Gorkha Soldiers in Amritsar before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny

Gorkhas soldiers in 1880s

5th Gurkhas during 1880s

5th Gurkhas in 1896 drum mentions Burma rifles as well!

An incedental but deliberate I presume crossing of kukri by 2nd Gurkhas in 1883

A rare photo of Gorkha troops in action at a Burma village in WWII

click on the photo to enlarge

53,000 and counting: Number of Chinese children taken ill by tainted milk rises

FROM SIFY NEWS

Chinese families with their babies rush to a hospital for checkups in Chongqing. Nearly 53,000 children in China have been sickened by milk powder contaminated by an industrial chemical, the government said on Monday, dramatically ramping up its previous figures.

The number of children in China taken ill by dairy products tainted with the banned industrial chemical melamine has jumped to nearly 53,000, the government said on Sunday as it vowed to crack down on those responsible for one of China`s worst food safety scandals in years.

More than 80 percent of the 12,892 children hospitalised in recent weeks were 2 years old or younger, the Health Ministry said in a statement posted on its website late Sunday. Four children have died and 104 of the hospitalized children are in serious condition.

Another 39,965 children received outpatient treatment at hospitals and were considered `basically recovered,` the Ministry said.

The Health Ministry said that most of the hospitalised were sickened by powdered milk and baby formula. It said most of the sick children consumed baby formula from one company, the Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co. The dairy is at the center of the scandal.

Prachanda attends President Bush reception

FROM ANI

Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda attended a reception hosted by US President George W. Bush and Laura Bush on the ocassion of the sixty-third session of United Nations General Assembly in New York last evening.

Kathmandu, Sept 23 : Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda attended a reception hosted by US President George W. Bush and Laura Bush on the ocassion of the sixty-third session of United Nations General Assembly in New York last evening.

Prachanda is leading a Nepali delegation to United Nations General Assembly.

Prachanda, who reached US via Germany also held meeting with Nepalis there. Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) in Germany held an interaction with Prachanda at a luncheon programme held by Nepali Ambassador to Germany Dr. Madan Kumar Bhattarai on Sunday.

During the programme, NRN-Germany briefed Prachanda on the top agendas of NRNA such as dual citizenship, refugee problems, citizenship for children according to mother’s name and long term visa for NRNs of foreign passport holders.

NRN-Germany expressed commitment to support Nepal in the process of nation building, Nepalnews reported.

Indian education turns fatal for Tibetan children

FROM SIFY NEWS

Kathmandu: Thousands of Tibetan children and their families face stiff punishment at the hands of the Chinese government for enrolling into schools in India that are run by the Tibetan government in exile, headed by their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, a rights body said.

The Washington-headquartered International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has expressed its misgivings as the ultimatum issued by the Communist Party of China authorities to the Tibetan Party and government workers expired last week.

In July, Communist Party authorities in the Tibet Autonomous Region had issued a directive stating that Tibetan children must confess if they have been to schools in India and whether they believed anything they had been taught there, the ICT said in a statement issued late Monday.

Similar though less stringent measures were imposed in the mid-1990s. The measures, issued by the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee Discipline Department, state that children who return from schools in exile and parents who fail to bring children back to Tibet could face unspecified “disciplinary action”.

Every year, hundreds of young children are smuggled out of Tibet to Dharamsala town in north India, the home of the Dalai Lama, to receive the religious education that they are denied by communist China in their own homeland.

To manage the escape, young children trek across high and often dangerous Snowy Mountain passes to reach Nepal, facing the danger of being arrested or even shot on the way.

Nirman Prakashan a lighthouse for Indian Nepali intellectuals

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

BY DB RAI & A. CHATTERJEE

Gangtok: When Nepali speaking Indian people are in the quest of their identity in the country, Nirman Prakashan of Sikkim gathered many eminent personalities of the community on one platform. A galaxy of those persons from all over the country, including Sikkim, were felicitated by the founder chief editor of the Prakashan and chief minister of Sikkim, Dr. Pawan Chamling, at the Sixth Nirman Award Decoration and Felicitation function held at Epica Garden Hall, Saramsa, on Sunday. Eminent writer from Darjeeling, Dr. Indra Bahadur Rai was chief guest.Dr. Chamling presided over the function in which the invitees were awarded and felicitated for their individual contribution. Mrs.Tika Maya Chamling, Publisher, Nirman Prakashan, was present.

