace of construction and delay in the periodic grant of the sanctioned amount by Delhi.
The total cost of the project shot up from Rs 5 crore when it was envisaged to Rs 9 crore at its final stages because of the delay.
The Mizoram government said to facilitate a wide ranging and no-restriction border trade, a minimum customs tariff would be imposed by both the Indian and Bangladesh governments on their respective goods intended for the cross-country entry.
While such goods as ginger, orange, squash and bamboo from Mizoram will find their way into Bangladesh, goods like melamine products, cotton textiles and fish will be imported from the neighbouring country.
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Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, March 13, 2009
French Govt Minister to Raise Burma Question during Thailand Visit
Friday, March 13, 2009
The French government minister responsible for human rights issues, Rama Yade, an outspoken critic of the Burmese regime, began a three-day visit to Thailand on Thursday, during which she will discuss the Burma question with Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.
Yade, a minister of state in the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, will also visit a refugee camp housing about 20,000 Burmese, most of them Karenni.
A French Foreign Ministry statement said that apart from bilateral issues Yade would discuss with Kasit the Burma situation.
The statement said the objective of her visit to Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in northern Thailand’s Mae Hong Song Province was to strengthen cooperation between the Thai government and major donors of aid to refugees, including the European Union.
Rama Yade is a 32-year-old career politician who was born in Senegal, West Africa. She has made clear her concern for events in Burma at a number of international gatherings, and at an Asean summit in Singapore in November 2007, two months after the September uprising, she said it was time the grouping tackled the challenges posed by Burma.
“After the tragic hours of repression of the pro-democracy movement, fragile hope has appeared for the people of Burma,” Rama Yade said at the summit. “It is naturally for them to maintain and develop it by envisioning the prospects for the future.”
She said she was convinced the EU and Asean can work together for change in Burma. “I’m certain, at any rate, that we must do so, in the interest of the people of Burma,” she said.
In an article carried by the English-language daily Bangkok Post on Thursday, Yade said France and the EU, “far from preaching,” want to “stand alongside Asean, which at the Cha-am/Hua Hin summit recently reaffirmed its wishes for Burma: democracy, freedom and co-operation with the international community.”
France and the EU also wanted to “give the efforts of the United Nations Secretary General every chance,” she said.
“Expectations will, of course, remain high with respect to Burma, where we share the hope of a return to democracy and freedom, for Aung San Suu Kyi, for all political prisoners and for the population as a whole, and with freedom, the hope of a return to economic development,” she said in the article.
“We are willing to assist and support a genuine process of democratisation that respects the choices of the Burmese after an inclusive dialogue between the authorities and the opposition that everyone hopes for.
“We hold out our hand to people of goodwill in Burma to accompany it in the best possible way on its own path towards freedom.”
Yade has repeatedly called for the release of Suu Kyi—most notably in article for the French daily “Le Figaro” in September 2007 and in a statement issued jointly with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in May 2008.
During her stay in Singapore for the 2007 summit, Yade visited a Burmese monastery and the Burmese community there, along with British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Meg Munn. They met Burmese monks and activists.
When former Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama visited France in June 2008, Rama Yade discussed the Burma situation with him, including the delays of international relief supplies to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.
A few days after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, France sent its navy vessel Mistral with 1,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to join US and British ships off the Burmese coast. Burmese authorities refused to allow the supplies to be delivered and the ships eventually unloaded their supplies at Thai ports—although French officials reportedly pushed for unilateral action to rush relief to the cyclone victims.
The regime’s refusal of cooperation angered the French government, and a joint statement by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Ministry of Defense said: “France reiterates that in her eyes nothing can possibly justify disaster victims seeing themselves denied the basic right to benefit from the necessary aid and stresses her commitment to the implementation of the ‘responsibility to protect’ principle under all circumstances.”
irrawaddy
The French government minister responsible for human rights issues, Rama Yade, an outspoken critic of the Burmese regime, began a three-day visit to Thailand on Thursday, during which she will discuss the Burma question with Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.
