Assam Sends Elite Force To Kaziranga To Protect Rhinos

Eleven rhinos were killed by poachers, including six inside the park and five in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district where the animals migrated due to floods. Another 28 rhinos drowned in the floods that hit the state this year.

Guwahati, Oct 3 : Days after Assam's Kaziranga National Park hit the headlines following a spate in poaching of the one-horned rhinos, the Assam government has decided to rush a 100-member team of the elite Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for the protection of the rare animal.

Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain on Tuesday said a 50-member team of the AFPF had already been dispatched to the national park, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. He added that another 50 personnel of the elite force will be sent to the park within this week.

Hussain also confirmed that a 39 rhinos have died in the state this year either due to floods or poaching.

Eleven rhinos were killed by poachers, including six inside the park and five in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district where the animals migrated due to floods. Another 28 rhinos drowned in the floods that hit the state this year.

The deaths of one-horned rhinos in Assam came to the forefront recently after suspected poachers killed seven rhinos last week in and around the park and chopped off their horns. At least two rhinos were alive when their horns were chopped off.

The spate in rhino killings had forced the Assam government to call for a CBI probe into all the cases of rhino poaching over the last three years. The Assam government had also announced that the army and central para military forces will be deployed in areas adjoining the national park to foil the attempts of poachers.

Hussain also said the rhino population had increased and they have been taken off the "endangered" list. "Due to better forest management and protection, the number of rhinos has risen to 2,505 in the state and 2,290 in Kaziranga alone," he said.

Hussain also slammed allegations of opposition parties like the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said they were trying to rake up the issue of bad forest management.

He also refuted the charges levelled by the AGP and the BJP that the state government is helping illegal migrants to settle inside the buffer zone of the park to increase the Congress vote bank.

"In fact, the erstwhile AGP government under the leadership of then chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in 1996 had issued an order to settle 96 landless families in those areas," Hussain said.

He added that the forest department had been working with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to airlift a rhino, which had strayed into the Rani Chapori area after being washed downstream in the Brahmaputra river.

"Bad weather prevented the IAF chopper from lifting the animal. The IAF had also tried to lift the animal yesterday (Monday)," Hussain said, adding that the forest department is providing the rhino with food and a team of doctors is monitoring its health.

Agartala-Dhaka Bus Service Resumes

Agartala, Oct 2 : The Agartala-Dhaka bus service, which was temporarily suspended in the wake of torching of the 'Moitree' bus of Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) by a mob at Narsingdi in Bangladesh on September 21 last resumed on Monday, official sources said.

Another bus left for Dhaka from Agartala international bus terminus today, the sources said.

The 'Moitree' bus had faced mob wrath during a political clash in the area.

A two-member team of TRTC visited Narsingdi, 70 km from Agartala, on September 25 to lodge a formal complaint with the police there and to conduct an inquiry into the incident, sources said.
'Moitree' is insured and an inquiry was necessary to make a claim for the insurance.

The team brought back the damaged bus.

'Moitree' plies from Agartala to Dhaka on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while 'Shyamoli' from Bangladesh side, shuttles during rest of the week, excepting Sundays.

The authorities had to discontinue the service of 'Moitree' due to lack of spare parts as the only other spare bus was being  repaired, the sources said.

Moitree, with 12 Indians and 10 Bangladeshis on board, was torched by a mob who could not make out it was the bus from the neighbouring country, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran had informed Tripura Chief Secretary Sanjoy Kumar Panda.

The Agartala-Dhaka bus service started in September 2003.

Supreme Court Demands Answers Over Manipur Killings

By Penny MacRae

New Delhi, Oct 2 : India's top court Monday ordered the federal government to respond to allegations that more than 1,500 people have been killed by security forces in an insurgency-hit northeastern state since 1978.

The Supreme Court, which has also ordered the Manipur state government to respond, was acting on a petition filed by a group representing families of 1,528 men, women and children allegedly "executed" by security forces.

