COMMENTARY: Gandhigiri in Sikkim

FROM  ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY

The indigenous Lepchas of Sikkim are using Gandhian methods of protest to prevent construction of hydel projects that will destroy their land and the environment. At a time when politics has been reduced to a numbers game, they know that their minority status is against them. But they are determined to continue the struggle WRITES VIBHA ARORA

In the remote Himalayan state of Sikkim Gandhigiri is being practised as a method of popular democratic protest. The heroic duo, Dawa Lepcha and Tenzing Lepcha broke their indefinite satyagraha on June 13, 2008 after fasting for 96 days at Gangtok in Sikkim.¹ These two youth activists broke their fast after a written assurance from the government of Sikkim that it was shelving the four hydel projects in the Dzongu area of north Sikkim.

This took place just six days short of the first anniversary of the formal protests launched by the Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim, the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), and the Sangha of Dzongu against 26 hydel projects at Bhutia-Lepcha house in Gangtok on June 20, 2007.² This was not the first time these two brave youth had decided to adopt non-violent Gandhian methods not only to force the government to listen to their demands and alter its development policies, but also to ensure that democratic ethos get firmly rooted in contemporary Sikkim.

Dawa and Tenzing’s first round of indefinite fast lasted 63 days and was called off after they were assured by the government that it would reconsider these projects by forming an independent review committee - a promise that the present democratically elected government of Sikkim did not keep. “Dams over Dzongu will be built over our dead bodies”, proclaimed the banner marking the 200th day on January 6, 2008 of this historic satyagraha. Subsequently on March 10 about 300 Lepchas of Dzongu staged a rally at Gangtok carrying placards and banners demanding an end to all hydel projects in north Sikkim. Preceding this rally, the activists offered prayers at the sacred stones at Kabi on March 7 to galvanise moral support. Dawa Lepcha and Tenzing Lepcha commenced a second round of indefinite fast on March 10, 2008. In April 2008, nearly 100 Lepchas from Kalimpong and Darjeeling commenced a pilgrimage to their holy land, Dzongu but had to abandon it due to a clash with supporters of the project. All these protesting Lepchas are demanding that the government duly recognise the sanctity of the Lepchas’ ancestral roots in Dzongu and the necessity of safeguarding it from greedy capitalism.

A Decade of Protests

These protests by associations of the Lepchas against the desecration of their sacred landscape are not new. These can also be traced to the Rathongchu agitations wherein the lamas of Sikkim and activists belonging to the Lepcha and Bhutia community forced the government to shelve another hydropower project located in west Sikkim in 1997 [Arora 2005, 2006c]. The leaders of the Rathongchu movement, Choki Topden and Sonam Paljor Denzongpa have extended their moral support to these Lepchas and influenced some of their oppositional strategies. Many of the people who are now at the forefront of the agitations had voiced their concerns strongly during my fieldwork visit in 2001. In 2005, this opposition acquired a popular following in north Sikkim and took an organisational form with the constitution of the ACT.³  Other organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) joined hands in 2006 to actively oppose land acquisition and any construction activities in Dzongu.

Tired of not being heard and their land being destroyed in the name of development, the activists commenced a hunger strike in June 2007 after the failure of numerous rounds of negotiations and discussions with the chief minister, the chief secretary and the power department. To these struggling Lepcha activists, Dzongu represents the last bastion of their cultural heritage and the only place in the region where they feel free to follow their distinctive cultural and religious traditions. Dzongu contains a number of important sacred sites such as caves where Guru Rinpoche meditated, the Keshong Lake, the Kongsa hot springs, and the Tholung temple that is revered not merely by the Lepchas, but by all the Buddhists of Sikkim. Its alienation is unacceptable to the indigenous Lepchas [Arora 2006a, 2006b]. During my fieldwork in Dzongu in 2006 and 2007 the villagers expressed grave concern about the unchecked development and the erosion of safeguards that have protected them in the reserve area. This accounts for the uncompromising posture of many Lepcha residents, that declares “we will accept nothing less than a complete scrapping of hydel projects in Dzongu”. Some families have been divided with some members backing these projects while the others oppose them on several grounds – environmental, ethnic, religious and demographic4.

NATIONAL: Aashwas – A BGWA Initiative Launched in Bangalore

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

Bharatiya Gorkhali Welfare Association (BGWA) meets to initiate Aashwas.

