Lalthanhawla Gets Taekwondo Black belt

By Manoj Anand

Aizawl, Jan 16 : In what has been seen as a rare appreciation to his love for sports, the South Korean government has conferred the black belt degree in taekwondo to Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla.

Master Lee Jeong Hee, a general sports manager under the embassy of Republic of Korea in Delhi conferred the honorary belt to 73-year oldchief minister on behalf of the Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Federation.

It is significant that before Mr Lal Thanhawla, the federation had conferred this honorary degree to only one Indian — Shah Rukh Khan.

In an obvious attempt to promote taekwondo in India, the South Korean government however intends to confer honorary black belt to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi also.

Disclosing this to reporters at Aizawl, the renowned taekwondo teacher and sports manager of Korean embassy Master Lee Jeong Hee said,

“Mizos, who have similar physical features with Koreans, have the capabilities to be globally-known in this form of martial arts.”

Master Lee, a sixth-dan blackbelt in taekwondo, sent to promote taekwondo in India by World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and South Korea government, is in Mizoram to coach Mizo taekwondo fighters for six days, starting from Sunday.

Fresh Death Of Fowls, Culling Continues in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 16 : Fresh deaths of domesticated fowls have been reported in Meghalaya, even as the culling of birds in a three-kilometre radius of the bird-flu epicentre of Williamnagar in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills entered its third day Sunday, an official said.

More than 2,321 birds, including domesticated fowls, were culled and buried with lime and bleaching powder in 10 villages within the three-kilometre radius of the government-run farm at Williamnagar - the epicentre of H5N1 virus, the official said.

"The culling exercise would continue in 10 more villages within the three-kilometre radius of the farm. We are hopeful to complete this exercise in a span of another three days or so," Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Director D. Lyngwa told IANS.

Besides, the 13-member rapid response team have destroyed total 892 eggs and 850 kilograms of feeds during the two days, he said.

The government had recently sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal after more than 3,000 birds died in the past few weeks at the farm in Williamnagar.

Meanwhile, there have been fresh reports of death of domesticated fowls outside the culling area in and around the district headquarters.

"It is difficult to quantify the exact number of deaths because the villages have not officially informed us but nonetheless surveillance teams have been deployed in those areas to monitor the health of the birds," East Garo Hills District Magistrate Pravin Bakshi told IANS.

Expressing concerns on dumping of dead fowls into the Simsang river by villagers, Bakshi said a special team have launched an awareness campaign, urging villagers to bury their dead birds in a deep pit with lime to prevent the H5N1 virus from spreading to humans.

Though there has been no report of the infection spreading to humans, the district official said health workers are conducting house-to-house surveillance to confirm if any person is infected with H1N1 virus.

The state health and family welfare department rushed a micro-biologist and a pathologist to Williamnagar.

"A team of specialists is stationed at Williamnagar to monitor human health in view of the birds testing positive for H5N1. The government will provide all necessary medicines," said state medical chief A.C. Hazarika.

The government has asked all districts to monitor the health of all poultry. The movement and sale of poultry and poultry products from the affected area has been stopped.

Mizoram Asked To Hold Talks With HPC-D

Aizawl, Jan 14 : The Centre has asked Mizoram chief secretary Vanhela Pachuau to reopen peace negotiations with Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic).

Confirming the news, state home minister R. Lalzirliana told this correspondent today that he had earlier ruled out holding any peace dialogues with the HPC(D), which sprang up after the militant Hmar People’s Convention (HPC) reached a settlement with the state government in 1994, following which 375 of its cadres surrendered.

The Union home ministry’s instruction came recently, after the state government did not renew the six-month suspension of operations agreement with the HPC(D) clamped on November 11, 2010 on the plea that the rebels were insisting on the inclusion of an overseas Hmar tribal Christian missionary, Rochunga Pudaite, in their negotiating team.

Chief minister Lalthanhawla had resented the inclusion of Pudaite in the peace talks, saying that he was “foreigner” as he had already taken up US citizenship.

The state government has informed the Centre that it would adhere to its instructions and pursue peace talks with the Hmar rebels.

However, the chief minister has pointed out to the Union home ministry that the state would have to first ascertain with which HPC(D) faction it should have a dialogue.

The Centre had asked the outfit to surrender in the winter of 2010 before peace talks could be started with the Mizoram government.

The internecine feuds of HPC(D) has forced the state government to nurse doubts about a positive outcome even as it holds the fresh peace dialogues with the Hmar insurgents.

