AIDS Killed 177 in Mizoram in 20 Years

Aizawl, Dec 1 : With two people dying of AIDS during October, the killer disease has claimed the lives of 177 people in Mizoram during the last 20 years, according to Mizoram State AIDS Control Society.

The first AIDS case in the remote Northeast Indian state was detected in 1990. Since then cases kept increasing.

According to official records, 177 people have died of AIDS from 1990 till October 2010. The actual number could be much higher as there could have been cases which went unrecorded, said an official in the MSACS.

With an average of 100 fresh cases of HIV detected every month, the MSACS stated that the AIDS scenario in the state is 'disturbing' after Manipur, where the situation is 'very alarming'.

During October, 94 fresh cases of HIV were detected from 3333 blood samples, putting the prevalence rate at 2.82 per cent. HIV prevalence rate in August and September was 2.53 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.

Of the 94 new cases of HIV in October, 67 were men.

Unprotected sex has been the main cause for the alarming rise of HIV/AIDS cases in Mizoram. The record stated that 44 males contracted HIV during last month through sexual intercourse while 23 females did so through the same process. As many as 21 males and 3 females were affected through the use of drugs (sharing syringes).

Since 1990, MSACS has tested 127509 blood samples from which 5151 were found to be positive for HIV. There are 527 people with full-blown AIDS.

Of the 5151 HIV positives, 3265 contracted the virus through unprotected sex. 2107 HIV positives are aged between 25-34 while 1392 are aged between 35-49.

While 1312 of them are between 15-24 years old, 196 are below 14. There are also 143 people living with HIV above the age of 50.

The official report also stated that an estimated 200 babies are born annually with HIV in Mizoram.

Northeast India’s Worst-Kept Secret: Extortion Rackets

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Last week, a major supermarket chain of the country ran foul of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) for apparently trying to resist its extortion demands.

Knowing which way the wind was blowing, the supermarket chain thought better than resisting AASU, and later apologised to the student body.

The episode was yet another instance of business houses yielding to strong-arm tactics used by outfits in the Northeast India to extort “donations” from private parties.

These can range from student bodies and literary organisations to puja and bihu committees, apart from political parties. The other, more dangerous, “donation” seekers are armed underground groups:

MANIPUR: The worst hit, the state is known for the highest number of underground outfits in the country.

While the NSCN(IM), whose general secretary hails from Ukhrul district in Manipur, allegedly collects anywhere between Rs 20 and 30 crore from Manipur, all other groups also heavily depend upon extortion to run their organisations.

Thus “tax” is imposed on traders, transporters, suppliers, contractors and government as well as private employees, hospitals and educational institutions. Conservative estimates put the total sum drained away through extortions at about Rs 100 crore per year.

NAGALAND: It has two major NSCN factions currently in ceasefire mode, and reports of extortions are a regular affair. There have been reports of government employees paying “tax” in fixed percentages based on their pay scale.

Though not many statistics are available as most extortion cases go unreported, with traders and individuals preferring to pay up rather than invite trouble, the police in Dimapur — Nagaland’s trade hub — did register as many as 162 extortion cases in 2009, mostly filed by truck drivers and transport operators.

“Tax” imposed on trucks carrying onions amounts to Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000, those carrying steel pay Rs 12,000, and those carrying medicines up to Rs 25,000.

ASSAM: Though the ULFA is currently at its all-time low (chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and most top leaders are in jail), the outfit is said to be still collecting about Rs 10 crore a month, mostly from tea companies, traders and contractors.

Similarly, though the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) has split and its founder chairman Ranjan Daimary is in jail, its cadres continue to extort money in several districts, including in Guwahati. In the Dima Hasao (erstwhile North Cachar Hills) district, where several hundred crores of rupees of developmental funds has been siphoned off by a nexus of militants, bureaucrats, suppliers and politicians, it was only last week that government doctors received a “tax” notice from the NSCN(IM).

MEGHALAYA: The state too has a huge problem of extortion, though insurgency here is not as big as in Assam or Manipur.

Several underground groups collect money in crores of rupees from traders, particularly those into coal mining.

In September, a district transport officer in Garo Hills was kidnapped after he failed to respond to a notice for Rs 50 lakh from Garo National Liberation Army.