After a hugely successful first of if its kind “Gorkha Saanjh 2008″ in Bangalore, which was organised by Bharatiya Gorkhali Welfare Association (BGWA) in conformity with one of its mission of “Socio-Cultural Fosterage of the Gorkahli Community”, BGWA embarks on another landmark initiative called “Aashwas” in line with the other mission of “Advancement of the Gorkhali Community”.

“Aashwas” – a BGWA initiative – is a series of career counselling, personality development and vocational training workshops scheduled during the weekends. As an attempt to attain its objective of advancement of the Gorkha community, Aashwas has been organised by Corporate and Industry Professionals residing in Bangalore. With the enthusiasm and drive to share professional wisdom and acumen to the budding sections of the community, Aashwas provides a ready forum to students and professionals alike wherein ideas and concepts are freely discussed and exchanged, all within the hope that the younger generations of our community become aptly equipped to take on the professional world as and when they do so. To those from the non-corporate arenas, Aashwas is roping in stalwarts from respective industries in order to buttress their positions and growth prospects thereon.

It should be noted that Aashwas is a social welfare initiative of BGWA wherein NO remuneration will be charged by the professionals in mentoring the attendees.

SIKKIM: Seven killed in road mishap

FROM DNA 

GANGTOK: [PTI] Seven people, including six students of Mangan Senior Secondary School, were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling fell into a riverbed some 800 ft below in Sikkim’s East district on Sunday, police sources said.

The incident took place around 8 am when the driver lost control over the vehicle and it fell down 800 feet below on a riverbed near Rangtang Khola on Mangan-Singtam highway in East district, Superintendent of police, M S Tuli said.

The deceased were identified as – Milan Pradhan (driver), Man Bahadur Rai, Kunjong Bhutia, Diki Ongmu, Sagar Gurung, Penti Lepcha and Calden Bhutia (all students).

The bodies have been recovered and sent for autopsy at Singtam hospital, the SP said.

A case has been registered at Singtam police station and an investigation was underway to ascertain the cause of the incident, Tuli said, adding that the students were going for a picnic at Kalimpong from Mangan.

DARJEELING HILLS: Darjeeling Gymkhana Club’s election to be held on 20th of December

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

BY BARUN ROY

The newly elected Administrator of Darjeeling Gymkhana Club addressing the media.

DARJEELING: “The election and Annual General meeting of Darjeeling Gymkhana Club will be held on the 20th of December this year. 22nd November being the last date for the submission of forms for election to the Club Committee, the same can be withdrawn until the day of election. It may be noted that the Annual General Meeting and the elections to the Club Committee of the historic and highly prestigious Club took place every year in the month of September. However, the same could not be possible this year due to the various controversies surrounding the internal workings of the club,” said  D. K. Pradhan, the newly elected Administrator of the club and the former Member of the Legislative Assembly. D. K. Pradhan is also the member of the Central Committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. 

Pradhan also said that he was resolute in his determination to bring the Club back to its track. He requested all the members to work towards strengthening the values that the Club stood by. He further elaborated on the need for proposals to be passed by an Emergency General Meeting before venturing into any major endeavour. 

IN BLACK AND WHITE: CHESKHA

From Himalaya Darpan

SILIGURI: “Gorkha Janmutki Morcha’s Movement is illegal” Asok Bhattacharya

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

BY BARUN ROY WITH INPUTS FROM SILIGURI BY SUNIL ROY

Asok Bhattacharya addressing the 15 Darjeeling District Conference of DYFI at Siliguri. Photo by Bikram Sashankar - Courtesy Himalaya Darpan

DARJEELING: “Darjeeling Hills and the Plains people have never been separate and will never be separated.” Addressing two different political meetings West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Asok Bhattacharya echoed the same statement. The Chief Minister was addressing people at Baruipur while the State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister was speaking at Siliguri. 

Addressing the people at Baruipur, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said, “I really can’t understand what is happening in Darjeeling Hills. The District of Darjeeling comprising the Hills and the plains were never separate and will never be separated. We will have to solve the problems being faced by the people of Darjeeling District within the confines of West Bengal.” 

The State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister meanwhile addressing the people at Siliguri on the occasion of Democratic Youth Federation of India’s (DYFI) 15th Darjeeling District Conference echoed the Chief Minister’s resolve, “There is no question of a separate statehood for the district of Darjeeling. All problems must be solved without resorting to the division of West Bengal. In the last two decades Gorkha National Liberation Front swindled everyone in the name of development. They did not bother about the problems being faced by the youths. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has now made use of these shortcomings of Gorkha National Liberation Front and installed in the youths the notion of racism and violence. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s movement is illegal, against all democratic norms, racist and divisive. Gorkha Janmutki Morcha has been indulging in various activities which will hamper the coming Tripartite Movement. It must be understood Gorkhaland is not possible.”

