Swu, Muivah censure cadres' conduct

DIMAPUR, 31 Jan 2013 [THE SANGAI EXPRESS | Pic: Tehelka] --- NSCN-IM leaders Isak Chisi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah today expressed sadness over the way the outfit's cadres are behaving. "God will never be happy with NSCN if its members keep on doing their own pleasure of works without doing the will of God," said NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah while the outfit's chairman Isak Chsi Swu said, "If we do not do the will of God, we will be doomed, and the NSCN will be responsible for it. Because this is the era of NSCN. NSCN's name sells both at home and abroad. We cannot afford to fail this time. We don't have to blame heaven and earth if we fail. History says the Romans themselves brought about the downfall of the Roman Empire. NSCN will also be pulled down by the NSCN themselves. NSCN will fall when the spirit of 'NSCN-ism' runs out in its members; it will fall when it is not political; it will fall when the policy of its leadership is not people-based; it will fall when its approach to the world is not objective; it will fall when its members are rebellious; it will fall when there is moral degeneration in the set-up. Above all, it will fall when its members flee from the Lord". Swu and Muivah were delivering speeches at the '34th NSCN Day' celebration at Hebron, off Dimapur today. NSCN was formed on this day in 1980 after spitting from Naga National Council (NNC). During the course of his speech today, Thuingaleng Muivah became exortation while reminding the cadres that God will never be happy with NSCN-IM if its members keep on doing their own pleasure of works without doing the will of God. "He made a direct reference to the present situation where it demands the members to take the right decision in order to save the Naga nation," said the press comunique issued by the NSCN-IM this evening. "The world has not stopped, it keeps changing. But when the people fail to understand the process of change they will be lost because they fail to take the right decision. NSCN should not fail," Muivah pointedly asked the members to realise where they stand. The NSCN-IM general secretary then fervently appeals to all the members to take the right decision before God—to forgive their waywardness and mistakes and take steps to save the 'Naga nation'. "We have to change by taking the right decision to ask God for forgiveness, and there is no other way to save the nation", Muivah stated. Meanwhile, NSCN-IM chairman Isak Chisi Swu recalled the sequences that led to the formation of the NSCN. He said after the failure of NNC, the NSCN was formed in the national workers' meeting at Nokpa, where the historic decision to uphold the national principle of divine right to self determination was taken. It was finally, approved by the 'national assembly' held at Tonu on this day, the 31st January 1980. According to Swu, the NSCN put up an undaunted resistance against the aggression of the colossal forces of the enemies who adopted ruthless means to crush the Nagas. "Guided by their avowed neo-colonial policy, they used one Naga to fight another Naga. Instigated one group to fight another group and incited communalism between the Nagas and others with a view to keeping the Nagas divided and suppressed perpetually. But that could not dampen the spirit of the Nagas. In fact, the Naga people under the banner of NSCN stood the ground in the face of those horrible situations," Isal Swu stated. But sadly, some of us have run away and joined forces with the enemies to fight against their own people. The preacher says, 'They killed God, the Son in the name of God." Likewise, those traitors killed their people in the name of people and pulled back the wheels of history in the name of revolution. They are still working unceasingly to abort negotiations in the sweet name of unity. These are bitter realities, the NSCN-IM chairman further stated. "At long last, the Indian leaders of both military and politics admitted that military solution is not possible. A political problem calls for a political solution. The official recognition of the unique history of the Nagas by the government of India is a bold step toward solution, which should be appreciated. The government of India should also appreciate the steps taken by the Nagas. In course of the political negotiations, both the parties have taken positive step," Swu said.

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Centre will include Kuki Statehood Demand Committee in talks

NEW DELHI, 31 Jan 2013 [Imphal Free Press] --- The Centre would definitely include the Kuki Statehood Demand Committee or KSDC in the forthcoming talks with Kuki groups to resolve the grievances which are leading to blockades and many disturbances in Manipur. This was disclosed to Vision Communications in an exclusive interview by Sh Shambhu Singh, Joint Secretary (NE) of Ministry of Home Affairs. "The KSDC might be feeling ignored. They might be feeling that we would just talk to KNO and UPF on the Kuki side and NSCN(IM) on the Nagaland side. Had they come to me when I last visited Manipur I would have told them, that their feelings are unfounded. We will definitely include the KSDC in the talks", Shambhu Singh said. However the talks would not be presided over by any Ministry official but by an interlocutor. Singh disclosed that the cabinet has to clear the idea of deputing an interlocutor for talking with the Kukis. "Once that is over, talks" shall start immediately" he said before decidedly going on record to say that "talks will start within one month's time". The chosen interlocutor will talk separately to all the three Kuki organisations to try to come to some common ground, the Joint Secretary assured before urging that blockades should not be resorted to. "These agitators are unnecessarily inconveniencing the people of their own state. For us every citizen of the country is important. If the Kukis are important, the common people are also important, so we cannot ignore one at the cost of the other", he said.

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Chin women rescued from enslaved, one still missing in Delhi