Yade, a minister of state in the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, will also visit a refugee camp housing about 20,000 Burmese, most of them Karenni.
A French Foreign Ministry statement said that apart from bilateral issues Yade would discuss with Kasit the Burma situation.
The statement said the objective of her visit to Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in northern Thailand’s Mae Hong Song Province was to strengthen cooperation between the Thai government and major donors of aid to refugees, including the European Union.
Rama Yade is a 32-year-old career politician who was born in Senegal, West Africa. She has made clear her concern for events in Burma at a number of international gatherings, and at an Asean summit in Singapore in November 2007, two months after the September uprising, she said it was time the grouping tackled the challenges posed by Burma.
“After the tragic hours of repression of the pro-democracy movement, fragile hope has appeared for the people of Burma,” Rama Yade said at the summit. “It is naturally for them to maintain and develop it by envisioning the prospects for the future.”
She said she was convinced the EU and Asean can work together for change in Burma. “I’m certain, at any rate, that we must do so, in the interest of the people of Burma,” she said.
In an article carried by the English-language daily Bangkok Post on Thursday, Yade said France and the EU, “far from preaching,” want to “stand alongside Asean, which at the Cha-am/Hua Hin summit recently reaffirmed its wishes for Burma: democracy, freedom and co-operation with the international community.”
France and the EU also wanted to “give the efforts of the United Nations Secretary General every chance,” she said.
“Expectations will, of course, remain high with respect to Burma, where we share the hope of a return to democracy and freedom, for Aung San Suu Kyi, for all political prisoners and for the population as a whole, and with freedom, the hope of a return to economic development,” she said in the article.
“We are willing to assist and support a genuine process of democratisation that respects the choices of the Burmese after an inclusive dialogue between the authorities and the opposition that everyone hopes for.
“We hold out our hand to people of goodwill in Burma to accompany it in the best possible way on its own path towards freedom.”
Yade has repeatedly called for the release of Suu Kyi—most notably in article for the French daily “Le Figaro” in September 2007 and in a statement issued jointly with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in May 2008.
During her stay in Singapore for the 2007 summit, Yade visited a Burmese monastery and the Burmese community there, along with British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Meg Munn. They met Burmese monks and activists.
When former Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama visited France in June 2008, Rama Yade discussed the Burma situation with him, including the delays of international relief supplies to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.
A few days after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, France sent its navy vessel Mistral with 1,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to join US and British ships off the Burmese coast. Burmese authorities refused to allow the supplies to be delivered and the ships eventually unloaded their supplies at Thai ports—although French officials reportedly pushed for unilateral action to rush relief to the cyclone victims.
The regime’s refusal of cooperation angered the French government, and a joint statement by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Ministry of Defense said: “France reiterates that in her eyes nothing can possibly justify disaster victims seeing themselves denied the basic right to benefit from the necessary aid and stresses her commitment to the implementation of the ‘responsibility to protect’ principle under all circumstances.”
irrawaddy
Burmese military regime shut down 50 Chin ethnic orphanages
Friday, 13 March 2009
The Burmese military regime has shut down at least 50 Chin orphanages in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma leading to problems for children.
According to a report said the regime closed down about 50 Chin orphanages on March 6, 2009 as their licenses expired. The regime has seized all the buildings
“We had registered for a period of five years. I don’t know others’ cases. Actually, we had registered in 2003 and its validity is up to 2008. Now we have to register for 2009 to 2013, but just before doing so the authorities stopped renewing the license,” said a local Chin from Rangoon.
It means 50 out of 100 Chin orphanage schools in Rangoon city have now been shut down by the government. Similarly, 13 out of 16 schools in Hleku townships also closed including Victoria Childcare Centre (VCC) which looks after 54 orphanages.