HISTORICAL: GORKHA HITKARI SAMMELAN, DARJEELING

Gorkha Hitkari Sammelan, Darjeeling 1910. Photo taken before Capitol Hall. Reporduced from Fallen Cicada - Unwritten History of Darjeeling Hills by Barun Roy

DARJEELING HILLS: MADAN TAMANG LEAVES DARJEELING HILLS

BREAKING NEWS!

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

BY BARUN ROY

A file photo of All India Gorkha League President Madan Tamang addressing the people at Chowk Bazaar Darjeeling. Photo by Barun Roy - From Beacon Online Archives

DARJEELING: ALL INDIA GORKHA LEAGUE PRESIDENT MADAN TAMANG HAS LEFT DARJEELING HILLS FOR UNDISCLOSED DESTINATION as reported by a major vernacular daily today. The daily also states that the Gorkha League President flew to Kolkata from Bagdogra today and is schedule to leave for unknown destination today evening or tomorrow. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mohan Chettri has confirmed Madan Tamang’s departure for Darjeeling. Tamang’s flight to Kolkata from Bagdogra was also confirmed by Airport Authorities at Bagdogra Airport the daily reported. 

Mandan Tamang’s sudden departure from Darjeeling has come as a shock for the cadres and leaders of  All India Gorkha League party. Political observers in the hills are of the belief that this is a ’sad development’ which will break down the opposition parties – who though in favour of Gorkhaland have not been hand in hand with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. No communique has so far beein issued either by All India Gorkha League or Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. 

An All India Gorkha League Poster on the back of a bench at Chowrasta, Darjeeling. Photo by Barun Roy. From Beacon Online Archives

It may be noted that Madan Tamang had alleged that a ’secret meeting’ had taken place between Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President Bimal Gurung and State Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty, where the decision to give up the GL numbers and the agitational programme of replacing Government of West Bengal boards by Government of Gorkhaland was taken. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President had thence, publicly set 7th of November as the deadline before which the Gorkha League President proved his allegations. On the failure of the same, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha would force Madan Tamang to leave Darjeeling. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha filed a defamation case against Madan Tamang after the end of the deadline and sought Rs. 1 Crore as compensation. The students, youth and the women wings of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has also been continuously laying seize over Tamang’s house and demanding him to leave Darjeeling. Tamang’s further inablity to prove his allegations against the GJM President also lead to the demand from GJM cadres of his retirement from politics. As GJM anger against Tamang grew so did the police presence at his house and office. 

A File Photo: Madan Tamang's 'Collective Leadership' becomes reality in the form of People's Democratic Front (PDF) a 'Party of Parties'. Standing in the centre is Madan Tamang flanked from right to left are R. B. Rai General Secretary Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists and D. K. Pradhan, President Gorkha National Liberation Front (C). PDF broke up mostly due to inter party suspicion fueled by Subash Ghising himself. D. K. Pradhan today is a member of the Central Committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Photo by Barun Roy. From Beacon Online Archives.

Madan Tamang is taken to be a ‘no nonsense’ leader. “He is the only leader who dares enough to voice his defiance to anyone. During the peak of the Gorkhaland Movement under Subash Ghisingh, he was the only one to defy Ghisingh and warn people that Ghisingh and Gorkha National Liberation Organisation was secretly working a deal with the West Bengal Government. Ultimately, Subash Ghisingh accepted Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the Gorkhaland Movement came to an end,” said Nabin Chettri, a columnist with the local vernacular daily.  ”Madan Tamang is a good leader and believes in Democratic norms. He was perhaps the only leader to work towards Collective Leadership and a unified all party forum. But the inter-party suspicion never made it a reality. Madan Tamang’s greatest weakness however, was his inablity to connect to the grassroot level people. All India Gorkha League and Madan Tamang’s ideologies and political strategies though politically accepted by all never could be transformed into a ‘people’s movement’ simply because of All India Gorkha League’s inablity to rally people in their favour,” Chettri added.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Monarchy is The Long-Term Fate of Independent Nepal

Dear Ed,

In supporting the article and the comment of Mr. D. R. Prasai regarding the institution of monarchy of Nepal, I wish to add a few more words about the same.