NEW DELHI, 01 Feb 2013 [Chinland Guardian] --- Nine out of ten Chin refugee women aged between 11 and 23, who were secretly sold as housemaids to Indian landlords, have been saved from their 'unpaid' work in New Delhi, India. The victims, who were coaxed into working as a live-in housemaid through a woman agent from Manipur State, were last week rescued by the police in collaboration with NGOs and Chin communities. However, the police were, as of yesterday, still searching for a 13-year-old girl who is believed to be in the northwest area of Punjab, according to a source from the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO). The 'rescued' Chin victims, with one aged 23, two 16, one 15, two 14, and three 13, are now held in a safe condition in police custody as the investigation still goes on. Mrs Cing Lam Vung, mother of the two victims, said she would be allowed to see her daughters every Wednesday and Sunday. How it happened According to an interview with Mrs Cing Lam Vung by CHRO, a Manipuri woman named Kim aka Margaret approached Chin refugee girls and women, saying she could find jobs for them. Knowing their difficult situation of life in Delhi, Kim promised Mrs Cing Lam Vung that she could offer her daughters a job for 6,000 Indian rupees a month. "Therefore, I think I will send two of my daughters aged 11 and 13 for a month during their school holidays. It was on 17 December last year that I took my daughters to her office," said Mrs Vung, originally from Tedim Township of Chin State, Burma. She said she started getting worried about her daughters when she called Kim on 15 January and her phone was switched off. "I went to her office with my two fellow refugees and it was closed. I rang a telephone number posted on the door and was told to come back on Monday. Again, it was closed," added Mrs Vung. On their way back home from the office, she met a Chin refugee girl who was running away from an Indian landlord after jumping off the verandah of the house where she got a job through the same agent. Mrs Vung said the girl one day asked her Indian landlord to let her go home on leave but the landlord told her that he had given the woman [Kim] 26,000 rupees, and that she had to return the amount first if she would like to go home. Later, Kim contacted the girl over the phone and asked her to return to her work. Mrs Vung, who got much worried about her own daughters, said: "I asked her to tell Kim that her landlord was not good and that she needed a new job. Kim asked her to find more girls after she had assured she would find a new landlord for her." At night, Kim turned up to the girl's rented room where Mrs Vung and other five Chin girls, who pretended to be interested in getting a job, also slept. Kim, accompanied by Mrs Vung with other girls, went to see one of her clients' houses the following day. "We stood at the verandah and another Chin girl suddenly came out to me from inside the house. She cried and embraced me asking not to leave her alone," added Mrs Vung. After a while, Kim had an argument with the landlord, who informed the police of the situation and let the girl go. Vung's two daughters and other girls Mrs Cing Lam Vung's two teenage daughters, who were later found working at different locations by the police on 20 January, are taken to Children Welfare Centre for medical check-ups. "The police brought my two daughters. But their landlords said they were not aware of the situation," said Mrs Vung. Ms Kim sold the Chin girls with 10,000 rupees as servants to local Indians, according to the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC) in New Delhi, a community-based organization providing services to refugees from Chin State. Nine of the Chin girls, who are from the Zomi Community, have been recognized as refugees from Burma by Delhi-based UNHCR. Some of them worked for one to three months without knowing that their salaries had been taken from their landlords by the dishonest Manipuri agent. "I know that two of my daughters work to get 3,000 rupees a month each. But I later know that 23,000 rupees has been taken in advance from the landlord by Kim for my daughters," said Mrs Vung. It was later confirmed that Kim lied to her landlord clients about the ethnic backgrounds and ages of the girls, saying they were over 18 years old and from Manipur State of India. "One girl worked from early morning till 11pm at night. The gate was locked until the landlord came back home late at night," said Sanlek, a staff member of Don Bosco Ashalayam. No one got their wages, according to confirmed sources. The 'dishonest' agent and her tricks Ms Kim aka Margaret is believed to have well known the 'desperate' situation facing Chin refugees living in India's New Delhi. "It is interesting that Ms Margaret would come to Hastal. She met the girls four to five times and later she would give them some sweets," said Sanlek, of Don Bosco Ashalayam, an Indian NGO working for the protection of children on the streets. "And she told the children that she knew rich people who do not have children and that they will be treated like their biological daughters and get more money." Mrs Cing Lam Vung said Kim told her that her daughters would make 6,000 rupees per month and could work either for one month only or as long as a year. At the police station in Uttam Nagar on 19 January 2013, Kim, who was also then detained by the police, threatened Mrs Cing Lam Vung, saying: "You, refugees, will never beat me. I have many relatives." "I can even destroy your relations with UNHCR. Now I have phoned my relatives," added Mrs Vung, who was at that time trying to get information about her two daughters. It is also known that one Kuki organization lodged a report against Ms Kim at the Uttam Nagar Police Station. On 21 January 2013, staff members from Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), an implementing partner of the UNHCR, lodged an FIR (First Information Report) against Ms Kim to the police. "She is now in police custody but we don't know where she is now," said Salai Bonai, President of the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC) in Delhi. What's next? Ms Kim accused Mrs Cing Lam Vung of committing child labour and of getting involved in the business with her. "She told the police that she had given me 4,000 rupees for finding the girls. But she never gave me the money. I even paid for a local transportation cost when I went to her office at first," said Mrs Vung. It is scheduled that Mrs Vung, who is released on bail, will appear in court on 5 February 2013. UNHCR has been informed of the situation and it is believed that its direct involvement in assisting the search for the missing girl will be significantly effective. It is not yet known whether the Indian landlords, who kept the Chin housemaids under slave-like conditions, will also be held responsible for any violations. The investigation continues. Situation of Chin refugees in Delhi Chin refugees stranded in New Delhi have long suffered from a series of serious assaults ranging from rapes, physical attacks to abuses against children, committed by local Indians. Between the months of June and September last year, more than 120 incidents where Chin refugees, from a child under the age of five up to an elderly over 60, had faced harassment, discrimination, violent attacks and assaults in various ways were documented by CHRO in New Delhi. No actions have been properly taken against the local perpetrators by Indian authorities. It is estimated that there are currently over ten thousand refugees and asylum seekers stranded in New Delhi after having fled from Chin State, Burma.

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Manipur: Parents of alleged rapist filed case against victim's parents

