Manipur Assembly demands fresh census

Imphal, August 2 :The Manipur Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution demanding fresh census for the state, cancelling Census 2001.

The resolution was passed late yesterday after a day-long deliberations on the issue. Cutting across party lines the members were unanimous that the 2001 census was incorrect and full of flaws.

Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh said Census 2001 was full of discrepancies as abnormal growth rates were found in some sub divisions like Paomata, Purul, Maram of Senapati district.

Most members felt that the census was done at the table without going to the ground.

The House further resolved that a moratorium should be imposed on all the delimitation exercises until fresh census was published. It also resolved that pending publication of the fresh census, a status quo of the existing Assembly constituencies be maintained and they be exempted from Delimitation ( Amendment) Act 2003.

Manipur bird flu outbreak, Finger points to Burma(Myanmar)

New Delhi July 31: With close to two lakh birds culled in the northeast State of Manipur, fingers are now being pointed to Myanmar from where the affected birds may have entered India through the 1600-km long porous border. The Centre has already alerted neighbouring Mizoram to check illegal smuggling of hens from across Myanmar where incidents of bird flu outbreak have been more often. Manipur, along with Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, shares border with Myanmar. "Government of India has issued an advisory to the northeast States to restrain from imposing any restriction on the Inter-State movement of poultry and poultry product and intensify surveillance especially vigilance on the border with the countries that have reported outbreak of avian influenza," a release from the ministry of Agriculture stated. A day before India confirmed the outbreak of bird flu on July 25 after samples sent by Chingmeirong Ira poultry farm in Manipur's East Imphal district tested positive, there were reports of its outbreak in south Myanmar. There were also reports of bird flu outbreak in Myanmar during February, April and June this year, and the latest outbreak is reported as recent as Monday in southeast Myanmar. Meanwhile, the Centre on Tuesday, confirmed the culling of 1.85 lakhs of poultry birds with operations of control and containment operations continuing on Tuesday. Culling and disposal will cover all 86 sectors in the 0 to 5 kms zone followed by mopping, clean up and disinfections, the government release stated. The government has also refuted the reports of 'unusual' deaths of birds from East and West Imphal districts of Manipur or in any part of the country.

13 ISI agents arrested in Asom

Guwahati, June 22 (UNI): The Army today arrested 13 suspected ISI agents, four of whom were Hindus, in North Cachar district of Asom.

Defence sources said acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Army arrested the agents - most of whom hailed from Rajasthan - from different parts of the Haflong, the district headquarters.

The accused, identified as Lakshmi Narayan Sarma (Rajasthan), Md Islam (Rajasthan), Md Isan Sheikh (Rajasthan), Md Rekibuddin (Rajasthan), Abdul Khaleq (Karimganj, Asom), Mahabir Sarma (Rajasthan), Bajrang Sheikh (Rajasthan), Zakir Hussain (Karimganj), Abdul Salam (Karimganj), Naresh Sarma (Karimganj), Meijul Lashkar (Karimganj), Abdul Talukdar (Karimganj) and Surya Tantubau (Cachar, Asom), had been staying separately in rented houses. Phones and incriminating documents seized from their possession suggestED that they haD been maintaining links with fundamentalist elements in UAE, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

However no arms or ammunition were recovered from their possession.

The Army suspected the agents intended to establish links with the local militant outfits during their stay in the secluded hill district. The accused had been handed over to the police, and investigation was on to unearth their credentials. The agents, who had come to the state three months back, had been working in shops, hotels, electronic outlets and as tailors. Noting that the arrests have pointed to the growing network of fundamentalist elements in the state, defence sources hinted that the revelations of the accused could lead to more arrests.

RSS behind Asom blast: ULFA

Guwahati, June 14 (UNI): The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) today accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of engineering yesterday's blast at Hajo, about 50 km from here, which killed two people and injured 45 others. After having denied any hand in the blast at the heart of a market in Hajo, ULFA's 'military spokesperson' Raju Barua said in an emailed statement, ''The blast was carried out by the students wing of the RSS at the behest of Asom Public Works (APW) chief Abhijeet Sarma.'' ''ULFA has off and on apprised the people about the blue print made by the RSS to trigger communal and ethnic division among the Assamese people. For this purpose, the Hindu body has specially trained its activists,'' ULFA spokesperson stated.Slamming the APW, an anti-ULFA organisation campaigning against the outfit in Asom, Mr Barua said the APW has been engaged in a silent anti-Asom war. ULFA also claimed that a rebel Dibjyoti Kalita, who was killed in an encounter with police at Guwahati yesterday, and the three accused arrested by police at Hajo after the blast had no links with the outfit. Two people were killed yesterday when an IED, planted on a bicycle, exploded at the Buldudh market at Hajo at around 1220 hrs when the market was teeming with activities. Over 45 people, including several minors, were injured in the blast which occurred barely ten hours after Guwahati police gunned down a rebel, arrested another and seized a huge cache of arms in separate raids in the city.

