All India Governor’s Gold Cup to kick-off on October 14

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: The 30th All India Governor’s Gold Cup football tournament is slated to be held in Sikkim from October 14th to 25th, announced the organisers, Sikkim Football Association (SFA). Fifteen teams including one each from Nepal and Bhutan are lined up to participate in this prestigious tournament that dates back to 1978.

The tournament will also see the debut of the top two football clubs from New Delhi. New Delhi Heroes and Shimla Youngs have been branded as dark horses.

We have very high expectations from New Delhi Heroes, Delhi, said Ethenpa, general secretary, Sikkim Football Association.

New Delhi Heroes is coached by former football star Chima Okorie and the club has bagged the 2007 Delhi football league championship.

The tournament is organised by the Sikkim Football Association the apex body of all the football organisations in Sikkim with the support from the state government. All the matches are played at the Palzor Stadium in knock-out format. NRT from Nepal had won the last year’s tournament.

Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists

FROM GORKHAPEDIA.ORG

CATEGORIES: POLITICAL PARTIES

Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM), is a political party based in the district of Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal, India. CPRM was formed in 1996 by Communist Party of India (Marxist) dissidents. These dissidents, who had previously, being against the formation of the separate state of Gorkhaland, resisted the violent Gorkhaland movement led by Subash Ghisingh, President of Gorkha National Liberation Front. More than 1200 party cadres from both parties Communist Party of India (Marxists) and Gorkha National Liberation Front along with common people ultimately died in the ensuing civil strife. The CPIM cadres who died were mostly from Tea Gardens in Darjeeling Hills. It was later believed that the CPIM State Committee and the West Bengal Government had successfully pitted hill peoples against each other and ultimately broken down the Gorkhaland Movement. The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) Accord was signed in 1988 between Gorkha National Liberation Front, West Bengal Government and the Central Government bringing an end to the Gorkhaland Movement.

The first years of DGHC

A majority of people both within and outside Gorkha National Liberation Front felt that Subash Ghisingh had betrayed the people by accepting the Autonomous Council instead of a full-fledged state. Chhatray Subba, the second in command in the GNLF hierarchy and the President of the armed militant wing of GNLF, Gorkha Voluntary Corps (GVC) swore to avenge the betrayal and fought against Subash Ghisingh. Pretty soon news of armed struggles between GNLF and GVC came to fore. Ultimately, GVC was disseminated by Subash Ghisingh now the Chairman of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. Chhatray Subba went into hiding. Meanwhile, resentment was witnessed within the Communist Party of India (Marxists) where veteran leaders from Darjeeling Hills and mostly of Gorkha origin felt that the party was more inclined towards Bengali dominance and that Darjeeling Hills could only find solutions to her problem with the formation of the separate state of Gorkhaland. Prominent leaders who had represented the Darjeeling Constituency at the Legislative Assembly and the Union Parliament now fought with the mother party and broke away.

Prominent leaders who broke away from CPIM were Tamang Dawa Lama and Ratna Bahadur Rai. Both the leaders later formed Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists. During an interview with Beacon in June 1998, Ratna Bahadur Rai said, “We named the party Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists because first of all we are Communists for life. We were disappointed with the party leaders not the Party Ideology of Marxism. We further believe CPIM has lost its revolutionary zeal and hence, there was a need to inculcate and enforce revolutionary character in the Party. Hence the name Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists.”

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Czech biologists deny they were breaking the law in India

FROM WILDLIFE EXTRA

Emil Kucera, one of two Czech nationals convicted for illegally collecting rare insect species from Singhalila National Park, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Darjeeling. He was fined 50,000 Indian Rupees (INR). Petr Svacha, another Czech, was fined 20,000 INR. This is the first conviction under India’s Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (BDA).

However Karel Adler, another Czech scientist has contacted us on behalf of Emil Kucera and Petr Svacha and denied that they did anything wrong.

