Czech butterfly smuggler helped by embassy to flee India

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

KOLKATA: A Czech national, who claimed to be a butterfly expert after he was arrested on charges of smuggling exotic insects from the Darjeeling

hills, appears to have been sneaked out of Indian custody, possibly with complicity from the embassy, sources said.

Emil Kucera’s passport, along with that of his entomologist partner Petr Svacha’s, are still in possession of the chief judicial magistrate’s court, Darjeeling. The court had held them guilty of collecting rare butterflies. Kucera was convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs 60,000.

Kucera and Svacha were arrested on June 22 from the Rimbick-Lodhama area of the Singalila National Park about 90 km from Darjeeling with more then 200 rare insects in their possession.

Svacha, on bail was apparently in a hospital in Delhi, and scheduled to appear in a Darjeeling court on October 31 seeking the return of his passport. Kucera, also out on bail after his conviction, was to appear at the court on November 4.

Sources said Kucera has disappeared and there are no explanations. Apparently another passport was made out for him and he was smuggled out. They said the passport must have been delivered to him while he was in Delhi recently.

Czech scientist jumps bail, goes home via Nepal

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

Kolkata, October 29 : Czech entomologist Emil Kucera, sentenced to three years imprisonment for illegally collecting insect specimen, has jumped bail granted by a Darjeeling court. He was facilitated by his country’s laws that allow a citizen to hold multiple passports.

In a statement to the Czech media issued after returning to his country, Kucera said he lacked faith in the Indian judicial system. “Since I felt that the Darjeeling authorities were not able to guarantee my right to a fair trial, I decided to solve this complicated situation by leaving the country,” read the statement. He added that the long trial had exhausted him physically. “I asked my girlfriend to send me a second set of papers, passport and money. Using this, I crossed over to Nepal and made my way back home.”

Kucera and entomologist Dr Petr Svacha had been tried and sentenced in September for illegally collecting insect specimen from a national park in Darjeeling.

Speaking to The Indian Express from New Delhi, Czech Consul Katerina Vovkova said her Government will not be taking any responsibility for Kucera’s move. She said Kucera had sent an e-mail to the Embassy here upon reaching the Czech Republic. “He said in the e-mail that he apologises for any problems that may have been caused due to his actions… We are yet to receive any intimation on this issue from the Indian Government,” she added. Vovkova said it is normal for a Czech citizen to have several passports.

MORE THAN JUST A STYLE STATEMENT – The diktat on traditional attire violates the spirit of the movement that put the GJM on centre stage

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

BY PARIMAL BHATTACHARYA

Gorkha Girls and Women

The first time I saw the television footage of young men and women wearing daura sural and choubandi farayi milling about the Mall, I mistook Darjeeling for a remote hill town somewhere in the Northeast. Then I learnt about the dress code imposed on college students there by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. It came as a shock. During the six years I had taught at the government college in Darjeeling in the 1990s, I was never known as a lenient teacher. But I could never award my students anything short of full marks for their perfect dress sense on all occasions. In fact, one of the great mysteries that I have not been able to solve is how they could maintain such an immaculate wardrobe and clean, sparkling hair in a town where water taps remain bone dry for half the year. Come sun or rain, they would always be nattily dressed in crisp blazers and colourful cardigan suits and turn the foggiest of days bright and cheerful.

On my subsequent visits to Darjeeling, I was pleased to find that the sartorial flair of the town’s youth has not only thrived, but with the winds of globalization blowing, has become bold and creative. While this has helped sustain the cosmopolitan feel of the town, for the youth of Darjeeling, fashion is truly a statement: they want to make it known that they are a part of the youth brigade of the new, metropolitan India. The fatwa that asks college students to wear traditional attire, and sanctions blackening of faces for those who do not conform, strikes at the heart of this statement.

Wildlife crime bureau may move Interpol

FROM THE HINDU

KOLKATA: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is likely to refer to Interpol the case of Czech entomologist Emil Kucera illegally fleeing India, jumping bail granted by a Darjeeling court.