Kanpalet Township, Southern Chin state, which looks after 99% of the children in VCC has sent them back to their relatives as per the rule of government that allows a person can adopt not more than five children in his life time.
“The children’s future will be totally dependant on the adopters. Some will be adopted well and some might be adopted as house keepers or servants. It’s very hard to figure out their fortune,” said a victim at one of orphanage schools.
At the same time, some schools are searching for people to adopt the children. It is difficult to know where other schools are located and who are taking responsibility regarding this matter as the government has restricted them and they are afraid to used telephone for their security.
“Once we had used telephone for conversation about our work, the authorities immediately arrived and they inquired about it. We don’t want to use the phone anymore after facing this thrice as we’ve afraid,” he added.
He continued that the care takers at the orphanage schools have been given an appointment on 17 March. It needs to be watched how it will turn out, but the schools cannot be opened again.
Chin orphanage schools started to open in 2003 in Yangon city and there are about 140 of Chin orphanage schools in Burma.
burmadigest
The Burmese military regime has shut down at least 50 Chin orphanages in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma leading to problems for children.
According to a report said the regime closed down about 50 Chin orphanages on March 6, 2009 as their licenses expired. The regime has seized all the buildings
“We had registered for a period of five years. I don’t know others’ cases. Actually, we had registered in 2003 and its validity is up to 2008. Now we have to register for 2009 to 2013, but just before doing so the authorities stopped renewing the license,” said a local Chin from Rangoon.
It means 50 out of 100 Chin orphanage schools in Rangoon city have now been shut down by the government. Similarly, 13 out of 16 schools in Hleku townships also closed including Victoria Childcare Centre (VCC) which looks after 54 orphanages.
Kanpalet Township, Southern Chin state, which looks after 99% of the children in VCC has sent them back to their relatives as per the rule of government that allows a person can adopt not more than five children in his life time.
“The children’s future will be totally dependant on the adopters. Some will be adopted well and some might be adopted as house keepers or servants. It’s very hard to figure out their fortune,” said a victim at one of orphanage schools.
At the same time, some schools are searching for people to adopt the children. It is difficult to know where other schools are located and who are taking responsibility regarding this matter as the government has restricted them and they are afraid to used telephone for their security.
“Once we had used telephone for conversation about our work, the authorities immediately arrived and they inquired about it. We don’t want to use the phone anymore after facing this thrice as we’ve afraid,” he added.
He continued that the care takers at the orphanage schools have been given an appointment on 17 March. It needs to be watched how it will turn out, but the schools cannot be opened again.
Chin orphanage schools started to open in 2003 in Yangon city and there are about 140 of Chin orphanage schools in Burma.
burmadigest
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wheat growing areas may receive rainfall next week
Vinson Kurian
Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 The Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services sees renewed western disturbance activity over northwest India from mid-week next week.
The wheat-growing belt here is desperately looking out for one round of showers. And CPC predictions seem to promise just that for Punjab, northeast Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh.
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand will start getting showers from March 18 onwards, but the plains are expected to get their due from March 21. The wet weather may hold up to March 24, according to the CPC, which provides forecasts for up to 14 days, based on initial conditions prevailing on the day of forecast (March 11, in the instant case).
HEATING UP, TOO Around this time, the maximum mercury belt is forecast to reach northwest India, east and northeast India, pushed north as it would be by a string of thundershowers over peninsular and central India.
The maximum heating would, however, return to the peninsular east from March 19. The forecasts largely hold true, except when unforeseen atmospheric events intervene and get simulated in succeeding forecasts.
MORE RAINS India Meteorological Department (IMD) too has mounted a watch for thundershowers breaking out over the central peninsula (Maharashtra and adjoining areas of Andhra Pradesh to Chhattisgarh) for at least three days from Saturday.
This is attributed to west-to-southwesterly flows generated deep down from the peninsular latitudes.