Mr. Joel Rai, Asst. Editor, India Today, was one of those felicitated on the occasion. He brought to the fore the theme of the function by quoting from a poem of Pawan Chamling (Kiran) which reads: “Aithan pareko prasna; “Ma ko hoon? Malai nai thaha chaina…” Mr. Rai said “the poem speaks” how serious Pawan Chamling is in his inquest and urge for the betterment and development of Nepali community. Echoing the thoughts of the poem he said, “We have given many things, even our lives, to this country, but some time we feel we are deprived from our rights and, therefore, we in the hills are fighting for our rights”. Receiving such honour and felicitation (from Nirman Prakashan) “we feel proud and inspired to contribute more to the nation”, he said, adding, “under the leadership of chief minister Chamling the Nepalese should free themselves from their psychological fetters and surge ahead”.Total 22 eminent Nepali personalities from across the country were felicitated on the day. Dr. Chamling also gave Aash Bahadur Chamling Nirman Puraskar to Mr. Gopi Narayan Pradhan of Meghalaya, Aasha Rani Nirman Puraskar to Mr. Prakash Bhattarai and Gopal Gaunley Nirman Puraskar to Mr. Pravin Rai “Jumeli”.

Old Rumtek Monastery Dutchi formed

GANGTOK, September 22: A general meeting of devotee/public from 13 blocks under the old Rumtek monastery, which was held under the presidentship of Dupla Singi of Sang on September 13 at the premises of old Rumtek formed an executive body by ‘voice ballot’ as well as elected members of the Dutchi (Gompa management body).

Members present in the training welcomed the steps taken by the State Government in deregistering the land of old Rumtek monastery, which was leased out to a Delhi based company “without the consent of the public of the 13 blocks”.

A press release informs that the executive body will be empowered to register the association of old Rumtek Monastery for its future management.

The monk community, seconded by the devotee/members, selected 16 monks for three years to manage all religious matters of the Monastery. Such appointees shall collectively be known as the ‘Dutche’ and it was formed with Lama Palden Bhutia of Rumtek as the Chikhabo, Lama Karma Dorjee of Sang as Dorji Lopen 1 and Lama Rinchen of Rumtek as Dorje Lopen 2, Lama Samten of Sajong as Omzey 1, Lama Karma Samdup as Omzey II and Lama Sonam Pintso of Tirkutam as Chutrimpa.

During the meeting, both the public and the monks expressed the hope of having Chief Minister Pawan Chamling as the patron of the executive body of Old Rumtek monastery.

For the executive committee, Dupla Singi and Adow Lama of Sang, KN Topden of Martam, Chundi Lama of Trikutam, Lakpa Lama and Samdup Bhutia of Rumtek, Tashi Tshering Bhutia of Martam were appointed advisors of the body for a period of three years. Khangu Topden and Rinchen Bhutia of Tadong were appointed legal advisors.

CM announces bank accounts for every Sikkimese woman

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, September 22: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today announced that bank accounts will be opened compulsorily for every Sikkimese woman in the next two months.

Every Sikkimese mother and girl will have bank accounts in their names in the next two months, said the Chief Minister during the ‘Garib Unmoolan Diwas’ organized at the SDF party headquarters here today.

The bank accounts for Sikkimese women are being implemented under Universal Financial Enclosure Scheme and Sikkim will be the first State to implement this scheme.

Garib Unmoolan Diwas is observed annually by SDF party on September 22.

Addressing the gathering of Ministers, MLAs, party leaders and workers, Mr. Chamling said that the SDF party has prepared its policies to eradicate poverty in Sikkim through education. We must use education to wipe out poverty and uplift our people, he said.

“Unless there is a change in the mindset, the materialistic development will be meaningless. Hence our people must work to change their mentality”, said Mr. Chamling. He said that materialistic development process is complete in Sikkim and there is not abject poverty but Sikkimese people are still poor in their thinking process.

Refuting the allegations of the opposition over the extension of Central Acts in Sikkim, the Chief Minister said that Sikkim is the 22nd State of India. It is not a unique matter for Central laws to extend into the State as Sikkim is an integral part of the nation, he said. But we are allowing the extension of only those Central laws which are beneficial for Sikkim.

Former Chief Minister NB Bhandari who is accusing us for this had himself extended 142 Central laws into Sikkim but we have extended only 7 such laws which are beneficial to Sikkim during our 14 years of government, said Mr. Chamling who is also the SDF party president.