OTHER STATES: While extortion is not a major headache in Mizoram and Tripura, people in certain districts in Arunachal Pradesh are feeling the heat.

Both factions of the NSCN put together allegedly collect about Rs 2 crore a month from traders, contractors and suppliers in Tirap and Changlang districts.

Recently the state home minister alerted businessmen and traders in Itanagar and Naharlagun (the adjoining trade hub) of NDFB cadres launching a major extortion drive.

Nagaland Set For Hornbill Festival

By Jayanta Gupta

Kohima, Dec 1 : “We are on our way to the Hornbill, mate,” Peter Styrus, an Australian citizen told an inquisitive co-passenger at the Kolkata airport on Tuesday morning. For the next 10-odd minutes he explained what the Hornbill Festival at Kisama (near Kohima) is all about. 
 
“All the Naga tribes gather there. It is a great opportunity to learn about the customs and lives of the indigenous people from that state. It’s full of colour,” Styrus explained to an Indian, who seemed to have heard of the occasion for the first time.

By early evening, the lights of Kohima could be seen from many miles away. This was indeed strange for a city that many believe goes to sleep after sundown. Fireworks dazzled in the night sky as youngsters roamed the streets. But then, this was not any other night. It was the eve of a carnival like no other — the Hornbill Festival.

The week long Hornbill Festival kicks off on Wednesday. Apart from several thousand people from various parts of Nagaland and hundreds of others from other states, a large number of foreign tourists have gathered at Kohima to be part of the festivities.

Among them is US consul general Beth A Payne who arrived from Kolkata on Tuesday with a number of her countrymen. Payne will be chief guest during the launch of the Hornbill Music Festival this year.

But what is the festival all about? “It is about bringing all the tribes together, bro. For the next seven days, members of the 16 tribes of Nagaland will gather here and showcase their heritage and culture. There will be live music and dance.

We will have a rock concert. You can taste our cuisine and have lots of rice beer,” laughed Steve, a musician.

There will be a little bit of something for everyone, the organizers promise. Tribute will be paid to those who lost their lives in Kohima during World War II. At the same time, the streets of Kohima will witness scenes of fun and gaiety during the Night Carnival.

Entries have poured in for the Miss Nagaland contest. Among the whackier events is a Naga Chilli-eating contest.

Nagaland seems to be slowly but surely emerging from decades of violence. In the last few months, not a single life has been lost due to infighting between various groups.

However, there is still a long way to go, locals say. Extortion has gone up. Dimapur (62 km from Kohima) witnessed a bandh recently after a businessman was abducted.

In spite of this, there is hope. A large section of the youth has come forward to shun violence and make a new beginning.

Caterpillar Fungus on Radar of International Smugglers

Itanagar, Dec 1 : A rare mushroom grown in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, which is highly valued in China and Tibet as an aphrodisiac and for treating a variety of ailments, has become the target of an international smuggling ring.

Recently 28 Tibetan nationals, including a woman, have been arrested in the Mechukha sub-division in West Siang district by ITBP personnel for allegedly trying to smuggle out the exotic mushroom whose medical name is Cordyceps Sinensis or Caterpillar fungus.

The Caterpillar Fungus is parasitic growing in alpine grass regions like Mechukha and Monigong in West Siang, Tuting in Upper Siang and Taksing in Upper Subansiri bordering China between June and August.

It is known in Tibet as Yartsa Gunbu which means ''summer herb winter worm'', Yarchagumba in Nepal, Yartsa Guenboob in Bhutan and Keera Jhar or Keeda Ghas in India.

"One kg of wild fungus is sold at 30,000 to 60,000 in Nepalese currency while it fetches Rs one lakh in India," Sona Mosing, an elder of the area, said.

A study, conducted by German scholar Dr Gerhard Heller into the traditional healing systems in the state, said the fungus is rare and an exotic medicinal mushroom which is highly prized.

Heller in his writings said the fungus is in high demand in Tibetan, Chinese and traditional herbal folk medicines in which it is used as an aphrodisiac as well as a treatment for a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer..

Indian Govt Arrests Manipur's Top Rebel Leader Meghen

Motihari (Bihar), Dec 1 : For the first time, the Indian government has made public the arrest of RK Meghen alias Sanayaima, Chairman of the banned UNLF, a prominent militant group from Manipur.