Karel Adler says:-

First of all, there is a plenty of inconsistency in acting of Indian authorities. Vladislav Malý of the Czech Entomological Society, who are in contact with his colleagues in India, believes that they were charged with illegal collection of rare species of insects in a national park.

However both men refute these charges by pointing out it was impossible to know that they were in a protected area. They claim there was some logging going on nearby and cows were feeding on grass.

Maly said “If they really were inside a protected area, the charge has to prove it. On top of that, any national park has to be visibly marked, which it doesn’t appear to have been.”

Collecting for colleagues
The two Czechs also refute an allegation they were collecting very rare species. “We were collecting beetles and their larvae, moths and small amount of lesser insects. We collected some for our colleagues back in the Czech Republic.”

While the Indians authorities acknowledge Petr Švácha is as a world renowned expert, they appear to focus more on the other arrested Czech-amateur entomologist Emil Kuèera. The Indian officials believe he had been in the Darjeeling National Park more than once and that the rare larvae of bugs and butterflies he was supposed to collect were not for scientific purpose only. But the evidence to support this charge appears to be very flimsy.

Document believed by Indian authorities to indicate that Kucera was selling insects. Courtesy E Kucera. Is the confusion of the understaning of English? Kucera says he was not selling the insects, but providing them to other entomologists, but his poor English may have led people to misunderstand this. Click for larger image.

Petr Švácha and Emil Kuèera were accused of collecting rare species of insects in the Singalila National Park in Darjeeling allegedly for a commercial purpose. However both men have denied they were collecting insects in a national park.

“We never saw any signs indicating the boundaries of the park and we travelled on the paths used by locals and tourists, moreover in areas that are obviously economically developed – pasture land, timber forests, burned areas, etc. That is usually prohibited in a national park. We are therefore convinced that we were not in a national park, but we have not yet been able to get a map,” said the entomologists in an interview.

According to the Indian court, the Czech scientists confessed their guilt. But the men claim the Indian authorities misused the document they were given to sign. They claim they signed a blank sheet of paper that was supposed to list the scientists confiscated property, but instead, they claim, the Indian authorities put down the scientists confession.

The defence claim that both scientists collected bugs for non-commercial purpose even though they lacked the necessary authorization. For that, they should only face a fine.

The problem is they are both fanatic entomologists, so they probably ignored Indian bureaucracy, how big a crime is that?

Petr Švácha, one of the Czech entomologists who were arrested in India for illegal collecting rare specimens of insect, was acquitted but Emil Kuèera was found guilty of violating the Wildlife Protection Laws and sentenced to three years in prison.

Nepal Brothels Ignore Government Curfew

FROM GROUNDREPORT

BY MOHAN NEPALI

Night brothels mostly run by affiliates of smuggling networks have utterly disobeyed home ministry’s order to close after 11 p.m. The brothels, in the name of serving night customers, have been extremely exploiting destitute Nepali girls, who have not completed high school level education.

Nepali Congress-supported restaurant unions immediately took out to the streets protesting the government’s decision to maintain law and order in Kathmandu.

Criminals killed an  Italian tourist called David a few years ago. The then Nepali Congress government protected the criminal gang.

When the current government expressed its will to maintain law and order for public security as well as the security of visiting tourists in Nepal, the Nepali Congress and its restaurant unions protested this. Tsering, as he calls himself (he does not disclose if he is pub owner) shouts, “Our ministers and MPs go to Bangkok as sex tourists. Here, they are trying to befool us at home.”

Although the government has not decided to close any night entertgainment industry in Kathmandu, night entetpreneurs, who have already amassed enough money through exploitation of destitute Nepali girls, have been investing a lot of money in media propaganda that the government has already closed all night entertainment spots and deprived 70,000 of employment.