A string of cyclonic circulations has already shown up over west and central India to spearhead weather under their respective regions.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Entire Northeast not disturbed: Lakhera
Aizawl, Mizoram Governor Lt Gen. (rtd) Lakhera today reiterated that the entire Northeast region was not disturbed as most of the mainland Indians considered.
People from outside the region are reluctant to visit NE as they think it is entirely an insurgency-torn area, which is a misconception, he said speaking at the inauguration of a two-day national seminar on ‘the dynamics of culture, society and identity: emerging literatures of Northeast India’ jointly organised by the Mizoram University and the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla.
Lakhera said it was an opportunity for the seminar participants from central India to witness that Mizoram stands out as an island of peace in the sea of insurgency.
He also underlined that NE people have their own problems different from those of the central Indians and hoped to end such concerns in near future.
People from outside the region are reluctant to visit NE as they think it is entirely an insurgency-torn area, which is a misconception, he said speaking at the inauguration of a two-day national seminar on ‘the dynamics of culture, society and identity: emerging literatures of Northeast India’ jointly organised by the Mizoram University and the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla.
Lakhera said it was an opportunity for the seminar participants from central India to witness that Mizoram stands out as an island of peace in the sea of insurgency.
He also underlined that NE people have their own problems different from those of the central Indians and hoped to end such concerns in near future.
Ukhrul devastated by raging fire
UKHRUL, Mar 11 : Many were rendered homeless as a ravaging fire broke out at 12.20 pm this evening at Ukhrul town’s Wino bazar, destroying properties worth crores of rupees. At least six civilians were injured and two of them were taken to the district hospital with minor injuries, while the other four were treated at a private clinic. A young 13-year old girl received after-shocks and was also rushed to the hospital.The whole town was engulfed in smoke as flames soaring up to 50 metres high continued to raze one house after another in this thickly populated posh locality. By the time the fire brigade arrived on the spot at around 12.45 pm, the fire was beyond control. Assisted by the strong wind, it started eating shop after shop within minutes. Roars of cylinder blasts were heard all over and all vehicular movement came to a grinding halt as the inferno started spreading to the wooden buildings across. The Assam Rifles swiftly pitched in their firefighters from the northern direction while the fire brigade and the police, assisted by the civilians fought the fire from the western side. The DIG of B Range, Brig. S Mander personally supervised the rescue operation. Very close to the vicinity were more than 500 students appearing for their HSLC exam. However, the exam carried on as normal.It took more than four hours for the fire brigade assisted by the police, the Assam Rifles and Manipur Rifles to finally bring the flames under control. By the time the flames died down, almost 100 houses of the town’s commercial hub were reduced to cinders. In the midst of the billowing smoke from the rubbles, the scene was replete with signs of agony, loss and helplessness everywhere. The loss of property was estimated at crores of rupees, according to initial estimates. The fire was believed to have started from a tea-hotel.It was reliably learnt that the district civil administration was in the process of arranging emergency ‘relief camps’ for those who lost their homes, the number running into hundreds.A statement from the Assam Rifles said that the commander 10 Sector himself went to the site of the fire and supervised the fire fighting operations. The 10 Sector provided 13 to 15 water browsers, firefighting equipment, recovery vehicles and JCB to ensure the fire was brought under control and the loss of property minimised.Four Assam Rifles columns were placed into operation and the AR played a big role in bringing the fire under control around 4 pm, thus averting any further damage, the AR said.The AR has also provided tents for the displaced persons and opened a kitchen to provide food for over 400 people, along with providing generators for electricity during the night. A medical camp supervised by a number of medical officers has also been planned for March 10 to treat the people affected by the fire and this is addition to the medical help already provided, the statement from the PRO IGAR(S) further said.
Nagaland records more than 60 percent untrained teachers
Dimapur, March 11 : The North East Council (NEC) in its sectoral summit on education expressed serious concern regarding the training of untrained teachers in North East India. A huge backlog of teachers (more than 50% in the North East) appointed over the last several years have remained untrained for a long time. In the case of Nagaland, more than 60% of in-service teachers are yet to be trained; as on January 2008, out of 12,101 elementary and primary teachers in Nagaland, 7,681 were untrained.