Delhi blasts: Investigating agencies contact SMU SMU to provide details of suspected terrorists to investigating agencies only

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, September 22: Taking into consideration the sensitivity of the case that could affect the prospects and career of its students, the Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) today claimed that it would be able to provide the detailed information as sought only to the investigating agencies probing the Delhi serial blasts.

Speaking to the media here over phone from Karnataka, SMU chief executive officer Anand Sudarshan said that the police investigating in the Delhi had subsequently contacted them since one the suspected terrorists is said to be affiliated with the university.

The suspect, Shakir Nissar had been arrested yesterday in connection with the Delhi serial blasts had claimed to be a MBA student under the Distance Education Wing of SMU.

“It is very difficult to divulge any details at this stage since a small mistake including spelling correctly the names of the students could affect their career prospects. There are over 1.5 lakh students enrolled in our database and a small mistake could affect the students. Whatever queries are sought the replies will be handed over to the investigating agencies”, Mr. Sudarshan said.

SMU vice chancellor K. Jayakumar told media that an official in-house enquiry had been initiated by the CEO. He said that the university was being very careful since the information of students was of confidential nature and that there could be many similar or identical names.

According to national reports, the 23 year old Nissar was said to be a student of the Directorate of Distance Education of SMU. He had been arrested along with two others in the Delh bomb blasts. He is accused to be the person who had planted the bomb at Gaffar market in Karol Bagh. Twenty four people had been killed in the incident with Nissar being accused of planting the bomb at the crowded market of Karol Bagh where maximum casualties took place.

Round II: Black bands, protest posters by business community Lineage record for cut off year safeguard

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, September 22: Spiking up their level of protests, every member of the 35000 odd business community living in Sikkim will wear black bands and stick protest posters inside their business premises on September 24 and 25 to protest against the ‘discrimination’ meted out to the community by the Union government while implementing Income Tax Act 1961 in this Himalayan state.

Every business community member in Sikkim will wear black bands and display protest posters in their premises on September 24 and 25 to highlight our two main demands, said Sikkim Chamber of Commerce (SCC) president SK Sarda today in an emergency meeting of the body.

A large gathering of business community members from all the four districts had gathered at a local hotel here to accord their consent to the second phase of their protests in the Income Tax issue.

Volunteers have been selected by the body to oversee the preparations for the Gandhian protest in the State. Surveillance teams will also operating to see whether the protests are being followed by the business community members spread all over the State.

“Please don’t feel shy while wearing black bands. The band must be worn by the members continuously for two days at all places. The protest posters must be placed inside the premises”, Mr. Sarda told the gathering.

The SCC president also sported a black band today to signal the second phase of the protest by the business community here for their demands.

Ghisingh abstains from trial hearing

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

DARJEELING, September 22: For the umpteenth time, GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh did not appear before a trial court at Jalpaiguri today for cross-examination in the ambush case made on him at Saat Ghumtey, Kurseong on February 10, 2001.

Mr. Ghisingh was scheduled to appear at the court for cross-examination as he was the main witness in the ambush case.

However, he did not appear in the court for personal reasons and no hearing took place.

Tomorrow, the court will hear the cross-examination of another witness, West Bengal police superintendent Sanjay Chandar who was the SP of Darjeeling when the ambush took place.

It may be recalled that the Mr. Ghisingh who was in-charge of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council had been ambushed at Saat Ghumtey.

Six persons including prime accused former GNLF leader Chattrey Subba had been arrested in connection with the incident. The six persons are presently languishing in Jalpaiguri jail since 2001. The trall had begun from 2003.

Indian traders do good business at Nathu La

FROM THE HINDU

Gangtok (PTI): Indian traders recorded a turnover of Rs 10 lakh in August at Nathu La to take the total business to Rs 26 lakh since the annual trade on Sino-India border was re-opened on May 19.

According to data released by the Sikkim Commerce and Industries Department here, utensils including copper bowls fetched a revenue of Rs 9 lakh for Indian traders during four months of trade at the Renquinggang mart.

Other products like black tea, textiles, woollen shawls, canned food, vegetable oils and cigarettes were in demand from importers.

About 60 importers visited the mart daily to buy Indian goods, officials said.

