CAREER | Exam and Admission Watch

EXAM WATCH

1. Union Public Service Commission

Course: Civil Services Examination, 2009
Last Date of Application: 05 Jan 2009
Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 06 Dec 2008 - 12 Dec 2008

2. Indian Institute of Technology

Course: Joint Entrance Examination, 2009 (JEE- 2009)
Last Date of Application: 22 Jan 2009
Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 15 Nov 2008 - 22 Nov 2008

ADMISSION WATCH

1. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing ,Noida

Course: Advanced Software Design & Development (PGDASDD), Embedded System & VLSI Design (PGDEVD), Wireless Technologies & Applications (PGDWTA)
Last Date of Application: 02 Jan 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 20 Dec 2008 - 26 Dec 2008

2. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Mohali
Course: Advanced Diploma in CADD Engineering, Advanced Diploma in Networking and System Security
Last Date of Application: 20 Jan 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 20 Dec 2008 - 26 Dec 2008

3. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Mohali
Course: Advanced Diploma in Wireless & Broadband (VoIP), Communication Networks
Last Date of Application: 23 Feb 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 20 Dec 2008 - 26 Dec 2008

4. Department of Botany North Lakhimpur College
Course: One Year Post B.Sc Diploma Course in Plant Tissue Culture and Micropropagation under Dibrugarh University, Assam.
Last Date of Application: 27 Dec 2008

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 20 Dec 2008 - 26 Dec 2008

5. Armed Forces Medical College,Pune
Course: Admission to MBBS Course-2009
Last Date of Application: 05 Feb 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 20 Dec 2008 - 26 Dec 2008

6. National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi
Course: Various Bachelor & Master Programmes
Last Date of Application: 07 Jan 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 13 Dec 2008 - 19 Dec 2008

7. School of Archival Studies,New Delhi
Course: 28th short Term Certificate Courses in “Archives Management “
Last Date of Application: 23 Jan 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 13 Dec 2008 - 19 Dec 2008

8. Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes, Mumbai
Course: Post Graduate Certificate Course in Industrial Health leading to the award of “Associate Fellow of Industrial Health
Last Date of Application: 18 Feb 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 13 Dec 2008 - 19 Dec 2008

9. Institute of Informatics & Communication, University of Delhi
Course: Master of Sciences (Informatics)
Last Date of Application: 17 Jan 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 06 Dec 2008 - 12 Dec 2008

10. Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal
Course: Doctoral level Fellow Programme in Management
Last Date of Application: 15 Feb 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 06 Dec 2008 - 12 Dec 2008

11. Power System Traning Institute, Banglore
Course: Employment Oriented Course on Operation & Maintenance in Transmission & Distribution System
Last Date of Application: 02 Jan 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 06 Dec 2008 - 12 Dec 2008

12. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd,Kolkata
Course: One year Marine Engineering Pre-Sea Training course
Last Date of Application: 31 Dec 2008

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 06 Dec 2008 - 12 Dec 2008

13. IIRM Institute of Insurance and Risk Management, Hyderabad
Course: International Post Graduate Diploma in life Insurance, General insurance and risk management
Last Date of Application: 15 May 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 15 Nov 2008 - 21 Nov 2008

14. NATIONAL POWER TRAINING INSITITUTE ,FARIDABAD HARYANA
Course: MBA Program in Power management (2009-11)- VIII Batch
Last Date of Application: 23 Feb 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 1 Nov 2008 - 7 Nov 2008

15. Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi
Course: MBA and MBA (Management of Services) two year full time programme beginning July, 2009
Last Date of Application: 01 Dec 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 25 Oct 2008 - 31oct 2008

16. Institute of Distance Education (M.P)
Course: Various courses
Last Date of Application: 31 Dec 2008

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 20 Sep 2008 - 26 Sep 2008

17. Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
Course: Doctoral Programme (Fellow Programme in Management)
Last Date of Application: 28 Feb 2009

Remarks: For details/form etc of above vacancy please refer to Employment News Dated 30 Aug 2008 - 05 Sep 2008