NE Helpline Seeks Help from National Women and SC Commissions Police Yet To Act upon the Minor Rape Case A Delegation Meeting Station Women Commission Imphal, January 31, 2013 [NE HELPLINE] ---  The parents of the rapist of the scheduled caste minor girl of Kakching have falsely filed a case against the victim's parents. North East Support Centre & Helpline submitted a memorandum to the National Commission for Women and National Commission for Scheduled Caste. Police are yet to arrest the culprits. Ms Geeta (name changed) 17 years old, a student of Class XI, studying at Shillong was kidnapped by Yengkokpam Prameshwor Singh about 19 years old S/o Yengkokpam Rameshwor Singh of Charangpat Mamang Leikai, Thoubal district, kidnapped with three men in a red Maruti van. She was raped inside the vehicle and forced her to accept as eloped with her consent by the family members of the rapist. A case of kidnapping, seducing and raping a minor girl is registered at Kakching Police Station under section 366/376/342/34 of IPC and 3(1)(XII) of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocity Act 1989. Kakching Police official told North East Support Centre & Helpline that the parents of the rapist have filed a court case against the parents of the victim. "This is unacceptable and an attempt to mislead the court and to harass and humiliate to the victim and her parents. The parents of the rapist should also be punished for false allegation and supporting the rapist" says Madhu Chandra, Spokesperson of NE Helpline. Having learnt the seriousness of the matter, Core Team of North East Support Centre & Helpline has resolved to take help from Women Commissions.  Memorandums have been submitted to the National Commission for Women and National Commission for Scheduled Caste.  A delegation led by Mr Madhu Chandra and Rev. N. Debendra Singh, Member of Manipur State Minorities Commission will meet the Chairperson of Manipur State Commission for Women tomorrow. North East Support Centre & Helpline demanded National Commission for Women and National Commission for Scheduled Caste to intervene the matter and ensure justice to the victim and punished the rapists and other involved in the crime. Memorandums also include the demand for compensation to the rape victim as per the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocity Rule (Revised) 2011 and Supreme Court Directive of Rape Victim Scheme 2010, which amount Rs 1,20,000 (One lakh twenty thousand) from SC/ST POA Revised Rule 2011 and Rs 2,00,000 (Two Lakh) from Supreme Court's Directive Rape Victim Scheme. The matter of crime against women in Manipur, Madhu Chandra, says, "Manipur Police should not allow Manipur to become like Delhi, in dealing the crimes against women. Delhi police used to deny and delay in registering and taking action for the crimes against North East women and as result, the crimes against the people from North East India increased. So shall not be the same in Manipur."

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Being A Khan: Shah Rukh Khan

