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October07, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]KERALA HIGH COURT CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE >> |
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MANIPUR WATCH: Patil Sings Unconditional Talks Tune The Sangai Express, October 05, 2004, Tuesday 1) Patil sings unconditional talks tune Guwahati, Oct 4 : Declaring that a multi-pronged strategy was being worked out to check insurgency in the North East, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today said doors for talks with militants were always open for negotiations but it should be unconditional. "We are prepared to sit for talks with insurgents but we cannot talk to a group which is demanding independence. There should be no conditions for talks", he told a press conference here at the end of his two-day visit to violence-hit Assam and Nagaland. Patil said that the doors for talks were not shut but "our primary duty is to protect the lives of the people". A multi-pronged strategy was being worked out to combat terrorism and there was a proposal that every State in the region should have a nodal officer who would coordinate among themselves to deal with the menace effectively, said Patil, who accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visited the violence hit areas of the State. Condemning the militant strikes as "cowardly and dastardly acts", he said those involved in these attacks would be dealt with firmly. "We will take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents do not take place in future". "Cooperation of all the State Governments was required and they must act and function unitedly to deal with the situation effectively??™??™, Patil said adding the Centre will extend all possible help to the State Governments in all possible manner. Asked about the possibility of external forces being behind the attack, the Home Minister said, "we should not jump to conclusions and since investigations are on, I would not like to comment on it". He said vital clues have been gathered about the Dimapur blasts but these cannot be disclosed now. Asked about Bhutan type operations in neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar to dismantle militant camps in those countries, Patil said "we are looking into it". On the demand for additional security forces for Assam, he said that it will be sent immediately. The Home Minister also said "we should not find faults with the State police because by criticising them we will be protecting the criminals". He said the trend in the North East is that insurgents are out to terrorise people "but we are prepared to deal with it effectively and must do it unitedly". Patil said "we shall stand together. They (the terrorists) are bad people but we shall have to be prepared for it". "We will come to correct conclusions and take steps but the situation should not deteriorate further and lead to further violence", the Home Minister said. PTI ------------------------------------------------------------ The Sangai Express, October 05, 2004, Tuesday 2) Bodies support NESO??™s demands IMPHAL, Oct 4 : The Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights has expressed support and solidarity with the demands of North East Students' Organisation and its 12 hour bandh call in the entire North East. In a statement, the rights body stated that the issues raised by NESO such as repeal of Armed Forces Spe- cial Powers Act, resolving the illegal influx of migrants from the across the international borders and employ- ment guarantees for the people in different institutions based in the region are genuine human rights concerns which demands im- mediate redress by the Government of India. It also condemned the bomb blasts at Dimapur and Assam and said that such kind of act should be condemned by one all. The urgency of the situations require the Govern- ment of India to seriously prioritize its machinery to address the genuine demands and aspiration of the people by arriving at appropriate political settlements instead of justifying intensification of militarization through such failure to protect the lives and properties of the people in the region, it said. NPMHR also support the NESO call for closing down of the various counter-insurgency training centers in the region. It is a total paradox when the so call democratic Indian state is promoting and selling its expertise on counter-insurgency to other countries across the world while cru-shing the democratic dema- nds of its people through military means denying the basic human dignity. The statement further said that the North east region should be freed from being used as an experimental lab for the benefits of some few vested interests. Let not the blood of our martyred brothers and sisters be merely a blemish in the soil. It added that it issued the statement to express solidairt with NESO initiative for a nonviolent and democratic demonstration on October 5 to press against the apathy and insensitive attitude of the Government of India towards the peoples aspiration of the north east region including the Naga homeland. Meanwhile, the Flemish Support Group for Indigenous Peoples, express its profound sorrow and shares its sympathy with the victims of the bomb blasts at Dimapur Railway Station and Hong Kong Market, as well as with their families. KWIA calls on the authorities not to let this horrible crime unpunished but to take swift action to identify the culprits and subsequently punish them according to law. All Assam Manipuri Students??™ Union has extended its full support to the 12-hour North East bandh call- ed by NESO. The central committee of the Union has taken a decision in this regard and appealed to the people to support the bandh. Birmangol College Students??™ Union, Sawombung and Angom Leikai Union Club, Khurai Angom Leikai, Iril Mapal have also announced their decision of supporting the NESO-sponsored North East general strike. http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/News_pages/Local_page-06.html ------------------------------------------------------------ The Sangai Express, October 05, 2004, Tuesday 3) Blasts continue to draw flaks from many Act of terrorism : PREPAK IMPHAL, Oct 4 : The proscribed PREPAK has strongly condemned the twin bomb blast at Dimapur Railway Station and Hong Kong market on October 2 killing scores of innocent people and injuring several others. Describing the blast as an act of terrorism, PREPAK in a statement today said all the people living in North Eastern region should condemn the incident. Reacting to Union Home Minister Shivaraj Patil??