“This is a matter of serious concern as the issue is directly linked to quality education to our children. Though various steps have been initiated over the years for the training of the untrained teachers, the issue has not received the desired momentum. There appears to be lack of proper/coherent policy in this regard and, therefore, various initiatives taken so far for the training of untrained teachers have largely remained unsuccessful,” Dr. T Iralu, Regional Director of IGNOU Kohima Regional Centre stated.
Seminar on Training of Untrained Teachers on March 13Thus, in order to discuss various issues and policy options for the successful training of untrained teachers through sharing of experiences across the whole of North East India, IGNOU Kohima Regional Centre, in collaboration with SCERT Kohima, is organising a one day Regional Seminar on ‘Training of Untrained Teachers in North East India: Issues and Challenges’ in Kohima. The Seminar is being sponsored by the Educational Development of the North East Region Unit (EDNERU), IGNOU, New Delhi. It will involve the participation of concerned officials from all the states of North East India (including Sikkim) and will include policymakers, educationists, policy implementation agencies such as SSA, DIET, SCERT, Teachers Training Colleges as well as Education Departments dealing with the training of untrained teachers.
Kateekal Sankaranarayanan, Governor of Nagaland, will be the chief guest at the proposed Regional Seminar to be held on March 13, 2009. Director of School of Education, IGNOU, New Delhi, will also attend the Seminar and present a keynote address on the issue. There will be paper presentations from each of the North Eastern States giving status report of the teachers’ training in their respective states. Regional Directors of IGNOU, North Eastern states, will also share their experiences in dealing with the teachers’ training programs through IGNOU.
The Regional Seminar will be held at the ATI auditorium (and not at the Zonal Council Hall as informed earlier). It will start at 10 am and conclude at 6 pm. The inauguration of the Seminar by the Governor is scheduled from 11 am to 12 noon.
“This is a matter of serious concern as the issue is directly linked to quality education to our children. Though various steps have been initiated over the years for the training of the untrained teachers, the issue has not received the desired momentum. There appears to be lack of proper/coherent policy in this regard and, therefore, various initiatives taken so far for the training of untrained teachers have largely remained unsuccessful,” Dr. T Iralu, Regional Director of IGNOU Kohima Regional Centre stated.
Seminar on Training of Untrained Teachers on March 13Thus, in order to discuss various issues and policy options for the successful training of untrained teachers through sharing of experiences across the whole of North East India, IGNOU Kohima Regional Centre, in collaboration with SCERT Kohima, is organising a one day Regional Seminar on ‘Training of Untrained Teachers in North East India: Issues and Challenges’ in Kohima. The Seminar is being sponsored by the Educational Development of the North East Region Unit (EDNERU), IGNOU, New Delhi. It will involve the participation of concerned officials from all the states of North East India (including Sikkim) and will include policymakers, educationists, policy implementation agencies such as SSA, DIET, SCERT, Teachers Training Colleges as well as Education Departments dealing with the training of untrained teachers.
Kateekal Sankaranarayanan, Governor of Nagaland, will be the chief guest at the proposed Regional Seminar to be held on March 13, 2009. Director of School of Education, IGNOU, New Delhi, will also attend the Seminar and present a keynote address on the issue. There will be paper presentations from each of the North Eastern States giving status report of the teachers’ training in their respective states. Regional Directors of IGNOU, North Eastern states, will also share their experiences in dealing with the teachers’ training programs through IGNOU.
The Regional Seminar will be held at the ATI auditorium (and not at the Zonal Council Hall as informed earlier). It will start at 10 am and conclude at 6 pm. The inauguration of the Seminar by the Governor is scheduled from 11 am to 12 noon.
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