The monarch as an individual and the monarchy as an institution are separate issues which must be understood when debating this issue for Nepal.

The monarch as an individual could be wrong and may have handled issues roughly but that should not mean the system or institution as a whole should be abolished. We could find many leaders and rulers failing to meet the needs of their nation in countries where there are democratic systems. It would be quite illogical to blame the system or constitution for the performance of a particular person.

There is no logic for blaming current leaders or the monarchy, for failing the constitution of 1990. The only weak-point I see is the lack of flexibility to incorporate the wishes of the people by referendum, but that could be reformed by national consensus.

Unfortunately, due to lack of statesmanship and greatly inspired by external forces, the current leaders have chosen a wrong and suicidal path, dismantling bases of unity, territorial integrity and national stability, by adopting the federal republic. The Monarchy has been a great source for building a united greater Nepal and it contributed to the democratic movement as well by ceasing Rana autocratic rule.

Some see the monarchy as evil but I believe the monarchy is necessary to Nepal from the geopolitics and multi-cultural diversity point of view. The wider and unexpected anarchic situation could not be easily prevented without the institution of monarchy. I believe that removing the monarchy from a nation-building campaign would invite a great and unthinkable threat and challenges to Nepal’s long term sustainability as a separate independent nation.

Some sort of affordable space, in which executive power could be excluded, is very much needed to provide for the institution of monarchy in Nepal. The positions of Sikkim and Bhutan, regarding their 1949 Darjeeling Agreement should be considered.

We still have time, since the permanent constitution has not yet been drafted and all that has been done so far is based on the interim (Temporary management) constitution which has not been endorsed by the people.

I believe that creating an acceptable and affordable space for the institution of monarchy, without executive authority, is a wise and broad step that would help national unity and the long term future of the independent nation, Nepal. There is no need to worry about the misuse of authority by the Monarchy when it is a symbolic and guardianship entity, that unifies the people and delivers the message of a separate nation.

Dibakar Pant
St.Paul, USA

NATIONAL: Where have all our heroes gone?

FROM SIFY NEWS

By Ramananda Sengupta

Villagers return the body of a BSF jawan killed during clashes with the Bangladesh Rifles (AP)

Do you remember Dinesh Raghuraman? Or K P Vinay Kumar?

 

Unless they were your friends or family members, chances are that the names of these two army majors mean nothing to you.

Both of them died early October, fighting terrorists in Kashmir. Read story.

Both are now mere statistics: according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal or www.SATP.org, 62 members of our security forces made the ultimate sacrifice till November 21 this year.

Men in uniform, sworn to protect and to defend. And if needed, to die for the country.

I-Day messages – Let the world respect our Forces: A K Antony | An instrument of national power: Navy Chief | We salute our warriors: Air Chief

I know that this is the season of goodwill and cheer, and perhaps not the time to discuss this. But then again, the officers and men protecting our borders are probably missing their families too, even as they battle terrorists and inclement weather.

I have always wondered what it takes for a person to be willing to die for the flag.

I have also wondered how the families of these usually young people react to the event. Was the sacrifice by their loved one worth it? Is their obvious grief and sorrow tinged with pride? Or is there only regret, and the obvious question: Why?

Let me come at this from another way: Do we, as a nation, understand and appreciate these sacrifices? Do we honour and cherish our heroes, for that is what they are? or do we take them for granted?

Is the token annual ceremonial salute at the Amar Jawan Jyoti all that we have for them? Is a pension and perhaps a medal all that we can offer them?

Forget the dead: do we even honour our living heroes?

This December 16 marks the 36th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh. On that day in 1971, the Pakistani army ate crow by publicly surrendering the East to General Jagjit Singh Aurora. It is often described as the Indian Army’s finest hour.

But today, how many of us are aware, or even care, that the then Eastern Command chief, General JFR Jacob, the man who actually negotiated the surrender of East Pakistan in 1971, lives in a small apartment in New Delhi’s Som Vihar? Today, he is not even invited for official events to commemorate the occasion.

How many of us have even heard of General Ian Cardozo, who used his khukri to sever his left foot, which was turning gangrenous after being wounded in East Pakistan during the last days of that war?

ESSAY: DARJEELING: THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE.