New Delhi, 31 Jan 2013 [NDTV | OUTLOOK | IBN7] --- The article 'Being a Khan', authored by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, appeared last week in the magazine Outlook Turning Points (The Global Agenda 2013).  Read the full article below:  I am an actor. Time does not frame my days with as much conviction as images do. Images rule my life. Moments and memories imprint themselves on my being in the form of the snapshots that I weave into my expression. The essence of my art is the ability to create images that resonate with the emotional imagery of those watching them. I am a Khan. The name itself conjures multiple images in my mind too: a strapping man riding a horse, his reckless hair flowing from beneath a turban tied firm around his head. His ruggedly handsome face marked by weathered lines and a distinctly large nose. A stereotyped extremist; no dance, no drink, no cigarette tipping off his lips, no monogamy, no blasphemy; a fair, silent face beguiling a violent fury smoldering within. A streak that could even make him blow himself up in the name of his God. Then there is the image of me being shoved into a back room of a vast American airport named after an American president (another parallel image: of the president being assassinated by a man named lee, not a Muslim thankfully, nor Chinese as some might imagine! I urgently shove the image of the room out of my head). Some stripping, frisking and many questions later, I am given an explanation (of sorts): "Your name pops up on our system, we are sorry". "So am I," I think to myself, "Now can I have my underwear back please?" Then, there is the image I most see, the one of me in my own country: being acclaimed as a megastar, adored and glorified, my fans mobbing me with love and apparent adulation. I am a Khan. I could say I fit into each of these images: I could be a strapping six feet something - ok something minus, about three inches at least, though I don't know much about horse-riding. A horse once galloped off with me flapping helplessly on it and I have had a "no horse-riding" clause embedded in my contracts ever since. I am extremely muscular between my ears, I am often told by my kids, and I used to be fair too, but now I have a perpetual tan or as I like to call it 'olive hue' - though deep In the recesses of my armpits I can still find the remains of a fairer day. I am handsome under the right kind of light and I really do have a "distinctly large" nose. It announces my arrival in fact, peeking through the doorway just before I make my megastar entrance. But my nose notwithstanding, my name means nothing to me unless I contextualize it. Stereotyping and contextualizing is the way of the world we live in: a world in which definition has become central to security. We take comfort in defining phenomena, objects and people - with a limited amount of knowledge and along known parameters. The predictability that naturally arises from these definitions makes us feel secure within our own limitations. We create little image boxes of our own. One such box has begun to draw its lid tighter and tighter at present. It is the box that contains an image of my religion in millions of minds. I encounter this tightening of definition every time moderation is required to be publicly expressed by the Muslim community in my country. Whenever there is an act of violence in the name of Islam, I am called upon to air my views on it and dispel the notion that by virtue of being a Muslim, I condone such senseless brutality. I am one of the voices chosen to represent my community in order to prevent other communities from reacting to all of us as if we were somehow colluding with or responsible for the crimes committed in the name of a religion that we experience entirely differently from the perpetrators of these crimes. I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in india. There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighboring nation rather than my own country - this even though I am an Indian whose father fought for the freedom of India. Rallies have been held where leaders have exhorted me to leave my home and return to what they refer to as my "original homeland". Of course, I politely decline each time, citing such pressing reasons as sanitation words at my house preventing me from taking the good shower that's needed before undertaking such an extensive journey. I don't know how long this excuse will hold though. I gave my son and daughter names that could pass for generic (pan-Indian and pan-religious) ones: Aryan and Suhana. The Khan has been bequeathed by me so they can't really escape it. I pronounce it from my epiglottis when asked by Muslims and throw the Aryan as evidence of their race when non-Muslims enquire. I imagine this will prevent my offspring from receiving unwarranted eviction orders and random fatwas in the future. It will also keep my two children completely confused. Sometimes, they ask me what religion they belong to and, like a good Hindi movie hero, I roll my eyes up to the sky and declare philosophically, "You are an Indian first and your religion is humanity", or sing them an old Hindi film ditty, "Tu Hindu banega na Musalmaan banega - insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega" set to Gangnam Style. None of this informs them with any clarity, it just confounds them some more and makes them deeply wary of their father. In the land of the freed, where I have been invited on several occasions to be honored, I have bumped into ideas that put me in a particular context. I have had my fair share of airport delays for instance. I became so sick of being mistaken for some crazed terrorist who coincidentally carries the same last name as mine that I made a film, subtly titled My name is Khan (and I am not a terrorist) to prove a point. Ironically, I was interrogated at the airport for hours about my last name when I was going to present the film in America for the first time. I wonder, at times, whether the same treatment is given to everyone whose last name just happens to be McVeigh (as in Timothy)?? I don't intend to hurt any sentiments, but truth be told, the aggressor and taker of life follows his or her own mind. It has to nothing to do with a name, a place or his/her religion. It is a mind that has its discipline, its own distinction of right from wrong and its own set of ideologies. In fact, one might say, it has its own "religion". This religions has nothing to do with the ones that have existed for centuries and been taught in mosques or churches. The call of the azaan or the words of the pope have no bearing on this person's soul. His soul is driven by the devil. I, for one, refuse to be contextualized by the ignorance of his ilk. I am a Khan. I am neither six-feet-tall nor handsome (I am modest though) nor am I a Muslim who looks down on other religions. I have been taught my religion by my six-foot-tall, handsome Pathan 'Papa' from Peshawar, where his proud family and mine still resides. He was a member of the no-violent Pathan movement called Khudai Khidamatgaar and a follower of both Gandhiji and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, who was also known as the Frontier Gandhi. My first learning of Islam from him was to respect women and children and to uphold the dignity of every human being. I learnt that the property and decency of others, their points of view, their beliefs, their philosophies and their religions were due as much respect as my own and ought to be accepted with an open mind. I learnt to believe in the power and benevolence of Allah, and to be gentle and kind to my fellow human beings, to give of myself to those less privileged than me and to live a life full of happiness, joy, laughter and fun without impinging on anybody else's freedom to live in the same way. So I am a Khan, but no stereotyped image is factored into my idea of who I am. Instead, the living of my life has enabled me to be deeply touched by the love of millions of Indians. I have felt this love for the last 20 years regardless of the fact that my community is a minority within the population of India. I have been showered with love across national and cultural boundaries, from Suriname to Japan and Saudi Arabia to Germany, places where they don't even understand my language. They appreciate what I do for them as an entertainer - that's all. My life has led me to understand and imbibe that love is a pure exchange, untempered by definition and unfettered by the narrowness of limiting ideas. If each one of us allowed ourselves the freedom to accept and return love in its purity, we would need no image boxes to hold up the walls of our security. I believe that I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience the magnitude of such a love, but I also know that its scale is irrelevant. In our own small ways, simply as human beings, we can appreciate each other for how touch our lives and not how our different religions or last names define us. Beneath the guise of my superstardom, I am an ordinary man. My Islamic stock does not conflict with that of my Hindu wife's. The only disagreements I have with Gauri concern the color of the walls in our living room and not about the locations of the walls demarcating temples from mosques in India.  We are bringing up a daughter who pirouettes in a leotard and choreographs her own ballets. She sings western songs that confound my sensibilities and aspires to be an actress. She also insists on covering her head when in a Muslim nation that practices this really beautiful and much misunderstood tenet of Islam. Our son's linear features proclaim his Pathan pedigree although he carries his own, rather gentle mutations of the warrior gene. He spends all day either pushing people asie at rugby, kicking some butt at Tae Kwon Do or eliminating unknown faces behind anonymous online gaming handles around the world with The Call of Duty video game. And yet, he firmly admonishes me for getting into a minor scuffle at the cricket stadium in Mumbai last year because some bigot make unsavory remarks about me being a Khan. The four of us make up a motley representation of the extraordinary acceptance and validation that love can foster when exchanged within the exquisiteness of things that are otherwise defined ordinary. For I believe, our religion is an extremely personal choice, not a public proclamation of who we are. It's as person as the spectacles of my father who passed away some 20 years ago. Spectacles that I hold onto as my most prized and personal possession of his memories, teachings and of being a proud Pathan. I have never compared those with my friends, who have similar possessions of their parents or grandparents. I have never said my father's spectacles are better than your mother's saree. So why should we have this comparison in the matter of religion, which is as personal and prized a belief as the memories of your elders. Why should not the love we share be the last word in defining us instead of the last name? It doesn't take a superstar to be able to give love, it just takes a heart and as far as I know, there isn't a force on this earth that can deprive anyone of theirs. I am a Khan, and that's what it has meant being one, despite the stereotype images that surround me. To be a Khan has been to be loved and love back - that the promise that virgins wait for me somewhere on the other side. ~ Shah Rukh Khan ===================================== "We In India Are Extremely Safe And Happy" 'We have an amazing democratic, free and secular way of life. In the environs that we live here in my country India, we have no safety issues regarding life or material. As a matter of fact it is irksome for me to clarify this non-existent issue.' According to me, all our lives we are defined by three identities. Two of which are fortunately acquired by birth and are a matter of unconditional love and acceptance. The first identity is acquired by where one is born. Our Motherland. That defines us. So foremost all of us here like me are proud Indians. Second the family name and upbringing that our parents give us. Mine is Khan, like some of us here. I am very proud of my parents, like all of us are here. I love them unconditionally. The third is the profession we choose that defines us. By some quirk of fate I am a celebrity...a public figure in the fields of art and media. Like most of us are here today. This is the full text of Shah Rukh Khan's statement clarifying his essay in Outlook Turning Points magazine. As I said being an Indian and my parents' child is an unconditional accepted truth of my life and I am very proud of both. The third...being a public figure makes me open to any kind of questioning, adjectives good and bad and or sometimes makes me an object of controversy as people use my name and statements to attach any positive or negative sentiment to it. I accept all the above because this is the life I chose and will stand by it. I am what I am, because of the love and admiration that comes with being who I am in my profession...so I thank everyone for making me the star I am. Now to address this whole issue, with regards to my Article, that has taken an unwarranted twist. I do not even understand the basis of this controversy. Ironically the article I wrote (yes its written by me) was actually meant to reiterate that on some occasions my being an Indian Muslim film star is misused by bigots and narrow minded people who have misplaced religious ideologies for small gains...and ironically the same has happened through this article...once again. The reason for this primarily is...I think some of the people have not even read it and are reacting to comments of people, who in turn have also not read it. So I implore you all to first read it. Second if you read it, nowhere does the article state or imply directly or indirectly that I feel unsafe...troubled or disturbed in India. It does not even vaguely say that I am ungrateful for the love that I have received in a career spanning 20 years. On the contrary the article only says that in spite of bigoted thoughts of some of the people that surround us...I am untouched by skepticism because of the love I have received by my countrymen and women. I will paraphrase the beginning and the end of the article to clarify and substantiate my stand. "Then, there is the image I most see, the one of me in my own country: being acclaimed as a megastar, adored and glorified, my fans mobbing me with love and apparent adulation. So I am a Khan, but no stereotyped image is factored into my idea of who I am. Instead, the living of my life has enabled me to be deeply touched by the love of millions of Indians. I have felt this love for the last 20 years regardless of the fact that my community is a minority within the population of India. I have been showered with love across national and cultural boundaries, they appreciate what I do for them as an entertainer - that's all. My life has led me to understand and imbibe that love is a pure exchange, untempered by definition and unfettered by the narrowness of limiting ideas. Sometimes, they ask me what religion they belong to and, like a good Hindi movie hero, I roll my eyes up to the sky and declare philosophically, you are an Indian first and your religion is Humanity, or sing them an old Hindi film ditty, tu hindu banega na musalmaan banega - insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega set to Gangnam style. Why should not the love we share be the last word in defining us instead of the last name? It doesn't take a superstar to be able to give love, it just takes a heart and as far as i know, there isn't a force on this earth that can deprive anyone of theirs. I am a Khan, and that's what it has meant being one, despite the stereotype images that surround me. To be a Khan has been to be loved and love back." Please, I implore everyone here to read the article and convey through your respective mediums of communications, all the good things that it expresses to youngsters and my fellow Indians. It is a heartfelt and extremely important aspect of my life, an appreciation of love that all of you have bestowed upon me and also a point of view from my being a father of two young children. I would like to tell all those who are offering me unsolicited advice that we in India are extremely safe and happy. We have an amazing democratic, free and secular way of life. In the environs that we live here in my country India, we have no safety issues regarding life or material. As a matter of fact it is irksome for me to clarify this non-existent issue. With respect I would like to say to anyone who is interpreting my views and offering advice regarding them, please read what I have written first. Also some of the views that I have been made to read are just an extension of soft targeting celebs and creating an atmosphere of emotional outbursts and divisiveness based on religion...in the minds of some. I implore everyone to understand, that my article is against exactly this kind of giving in to propaganda and aggressiveness. Let's not be misled by tools which use religion as an anchor for unrest and a policy of divide and rule. I would also like to add here, that my profession as an actor makes me, liked beyond the borders of my nation and culture. The hugs and love that I am showered upon by Nationalities all around the world, make me safe all over the globe, and my safety has genuinely never been a matter of concern to me...and so it should not be a matter of concern to anyone else either. We are all educated and patriotic people. We do not have to prove that time and again because of divisive politics of a few. My own family and friends, are like a mini India...where all religions, professions and a few wrongs included, all are treated with tolerance and understanding and regard for each other. I only sell love...love that I have got from millions of Indians and non Indians...and stand indebted to my audience in my country and around the world. It is sad that I have to say it to prove it, in my country, which my father fought for, during the Independence struggle. That's my piece and having said all this...I would like to request all of you present here...that henceforth ask me questions regarding...my next movie. The songs that I have recorded. The release date of my film. The heroines cast in it. The Toiffa awards in Vancouver, because I am an actor and maybe I should just stick to stuff that all of you expect me to have a viewpoint on. The rest of it...maybe I don't have the right kind of media atmosphere to comment on. So I will refrain from it. And please if you can...put all I have said on your channels, or mediums of communication, in the exact same light as I have said it and meant it in. 24 hours of unrequired controversy is more than enough for all of us I assume. So do not sensationalize and hence trivialize matters of national interest and religion any further and drag a movie actor in the middle of it all...and let me get back to doing what I do best...making movies. ~ Shah Rukh Khan ========o========