Mr. Kucera, who was awarded three-year imprisonment for smuggling out rare insects from the Singalila National Park in June, fled to the Czech Republic last week.

Czech Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek expressed “regret” over Mr. Kucera’s action though it was “his personal decision.”

Speaking to The Hindu from New Delhi over telephone on Wednesday, Dr. Kmonicek said he had been in touch with the Czech Foreign Ministry, which was keen that Mr. Kucera’s trial be conducted in an Indian court.

“If in future the question of his [Mr. Kucera's] extradition comes up, we will cooperate but it must be done in a legal manner.”

Confirming that Mr. Kucera was back home, Vladislav Malý, president of the Czech Entomologist Association, said he decided “not to wait for the result of his appeal trial” after having been in Darjeeling for five months.

Prior to fleeing the country, the Czech national was planning to move a higher court against the sentence.

“He [Mr. Kucera] apologised in writing to the embassy for this solution but he has lost belief that his trial could be solved in a just manner in Darjeeling,” Mr. Malý said in an e-mail to this correspondent.

Evangelical Fellowship of India Condemns Violent Terrorist Attack In Northeast State Of Assam

THROUGH DIRECT PRESS RELEASE TO THE HIMALAYAN BEACON BY EFI

New Delhi, October 30, 2008: Evangelical Fellowship of India condemns the serial blasts that shook the north eastern state Assam on October 30, 2008. Twenty-five co-ordinated blasts rocked busy areas of Guwahati and three other districts in Assam on Thursday, killing at least 48 people and injuring over 300 others, police and eyewitnesses said.

While four high-intensity blasts are reported to have taken place in the capital Guwahati, three each occurred in Barpeta and Kokrajhar, and one in Bongaigaon district of the north-eastern state. The remaining blasts were reported to be of low-intensity.

The state has been put on red alert, with police carrying out combing operations at a number of places. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been promulgated in Guwahati following the blasts.

According to reports, most of the blasts took place in crowded market areas. The explosions occurred in a span of 15 minutes with the first one going off at around 11.30 am, triggering fires in many areas and leaving a trail of death and destruction.

EFI denounces the inhumane act of injuring and killing the innocent people and condemn such acts which damage the social fabric and disturbs peace and harmony of the nation.

Human right & Bhutanese Refugees problem

BY DIRGHA RAJ PRASAI

Dirgha Raj Prasai

In the establishment of the Bhutan, the major credits go to the Tibetan, Nepali speaking Bhutanese and Kuchbihari. The first Royal Dynasty of the Bhutan was the Namgyal who came to Bhutan as “Auatari Lama” from Tibet and laid the strong foundation of the prosperous Bhutan. The Dharmaraja Namgyal established the law in the country. In 1861 B.S. the laws, regulations, rights and measure prevalent of Gorkha were introduced in Bhutan. At the time of Dharmaraja Namgyal, Bhutan’s relationship was not only with Gorkha but also with the Malla Kings of Kathmandu Valley and the Sen Dynasty kings of Nepal. The different skilled craftsmen were brought from Nepal to build the Buddhist Stupa and Monasteries, these people of the various ethnic groups began to settle in Bhutan. The Hindu Priests from Nepal were also well recognized during the period. The relation between the Hindus and Buddhists were extremely harmonic since they were engaged in building the government monasteries and used to celebrate their respective festival together. The idols of the five Gods were placed in the government monasteries and the Royal family strongly believes in the presents of “the Shivatwa to the Buddhatwa and the Buddhatwa to Shivatwa” that is why the King had great faith on Halesi Mahadev of Khotang and Swaymbhu.Thus, as Nepali speaking ethnic groups had settled in Bhutan since the early beginning, they are regarded as authentic Bhutanese citizens.