For detail: http://www.employmentnews.gov.in

===================================

SSC Examination Schedule

SSC brings out its Examination Schedule each year well in advance and publishes the same in Employment News. Every attempt is made to ensure that the examination schedule does not clash with that drawn up by the UPSC. Similarly, efforts are also made to ensure that the schedule once drawn is strictly adhered to. However if change in the schedule become inevitable it is duly published in the Employment News. All concerned are accordingly advised to go through Employment news also, to find out about any change in the schedule. Schedule for year 2008 is as under :-

TENTATIVE OPEN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION PROGRAMME, 2008 as on 02-05-2008

S.No.	Name of Examination	Category of posts to be filled up in various Cadres	Date of advertise-ment	Closing Date	Date of Examination
1.	Combined (Matric Level) Prelim. Exam., 2008.	LDCs & Steno Grade ‘D’	17.11..2007	14.12.2007	30.03.2008 (Sunday)
2.	Junior Engineer (Civil & Electrical) Examination, 2008.	Junior Engineer in C.P.W.D.	22.12.2007	18.01.2008	27.04.2008 (Sunday)
3.	Junior Translator (CSOLS) Examination, 2008	Jr. Hindi Translator (CSLOS)			CANCELLED
4.	Investigator Examination, 2008	Investigator in Deptt. Of Statistics.	26.01.2008	29.02.2008	DEFERRED
5.	Statistical Investigator Gr-III & Compiler Examination, 2008	Statistical Investigator Gr-III & Compiler in RPG	15.03.2008	11.04.2008	15.06.2008 (Sunday)
6.	Combined (Graduate Level) Preliminary Examination, 2008	Assistants in CSS, SIs in CBI, Inspectors in CBEC & CBDT etc., Inspector of Post in Deptt. of Post and Divisional Accountants, Junior Accountants, Auditors, UDCs etc. in Central Govt. Offices.	05.04.2008	02.05.2008	27.07.2008 (Sunday)
7.	Data Entry Operator Examination, 2008	D.E.O in O/o C&AG	03.05.2008	06.06.2008	31.08.2008 (Sunday)
8	SO (Commercial Audit) Examination, 2008	Section Officer (Commercial) in O/O CAG			CANCELLED
9	Combined Matric Level (Main) Examination, 2008	LDC,Steno Gr. 'D' and Steno gr. 'C'	NO SEPARATE NOTICE TO BE PUBLISHED FOR THE MAIN		27.09.2008 Saturday & 28.09.2008
10.	CPO’s Sub-Inspectors Examination, 2008	SIs in BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF	07.06.2008	04.07.2008	09.11. 2008 (Sunday)
11.	SO (Audit) Examination, 2006.	Section Officer (Audit)	05.07.2008	08.08.2008	30.11.08 (Sunday)
12.	Tax Assistant Examination, 2008	Tax Assistant in CBDT & CBEC	09.08.2008	11.09.2008	14.12.2008 (Sunday)
13.	S.O. (Accounts) Examination, 2008	Section Officer (Accounts) in O/o CAG	13.09.2008	10.10.2008	1st Week of January, 2009
14.	Deputy Field Officer Exam.,2008	Deputy Field Officer	11.10.2008	07.11.2008	March, 2009

LIMITED DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATIONS,2008

S.No.	Name of Examination	Date of Advertisement	Closing Date	Date of Examination
1.	UD Grade Ltd. Departmental Examination, 2008	17.11.07	14.12.07	19.03.08
2.	Grade 'C' Steno. Ltd. Departmental Examination, 2008	26.04.08	30.05.08	10.08.08
3.	Clerks Grade (For Group 'D' Staff only) Examination, 2008.	04.10.08	07.11.08	January, 2009 Last week

Note: 1. The dates of notification and commencement of the examination indicated above are liable, on administrative reasons,if the circumstances so warrant.

2. The scheduled examination will be conducted subject to receipt of confirmed number of Vacancies for the respective category of post from the user Departments.

3. The Commission's advertisement/Notice in respect of the concerned examination are published in detail in the Saturday edition of the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar as per fixed schedule. Candidates are advised to refer the detailed Notice/Advertisement for informationbefore applying for concerned post.

4. Almost all the SSC's examination have been Scheduled to be held on SUNDAYS.

See details at http://ssc.nic.in/exams_schedule.htm

Mizo-Kuki's Claim Of Their Jewish Origin: Its impact on Mizo society

By Isaac L. Hmar

This material on the Hmar-Mizo:Jewish connections was presented by (L)Issac L Hmar at the national seminar on Land Problem and Ethnic Crisis in N.E.India sponsored by the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of South East Asia, Kolkata, 27-28, July, 1995. It is all due to the significant nature of the paper that we have reproduced it here at Inpui.