Cancer claims 483 lives every year in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jun 7 : Mizoram has the highest incidence of cancer in the country with 483 people dying every year from the dreaded disease in the state since 2003.Around 1,079 new cancer cases are reported in the state annually, a senior doctor of Aizawl Civil Hospital said Wednesday quoting the population-based Cancer Registry records.Eric Zomawia, senior specialist in Pathology department of Aizawl Civil Hospital and the head of Regional Cancer Centre here, said that Mizoram has the highest incidence of cancer as per the records of the cancer registry in the country.Experts claimed that extensive use of tobacco, especially smoking by the Mizos caused most of the cancer cases.Meanwhile, the state government had mooted a project to establish Cancer Hospital at Zemabawk near here.The state government also had submitted a proposal to the Centre for establishment of an oncology wing in Lunglei Civil Hospital in South Mizoram.

Kingfisher now eyes growing NE market

New Delhi, Jun 7 : Close on the heels of its Air Deccan acquisition, Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines will bid to partner the North Eastern Council (NEC), which is mulling a separate airline for the northeastern region with a private carrier. Other private carriers are likely to decide on bidding soon.Constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1971, the NEC is the nodal agency for economic and social development of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.Under the proposal, the private airline will provide not only aircraft and scheduled services but also maintenance and engineering support at airports in the region. NEC will provide financial support for these operations. According to sources, NEC has reserves of Rs 2,000 crore.“Our ATR fleet is prepared to fly provided we get approval,” a Kingfisher source said. Kingfisher has a fleet of 29 aircraft, of which eight are ATRs.At present, 11 destinations in the northeast are connected by eight operators, which operate 258 flights a week.However, a senior ministry official feels there is no need to start a separate airline for the region.Since traffic has more than doubled since 2000, fares have also registered a considerable decline.The government has also issued no objection certificates to Sky King Airlines to operate scheduled services and Surya Airlines to operate non-scheduled services in the region.

Landmine Rally Ends With Lathis And Teargas

Written by Thangkhanlal Ngaihte
Saturday, 24 March 2007

New Delhi: It is yet another beautiful day in New Delhi and yet another day of chaotic protests, slogans, placards, Ibobi Singh-down-down and later police lathis and teargases. The protest rally from Jantar Mantar to Parliament Street held today under the aegis of Kuki Students Organisation, Delhi against atrocities allegedly committed on the Kuki civilians in Chandel district by the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) seems to be organized out of frustration and desperation rather than hopes of immediate succour. And the desperation showed in the end, when the rallyst clashed with riot police, leading to unprecedented police brutalities brought down on the agitators.
No details are available about the injured and those in police custody as this report is being written, but indications are that up to 270 are still be under police custody and an undetermined number of people injured. About 20 people were in hospital with about half of them in serious condition. At least two girls are reportedly still unconscious. Sources also said Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul and other senior police officials had also visited the injured as this report is being filed.

As the hundreds of placard-holding marchers reached Parliament Street around 2 pm, they were greeted by uniformed policemen in riot gear, standing behind multi-tiered barricades. The marchers, holding placards and holding hands, with traditional drum chiming in the background, rushed onwards and after about 10 minutes of struggle, the first barricades were gone.

Afterwards, a meeting was held at the spot where representatives of various students' organizations, human rights groups and social bodies spoke. Most of them strongly condemned the Ibobi Singh government which this tragedy afflicting the tribals since along time; and the UNLF for brutalizing the hill people this way. They also lambasted the Meitei civil society organizations and human rights bodies, which they charged remained passive spectators and even abettors to the unfolding tragedy. Slogans demanding imposition of Presidents' rule in the state and granting of autonomy to the tribals rent the air. Effigies of chief minister Ibobi Singh and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were burnt.

As the meeting wore on, words came that the representatives who sought audience with either the Prime Minister or President were denied the same and that they could not have even submitted the memorandum. Around 5 pm, an enraged crowd surged forward at the barricades. By that time, re-inforcements of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Police had arrived along with water cannons. Stones, bricks and fragments of wood fly about, soon followed by firing of tear gases. As the police broke through the barricades, it was a free for all. Every northeast-looking men and women were targeted, beaten, stomped on and hit with sticks. The police chased the agitators till in front of the Janata Dal(United) office at Jantar Mantar Road and beyond. This correspondent saw many people, including girls and elderly people who had entered the buses by then, dragged out and beaten viciously and stomped on with boots. Only very few, who managed to hide inside tents set up around the area escaped the police fury. Some innocent northeasterners, who happened to be in the area for other purposes, were also held by the police.

Today's rally was the second on Chandel landmines and the alleged deportation of about 450 Kukis housed at a refugee camp at Laijang village on March 13. The first rally was held on March 5. The villagers were taken to Myanmar by cadres of UNLF in connivance with elements of the Myanmarese junta and their whereabouts are not yet known, according to KSO sources. The memorandum today demanded action against the underground UNLF, resignation of CM Ibobi Singh, clearing of Manipur hills of valley-based militants, apart from others.

As for media reports about allegations of deportations being found false by a group of Imphal-based reporters, KSO sources here said that meeting in which the reporters took part was arranged by UNLF area commander Pathou, and that the said villagers were saying what was quoted under coercion. This source, which refused to be named due to obvious reasons, also said that the UNLF had arranged a feast of one pig and a cow during that contrived meeting at Khangtung village.


Report: Thangkhanlal Ngaihte
New Delhi.