FROM DARJEELING INDIA BLOGSPOT.COM

BY AMITA 

THE PAST

Most of what I am going to say is what I heard from my husband because he spent most of his childhood in Darjeeling. A quarter of a century ago and a little more Darjeeling used to be more than just a one horse town. Paid municipal sweepers would sweep the roads so clean that is unimaginable today. School children would go to school in their properly designed uniforms looking like babalogs. There would be hustle and bustle in the market place but never chaos. Customers would lineup waiting for their turns; everyone’s speech was silver like in the saying. Just simple middle class men and women going about their lives in an orderly fashion. The office goers would go to work on time and return home only after they due time. The police force functioned properly. Municipality made sure the streets were clean. There was electricity in every home and water flowed in the pipelines. Even the fire brigade trucks had water at any given time. Most of the tea gardens were open

and produced ample quantities of good quality tea to supply to the whole world. The workers were happy with their work and their wages. They would come to the market place every Sunday to buy their requirements and spend their wages. There would be two tourist seasons. One, in the beginning of March to the end of June and other was the short Puja season, September-October, after the rains. All said and done, it was a fairy tale like place where people lived happily. But without these simple folks suspecting anything, they were ominous dark clouds gathering in the horizon.

The tea gardens began to shut down one after the other because of management and union problems. Without the wages coming in, the labour force could not support their families. Consequently they moved to the town in search of work. Without education and a lack skilled knowledge about anything worthwhile, except plucking tea leaves, most of them found themselves out of place and jobless. In the beginning, the migration was a trickle. Then people began to come in droves, as more and more tea gardens shut down their shutters. Darjeeling town to begin with, was built for a population of 30 thousand. Now with a population many times over, the civic amenities were being tested to their limits. Consequently the electric bulbs burnt like oil lamps. Water trickled in the pipelines. Uncollected garbage piled up in the streets and the happiness of this fairy tale land was short lived. Homeless migrants encroached upon government land and constructed their shacks overnight. They felled trees illegally as a result of which whatever water had been there, dried up in the source. The sweepers did not bother to sweep the roads like before. Even the children in their uniforms seemed to lose their innocence. There were strikes, rallies, chaos everyday. New political parties began to form; each party trying to undo the other. One such party on account of its militant ideology gained ground almost overnight. It seemed at one point in time every house in the hills was a member of that party. Unemployed youth were trained the use of guns and kukris. Many such militant cadres were formed throughout the hills of Darjeeling. The fight was against the government. Government buildings and properties were torched and houses belonging to another party were razed to the ground and the occupants either killed or chased away. The police became like puppets on a chain, being able to do little or nothing to the situation which was going from bad to worse. The government finally resorted to seeking help from the center. The central government likewise sent in their paramilitary forces. Now instead of the situation improving it went from bad to worse with the forces unleashing a reign of terror upon a population as a whole. Hundreds of people were murdered, their houses burnt and their women raped by the same protectors of law and order.

Matters were going out of hand. The leaders of the party and central government decided to solve the issue through dialogue. After much haggling, a separate autonomous state was not given to the Gorkhas but an autonomous council with sufficient powers was handed over to these simple people who had never tasted any kind of executive power before but had obeyed their superiors either white or brown for many generations.

The happiness of the people knew no bounds. People accepted this council with much dancing and singing in the streets and bursting of fire crackers. The leader of the movement, who was the mastermind in designing the intricacies of the council, was treated no less than god. Gradually he began to take his new status very seriously so much so that he would dictate the people which god to worship and which not to. Even the rituals had to be according to his dictates. Idol worship was out and stone worship was in. He brainwashed the whole community that they were nature worshippers and all sorts of unheard of items began to be worshipped, including monkeys.

In the meantime people flourished, at least those who could extract favors from him. His councilors who in themselves were crooks of the worst kind, and some of his party workers who had been formally unemployed and with a penchant for rowdiness, began to get small contracts for buildings, roads and resorts in the hills. Their quality of work was most shoddy and Darjeeling began to look a changed place – a change for the worse. Recently tarred roads began to develop potholes, water pipes dried up, and they weren’t any kind of the sewage system to keep control of the human waste.

Multistoried buildings began to mushroom everywhere obstructing the view of the Kunchanjunga. People would rush home before sundown for fear of being mugged. This kind of situation went on for 21 years.

NEPAL: Sharma passes away

FROM NEPAL NEWS

Rabindra Nath Sharma

A veteran leader of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and founding chief of the RPP-Nepal, Rabindra Nath Sharma has passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday night.
A former minister, Sharma, was one of the vocal proponent of monarchy saying the country needed the institution for the sake of stability.

He passed away while undergoing treatment at Bluecross hospital in Kathmandu. He was suffering from diabetes and kidney ailments.