The 410-page petition asks for the setting up of a special investigation team comprising of police officers "of integrity" to probe the killings in the tiny state that "should shock the conscience of the entire nation".

"The governments have to respond to the allegations in the petition," Colin Gonsalves, lawyer for the group, told AFP, adding the case would come up again before the Supreme Court on November 4.

The petition is the latest effort in a fight by activists in revolt-racked, heavily militarised Manipur to halt what they say are extra-judicial killings under a law that gives sweeping powers and immunity to security forces.

Alleged victims named in the petition include a 19-year-old man who went to get his scooter fixed and whose body turned up at the morgue with torture marks.

It also mentions a 22-year-old who went looking for a missing cow on his bicycle and was found shot dead.

"We want a proper investigation into these deaths. We need recognition that these people were innocent -- these killings must stop," Babloo Loitongbam, head of Manipur-based Human Rights Alert, said.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act enables security forces to shoot on sight and arrest anybody without a warrant to deal with insurgencies in some northeast states and in Kashmir in the north.

The act has been attacked by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, which says it is a stain on India's democratic credentials.

Earlier this year, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Christof Heyns, called the alleged killings a matter "of serious concern".

The Indian government says it needs the special powers act to protect security forces facing heavily armed militants.

But Loitongbam, who is also a lawyer, said the act has "created an ecology that facilitates killing" in which security forces are encouraged with special awards and promotions to kill innocent people and claim they are militants.

He said the 1,528 alleged victims cited in the petition "is not an exhaustive list -- it's just those people whose details we've been able to gather".

Manipur, which borders Myanmar, is home to 2.5 million people and a myriad of separatist insurgent groups. At least 10,000 people have died during the last three decades of violence, rights groups say.

Manipur's most famous campaigner against the special powers act is Irom Sharmila, dubbed the "Iron Lady of Manipur", who went on a fast 12 years ago after soldiers shot dead 10 civilians at a bus stand.

She now is force-fed by authorities.

China and ISI Touch A RAW Nerve in NorthEast

By Abhishek Bhalla

Chinese and Pakistani intelligence agencies are working in tandem to create mayhem in India's north-eastern region.

Counter-terrorism officials have gathered intelligence that the Chinese agencies are financing and providing assistance to Pakistan's ISI to keep insurgent groups active in the North-East.

A note prepared by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) on the recent unrest in the North-East says: 'ISI is being used by Chinese intelligence agencies as a surrogate.'

China and Pakistani intelligence agencies have been accused of fomenting trouble in the North-East

The note has been forwarded to the home ministry. According to intelligence agencies, Indian insurgent groups are being provided assistance in the form of money and weapons by the Chinese agencies through the ISI.

The issue was also taken up at the conference of the director generals of police held in the Capital recently. Increasing terror incidents in the region, of late, have alarmed the security establishment.
Five blasts have occurred in different northeastern cities in the last two months. Intelligence officials also suspect that the violence in Assam in which more than 80 people were killed could have been part of a 'bigger conspiracy'.

The officials believe that the nexus between the Chinese agencies and the ISI is well organised as it serves the purposes of both sides.

'The ISI doesn't have to pump in its own resources, which are provided by the Chinese. On the other hand, the Chinese intelligence agencies can maintain deniability of any involvement at international forums as there is no direct evidence,' said a home ministry official.

The linkages of the ISI, which has a strong base in states such as Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur, with the Chinese agencies have become a major cause of concern in India.

Experts believe this is a deadly cocktail of terror that is being used to destabilse the country. 'Till the mid 1970s the Chinese were directly involved in creating trouble in North-East.

'Later the ISI started building a network. Now what we have is a deadly mix of Chinese motivation and ISI hostility that is supporting insurgent groups,' Ved Marwah, former IPS officer who also served as governor of Manipur and Mizoram, said.

'The situation is getting from bad to worse. Senior politicians in these states are also linked to insurgent groups,' he added.