The HPC(D), according to the Central intelligence agencies in Aizawl and Haflong, are now a divided house with the present leadership split up in two camps.

While its founder president Lalhmingthanga Sanate is leading one faction, the other is led by John F. Hmar, an important member of the 12-member executive council of the undivided HPC.

The founder president of the outfit, Lalhmingthanga Sanate, was “impeached” by the executive council of HPC(D) on September 29 last year for signing a “deed of agreement” with the Kuki National Organisation, an outfit active in Manipur, Mizoram and Assam’s Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts, without its permission.

John F. Hmar, who was holding the powerful post of publicity secretary of the HPC(D), is now the chief of the rival faction of the outfit.

Mizo Women Urged To Join Politics

Aizawl, Jan 14 : Mizo women have outnumbered their male counterparts in the state electoral rolls, but still they remain unrepresented in the state assembly house.

“You have all the qualities. All you need to participate in politics is determination and sacrifice,” said parliamentary secretary P C Lalthanliana.

He was speaking at a ‘dialogue on women in politics: issues & challenges’ organised by Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan (PMSA), under the aegis of Women in Governance (WinG), Mizoram.

The socio-political life of Mizos can be broadly divided into two, pre and post Christianity, according to the parliamentary secretary.

”Before Christianity, the status of women in Mizo society was extremely low. Christianity has brought about a change. Now Mizo women have become as able as men in the fields of economy, education, churches and social organisations,” he said.

”It is high time that Mizo women get rid of their inferiority complex. With women outnumbering men even in the state electoral roll, women can reach greater heights in politics if there is unity among them.”

According to Prof Lalneihzovi, adviser to PMSA, failure to ratify the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution by the state assembly resulted in poor representation of women in the local government and the state assembly.

At the village council level in Mizoram, the representation of women is hardly two percent, she lamented.

“In the Mizo district council under Assam government, women constituted only 0.23 per cent. It improved to 6.06 per cent when Mizoram became Union Territory in 1972. However, the representation of women in Mizoram state assembly (from 1986) was only 0.4 per cent at the most. In most of the times, it is nil,” she said.

No Mizo woman has been elected to the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, she pointed out. Even in the service sector under state government, Central Government and other agencies in Mizoram, women constituted only 23.61 per cent.

According to statistics in 2005, there were only 579 female group A officers under the state government against 2369 male group A officers.

The PMSA has submitted a memorandum to the state government to implement 33 per cent women reservation in the local councils in Aizawl and village councils in the rest of the state.

It may be mentioned that since Mizoram became Union Territory in 1972 (later state in 1986), there have been only three women MLAs; Thanmawii (1978), K Thansiami (1979) and Lalhlimpuii (1987).

Land-Owners Complain Against Indo-Bangla Land Swap

Shillong, Jan 14 : Influential NGOs and landowners along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya on Friday aired their dissatisfaction with the historic Indo-Bangladesh land agreement under which the state conceded 41 acres of land to the neighbouring country.


"We are not satisfied with the land swap deal signed by India as we stand to lose the maximum amount of land," G H Kharshanlor, chairman of Coordination Committee on International Border (CCIB), said.

The CCIB, a conglomeration of influential NGOs like the KSU, FKJGP, HNYF besides others, met Chief Secretary W M S Pariat to convey their demands.

Under the land boundary accord inked between India and Bangladesh during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka last September, Meghalaya gained 240 acres of land that were adversely held by the neighbouring country.

Questioning the nature of the land deal, the CCIB said that "out of a total of 559.70 acres of 'land under adverse possession' (as per government records) 281 acres has been settled in favour of India while Bangladesh got 41 acres of land".
KSU general secretary and CCIB member Hamlet Dohling alleged there are no records for the remaining 278 acres of land.

"The land swap was done only by the government agencies without taking into consideration the views and records of landowners along the Indo-Bangladesh border," Dohling said.

Even the government-constituted CCIB Forum was not taken into consideration while undertaking the survey of land, he said while demanding fresh surveys to re-align the actual zero line along the international border.

Poultry Culling Begins in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 14 : A 13-member rapid response team Thursday began culling poultry birds at a farm in East Garo Hills district of Meghalaya after the birds tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus, an official said.

"The culling operation started this evening, and we are hopeful to dispose of around 560 birds remaining in the government-run poultry farm at Williamnagar," said Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Director D. Lyngwa.

"We are hopeful that the rapid response team completes the culling operations tonight (Thursday night) itself," Lyngwa told IANS.