Uttar Pradesh also to rename roads

FROM THE TRIBUNE

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

DEHRADUN: Main roads, hydel projects and important places in the Uttarakhand region will be named after the brave soldiers of this region who have laid down their lives in the Kargil conflict. Naik Mekh Gurung, Squadron Leader Rajiv Pundeer and Major Vivek Gupta of Doon are among the men from the Uttarakhand region who had laid down their lives in the battle in the Kargil sector.

Mekh Gurung Football Tournament on 27-28 Sept

FROM GARHWAL POST

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

DEHRADUN, 22 Sept: The Mekh Gurung Football Club, Dakra Cantt, will organise the 9th Kargil Shaheed Mekh Gurung Memorial One-Day Football Tournament on 27 and 28 September at Mahendra Ground, Garhi Cantt.

The Secretary of the Club, Narendra Nanda, said that on 27 September, the tournament would be for Junior Teams, while seniors would play for the title the next day. He said that 16 teams would be allowed to participate in the tournament on first-cum first basis.

The winner in the junior tournament would be awarded a cash prize of Rs 4,100, while the winner of the Senior Tournament would be richer by Rs 6,100. The matches would begin at sharp 9 a.m, he added.

Sikkim govt returns two hydel projects to the developers

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Months after scrapping its agreement with private developers for construction of 11 projects for delay in commencement of work, the state has finally relented and returned two of the projects to the original developers, an official said today.

The state government has re-issued letter of intent to Madhya Bharat Power Corporation for construction of 96 Mw hydel project at Rongnichu after the developer withdrew its litigation in the High Court challenging the scrapping of the project, Power-cum-Energy department secretary Pema Wangchen told PTI here.

The letter of intent to another developer – Gati Infrastructure Ltd – would also be issued soon for construction of 51 Mw Bhasmey Hydel project, which too was scrapped in June last, he said.

On the status of other nine scrapped hydel projects, he said that the state would review each case on merit.
The state government had scrapped its agreement with the private developers for construction of 11 hydel projects charging the them with delay in the work.

One of the developers – Madhya Bharat Power Corporation – had moved the Sikkim High Court challenging the termination of its projects, which had prompted the state government to set up a review committee in the matter.

Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha tries to undo its own folly

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE]

BY AMIT BARAILY FROM KALIMPONG WITH INPUTS FROM BARUN ROY

KALIMPONG, 23 SEPTEMBER: “The next time any anti-social elements tries to discriminate and subjugate Marwari business community in Kalimpong, Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha will take strengent action action against them,” said Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha Kalimpong Branch President Topden Bhutia. The branch President and the working President Nima Tamang along with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Central Committee member Bijay Sundas had gathered in the Kalimpong market to break down the locks put on the doors of different shops and homes owned by Marwari Community. The locks had been previously put on by some of the members of Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha who had gone around threatening the Marwari Community. The same members of Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha have now been declared as ‘anti-social’ by the Gorkha Janmutki Yuva Morcha. [Inset: GJM Central Committee Member Bijay Sundas replacing locks on the shop door, previously locked by Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha in Kalimpong. Photo by Himalaya Darpan]

All locks on the the houses and shops of the Marwari community which had forced to be closed down were broken down by the officebearers of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha who put on new locks and returned the keys to the owners of the same. In the same event, the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha office bearers also broke the lock put on the shop of one Miss Anjani Agarwal whose shop had been used for 16 years as a Branch office by the Gorkha National Liberation Front without paying any rent and later locked by the members of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha. After receiving the keys Anjani Agarwal was overwhelmed.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to change some of its agitational programmes

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

BY BARUN ROY

DARJEELING, 23 SEPTEMBER: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is set to change some its agitational programmes in initiated by it in the pursuit of Gorkhaland. A decision was taken to that effect in the recently held Central Committee meeting of the party according to the Binay Tamang, the Press and Publicity Secretary of the Party.

Speaking to the press, Tamang said, “Now vehicles plying to the hills must sport GL (Gorkhaland) Registration numbers otherwise they will not be allowed to enter in the Hills. They will have to change to GL vehicle registration numbers at Darjeeling More before entering the hills.” Readers might be reminded that Darjeeling More is where the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Area begins and is taken to some extent as the border between Siliguri and the Hills.

Elaborating on the issue, Tamang said, “Similarly, vehicles entering hill subdivisions like Kalimpong, and Dooars Terai they will have to change into GL vehicle registration numbers at Sevoke.”