He is survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters.

 

NEPAL: Prachanda believes debate will help keep Maoists unified

FROM ANI

Nepal Prime Minister and the Maoist Chairman Prachanda has said that the CPN-Maoists are emerging as a strong and united party.

Kathmandu, Nov 22 : Nepal Prime Minister and the Maoist Chairman Prachanda has said that the CPN-Maoists are emerging as a strong and united party.

Inaugurating the National Convention of the party cadres that kicked off in Bhaktapur on Friday Prachanda said that several attempts were made to divide the party since its underground years.

The ongoing debate, he said will help to keep the party unified.

According to Kantipur, around 1200 cadres from 13-state committees are taking part in the convention. The meeting will discuss the reports submitted by Prachanda and senior leader Mohan Baidya and decide which way the party shall move forward.

INDIA/NEPAL: India, Nepal to review Friendship Treaty

FROM SAMAY LIVE

Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty

New Delhi, Nov 22: India and Nepal are expected to review the Friendship Treaty when External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee travels to Kathmandu on November 24, marking the first high-level visit from this country to the Himalayan country after the Maoist-led government assumed office in August.

The two countries will also discuss ways to enhance trade and cooperation in power sector, sources said here.

Mukherjee will hold talks with his counterpart Upendra Yadav and meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. He will also meet leaders from other political parties.

 

NEPAL: Nepalese ‘Buddha Boy’ returns to jungle

FROM CANADA.COM

Seventeen-year-old Ram Bahadur Bamjon speaks to devotees from nearby villages in the remote forest in Ratanpuri, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Kathmandu November 11, 2008. Thousands of people flocked to the remote jungle in southeast Nepal to see the boy, some believe is a reincarnation of Lord Buddha, who reappeared after missing for more than a year, police said on Tuesday. Picture taken November 11, 2008. REUTERS/Diawkar Bhandari (NEPAL)

KATHMANDU - A young man who is believed by followers to be a reincarnation of Buddha has returned to Nepal’s jungles to meditate alone, police said Saturday, as scholars cast doubt on his supporters’ claims.

Known as the “Buddha Boy,” Ram Bahadur Bomjam, 18, became famous in 2005 after supporters said he could meditate motionless for months without water, food or sleep. ”Bomjam went back into the jungle late Friday, and all the devotees have left,” local police officer Gobinda Kushwaha told AFP from Neejgad, a town in Bara District, 60 kilometres south of Kathmandu.

The “Buddha Boy” reappeared earlier this month, after his supporters had said in March 2007 that he was going to meditate for three years in an underground bunker, although he was spotted on two occasions.

For the last 10 days, he has been blessing thousands of devotees who came daily to the site in dense jungle close to Neejgad. The president of the Nepal Buddhist Council said claims by his supporters that he was a reincarnation of Siddartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, were not credible.

“We do not believe he is Buddha. He does not have Buddha’s qualities,” said Mahiswor Raj Bajracharya, president of the Nepal Buddhist Council, a centre for Buddhist study and research in Kathmandu.

“He may have achieved great heights in meditation, but that alone does not make him a Buddha. A Buddha needs life experience, a young man who has not seen the world at all cannot be a Buddha,” said Bajracharya.
The head of the committee that organizes events around Bomjam continues to claim that he survives without food and water.

NEPAL: Nepal takes second crack at foreign adoptions

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

KATHMANDU: These are busy days for Prakash Adhikari as Nepal prepares to resume international adoptions which were suspended last year following reports that children were being trafficked for sale.

As a legal officer at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Affairs, Adhikari has been bombarded by queries and requests since the announcement last month that foreign nationals would again be allowed to adopt in Nepal.

The decision was greeted warily by the United Nations and child rights groups who say that some of the problems that led to abuses of the system had yet to be resolved. Adhikari, who spends his days fielding queries from foreign adoption agencies seeking clarification of the new regulations, insists that Nepal has learned from its mistakes

“The crux of international adoptions is matching children with prospective parents, and in the past there were weaknesses in the matching system,” he said.

Under the new regulations, foreigners will no longer be able to deal directly with children’s centres, and the matching of adoptive parents and children will be done by a government body.

“The new rules and processes will make the process better managed and more transparent,” Adhikari said.

In the past, foreign couples paid up to $20,000 to adopt a child – a huge amount of money in such an impoverished country and one that critics said spawned an illicit adoption market.

Under the new rules, fees are fixed at 8,000 dollars per adoption, with 5,000 dollars going to one of 38 approved children’s homes and 3,000 dollars to the government.