"My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.
They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them"

- Ezekiel 34: 6.

Claming to be the lost tribe of Israel by various tribes around the world is not stupor nor unreasonable as there was a historical event at a time when the Jews were suppressed to extend from disrespected minority in the Christian and Islam world. As a result, the Jews were scattered around the world and the 10 tribes of Israel are still believed to be missed till today.

According to II Kings 15 (Old Testament): "In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath ? Pileser king of Assyria and took Ijon, and Abel ?beth ?mah 'a chah , and Jonah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Galilee, and Gentile, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them to captive to Assyria."

Therefore, 1500 years after the tribes of northern Israel were supposedly exiled from their homeland in ancient Palestine and across African and Asian continents; dozens of different ethnic groups have recently made claims to be descent from the 10 lost tribes of the kingdom of Israel.

Some of them have an indigenous tradition of Israelite ancestry while others get the idea of their Jewish connection from Christian missionaries who noticed some similarities between their customs and ancient Judaism. The most interesting groups among them include the Ethiopians of Ethiopia, the Pathans of Afghan-Pakistan border, the Kashmiris of Kashmir (India), the Chiangmins of Chinese-Tibetan border, the Ibos and Lembas of Africa and the Bnei Menashe (Shinlung tribes) of North East India.

ITS ORIGIN: The Israelites, who had been lost and scattered around the world, believed that God would surely bring them back to their homeland. Prophet Ezekiel foretold this event in the book of the Holy Bible.

Thus, for more comprehensive perceptive on the lost tribe, let us briefly study the history of Israel to see how they were misplaced and lost. Some historians believed that the 10 lost tribes of Israel disappeared after they crossed the Sambatyon River.

This is a reverberation of the legend that the 10 lost tribes who were exiled by the Assyrians in the 8th century B.C.E. from which time they lost touch with the rest of the Jewish people - are to be found beyond the Sambatyon River which is a torrential, rushing river all the days of the week, apart from the Sabbath.

However, historians were unable to make out the exact location and site of the river, and of course, the picture of the Sambatyon River put forward by scholars was sharply diverse and puzzling.

One Roman historian Gaius Secundus(AD 23-79) commonly known as Pliny the Elder, asserted that the river happened to be very deep and the flowing water current was burly while Sabbath was approaching nearer. As a result, they could not proceed to their land and started scattered at different places. The most important question is: who are the 10 lost tribes of Israel?

When King Solomon passed away, his kingdom began disintegrating. However the ten tribes of Isreal like Reuben, Simon, Isakar, Zebulon, Manasseh, Ephraim, Dana, Napthalia, Gada and Ashera continued to occupy Shekim and Nablas in the northern part of Samaria where they established the kingdom of Israel. In 722-21 BC, the Assyrians occupied the territory immediately north of what is today's Syria, Iraq, and Turkey and they continued to build their empire.

Following World War I, when the British took over the lands formerly ruled by the Ottoman Empire, they sent their archeologists to the Middle East and took many local ancient treasures to the British Museum. You can see there the Meshy Stone which depicts the tribute paid by King Jehu of the northern kingdom of Israel to Shalmanaser III, king of Assyria.

You can also see a relief from the walls of the magnificent palace at Nineveh, Assyria's capital city. That palace belonged to King Sennacherib, and the relief shows the siege of the Israelite city of Lachish; it was conquered by Sennacherib, who then boasted about it on his palace walls. The British stripped the relief from the Nineveh palace and brought to the British Museum.

In II Chronicle 5 it is written thus, "And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul King of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilneser King of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Haber, and Hara, and to the river Grozan, unto this day."

These historical facts referred to the date from the 5th or 4th century B.C.E. Tiglath-Pileser and pul (Tiglath-Pileser's Baylonian name) are one and the same Assyrian King, and the tribal territories of Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of Manasseh were in the areas listed in II King 15, the verse in Chronicles can be discounted as a late conflation of the two passages in the Kings. Setting it aside, then, and supplementing the account in Kings with our knowledge of Israelites and Assyrian history, it is possible to arrive at the following reconstruction:

Firstly, in 734-732 B.C.E some two centuries after the fall of Davidian monarchy the kingdom was disjointed into a northern kingdom of Israel and a southern Kingdom of Judah, most of the north was overrun and invaded by the Assyrians, leaving only its capital city-Samaria, and the surrounding countryside unconquered and expanding their frontiers south and westward.