As per Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s agitational programme of non-cooperation with the Government, the residents of the Hills and parts of Dooars Terai have not been paying electricity, telephone and motor vehicle taxes for some months now. This have resulted in huge loses especially to the public sector enterprises like BSNL and they have warned of closing up their services. When asked about the possibility of such move by Public Sector companies, Tamang said, “We will meet up with the officials of these public sector enterprises and discuss on the issue.”

Nepal cuts ‘living goddess’ funding

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

KATHMANDU: Budget cuts to a Nepali festival celebrating a “living goddess” have sparked protests and prompted charges that the new Maoist government intends to launch a cultural revolution.

For centuries, Nepal’s kings received blessings from the Kumari, a young girl from the Buddhist Newar community revered as a living incarnation of a Hindu goddess. Last week the government announced in its first budget that a 200-dollar allowance for the festival would be stopped, leading to protests in Kathmandu with burning tyres placed to block main roads.

On Sunday, the Kumari was supposed to have been paraded around the city’s old quarter, but the protests forced security personnel to remove her from a ceremonial chariot and carry her back to her palace. “The Maoist government is trying to stamp out cultural and religious festivals,” said Rajan Maharajan, one of the officials that looks after the 11-year-old girl, who is largely confined to her ornate residence.

Maoists lose religion battle in Nepal

FROM BIHAR TIMES

Kathmandu, Sep 22: Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas, who had fought successfully against the state army in the past and brought about the end of the Shah dynasty, were forced to bite the dust before the powerful Newar community of Kathmandu valley and pledge not to interfere with traditional religious festivals.

The once armed Maoist party, which also abolished Hinduism as the state religion and transformed the Himalayan kingdom into a secular republic, had to Sunday backtrack on an ambitious budget that sought to usher in an economic revolution and cut down on religious allocations allotted by the Hindu governments in the past.

Maoist deputy chief and Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s Nepali Rs.236 billion ($3.7 billion) budget tabled in the interim parliament Friday had sought to implement austerity measures by stopping the allocations earlier made for religious festivals, most of which ended with animal sacrifices.

Unfortunately for the new Maoist government, the new budget came at a time the Newars – a community who were the original inhabitants of Kathmandu and still dominate Nepal’s business and industrial sector – were celebrating their annual Indrajatra festival that honours the rain god and is attended by the head of state.

The slashing of funds for the festival triggered a two-day uproar that saw chaos in pockets of the capital with hundreds of baton-wielding protesters forcing shops to down shutters and transport to vanish.

“The protests will continue till we get a public apology from the finance minister,” said Ananda Shrestha, a 30-year-old Newar who took part in the protests in the posh Durbar Marg area of the capital. “We regard the curtailment of the budget an attack on our culture and religion.”

The dispute gathered heat with Newar MPs from the opposition Nepali Congress party as well as other non-Newar lawmakers from other parties flaying the move in the interim parliament Sunday.

Newars, who had voted for Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda in the April election, warned that the mistake could cost the party dear in the next election.

“If the elections were held today, even the prime minister would be likely to be defeated,” said Adarsha Tuladhar, a member of the outraged community.

China is content with Nepal’s effort to control anti-China activities’

FROM NEPAL NEWS

Nepal’s ambassador to China Tanka Karki has said that China is satisfied with Nepal’s effort to control anti-China activities in its soil.

Speaking at the Reporters’ Club on Monday, he said Nepal is committed to its policy not to allow its soil to be used against its neighbours.

Tibetan protesters had intensified anti-China activities in Kathmandu throughout the Olympics game held in China.

The ambassador also said that Nepal translated its good neighbourly relations with China in practice with the participation of Prime Minister in the closing ceremony of Olympic game.

China made four commitments during the PM’s visit to China, according to him. These include: increasing Chinese assistance to Nepal, taking appropriate measures to reduce Nepal’s trade imbalance with China, expanding trade and encouraging Chinese investors to invest in Nepal

Nepal Finance Minister apologizes for skipping 35 clauses

FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA NEWS NET

Kathmandu, Sept 22 : Nepal Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has apologized to the Legislature-Parliament for his carelessness while presenting the government’s budget for the current fiscal year 2008-09 on Friday.

Dr Bhattarai apologized to the house after Nepali Congress member Laxman Ghimire raised concern over Bhattarai’s blunders.