The government has approved 58 foreign adoption agencies, each of which is required to spend 10,000 dollars a year on “the welfare of children in Nepal”.

But the United Nations child rights body UNICEF argues that the system remains vulnerable to exploitation.

“The official designation of who is an orphan is still very wide,” said Joanne Doucet, the head of UNICEF’s child protection department in Nepal.

“Not only can it be a child with one or both parents, it can be someone who comes from a poor family, or someone who has been abandoned,” she said.

The Unicef and Swiss child rights group Terre des Hommes completed a study of children’s homes earlier this year and found 60-80 per cent of the 12,000 children being looked after had family they could live with.

NEPAL: Prachanda adopts brave unity facade

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister and chairman of the CPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ today said debates at the national-level cadres meeting would further strengthen the party’s unity with ”new commitment, courage and ideological clarity”.

Around 1,100 senior party cadres have assembled at Kharipati in Bhaktapur to discuss two rival political documents prepared by Prachanda and Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’.

The meet will continue for three days, according to the coordinator of the event Hitman Shakya ‘Suman’. During his inaugural speech, which was open to the media, Prachanda dwelt on mostly on emphasising party unity and ideological clarity, hinting that the party was passing through an ideological debate.

He said reactionary elements had tried their best to divide the party during the People’s War.

“They had even tried to create fissures among us during the peace process,” he said. “But they failed to divide us. Their political calculations also failed after we emerged the largest party following the CA polls.”

He warned the reactionaries within the country and outside not to dream of creating any political and ideological division in the party.

“We sailed through such crises ever since we waged the People’s War,” he said. “It’s not easy to divide a party that has created a strong base among the people.” Prachanda also said his party was capable of managing “ideological crisis” and taking only calculated “political risks” to move forward in a united manner.

He said the whole world and people of Nepal were keenly watching as to what sort of political and ideological course the party would adopt. The people are hopeful that the party would remain intact and take the right direction to lead the nation towards prosperity and stability. 

“Ours is the only party of which the people have high expectations,” he said.

Earlier, Prachanda and his political rival Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ defended their views expressed in their respective political documents in the central committee meeting that concluded this afternoon. The CC meet had kicked off on Monday.

But the central committee members failed to reconcile the differences. The central committee then decided to present both the papers in the national-cadres’ meet.

SIKKIM: Hee Bermiok readies itself for Sirijunga’s birth anniversary

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, November 21: Hee Bermiok is all set to celebrate the birth anniversary of Teyongsi Sirijunga, a Limboo saint on December 12.

A meting held at Yuma Mangkhim, Martam on November 16 under the chairmanship of Ramesh Subba has decided to celebrate the day with cultural festival and sport events.

As usual, the birth anniversary of the Limboo saint will be made grander as the event will be observed under the banner of winter festival of Hee-Bermiok Tourism Development and Heritage Conservation Society.

According to a press release, State Tourism department has sanctioned a grant of Rs. 1, 50, 000 to the society to organize the festival.

A new committee of Sirijunga Manghim Chumpho was also formed in the meeting with Sukman Subba as president, Aita Singh Subba and Durga Prasad Pradhan as vice-presidents, Bholanath Sharma as general secretary, Krishna Chandra Sharma as treasurer and Buddhi Raj Phurambo as joint secretary.

 

SIKKIM: More names are coming in SBI Sombaria forgery case

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, November 21: A routine case of tracking down two loan defaulters of State Bank of India (SBI) branch at Sombaria has led to disclosure of forged State government documents and a department-bank nexus.

SBS had during the month of October had lodged a complaint with Sombaria police station about two local loan defaulters. The initial complaint was that Chewang Dorjee Bhutia and Umesh Rai have not paid their loans back.

When the news broke, the duo slipped out of Sikkim and took refuge in West Bengal before police could detain them.

West Sikkim police launched persistent efforts to track them down and finally on November 14, managed to grab them in West Bengal with help from Darjeeling police.

Sombaria police OC, SI Santosh Bania and second OC, SI Navin Rai had worked hard to bring the absconding duo back to Sikkim.

It is where the story twists into a scam where involvement of concerned departments and bank authorities could not be ruled out.

As per police investigations, it was revealed that the accused duo, Bhutia and Rai had taken loans of Rs. 3 lakhs each on forged documents. Moreover they have posed as government employees. While applying for loans, a government employee has to submit salary statement duly endorsed by a competent authority of the department which he or she belongs to.