According to a girl trying to shift from night entertainment service  to selling tea ( she preferred to remain anonymous for security purpose), girls who are employed in night houses are actually forced to pursue the path of prostitution. She said, “I’m changing my work just because I want to change my life by abandoning the hell.” She sympathetically added, “Many girls pour into cities with a dream of economically prosperous life. Without money, no life is possible in cities. Therefore, girls with little education are forced to sell their own muscle.”

The girl also advises others to be careful before deciding to stay in Kathmandu. “Girls are exploited in their own families,” she further said. “Employers don’t pay well. We have to depend on tips for our betterment. But alcoholic people want to loot us free of cost,” she tearfully said. She becomes optimistic, “I hope the government is doing all right. Those who have become criminals for the sake of money will not remain silent when the government wants to apply state laws.

Charles Sobhraj ties the knot

FROM GULF TIMES

Kathmandu: Charles Gurmukh Sobhraj tied the knot with his 20-year-old Nepali fiancée Nihita Biswas after a tumultuous courtship marked by media glare and controversy.

“It was a simple and short traditional Nepali wedding,” said Nihita’s elder brother Vijay, who was present in Kathmandu’s Central Jail along with their mother Shakuntala Thapa, who is also defending the 64-year-old groom in his current court battle against a 20-year jail term for murder.

Sobhraj met Nihita, a high school student, earlier this year when she had visited the prison to offer her services as an interpreter for his French lawyer.

“It was love at first sight,” Sobhraj said.

The engagement in July triggered a media stampede, with many accusing Sobhraj of trying to create a smokescreen while he attempted a jailbreak.

Though the couple had earlier decided to stay engaged for the time being and get married in Paris only after he was released, they changed their mind on the eve of his hearing coming up later this month.

“However, they still have to go through other formalities,” Vijay said.

The marriage, performed without the presence of a priest is not likely to be recognised in Nepal.

In any case, Sobhraj being a French citizen now, they would have to marry again in Paris.

Sobhraj has also been mulling a court marriage. However, it may not be immediate since courts are closed in Nepal due to the Dashain festival.

Sobhraj was arrested from a Kathmandu casino in 2003 and charged with the murder of an American tourist, Connie Jo Bronzich, in 1975.

Nepalis celebrate Dashain festival with President, ex-king

FROM THE HINDU

KATHMANDU: Celebrating the main festival of Nepali Hindus, President Ram Baran Yadav offered ‘tika’ (a mixture of rice, vermillion, and curd) to national and international citizens in the capital on Thursday.

Mr. Yadav offered the blessings of the festival in the capacity of head of State of the Himalayan country, which was until 2006 a Hindu Kingdom. Among others, Vice-President Paramananda Jha and Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam received ‘tika’ from the President.

Likewise, the former royal couple, Gyanendra Shah and Komal Shah, also offered Dashain blessings to former ministers, former army personnel and the general public.

Kamal Thapa, former Home Minister and now chairperson of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, after receiving the blessings, told journalists that Nepalis still have a soft corner for monarchy.

Hundreds of people had gathered at Nirmal Niwas (Shah’s private residence, though they live in Nagarjun Palace) in Maharjguj to get the blessings from the former royal couple.

IM was born in Nepalese resort in 2005

FROM EXPRESS BUZZ

BY MANAN KUMAR

NEW DELHI: Indian Mujahideen, one the most violent terror groups operating in India, was born at an upmarket resort near Kathmandu in 2005 with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) playing midwife, intelligence sources have revealed to the this website’s newspaper.What is more shocking is the fact that Indian intelligence officers working on the field had sent in their reports about the development to their bosses in New Delhi some two years back but no action was taken.Intelligence sources said that the main objective of the secret meeting, that was held at the scenic Club Himalaya resort in Nagarkot, an hour’s drive from Kathmandu, was to take the international community’s heat off Pakistan for sponsoring and carrying out terror acts in India. The meeting was held on April 13, 2005 and was facilitated by Muhammad Tahir Shah, first secretary in the press and culture section of the Pakistan High Commission in Kathmandu.