Secondly, in 726, Tukulti-apil-Essara's son and successor, Sulman-asared V(726-722), called Shalmaneser in the Bible, marched on Samaria and reduced its King Hoshea(730-722) to a vassal. In 722, suspecting Hoshea of conspiring with the Egyptians, he again laid siege to the city.

The battle lasted 3 years. Shalmaneser died before the battle ended and was succeeded by his son Sargon II (721-705), who presided over the fall of Samaria and the final destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 720.

Thirdly, after both Tiglath-Pileser's and Sargon's conquests, the Assyrians deported Israelites to different regions of Assyria and replaced them with exiles from elsewhere.

The remaining southern kingdom of Judah was ultimately destroyed by a new regional power, the Babylonians in 586. With the fall of Samaria, the northern tribes disappeared. We know no more about them since then. The Bible says nothing about the fate of the Israelites exiled.

IT'S IMPACT ON MIZO SOCIETY: For many years now, there has been widespread belief within some sections of Mizoram and Manipur particularly among the Kuki-Hmar-Mizo group who claim to have a historical relationship with one of the "Ten Lost Tribes" of the Biblical Israelites, namely, the tribe of Manasseh. Although this claim might appear to be far-fetched, many empirical facts seem to support this belief.

However, as this group of people did not maintain any written historical records before the ?Gospel' reached them, so there are no written documents to support their Israelites' connection. Their cultural and traditional beliefs and practices were passed from generation to generation by means of the oral tradition. They based their connection with the Israelites mainly from the wordings of a song that was sung during the grandest and biggest festival of the Hmar tribe - SIKPUI KUT (Sikpui festival).

This particular song made vivid references to the Israelites at the time of their liberation from the Egyptian bondage, under the leadership of Moses and the events that followed when they crossed the Red Sea. Interestingly, some of the Kuki-Hmar-Mizo traditional and customary practices have similarities with those of the biblical Israelites.

L. Keivom IFS (Rtd) asserts that the "SIKPUI HLA (song of the Sikpui festival) doesn't have any vivid references and connection with Red-sea of the Israelites at the time of their liberation from the Egyptian bondage. However, interestingly, some of the Kuki-Hmar-Mizo traditional and customary practices have similarity with those of the biblical Israelites.

Thus, in 1950 some section of Kuki-Mizo began to contact Calcutta Israeli Consulate to accept them as one of the lost tribes of Israel solely on the basis of the "SIKPUI HLA. In 1971 there was an inquiry from the home ministry regarding the claim made by these people as the lost tribe? Shri(Late) Ngurdinglien Ex-MLA requested L. Keivom who was then having a district training, to translate the SIKPUI HLA into English to verify their claim. Following is the note prepared by L. Keivom;

A Note prepared for the Government of Manipur in 1971 by Mr. L.Keivom

From time immemorial the Hmars used to celebrate during winter season an annual festival called SIKPUI FESTIVAL OR FEAST. In one of the songs of this Sikpui Festival, there is a vivid reference to some happenings in the unknown distant past, which bear similarity to the experiences of the Israelites at the time of their liberation from the Egyptian bondage under the leadership of Moses and the events that followed after they crossed the Red Sea.

This particular song occupies such an important place that no Sikpui Festival can start before singing it with rapt attention. This fact may therefore suggest that the incident referred to in the song might have been an unusual happening of great consequence in the pages of their national history; otherwise they would not have attached great importance. Following is a rough translation:

While we are preparing for the Sikpui Feast,
The big red sea becomes divided;
As we march along fighting our foes,
We are being led by pillar of cloud by day,
And pillar of fire by night.
Our enemies, O ye folks, are thick with fury,
Come out with your shields and arrows.
Fighting our enemies all day long,
We march forward as cloud-fire goes before us.
The enemies we fought all day long,
The big sea swallowed them like wild beast.
Collect the quails,
And draw the water that springs out of the rock.