The government had recently sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, after more than 3,000 birds died in the past few weeks at a farm in Williamnagar, the district headquarters of East Garo Hills.

Though there has been no report of the infection spreading to humans, the health and family welfare department rushed a micro-biologist and a pathologist to Williamnagar after the HSADL Wednesday sent a positive report of the H5N1 virus.

"A team of specialists has reached Williamnagar and they will stay there to monitor human health in view of the birds testing positive for H5N1. The government will provide all necessary medicines," said state medical chief A.C. Hazarika.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who chaired an emergency meeting with top government officials following the detection of bird flu, said the government has taken all steps to prevent further outbreak of the deadly virus.

"We were caught by surprise. The government is trying to find out the link to the outbreak of the virus on the farm from the surroundings or surrounding states," Sangma told journalists.

The government has asked all districts to monitor the health of all poultry. The movement and sale of poultry and poultry products from the affected area has been stopped.

Hasina in Tripura Today

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Guwahati, Jan 11 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will arrive on a two-day visit to Agartala, the capital of Tripura, on Wednesday, in what will be the first visit of a foreign PM to the Northeastern state.

Hasina, who will be conferred a honorary D Litt by the Tripura University during her trip, is being accompanied by a huge delegation, that includes her country’s foreign minister Dipu Moni. Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana is also part of the delegation.

The Bangladesh PM, who arrives Wednesday afternoon, will address a meeting of business captains in the evening before attending a cultural function at the Raj Bhavan. On Thursday, she will be be conferred an honorary D Litt during the ninth convocation of the Tripura University. She flies back to Dhaka the same afternoon.

“It is a landmark visit that will not only strengthen the bond between India and Bangladesh on the Northeastern front, but also give a big fillip to bilateral trade — of which Tripura will certainly be the biggest beneficiary,” Tripura industry minister Jiten Choudhury said on Tuesday.

“Bangladesh has already agreed to provide us access to Chittagong Port for movement of goods to and from India through road and rail. Both countries have also agreed to operationalise the Sabroom (Tripura)-Ramgarh (Bangladesh) land custom station, which is only about 75 kilometres from Chittagong Port. This will make transit through Bangladesh a reality, and make Tripura the Gateway to the Northeast,” Choudhury said.

Issues that are likely to come up during the trade and business meet include transit of Indian goods from Kolkata to Tripura through Bangladesh, development of road communication and other infrastructure as well as land custom stations at the international border.

“Bangladesh allowed us to use the Ashuganj port to bring in over-dimensional cargo for ONGC’s Palatana power project last year. We want this facility at Ashuganj port to become a permanent arrangement,” said M L Debnath, president, Tripura Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Fire in Guwahati Refinery, 8 Injured

Guwahati, Jan 11 : Fire broke out inside the Guwahati Refinery complex following the burst of the slob oil tank number 56 of the Refinery’s tank firm around 7 this evening. However, the fire was brought under control speedily.

Five fire tenders immediately rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control within about half an hour’s time. Eight persons injured in the incident have been rushed to the Refinery Hospital till the filing of this report, while IGP CWR GP Singh said that the exact number of persons injured in the incident is yet to be ascertained.

Deputy General Manager (Human Resources) of the Refinery WR Barbora, accompanied by Deputy General Manager (Production) Gautam Das Gupta, told reporters that a multi-disciplinary enquiry committee has been formed with the officials from the refinery operations, safety, maintenance, electrical and mechanical departments to go into the incident.

However, contradicting the claim of the anti-talk faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) that it had triggered the blast in the tank firm of the Refinery, the DGM (HR) of the Refinery ruled out any kind of sabotage.

IGP CWR, who rushed to the spot immediately after the incident had taken place, also ruled out possibility of any sabotage, saying, the tank is too deep and there is remote chance of any sabotage.

Some refinery employees alleged that welding work was going on for a new crude chamber near the tank. A spark from the welder’s nozzle caused the blast in the tank. When the tank went off, around 200 persons were working at the site.

Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (Metro) Asutosh Agnihotri also visited the site immediately after the incident and inspected the spot along with the senior civil and police officials.

A large number of people gathered in front of the Refinery after the fire broke out. The refinery workers as well as the people of the locality rushed out of their houses immediately after the fire broke out. The administration closed the road leading to the refinery but the flow of crowd could not be checked.

The people alleged that the refinery authorities failed to take adequate precautionary and safety measures. They also alleged that the refinery authorities could not arrange for adequate number of ambulances to deal with any such eventuality.