During eighteen century, the most of the part of Bhutan was covered by dense forest. During 1725 A.D. as managing the socio-habitat in the country, the Nepali speaking Bhutanese who were already in Bhutan from centuries were given the responsibility to safe-guard its borders. The Nepali speaking Bhutanese like Brahmin, Kshatri, Newar, Limbu, Rai, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Kami, Damai etc were working by heart and had major contribution in the development of southern Bhutan. The Nepali language had been granted the status of a lingua franca from the history. Therefore, the Nepali speaking Bhutanese had not faced any difficulties in term of language. Even though the priority was given to Buddhism, all ethnic groups were free to follow the Hinduism or any other religion and were free to wear any traditional dresses. The titles as”Dharmaraja” and “Devraja” have been used by the King and the Prime-minister as “Shree Panch” and “Shree Teen” in Nepal. These titles are used from the history and we should keep in mind that these words were created in Nepal. So, the influence of the Nepalese language was from centuries.

Leaders should swim out of crisis

BY DIRGHA RAJ PRASAI

Dirgha Raj Prasai

Those who cannot swim will sink. Leaders of the so called largest parties of Nepal are bogged down in the quagmire they themselves created. Those bigoted leaders staged a coup gain power without first knowing what their capabilities are and just with a sense of anger, antagonism and vengeance. After grabbing the power they failed to give the country a proper solution and now anarchy has been institutionalized. These were the parties and the leaders who had made the constitution after the movement of 1990. They failed to implement the constitution they themselves had formulated and destroyed the whole concept of check and balance and lead the country towards instability. The party in power and the oppositions connived with each other just two years after the parliamentary election of 1999 and dissolved the parliament.

The Maoist rebellion sparked and flared because of their bad-governance and about 15,000 people lost their lives for no reason, many more were injured and maimed and tens of thousand other displaced and physical infrastructure worth billions of rupees were destroyed and damaged. In 2002, the parties themselves dissolved, parliament and announced the parliamentary election and later reported to the king that they would not be able to hold the elections as per constitutionally stipulated time. They also could not extend the terms of the local government bodies and abolished them. When they failed in all fronts the King, according the constitution 1990 assumed the power for certain time.

As the parties failed to realize their faults and mistakes they came upon the king. But when their agitation weakened and lost steam they joined hands with the Maoists, whom they themselves had declared terrorists, for the agitation for the revival of the parliament they themselves had killed. Although it was against the constitutional provision, the King acceded to the demand and the parliament was restored. After the revival of the parliament, the parties announced the date for election of the constituent assembly on the basis of the revival of the parliament it would have gained some legality. But they ignored and disregarded the mandate of the movement and on Feb. 2002 the clique of the eight parties announced the interim constitution, interim parliament and the council of ministers only to serve their interests.

This behavior only pushed the country on the brink of the civil war and the iresponsiable party leaders, their cabinet and the parliament has become totally directionless. Even after the completion of the C.A. election the country is terrorized with murder, kidnapping, loot, robbery, bands and strikes. Surprisingly, the representatives of United States and the United Nations have sided with the corrucpted party leaders. America has its interest only for Tibet and not for democracy and sovereignty of Nepal. America will not consider the Maoist a terrorist group if it speaks for free-Tibet. If its interests are served, American will even support and assist autocracy. America that attacked the sovereignty of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq and killed mission still boasts about democracy.

Happy Bhai Tika!

Dear Friends, 

Greetings from Darjeeling! Please accept my best wishes on the occasion of Bhai Tika. My sisters have invaded the realm of The Himalayan Beacon and forced me to go offline for the day and spend the day with them. I cannot reject them hence am taking a day out. I hope you are all also celebrating Bhai Tika. I think it is one of the best celebration reminiscence of how much our ‘Chelis’ love us and how important they are to us. 

I prostrate myself to the ground and touch the feet of our “Chelis” whom I could not meet personally and seek there blessings. Today, I take this oppurtunity to seek forgiveness from all mistakes committed knowingly and unknowingly. I also seek their blessings and goodwill. Jyotidi, Rashmidi, Anita Hagelin, Pinky Pradhan, Nisha Tamang and all the other ‘Chelis’ online. All the ‘Chelis’ of the world Rocks! 

This is indeed not just Bhai Tika but the Gorkha Celebrations of Women’s overall importance to humanity. God could not be everywhere and hence created mothers. 

Regs

Barun