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Minor girl kidnapped and Raped by 4 men in Manipur

Manipur, 30 Jan 2013 [NE HELPLINE] --- A minor girl, belonging to Scheduled Caste community of Kakching, was seduced, kidnapped and raped in Thoubal district of Manipur on January 25. FIR registered and action awaited. According to the source reaching to North East Support Centre & Helpline that a 17-year- girl, Geeta (name changed) was kidnapped by a man, who was accompanied by three other men, came in a red colour Maruti Van on January 25, 2013 at around 1:30 PM from Kakching. While the victim was coming from market along with her younger brother, the men pulled her down from vehicle and forcefully pushed into the vehicle and they closed her mouth with some suspected substance. Within a short period of time, her body became senseless and unconscious, NE Helpline stated. When she gained her conscious, she found herself with aman named Prameshwor Singh, aged  19, alone inside the Maruti van parked in an isolated place and she found bleeding from her private parts and soon realised that she had been raped by the man. Thereafter, she was taken to the house of the man. His family members forced her to accept that she eloped with her consent. Then his family members took to her back her home next day and she reported the matter to her mother and father. The rapist is the son of Mr. Yengkokpam Rameshwor Singh of Charangpat Mayai Leikai, Thoubal District, Manipur. The rapist knows the other three persons involved in kidnapping and allowed the rapists to commit the crime of raping the minor girl. A Fact Finding Team, led by Madhu Chandra, Spokesperson of North East Support Centre and Helpline and Rev. N Debendra Singh, member of Manipur Station Minorities Commission after hearing the report rushed to the victim. The fact-finding team went to Kakching police station to register FIR against the charges of kidnapping, seducing and raping a minor girl. Kakching police registered an FIR No. 14/2013 against the charges of Kidnapping, Seducing and Raping a minor girl. The victim is a resident of Kakching Wairi, Thoubal District, Manipur and is presently studying at Shillong. She came home for break after appearing Class XI final exam and her class is due to reopen from February 1 onward. Y. Ingo Singh, the father of the victim lamented to the fact finding team that the future of her daughter is shelter by the crime committed against his daughter. "I want stringent punishment to the rapist and others involved in kidnapping her daughter," says Ingo. The victim is the member of Scheduled Caste community of Kakching the accused and his companions must booked under Scheduled Caste/Schedule Tribe Prevention of Atrocity Act 1989. North East Support Centre and Helpline appeals to the Kakching Police to book the culprits under the suitable section of India Penal Code and SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act. NE Helpline also demands the compensation to the victim according the Scheme setup by Supreme Court of India.