It was attended by four top handlers from ISI, two members each from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Nepal-based close aide of underworlddon Dawood Ibrahim and a top leader of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).The group of 11 concluded that coining the term “Indian Mujahideen” would help them in more ways than one – it would help deflect international pressure from Pakistan and also allow the group to attract disgruntled Indian Muslim youth and lead to the formation of a “homegrown” terror outfit.

Auspicious ever after

FROM THE STATESMAN

Bijoya Dashami marks the return of the Goddess to Mount Kailash and the end of an evil era, writes Subrata Chowdhury

DURGA Puja is celebrated in various parts of India in different styles. But the one basic aim of this celebration is to propitiate Shakti, the Goddess, in her aspect as power, to bestow upon humankind all wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge (both sacred and secular), and all other potent powers. The absolute prevails in its diffusible discreteness as Maya or Mahamaya, as she is more widely identified.

According to the Puranas, King Suratha was the first devotee to worship Mother Durga during April in what is known as Basanti Puja. Again, Ram worshipped Durga in autumn, popularly known as Akaal Bodhan, to vanquish a transgressing Ravana and free Sita from his clutches. Durga, who was by then deified as the Shaktirupini, had killed the buffalo-demon Mahisasura. According to Hindu mythology, Mahisashura had driven the gods out of heaven and established his evil dominion there and this devil was a constant threat to the existence of the universe. Mahisashura could not be defeated by any god or man because of a boon he received after intense prayers to Brahma. Neither Indra, King of the Gods, nor Kumara, commander of the celestial armies, could stop him. In despair, the gods called on Vishnu for help and he confronted Mahisashura, first as Narasimha, the man-lion, and then as Varaha, the boar, but each time he failed to subdue the demon.

Indra had obtained the consensus of all the gods who had, in turn contributed with their individual powers to attribute Maa Bhagavati with as many as 10 invincible weapons in her 10 arms in order to enable her to slay the devilish Mahisasura.

A tryst with Kanchenjunga

FROM THE STATESMAN

Leave nothing but footprints, collect nothing but memories. Catch the sunrise over Kanchenjunga, trek through tea gardens and rhododendron forests and grab resplendent glimpses of some of the highest mountain peaks in the world, writes Rahul Majumdar

When we began our journey we were a bit apprehensive about Sandakphu – whether it would be a place worth visiting! But when we did get there after an extended journey from Kolkata, all our apprehensions were laid to rest by the breathtaking glimpses of sailing clouds and the serene beauty of the place. If you are bored of watching Kanchenjunga from crowded Darjeeling or Pelling, thendo head for Sandakphu. Far away from the bustle of noisy tourist spots, Sandakphu, the loftiest peak of the Singalila range, is the culminating point of many trekking routes in the Darjeeling-Sikkim region.
On 23 October last year, me, my wife and a friend’s family decided to do a conducted tour organised by the North Bengal State Transport Corporation to Sandakphu and Darjeeling. We set off from Sealdah station on the Darjeeling Mail and, thanks to the orgabisers, the travelling experience was extremely pleasant. Sandakphu remains economically dependent on the crowds of tourists who flock here in spring and autumn. Our first halt was at Mirik where we did a bit of shopping and then in the afternoon we reached Maneybhanjan. At an altitude of 2134 m, it is the gateway to the Sandakphu region.

Sandakphu (located in the Singalila National Park bordering West Bengal and Nepal) is where you can get to see four of the top five peaks (Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu) and the view is breathtaking. This place offers a 360-degree panorama of the entire horizon with a 180-degree close view of the Himalayan peaks. The name Sandakphu means “Height of the Poison Plant”, a direct reference to the profusion of poisonous plants that grow near the peak.

GJMM threat irks LF

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Oct. 9: The Left Front leadership has taken a serious note of the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha’s recent threat of wiping out ‘West Bengal’ from the signboards of the government offices in the Darjeeling Hills. In reaction, it has urged the Centre and the chief minister of West Bengal to take stern action if the GJMM leadership went ahead and acted upon the declaration.