Prakash Singh, former director general of the Border Security Force (BSF), said: 'The ISI has always been present there. It's possible that they (ISI and Chinese agencies) have decided to join hands.'
Another issue of concern is the porous Indo-Bangladesh border that has been a safe passage for terrorists wanting to enter North-East.

There is credible evidence that this too has been used effectively by the ISI.

A recent intelligence input about the possibility of a group of terrorists entering Assam from Bangladesh to exploit the volatile situation after the riots in the state is a case in point.

Salaries of Northeast workers Do A Vanishing Act

By Vasudha Venugopal

While many who left for their homes last month haven’t been paid, even those who stayed behind have had to contend with missing dues; contractors say the exodus left them in a fix

All is not well for workers from Northeast India employed in firms across the city. While many of those who rushed back home during the mass wave of panic that engulfed parts of the country last month have been denied salaries for two months, even those who stayed behind are facing the same problem.

Hemanth Buva was among 11 of a total of 27 workers who stayed behind while his friends left for their hometowns in Dhubri district of Assam. However, Hemanth’s employer, a security agency that provides services to 20 companies on Old Mahabalipuram Road, has refused to pay him until he works for two more months. “I stayed back because I did not want to lose my job. The contractor was very angry with us for not telling him that our friends were leaving,” he adds. The company pays a monthly salary of Rs. 10,000 to security personnel.

Hemanth’s contractor Siva Narayanan who hails from Andhra Pradesh says, “We had asked people not to leave. We offered them pick-up and drop service and assured them of safety. Yet some 20 people left. I had to find immediate replacements for them from my State and pay them extra too, because companies don’t compromise on safety.”

Another employee John, who hails from Manipur, had a similar experience. His contractor Lian employs at least 13 people from Manipur and Mizoram at a food court in an IT company, and most of them had remained despite the panic. “None of us have got our salaries. We don’t even know where to go and complain,” said John.

While some employees get paid in the middle of the month, others are paid in the first week. Most who left for their hometowns went between August 15 and 20 — not having received their salaries, and returned by September 2. Some haven’t been paid dues from July, while others haven’t received their salaries for even the 15 days they worked in August.

 Contractors claim that the sudden exodus led to huge losses for them. “Since many of them left without informing us, we could not operate on many days. On most night shifts, our counter was closed because we had only five people, instead of 20,” says Oren Mathew, from Mizoram, who manages workers at a Chinese restaurant in Ascendas.

In other firms, people who did not leave the city have been paid only half their salaries. And those who have returned are now worried. “My cousins working in New Delhi and Chandigarh did not leave the city. I feel I also should not have left,” said Darasath Doru, who is from Assam and worked as a security guard here. He came back last week. “I had left without getting my salary in August and I am happy they have re-employed me. They have asked me to work for two months before they pay me a higher salary.”

General secretary of city-based National Federation of Unorganised Workers R. Geetha, says though labour laws say the responsibility of paying contract employees lies with the contractor, the principal employer must oversee the payment. “If companies don’t do that, workers can take it up with the management,” she said.

However, K. Surendran, an IT company owner in Tidel Park said, “Housekeeping, canteen and security are outsourced to different agencies. Their workers are employed by the contractors and are not on the company’s payroll.”

Over the past 20 days, besides the special trains, seven trains from Guwahati have brought back hundreds of workers who had fled cities including Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore following Bodo-Muslim clashes in Assam in August.

Mizoram Cash-Strapped For Education Reforms

Aizawl, Sep 28 : Chief minister Lal Thanhawla said today that the state's financial condition had prevented his government from implementing the Education Reforms Commission recommendations.

" The Education Reforms Commission was set up with an aim to impart quality education among the students. However, implementing the commission's recommendations is beyond our current financial capacity, " Lal Thanhawla said, while addressing an official function for upgradation of the College of Teachers Education to the Institute of Advanced Study in Education (IASE).

Even though the government put priority to skill development, financial constraints prevented the government from making the desired efforts.

However, his government had made significant achievements in developing sports infrastructures and the establishment of NIT, IIMC, and management institute, Lal Thanhawla said. The institute used to be known as Mizoram Institute of Education or College of Teachers Education.