As Speaker Subas Nembang was about to proceed with deliberations on the government’s budget, Ghimire expressed serious objection as Dr. Bhattarai had skipped 35 major clauses while reading out the budget speech.

“Since the minister has skipped several major points in the Rs 36 billion budget, how can the parliament deliberate the proposed budget?” Ghimire questioned.

“So either the concerned minister should apologize to the House for his irresponsible act or rewrite the draft before presenting it for discussion,” he added.

According to Ghimire, Dr. Bhattarai had left out some of the portions of Clauses 135, 152, 171, 243, 270 and 271 of the draft. Whereas 29, other clauses from 164 to 256 had been totally skipped during the presentation.

Lawmakers take govt to task over jatra expenditure cut-off

FROM NEPAL NEWS

Lawmakers belonging to various political parties have accused the government of attacking on an ancient culture and tradition by not allocating budget for traditional jatras (religious festivals) observed in Kathmandu Valley.

The lawmakers also sought a clear response from the government regarding its decision to cut down state expenditure for the Indra Jatra festivals in the name of ending the ritual animal sacrifices.

The decision sparked massive protests in the capital from Friday and continued today too. People of the Newar community, who have been practicing the rituals for centuries, took to the streets saying the Finance Minister, who unveiled the budget estimate for the fiscal year 2008/09, cut off funding for jatras.

Some lawmakers have described the fund cuts as an attack on an ancient cultural traditions and demanded that the government withdraw its decision and provide the budget for the rituals.

Taking time from the CA chair Subash Nemwang to speak during the special session of the Constitution Assembly held in the capacity of legislative parliament, Nepali Congress leader Prakash Man Singh blamed that the government’s decision was a deliberate attack on the ancient culture and tradition and also demanded that the amount of money given by the government for similar religious worship should be increased.

He came down heavily against government orders to Guthi Sansthan and Kaasuhi Toshakhana, the main organisers of Indra Jatra festival, to stop spending from state coffers on animal sacrifices during the Indra Jatra Festival.

Singh, a powerful Newar leader who won the CA seat from Kathmandu’s Newar majority constituency, also demanded that the concerned minister (Minister of Culture) should be held accountable on the matter. Following the orders, the Newar community, which was engaged in pulling the chariot of Kumari, boycotted the last day of Indrajatra festival on Saturday, as the sacrifice of buffalos and goats on the occasion is an essential part of the tradition.

Prachanda to visit Marx’s birthplace

FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA NEWS NET

Kathmandu, Sept 21: Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda will visit the birthplace of Karl Marx, whose writings have inspired communist revolutions all over the world on September 30.

The house where Marx was born in 1818 was turned into the Museum-Karl-Marx-Haus in 1947 by Germany’s Social Democratic Party.

The museum houses a study centre with 80,000 volumes including the works of Marx and the spectrum of his reading, the history of socialism, socialist and workers’ movement as well as the social and economic history of the 19th century.

According to the website of the museum, the exhibition in the Museum-Karl-Marx-Haus will inform you about the person Karl Marx, his life, his work, his allies and his adversaries.

According to Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, In Frankfurt, Prachanda will release a book in German whose title translates in English as Revolution in Nepal.

In New York, Prachanda will participate in separate receptions to be hosted by US President George W. Bush and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. He will address the General Assembly on September 26.

FIGHT FOR ALL THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR US

By Neil Hamilton

Three of the 11 living servicemen to be awarded the Victoria Cross are Gurkhas. [Inset: DENIED A VISA: Gurkha Captain Lalit Gurung]

Some 45,000 have died for this country and 150,000 have been ­wounded since they first became part of the British Army in 1816.

Their courage in war is legendary but, in peace, they are gentle people who are an asset to any town. I know, because many live in our Wiltshire village, close to an Army base.

So why does our Government treat them so shamefully? We deny those who retired before 1997 the right to settle here on the absurd grounds that until then their Brigade HQ was in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, Gurkhas who enlisted before 1997 have pensions inferior to the other British soldiers who fight alongside them.

Kamal Purja, 38, gets a pension of £96 a month after 17 years’ service, which was ended in 2006 by a military injury.

He cannot walk properly and is in constant pain so he cannot work to earn extra money. He was prepared to die for this country.

How can we possibly justify forcing such proud people into begging?

Because of virtually uncontrolled immigration, Britain is the most overcrowded country in Europe. Our population could be 100 million in 60 years’ time.