2. In one of the Hmar folklores, mention is made of the Great Deluge largely similar to the one mentioned in the Holy Bible but with a slight variation. According to this account, the big flood covered the whole earth except one hillock where all living beings fled to safety. There are unconnected accounts, however.

3. Another Hmar folklore mentions something like the happenings after the Great Deluge: their attempt to build a Tower of Babel and the providential intervention leading to the confusion of the language of the people involving in it.

There is a slight departure from the biblical accounts in this case also. The Hmar folklore talks mainly of the division of language without mentioning the background.

4. Religious particularly sacrificial rites and practices of the Hmars are very similar to that of the Jews in biblical times. The question whether these similarities are accidental can only be a matter of conjecture as empirical study is not possible with our present scanty (mostly hearsay) historical material. One thing however is very clear.


Title

"DNA test was done on Hmar, Kom, Lenthang, Changsan, Lunkim, and Hualngo (Mizoram) .All the DNA samples collected were then sent to Haifa. Results of the test on these DNA samples turned out to be negative and no evidences were found that would indicate a Middle-Eastern origin; the results were all within normal Tibeto-Burmese parameter."

Given the geographical remoteness and the near similarities of their accounts of their national experiences and the commonality in sacrificial rites and practices, the Hmars and the Jews might at one time have either lived together long enough to influence on each other's way of life or they once belonged to the same community.

This missing link will remain the unsolved mystery in their history, a challenging task that so far eludes solution. However, Keivom believes that this song may be composed after the gospel reached Hmars and know something about the book of Genesis and Exodus, the Israelites at the time of their liberation from the Egyptian bondage, under the leadership of Moses and the events that followed when they crossed the Red Sea.

In February 2003, as per the request from Dr. Karl Skorecki, Jewish Genetic Project, Haifa Technion, Haifa and Hillel Halkin, author of the "Across the Sabbath River: In Search of a Lost Tribe Of Israel," Dr. Lal Dena, Professor, Manipur University, had asked Isaac Thangjom and me (Isaac L. Intoate) to conduct DNA tests among the Kuki-Hmar-Mizo group of tribes.

DNA test was done on Hmar, Kom, Lenthang, Changsan, Lunkim, and Hualngo (Mizoram) .All the DNA samples collected were then sent to Haifa. Results of the test on these DNA samples turned out to be negative and no evidences were found that would indicate a Middle-Eastern origin; the results were all within normal Tibeto-Burmese parameter.

Contrary to the Haifa finding, Tathagata Bhattacharya in The Week (an Indian English Weekly News Magazine) reported that, "DNA tests prove that Mizo people are descendants of a lost tribe of Israel". And recently the chief rabi of the Sephardic Jews, Shlomo Amar, eventually declared members of the 6,000 B'menashe communities in Northeast India as lost descendants of ancient Israelites.

Also some Israeli scholars who are specialized in genetic research have thoroughly studied Mizo-Jewish connection and found that the claim has lacked scientific basis. On top of that, their top genetic scientists have done a DNA test and it has turned out to be negative. The Jewish DNA technicians have also tended to dismiss the findings made by the forensic laboratory in India.

But on March 30, 2005 the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has officially decided to recognize the Mizo-Kuki-Chin people claiming Jewish descent as the lost descendents of Menashe, one of the mythical Lost Tribes of Israel. The Chief Rabbinate is the top authority on this issue in Israel. This decision follows an official team of rabbis who came to Mizoram and Manipur last August to investigate the claims of Lost Tribe ancestry, which has so far been propounded only by extreme Zionist groups like the organization Amishav led by Rabi Eliyahu Avichail.

In response to Rabi Shlomo's announcement, Hillel Halkin comments thus: "I don't think Rabbi Amar and his colleagues' decision was taken on particularly logical or scientific grounds. The Rabbis from Israel who visited Mizoram and Manipur last summer, as well as others, who preceded them, were impressed with the Jewish devotion and intensity of the B'nei Menashe community, and I imagine that they thought: "Nobody who does not have a Jewish soul and Jewish ancestors could possibly behave so Jewishly." This is of course naive, but it was in a way a naive decision, although one that I personally was happy to see.