It is probably the biggest arrest in recent times.

UNLF had issued a release that their Chairman was arrested in Dhaka in the last week of September.

Meghen led the oldest armed group of Manipur.

UNLF is not only the oldest but also the strongest and richest underground separatist terror group. It has operated from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

CM Confirms ISI's Presence in Meghalaya

Shillong, Dec 1 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Tuesday admitted that the Garo Hills region in the state was being used as a corridor by rebel groups and operatives of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for anti-India activities.

'We cannot deny that we have a problem,' he said adding that the movement of these anti-national elements was a serious concern for the government.

The Chief Minister's statement followed a discussion in the assembly in which former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma said that the region had become a 'hot corridor' of ISI and asked the state government to check the illegal activities.

'The ISI (spies) enter Bangladesh from Pakistan and subsequently enter Garo Hills (bordering Bangladesh) to spread their network in the northeast region,' Sangma told legislators in the assembly during a discussion on the law and order situation.

Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced and prone to frequent infiltration.

'Fake money printed in Pakistan is brought to Bangladesh and subsequently distributed in the entire region through the Garo Hills corridor,' Sangma said.

He said Bhutan and Nepal have imposed a banned on using of Indian Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination currency notes in their territory to prevent circulation of fake notes.

Apart from Pakistani's spy agency, rebel groups from Assam and Bengal also used Garo Hills as their corridor to criss-cross the India-Bangladesh border, he said.

Mizo Bodies Demand Security For Northeast Women

Aizawl, Dec 1 : Influential Mizo organisations have sought the attention of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh over the November 24 gang-rape of a Mizo girl in New Delhi.

Mizo Welfare Association, Delhi Mizo Students Association and the Mizo Christian Fellowship, Delhi have submitted an eight point memorandum to the Prime Minister yesterday.

The Mizo organisations said that the concerned authorities should acknowledge the fact that the incident has once again brought the nation to shame and that women are not safe in the heart of the nation.

The Mizo organisations demanded that the culprits must be immediately brought to justice. It also demanded that the investigation process of the 2005 gang rape incident at Dhaula Kuan should be broadened nation wide and expedited, and resources strengthened to convict the miscreants without fail.

They also demanded that the dignity of the victim must be preserved at all cost. As one such step, the victim must be given substantial financial compensation and a job at appropriate level in the government to enable her to continue to earn her livelihood in a peaceful and respectable environment. The minimalist approach being followed by the Delhi Police in providing safety to women in the city needs thorough revision.

Past instances clearly indicate that preventive measures are being ignored and response of the police deeply inadequate. The Mizo organisations also said security systems should be reviewed immediately in consultation with all the stakeholders to work out a credible and dependable security arrangement for women in the national capital.

To ensure this, the National Commission for Women (NCW) should be involved in the process, they added. The Mizo organisations also said security arrangement for women employees needs to be improved. All companies and employers should be mandated to provide adequate security arrangements for the safety of their employees who have to work late into the night, they demanded.

The Mizo organisations demanded that the Government should work out measures or regulations for providing safety for women living in rented accommodations within the national capital to prevent crimes against women.

Newmai News Network

National Integration Camp Begins in Imphal

Imphal, Dec 1 : A five-day-long National Integration Camp began here on Tuesday with 150 people participating from Nagaland, Tripura, Bihar and Manipur.

The camp is organised by a social body Nehru Yuva Kendra.

Participants appreciated the mingling of different cultures.

"This is the right time that some states, they interchange their cultures, costumes and then they come to know each other. Until and unless we share our views and come forward to know each other, then it will be very hard for us to integrate," said Dameichung, a participant from Manipur's Churachandpur District.

"It is like different-different flowers in the same garden. Like that we are also united through the cultural programme. I wish we can come closer and closer and lastly we can have unity and peaceful co-existence, not only in India but in the whole world," said Paridesh, a participant from Tripura.

S. Bobby Devi, a participant from Manipur's Bishenpur District believed that such camps are very informative as they get to learn many new things.

"We have gained knowledge, which we do not get through education. Only through such event on integration gives a practical insight of the knowledge," said Devi.

Cultural and interactive programmes are major events that would take place during the five-day camp. (ANI)