In the above scam, accused Bhutia had submitted forged documents claiming to be a government teacher with a fake signature of the State HRD department official. Similarly, accused Rai had claimed to be an employee of printing and stationary department and submitted documents for loans. Both the documents and their claims as government employees were fake, informed police.

SIKKIM: Additional 15 day judicial remand for Malaysian duo

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, November 21: The two Malaysians who arrested while entering Sikkim without valid visas on November 5 have been today send to a further additional 15 days judicial custody.

The duo had been earlier remanded to judicial custody of 15 days by the lower court after they were found without valid visas while trying to enter Sikkim on November 5 through the Rangpo border check post.

The Malaysians, Ravi and M Girubanandhan had tried to enter the sensitive border State of Sikkim without visas after a trip to Nepal.

 

SIKKIM: CM draws global attention to receding glaciers of Sikkim

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

Sikkimese Chief Minister Pawan Chamling at Governors Conference in California. Photo by Sikkim Express

GANGTOK, November 21: Addressing a global audience at California, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling shared the signs of global warming experiences of Sikkim and called the global community to address the phenomenon at the local level.

Mr. Chamling was speaking at the two day Governors’ Global Climate Change Summit hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Chief Minister had been personally invited by the Governor Schwarzenegger.

The summit was held at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles from November 18 to November 19 and was attended by premiers and representatives from USA, India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, UN and others deliberated on the challenges of climate change.

As per an IPR release, Mr. Chamling in his address said that Sikkim has also started experiencing some signs of global warming in the form of erratic climatic behavior, many signs of stress and strains that is palpable in the mountain ecology and that of local economy.

Calling upon the global community to come to the local level for mitigation process, Mr Chamling informed about the environmental measures undertaken by the Sikkim government for conservation of nature.

“Climate change is a global phenomenon that requires an international response under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Any new cooperative effort to tackle climate change should not undermine the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, but rather complement these instruments. The need of the hour is to forge a meaningful and implementable international consensus to deal with them”, said the Chief Minister in his address.

“In our State of Sikkim also, there have been increasing signs of global warming induced changes manifesting itself in ecological imbalance in the form of increasing deglaciation and irregular climatic behavior. Climate change is a global problem but Himalayan States like ours will have major impact and we will be major victim of this change. We will be disproportionately affected and most likely to suffer due to various consequences of climate change though we have minimal contribution for adding to green house gas emission”, said Mr. Chamling.

SIKKIM: Sikkim becomes the first Nirmal Rajya in India

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

In a befitting ceremony marking the conclusion of the four day SACOSAN III (third South Asian Conference on Sanitation) held at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi, Speaker, Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee presented the ‘Nirmal District Awards’ to all the four districts of Sikkim today. Photo by Sikkim Express

NEW DELHI, November 21 (IPR): In a befitting ceremony marking the conclusion of the four day SACOSAN III (third South Asian Conference on Sanitation) held at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi, Speaker, Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee presented the ‘Nirmal District Awards’ to all the four districts of Sikkim today.

With this, the State of Sikkim has achieved a historic milestone in its socio-economic progress by becoming the first ‘Nirmal Rajya’ of the country. The awards were received by the Zilla Adhyaksha, District Development Officer and two Panchayat Sabhapatis representing the respective districts.

Participation in this conference thus holds special significance for the delegates from Sikkim, for in the year declared as the International year of Sanitation, the 22nd State of India has become the first Indian State to achieve 100 percent sanitation.

By doing so, Sikkim has presented the perfect gift and compliment to the government of India, especially when India is hosting the SACOSAN III and extending its hospitality to the member South Asian countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal , Sri Lanka as well as international bodies such as WHO, UNICEF , several NGOS and eminent personalities.

The department of Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government Of India is reported to have indicated that a Gold Medal for achieving the status of Nirmal Rajya would be presented to Sikkim by President Pratibha Patil on December 8, 2008 at the ‘Nirmal Gram Puruskar’ function in Pune and that the Chief Minister of Sikkim Pawan Chamling would be invited to receive the award from the President on behalf of the State.

Inaugurating the conference on November 18, 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly reiterated the need to provide proper sanitation and drinking water for the poorest of the poor and stressed upon the importance of sanitation by urging everyone to work together to realize Mahatma Gandhi’s clarion call for total sanitation. The Prime Minister in his speech also expressed his pleasure and complimented Sikkim for having achieved the rare distinction of being the first 100 percent sanitized state of the country.