The general secretary of the All India Forward Bloc Mr Debabrata Biswas said today that the Centre and the state government could not turn a blind eye to what was going on in the Darjeeling Hills because of the strategic importance associated with the region.

“The threat by the GJMM to erase ‘West Bengal’ from the signboard of the government offices is a serious matter as it fans the concept of a state within a state. Darjeeling Hills being a part of West Bengal, such a threat, if acted upon, would amount to an affront against the Constitutional sovereignty of the state. No state government can brook such an act,” he said.

Referring to the Centre’s role in the matter, the FB leader said that the state government alone could not do much as the Centre was already involved with the tripartite negotiation that is continuing. “Both the Centre and the state government should come down heavily on the growing belligerence of the GJMM leadership,” Mr Biswas said.

Flaying the GJMM’s recent threat, the CPI state secretary Mr Manju Kumar Majumder said that the bullying tactics adopted by the hill-based outfit seemed to be testing the patience of the state government.

“Conniving with such pranks as erasing ‘West Bengal’ from government office signboards might encourage the hill-based outfit to embark upon more theatrical antics in days to come. The infinite flexibility being shown by the chief minister should not be misconstrued as buckling on the part of the state government,” the CPI leader said.

Women turn moral police

FROM THE STATESMAN

KURSEONG, Oct. 9: To keep the ongoing month-long cultural shows in the Darjeeling hills in support of the Gorkhaland agitation free of drunkards and drug abusers, the GJMM women wing has taken to moral policing in the hills in conjunction with the Gorkhaland Personnel.

The GJMM women wing, central committee member from Kurseong, Mrs Prabha Chettri said that consumption of alcohol and narcotic use was strictly prohibited in and around the cultural venues. “There is an effort by some to breach the restriction and so GLP members would be deployed to strictly check any violation. If anyone is found violating the restriction, strict action would be taken against the offender,” she added. According to her, the people should understand that the cultural revolution includes wearing Gorkha attire followed by several cultural and traditional programmes. “The Naari Morcha will try to keep the hills free of alcohol and drug abuse,” she said.

‘Queen of Hills’ has less visitors this year

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Oct. 9: Tourism in the Darjeeling hills has gone down by nearly 30 per cent this festive season despite the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha’s untiring endeavour to facilitate a steady tourist inflow into what is acclaimed as ‘the queen of hill stations.’ Tour operators and hotel owners, however, say that inflow of tourists to the hills was not as bad as had been apprehended.

The general secretary of the Darjeeling Hotel Owners’ Association, Mr Palden Lama, said that the inflow of tourists from different parts of West Bengal was down by 30 per cent this festive season. “The situation might have been worse had not the tourists from other states included the hills in their tour itinerary, availing of the LTC facilities allowed by the Centre this time for the North Eastern region. Many of the tourists have just been passing through Darjeeling on their way to or back from Gangtok,” he said.

He, however, hoped that the situation would improve significantly by Diwali and continue till the season’s end.

According to Mr Paral Dahal, a Darjeeling and Gangtok-based tour operator, a large inflow of foreign tourists had somewhat made up for the remarkably lesser inflow of tourists from West Bengal and the adjoining states like Bihar. “The tourism momentum, however, has been picking up since last week, though compared to normal standard the picture is not enthusing,” he said.

A senior official of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association Mr Raj Basu said that whatever might be the number of tourists in the hills right now, the worst crisis seemed to have passed over. “We can hope for better things in the near future with the political situation returning to normal,” he said.

The secretary of the Travel Operators’ Association Mr Samrat Sanyal, said that the nightmarish lull in tourism in the Darjeeling hills had become a thing of the past. “The number of tourists in the hills this festive season is sufficient to instill confidence in those who are dithering in anticipation of fresh political turmoil,” Mr Sanyal said.