It was changed to Teachers' Education Approval Board in 2005.

After the Mizoram University Academic Council approved M Ed syllabus, the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) gave its recognition on March 12 this year. The M Ed programme was introduced from August this year. It has 24 trainees for M Ed and 100 for B Ed.

Mizoram Blockade Continues

Aizawl, Sep 28 : The All Barak Youth Students’ Association’s indefinite blockade of NH54 in protest against alleged harassment of migrant workers in Mizoram entered the second day on Thursday, affecting traffic along Mizoram’s lifeline.

On the other hand, the Central Young Mizo Association made a clarion call to citizens to be “prepared for any eventuality”, if the blockade continued any further.

A statement issued today after a central committee meeting of the association asked the people to remain calm.

Any steps to be taken would be under the guidance of the organisation, it added.

Around 8pm, some vehicles came through the barrier and drove into the state.

Kolosib deputy commissioner N. Rai, told The Telegraph that “three or four vehicles came through”.

“There was no force used. But I am yet to be informed whether the blockade has been lifted,” she said.

Assam Blocks Mizoram Highway, Many Stranded

Silchar (Assam), Sep 27 : A number of NGOs and local parties Wednesday began an indefinite blockade of the national highway connecting Silchar of southern Assam with Mizoram to protest against alleged harassment of non-Mizos, leaving commuters stranded on either side.

The NH-306 (formerly NH 54) is the only surface communication link between land-locked Mizoram and the rest of India.

The road blockade was called by All Barak Youth Students' Association (ABYSA) in association with some local non-political parties, and a number of clubs and social organisations.

The agitators put up the blockade Wednesday morning at Lailapur near the Assam-Mizoram border, 450 km west of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

A huge number of vehicles and passengers were stranded on either side of the blockade.

ABYSA chief convener Baharul Islam Barbhuiya said: "Non-Mizo workers working in Mizoram are being harassed for quite some times in the name of Inner-Line Permit (ILP)."

"The persecutions are being carried out by Young Mizo Association (YMA) and some other Mizoram-based NGOs."

He told reporters: "As a result of the harassment, thousands of non-Mizo workers have fled from neighbouring Mizoram during the past few weeks."

The ILP, or the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, has been in force in Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in the northeastern region since 1873.

Any non-domicile person has to obtain the ILP before entering these states.

Barbhuiya said the Mizoram government used to allow non-Mizo workers of the neighbouring states for different jobs in the tribal-dominated state on the basis of work permit issued by the authorities.

The work permits were issued for a period of 15 days and were renewable after the stipulated period.

"Recently the members of YMA and other organisations told the non-Mizo people that such work permit is not a valid document for them to enter any part of Mizoram and work there.

"Subsequently, the YMA cadres have started harassing non-Mizo workers on this pretext, while the government has remained silent," Barbhuiya said.

The ABYSA and its supporting organisations have urged Mizoram authorities to allow workers from outside to work there.

The NGOs have also threatened to intensify the economic blockade against Mizoram if the authorities did not take action against the harassment.

Ethnic tension in southern Assam and adjoining Mizoram deepened earlier this month following destruction of a border pillar by unidentified miscreants.

Several local organisations and NGOs of Cachar district, including ABYSA, have been organising rallies for the past few days to condemn the incident and demanded steps to immediately resolve the border dispute between the two states.

Mizoram, a mountainous state, has a 123-km border with Assam, 66 km with Tripura and 96 km with Manipur -- with which it has no dispute.

It also has an international border of 404 km with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.

The Meghalaya-Assam, Arunachal Pradesh-Assam and Mizoram-Assam boundary disputes occasionally create trouble between villagers, security forces and officials in these states.

The Mizoram government earlier this year had formed an official committee to resolve its boundary disputes with Assam.

Several organisations of Mizoram, including Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), have alleged that the Assam government recently unilaterally set up a border pillar in Mizoram territory "to grab" the state's land.

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