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Argument for the need of a separate Kuki state: Zalaithang Kuki

January 30, 2013

Introduction: Readers may find this article very childish. But innocent children always speak the truth.

There is famine of truth in Manipur and justice is far from us. Truth has become a scarce commodity in our state. The true history of the Kukis has been distorted, and their contributions to defend the territory of Manipur in the past days have been ignored and are christened with many undesirable names by some half-baked self-style writers.

It is a well-known historical fact that the Kukis have bravely fought the mighty British empire during 1917-1919, which is famously known as “The Kuki Rebellion” or “The Great Kuki War of Independence” in many historical books of Manipur. Now the question is how foreigners can fight the mighty British empire? I am citing only one of many historical truths. There is ample evidence which can be quoted in support of Kukis past glorious history.

If Kukis are termed as foreigners in Manipur, then the entire communities residing in Manipur are also foreigners. Because nobody sprang up from the soil like mushrooms or like a fish from Loktak lake. Every community has originated from somewhere and settled here in Manipur.

This article will focus on contemporary attitude of the valley brethren towards the Kukis during the past 40 years since the attainment of statehood. In short, 40 years of negligence towards the Kukis in Manipur, which necessitates the demand for a separate state.

1. In our state, since the attainment of statehood in 1972, we hardly find any chief minister intentionally visiting the hill sub-divisions to freely mingle with the people and feel their grievances as leader of the state: except on some inauguration programs of big projects. But we all know that all subdivisions do not have mega projects.

Early this year, we came across an article in one daily newspaper using the term like “ZERO Ibobi, ZERO Kilometer” meaning the state chief minister and his cabinet ministers’ influence and development activities confine within the radius of 1 kilometre. This is unacceptable in many ways. Because any chief minister is chief minister of the whole state and should think for the whole state.

Majority of big projects meant for the whole development of Manipur are confined in Imphal area only. We need not mention it here. Everybody knows it.

So, if the prominent leaders of our state do not bother about what is happening in the hill areas, the question of having separate state or alternative arrangement is the only way for self-advancement.

Manipur will become a developed state when all the districts and sub-divisions are developed. But for our leaders development of Imphal area is development of Manipur. Since our leaders are not concerned about the development of hill areas, we need to look for a separate state for more development funds, for new leaders who can feel the pulse of the hill people.

2. We often use a term like “All Manipur” while forming student unions or any kind of social organizations when our operational and area of influence are confined to one specific area only; i.e valley.

Let us take the case of student union with the prefix or suffix All Manipur. As far as my understanding is concerned since its inception till date, we never came across any such student leaders visiting schools in hill area. As a student body of “All Manipur” the student leaders should not confine its activities within valley districts only but should conduct block level education campaign (both in hills and valley) for motivating students and conduct career counseling, etc. at least once in a year or once in two to three years.

Though we often use prefix word like “All Manipur” we never work for what our name stands for. We confine our activities only upto Lamlai in Ukhrul road, upto Sekmai in Senapati line, upto Pangei only in Saikhul road, upto Pallel in Moreh/Chandel line, upto New Keithelmanbi Kangchup area in Tamenglong road and upto Moirang in Churandpur line. We do not want to go the extra mile.

Since a big student organization with ‘All Manipur’ prefix or suffix do not care for the hill people and work only for a particular community, the neglected group of people need to find alternative means for their own development and empowerment. Hence, the need for a separate state.

Same case with other social organizations and Meira Paibis etc.

If the valley brethren do not bother for the less developed community/hill people of Manipur and do not want to play the role of big brother, automatically the small brother will have to find other survival methods.

When you care only for your own development for the last 40 years, why the hue and cry when the neglected people constitutionally approach the central government for their grievances.

3. Many roads in hill areas have potholes but all the good roads in Imphal are repaired again and again. So, if our leaders do not think outside the box for grass-root development; if our leaders think locally and act locally; when the far-flung areas are neglected; then the questions of having self-governance within a separate state are bound to arise.

4. Whenever any hill people come to Imphal with shabby clothes for festival shopping, instead of guiding them properly, everyone (from the rickshaw puller to shop keepers) take advantage of their simplicity and befool them by charging double price of their normal rates.

This is a very common scene/drama that is taking place daily at the very nose of our honourable Khakhi wallas.

If justice is far from us and if we are cheated in our own capital by our own brothers, then it is not debatable for us to have separate state where we may be able to live a dignified life regardless of our status, dress, and behavior.

5. The root cause of hill tension in the early 1990’s was the imposition and collection taxes by some misguided Naga marauders led by NSCN-IM on the Kukis. When it was opposed by the Kukis saying “we have already paid house tax” to the government of Manipur, it led to the massacre of more than 900 innocent lives, uprooting of 367 villages rendering more than 50,000 people homeless. The government of Manipur and the valley people remained silent spectators. Some of our Meitei brethren, instead of playing the role of peace mediator, clapped their hands by saying “Ching da Yaosang Meithare.”

So, inspite of our loyalty to the government of Manipur, we are left defenseless. When the parents fail to protect, their children are bound to look for other options and this necessitates the need for a separate Kuki state.

6. In many of our Manipuri digital films, in order to tie the gaps between the hill-valley people, some of our prominent film producers and directors have made films focusing on our relationships. But the roles depicting Kukis are always presented in such a way that the audience may view the Kukis negatively. To cite some examples: the mad man in “Churanthaba” who play with his own dung, the CSW lady in MAMI film wearing Kuki’s traditional phanek. But CSW are found in every community.

These are some of my personal (in child’s perspective) view of the attitude of our valley brethren on the Kukis, who are less advanced than other communities in Manipur.

Though we often shout slogans like “CHING-TAM AMATANI” in our mouth but within our heart, it is just like a sounding brass. Shouting slogans at Imphal area only will not protect Manipur’s integrity.