Basically, this is the same thing that happened with the Ethiopian Jews in the 1970s; then, too, a rabbinical ruling that they were descendants of a "lost tribe" --- that of Dan -- first began to open the gates of immigration to Israel to them. The difference is that the identification of the Ethiopians with Dan was purely fanciful, whereas, as you know, I truly think there is a historical link between the "children of Manmasi" and the biblical tribe of Manasseh.

The fact is that even before this ruling any B'nei Menashe who converted to Judaism by an Orthodox conversion in India could have entered Israel under the Law of Return as a Jew. The problem was that there were no rabbis in India to perform such a conversion. The significance of Amar's decision, therefore, is that the Israeli Rabbinate will now take it upon itself to send rabbis to NE India who can do this.

It will be interesting to see what position, if any, the Indian government takes toward this. As for the Calcutta study, Professor Skorecki, as I've written to you, does not think it was methodologically sound -- which does not mean that its conclusions are necessarily wrong, but simply that they are not fully persuasive at the moment. So far Skorecki has been unable to get the additional data that he needs from the CSFL people.

If we could go back to the schools where the samples were collected and re-collect them, he could analyze them on his own. But it is important to realize that the results are of purely historical importance and have nothing to do with the status of the B'nei Menashe in Israel. The Rabbinate -- and rightly so -- does not recognize DNA testing as having any bearing on the Jewishness of anyone, and from its point of view, DNA results make no difference one way or another".

In April of 2003, P.C Biaksiama was invited to be a resource person for a Presbyterian Church seminar in Champhai, Mizoram. The seminar topic was, "Current teachings that affect church life and that were not in line with normal church teachings" and specifically the claims asserted by an organizations like B' Menasha and Chhinlung Israel People's Convention(CIPC) headed by Lalchhanhima Sailo, that Mizos were a lost tribe of Israel and should be independent of India.

Even though Mr. Lalchhanhima Sailo, President Chhinlung Israel Peoples Convention claimed to be one of the lost tribes of Israel; they did not intend to migrate to Israel like the first group. It is rather a political movement to establish an independent Israeli state in North East India. As David Thangliana, editor of the Mizoram English daily, Newslink, explained, the church felt that, "the establishment of an Israeli identity would turn the people en masse towards Judaism."

This would not be a positive development in its eyes. P.C. Biaksiama later said quite frankly, "I have a big fear because Jesus Christ, a Jew himself, is the son of God. He is the only one who can save human beings from destruction. Unless we believe in Jesus Christ, our future is doomed." P.C Biaksiama is popularly known as ?defender of Christian faith' and took voluntary retirement from Indian Audits & Account Services and now dedicated his life to The Christian Research Centre, Aizawl, Mizoram.

Interestingly, his first mission was to thwart against B'nei Menashe and CIPC who claimed to be the lost tribe of Israel and indict the image of christianity. The organization Presbyterian Church was becoming quite apprehensive as the issue was not only that of Mizos adopting an Israelite and Jewish identity, but there was also the fear that the Israelite identity movement would rather turn into secessionist movement and destroy the present peace and prosperity in Mizoram.

In her neighbouring states like Manipur and Nagaland, insurgency has been the main causes that push down the standard of living and various developmental works. Thus, in June of 2003, Mr. Biaksiama presented his report on the CIPC before the church elders in the Presbyterian Pastorals of Champhai. He claimed that the CIPC assertions, both about being a lost tribe of Israel and independence were slander and impossible.

PRESENT CONDITION OF B'NEI MENASHE IN ISRAEL: Looking at the present political condition in Israel and Palestine, there may not be a politically neutral activity, for it promises to achieve the ideological goals of the Israeli far-right wing and its settlers' movement. Had several million newly discovered Jews suddenly decided to immigrate to Israel, it will greatly increase the Jewish population of the West Bank and Gaza, and the table in the demographic "War" against the Palestinians would be turned.

Indeed, those members of the Kuki-Mizo who have been duly converted to Judaism and made Aliyah have gone to live exclusively in Gaza and the West Bank. The prime minister of Israel Ariel Shaorn has recently approved the evacuation of the illegal Jewish settlements in Gaza and the settlers and their supporters are extreme right-wing-Zionists whose fanatical views are not shared by many Israelis. The Kuki-Mizo migration is also being financially supported by American fundamentalist Christians who are eager to hasten the so-called ?War of Armageddon'.