™s remarks made during his visit at the blast site wherein he insinuated that all militant groups in the region are terrorist organisations, the outfit said it only shows that the India Government has a hand in the blasts. The condemnation expressed by UNO general secretary Kofi Annan over the incident was reasonable. However, dubbing all the insurgent groups in the North Eastern region as terrorist organisations is objectionable, the statement said. The insurgent groups operating in the region are not terrorists but revolutionary organisations fighting for independence with clear cut goals, aspirations and ideologies, PREPAK asserted. India Government is only designing the series bomb blasts to divert the attention of the people from their demand for revocation of AFSPA from the region and to mislead them on revolutionary movement, PREPAK charged. NWUM, TSL condemn blasts IMPHAL, Oct 4 : The Naga Women??™s Union, Manipur (NWUM) and the Imphal Tangkhul Shanao Long have strongly condemned the twin bomb blast triggered by militants at Dimapur on October 2 killing many innocent persons. In a statement, the president of the NWUM said such act of terrorism and violence have no place in a peace loving society. NWUM also appealed to the bandh supporters of NESO on October 5 to give free passage to the delegates/participants coming from different districts to attend the NWUM conference at Komlathabi in Chandel district. In another statement, the Imphal Tangkhul Shanao Long also described the twin blast as an act of terrorism and appealed to the authorities concerned to book the culprits and punish them fittingly so that such act of terrorism do not occur in future. The two oganisations also shared the grief of the bereaved families and prayed for speedy physical and mental recovery of those who sustained injuries in the blasts. The twin blast at the Dimapur railway station and Hong Kong market had claimed a number of lives. http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/News_pages/Local_page-01.html ------------------------------------------------------------ The Sangai Express, October 04, 2004, Tuesday 4) Opp rides anti-AFSPA wave IMPHAL, Oct 4 : Asserting that voting for the Congress party in the upcoming by election would tantamount to indirectly suppor- ting the imposition of AFSPA in the State, leaders of the Opposition Political Parties Forum have today appealed to the electorates of Konthoujam to vote for the Forum's common candidate and help teach the Cong led SPF Govt a lesson. Speaking at the flag hoisting function of the Opposition's common candidate K Ranabir today, MPP president O Joy urged the electorates of Kon-thoujam Assembly Constituency to take the by election very seriously and think twice before voting for the Congress candidate. The up-coming election will play a very crucial role in ending the deadlock over the removal of AFSPA from the State, he explained and added that the Forum has put up a common candidate in the upcoming by election to fight for the complete removal of AFSPA from the State. Supporting or voting for the Congress candidate in the upcoming by polls will make all the sacrifices made by the meira paibis and the students over the past two/three months meaningless and useless, asserted O Joy adding that there was no reason why the Konthou-jam public should vote for the Congress' candidate when the whole country is speaking out against the Congress led SPF Govt for refusing to lift the dreaded AFSPA from the State. BJP MLA BD Behring who also spoke on the occasion urged the electorates to be cautious and to be alert against the sinister designs of the Congress workers who would be using both money as well as muscle power to capture the Konthoujam AC seat in the upcoming by poll. Appealing to the public of Konthoujam Constituency to participate actively in the upcoming election and not fall prey to the threats made by various organisations, Behring said that the public should rise as one and vote against the Congress candidate and teach them a lesson for standing against the wishes of the people. Asserting that it was high time for the public to teach the Congress party a lesson, DRPP working president RK Anand said that the public should not let the opportunity pass wasted. Mention may be made here that MP Dr Meinya was elected through the DRPP ticket from the Konthoujam AC in the last general elections but later on joined the Congress party. MLA Dr Nimaichand Luwang who also spoke stated that the Opposition political parties forum would take up the issue of removal of AFSPA from the state on the first day of the Winter Session of the State legislative Assembly and further added that voting for the Congress in the upcoming polls would send negative feelings to all the people who have been supporting the demand for repealing of AFSPA from Manipur. Chief Minister had flatly refused to hold any Assembly session for discussing the AFSPA issue despite repeated appeals from the Forum. The function was also attended by leaders of various political parties included in the Forum. http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/News_pages/Local_page-04.html ------------------------------------------------------------ Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (CHRO) 3, Rams' Cottage Ambalathumukku Pettah Thiruvananthapuram-695024 Kerala South India Ph.: 0471-2476262 www.humanrightsindia.com www.humanrightskerala.com ------------------------------------------------------ INDIA THINKERS NET quote The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. The mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few to ride them. Thomas Jefferson ------------------------------------------------------ |
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| << October05, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]POTA,Caste,Nagaland watch |
October07, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]KERALA HIGH COURT CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE >> |
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