Courtesy: kukiforum.com

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Lamka Exam Centre

Tutung Staff Selection Commission (SSC) nuoi a Lower Division Clerk (LDC) leh Data Entry Operator (DEO) Exam result ah Churachandpur Exam Centre (5502) in North Eastern Region sung a Centre teng lah ah bawl hoi pen in pang a, kipahpi huoi mama hi. Tami SSC Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination 2012 ah Lamka (CCpur) Exam Centre a pat mi 3500 vel lah ah 52 in lawchinna mu ua, maban ah ang lawching sem ding uh Zogam Today in deisah mama mai hi. CCpur Exam Centre ah ningkum Oct 28 ni’n a masapen ding tami exam um hi. Tutung result a mi 52 lawching khu a tawm a bang a, hinanleh Centre dang toh teeh in tawm tuonlou hi.

 

North East sung a Exam Centre-te result enzuol vai. CCpur (Lamka) Exam Centre 52 (LDC-33, DEO-19), Imphal 36 (18, 18), Shillong 30 (21, 9),  Guwahati/Dispur 25 (17, 8), Kohima 18 (10, 8), Jorhat 10 (4, 6), Dibrugarh 9 (6, 3), Aizawl 8 (6, 2), Silchar leh Tezpur 4 (3, 1) tuo, Agartala 3 (2,1), Lakhimpur 2 (1,1), Goalpara 1 (1,0), Itanagar leh Tura Exam Centre ‘Zero' tuotuo dan uhi.  Manipur toh teeh a Assam leh Meghalaya State khu siemzilna mun hoi leh khangtou zaw a thei ahi a, hinanleh SSC Exam 10+2 Level ah Manipur nuoi lam ah um pha ua, tuoleh i State Capital uh sa’ng nasan in zong bawl hoizaw nalai hi.

 

Tami Centre ziehin mitampi’n Government Service adiehin Central Service ang mu semsem ding uh a kinep huoita hi. Hasah pipi a mundang gamdang a exam dia kuon ngai nawnlou a i innmun ua pat SSC 10+2 Level Exam thei ahita chi khu hamphatna lienpi khat ahi chi ang geeldaw sah hi. Tutung a lawsamte din beidawng ding ahisih a, maban ah hing um zel ding a, tuami adia ana kisahkhol zaw ding ahi. A hamphat huoi dan i theisiem uh a poimaw hi. Nu-le-pate hing kinepna uh suhpiching sah ding tate mawpuohna ahi chi thei kawm in tami exam tup tinten a muolsuo teitei ding chi manghil lou ding ahi. I gam uah State Service kinep huoi senglou in a kigen a, tuaziehin i innmun i loumun ua pat exam thei teng khu a zaal zou sawm ding uhi.   

 

Tunia tambang exam kibawl thei dia pan ana late tungah a lungdam huoi hi. Tami 10+2 Level Exam chauh adia Exam Centre hilou a adang tampi exam theina dia kituotah a panlah tou zel ding a dei huoi. Azieh ei singtangmite din Imphal, Guwahati, Bangalore, New Delhi leh mun dangdang a exam pe dia kuon zoulou zong tampi ki-um thei hi. Tuaziehin Lamka khu Exam Centre poimaw teng tun sah ding chi khu tu dinmun adia i poimaw pen uh khat ahi. Exam tuomtuom banah College/University Admission-te Entrance Test/Exam Centre khat zong suo zou lai lei i maban uh a limchi deudeu ding a gintat huoi hi.  

 

Hunbeisa a Churachandpur District Students Union (CDSU) pawl leh mi tawmngai pawl in Exam Centre umtheina ding a pan nasatah a ana la uh tua aga hing ki-at panpan ding chi muh thei in um a, ana buoipite pahtat huoi mama mai hi. Lawching atam atawm thu hizaw lou a mipite hasatna suhkiemtu banah mipite maa khuoltu hi khu a poimaw mama mai hi. Exam dia mun tuomtuom zawt ngailou ah i khawpi ma uh Exam Centre khat suo ding chi khu tunin a dei huoi hi. Tunia sangnaupangte adia lampi hawn sah phawtlei bangzat hiei khat chu mangthang lou ding hi. Tualeh maban a exam pe dingte zong nasah tah mai a kising sah a, a tamzaw sem a lawching tou zel ding chi tup a hoi ding hi. Lamka Exam Centre poimaw tah khat suo ding a dei huoi a, tam khu sawm theilei hoi va ei.

Editorial, Zogam Today

 

-:(29-01-2013):-

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Delhi gang-rape case: Supreme Court rejects transfer of trial outside Delhi

New Delhi, 29 Jan 2013 [TIMES OF INDIA] --- The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea to shift the trial in Delhi gang rape case to a place outside the national capital. The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir dismissed the transfer petition upon the receipt of the sessions judge's report that the accused, on whose behalf the transfer petition was moved, does not want to be represented by advocate ML Sharma. Rejecting the transfer petition, the court said that the advocate has no locus standi to appear in the matter on behalf of one of the gang-rape accused, Mukesh. In the course of the last hearing of the case, the apex court had asked the sessions judge, trying the Dec 16, 2012, gang-rape case, to ascertain as to whom the accused would like to engage as his counsel. The situation arose after another advocate, VK Anand, told the court that it was he who actually represented the accused before the trial court. The sessions judge, in his report to the apex court, which was opened Tuesday in the court room, said that the accused wanted to be represented by advocate Anand. Anand, in the course of the last hearing, said that he was not seeking any transfer of trial outside Delhi. Earlier, accused Mukesh had sought the shifting of the case to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh or any other state, as he apprehended he would not get free and fair trial in the city. The petition said that Mukesh did not expect a free and fair trial in Delhi as the judiciary was under tremendous pressure because of personal interest shown by chief minister Sheila Dikshit and others. Besides the public pressure and unending public agitations over the incident, the petition drew the apex court's attention to some of the statements made by the serving and retired judges of the higher judiciary who sought changes in the law for an expeditious trial of rape accused. The petition said the attitude of police and jail authorities was totally biased against the petitioner. Ram Singh, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur were charged with gang-raping and brutally assaulting a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus Dec 16. The victim died in aSingapore hospital December 29.

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Dress Code: Zou Traditional Dress

Tunai a Dress Code: Zou Traditional Dress kibawl khia khu a hoina um hi. Tami dress code khu tukhang adia silhoi ahia, ahun leh amun dungzui in a poimawna hing um touzel ding chi a gintat huoi hi. Tambang ang pieng khiet pen i society in poimaw mama hi chi a ensah a, khantouna lam ah kal khat kisuon beh chia zong ngaisut thei ahi. A bawltu te’n a sialam ding sang in a hoilam ding ana ngim zaw ding uh chi a gintat huoi. Tami dress code ahileh nopni-dahni a sil thei ding deina toh hing kibawl khia hing a kilang a, a hoilam chu ahiphot mai hi.

 

Shini-manni chieng ZYO ma ahi lusunna tuo innsung mite leh mipite adia nna sem pen. Tambang hun ah nungah-tangval ten dress code khu sil teitei ding chi hisih nanleh a siltu te’n i nampuon uh hing suhlang ding ua, i nampuon suh laartu in ang pang zaw ding uhi. Tua thamlou in tami dress khu zap zaangkhai khat ang suo ding a, a diehin khangnou te’n bang sil ut deuta ding uh hileh a kilawm hi. Shini manni a smart tah a coat-suit toh kichei saang in tambang dress in kivon lei etlawm zaw ding hi. Mi tengteng in sil chiet ding chi a hituon sih hi. Tami khu shini chauh a sil thei ding ahi sese sih a, hun-le-mun tampi ah zong zatthei hizaw bawn ding chi gintat huoi hi.

 

Tami Dress Code in i Zou Traditional Dress uh suhsia kha sih chilei i khiel sih ding uhi. Kumkhat ah Zou Traditional Dress bangzat vei i sil ngai uoi -- nihvei thumvei kaan a sil hun um lou hi. A kisilni deute ahileh Chavang Kut leh Zomi Nam Ni chauh ahi. Tuabang hun chieng Cultural Troupe (a laam pawl) te'n a tangpi’n sil giep lai uhi. A dang a sil mu ding a tam khawl sih hi. I nampuon uh kisil ngai senglou china akhu! Tutunga nopni-dahni a sil thei dia ang um khu a saitute pahtat a huoi a, tha-le-zung banah sum-le-pai tampi a seeng ngei ding uhi. A hoilouna gen ding chilei a bei tuon sih ding a bangma kiphattuompi tuonlou ding hi. Tua saang bangchi ‘popular’ sah diing chi ngaituo khiet a khantou huoi zaw hi. Shina i chi khu michin tung a tung ahi. Tam hun chieng a dress code nei khu sil kilawm mama khat ang hithei ding hi.

 

I cultural/traditional dress uh i maw sil ngai vateh sih uhi, a sil munte a changkang lou mimawl dan a ngaisutna i nei zieh uh khat eh! Dopni-dah ni’n Lamka khosung ah nampuon toh kivon mu di’ng vaang mama mai. A taangpi’n nampuon uh tulai khang toh kituo a sil thei dia a umlou zieh hikha ding hi. Tunai a dress code hing um khu michin aneu alien in sil theita ding a, kichei kizepna lam ah masawnna chi khat ahi chi thei ahi. Tua khu a hoina khat zong ahi.

 

Khanglui dan a kicheina hun kichi khu a tawm deudeu a bangta a, tuazieh in tu’a dress code khu khat-le-nih in hing sil maimai leu zong a hoina umleh kilawm zaw bawn hi.  Tami kibawl zieh a i traditional dress uh mansuo lampang a pei ihi sih ua, a kembit lam kihi zaw hi. Khenkhat te’n zong shini-manni a sil ding dress nei uhi.  Tami dress in traditional dress suh daau ahilouleh ngiemsah tuom lou ahi chi a mu thei hi. Nopni-dahni a tami dress code a kivon teitei ding chi lungsim i neikha ding uh zong a zauhuoi hi. A nei leh aneilou kikal zong theisiem a ngai ding hi.

Editorial, ZOGAM TODAY

 

-:(28-01-2013):-

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Chief Justices recommended for Tripura, Manipur & Meghalaya

Agartala, 27 Jan 2013 [IANS] --- The Supreme Court collegium has recommended three Chief Justices for the proposed high courts in the northeastern States of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya, officials said here on Sunday. The three high courts are likely to start functioning in March after completion of necessary formalities. "We have heard that the Supreme Court collegium has recommended the names of three chief justices to the union ministry of law and justice," Datamohan Jamatia, secretary, Tripura law department, told IANS. "Now the law and justice ministry through the prime minister would send the recommendations to the president for the appointment and notification of the three chief justices," he said. As per the suggestions of the Supreme Court collegium, Justice T. Meena Kumari, a judge of the Patna High Court, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is being elevated as the chief justice of Meghalaya. Justice Deepak Gupta, who hails from Himachal Pradesh is being elevated as the chief justice of Tripura, and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, is being appointed as the chief justice of Manipur. The obligatory amendment to the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971 -- the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 -- was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in May 2012, paving the way for the creation of separate high courts in the three states. With this, the total number of high courts in the country will increase from 21 to 24. According to another official of the Tripura law department, the strength of judges in the Tripura High Court will be four, including the chief justice. followed by Meghalaya and Manipur three each that will include the chief justice. "Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, in a recent letter to the union ministry of law and justice has requested the appointment of at least five judges in the new high courts so that divisional benches can function besides single benches," the official added. Jamatia said the Tripura government has already made all the necessary infrastructure to set up a separate high court in Agartala. "We expect the new high court to be functioning by March. Now it is up to the apex court and the union law and justice ministry to issue the necessary notification for the purposes," he told IANS. Currently, the six northeastern states of Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh have benches of the Gauhati High Court. It was called Assam High Court when constituted on April 5, 1948, and initially had its sittings in Shillong, now the Meghalaya capital. It was shifted to Guwahati Aug 14, 1948. Sikkim has a separate high court. Under the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya became full-fledged states on Jan 21, 1972. "In Tripura alone over 52,000 cases had been pending in different lower courts and 5,000 cases are awaiting disposal in the Agartala bench of the Guwahati High Court," Jamatia said, adding that the necessary infrastructure was ready in all three states for the full-fledged high courts. Lok Sabha member from Tripura, Khagen Das, who had moved a private member's bill earlier for amending the necessary act to set up the high courts, said: "The 30 year-long-struggle for a separate high court in Tripura has finally yielded expected results."

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