Now the B' Menashe(Kuki-Mizo) residing in Gaza are likely to face another exile, and this time at the hands of the Israeli government. Shimon Colney, a resident of Gush Katif said "It has been a long journey for all of us. This is our land. Jewish land. Now they want to kick us out and we will be forced from our homes and our lives once again".

The slate of Gaza's Jewish communities is scheduled for evacuation on the coming Aug. 15 as part of prime minister Ariel Sharon's withdrawal plan. Colney is also a member of the "B'nei Menashe," from Mizoram who believes they are the lost descendants of Manasseh, one of biblical patriarch Joseph's two sons, and a grandson of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.

Hamas, the strongest freedom fighter in Palestine now fire an average of three rockets or mortars per day at Gaza's Jewish communities. As the August evacuation is approaching nearer, the rocket and mortar attacks are expected to increase exponentially. So Palestinian terror groups will ultimately drive Israeli settlers from Gaza, security analysts contend. Critics worry that the Gaza evacuation will be seen as a reward for Palestinian terrorism and argue territories evacuated by Israel will be used by Hamas to stage attacks against the Jewish state.

"It's not easy now with all the rockets and mortars," said Daniel Hmar, 68, a resident of Neve Dekalim for 6 years. One B'nei Menashe member, Donald Benyamin, 26, was hit in December by a mortar when he was in his room, typing on computer, when a mortar burst through the roof and landed right next to him. He was knocked unconscious and he spent four months in the hospital with pretty bad wounds. He suffered mostly flesh wounds and returned home in May. He now has a few scars, but has made a complete recovery.

When asked if the experience has made him bitter about living in Gaza, Benyamin replied, "Not at all. This is my home." The Gaza withdrawal plan has also affected some B'nei Menashe financially. Benyamin's uncle, Sharon Benyamin, 42, owns greenhouses and says his business is going downhill. "I am losing a fortune because of the evacuation. I can't afford to put the money down this year to plant all the vegetables if we're going to be uprooted from our homes in August." Benyamin says he only planted chives this season, and not his usual array of fruits and vegetables, including cucumbers and tomatoes, which take longer to harvest.

According to community leaders, most Katif greenhouse owners this season planted their usual quotas of produce. "I planted it all," said Anita Tucker, one of the pioneer farmers of Gush Katif. "I'm not going anywhere. This is Jewish land and it will always be Jewish land. There have been so many plans to give up Gaza, but they never go through." Unlike most others, Benyamin says he is making plans for the evacuation. "We're still in the process of working out the logistics. I'll have a place to go. You have to think practically. I hope it doesn't happen, but I have a family. I need to prepare for the worst."

Most of the members of B'nei Menashe live in a cluster of apartments and houses in Neve Dekalim, a large Katif community. They have mostly integrated with the rest of the local Jewish population. However, after 10 years in Gush Katif and a journey of nearly 3,000 years to arrive here, the tribe is now slated to be expelled next month with the rest of Gaza's Jewish population.

"It is very painful," said Colney. "My father envisioned us returning to our homeland. Of all the things we were expecting once we got to Israel, the one thing we could never imagine was to settle down only to be expelled again." And one of the prominent member of B' Menashe, Mr. Sella said, "We have faith in God. Whatever is meant to be will be? But I don't believe the evacuation will take place. I hope it won't."

Source: http://inpui.blogspot.com/2008/12/mizo-kukis-claim-of-their-jewish-origin.html

Role of Media in Conflict Situation

By Brozendra Ningomba*

Let me begin with an incident which happened some time in the early part of the third millennium - like today - somewhere in the heavens. A police commando from Manipur, an Assam Rifles personnel both probably ranked officers, a hard-core insurgent, a political leader who once ruled the state of Manipur and a journalist were holding a conference in the office chamber of God. God chaired the conference. The police commando said, "The best way to deal with the insurgents is to bump them off every time we nab them, as many as possible. Only then, can peace be restored in Manipur."

The AR personnel said, "I agree with you. These atankvadis are creating too much troubles. They are waging a useless and self-destructive war against the mighty India in vain. Though the problem can't be solved militarily, the more we finish off them, the weaker they become, finally neutralising them completely." The hard-core insurgent, his face red with anger, said, "You Insolent Occupation Force, you think you can put an end to the liberation movement by killing us all ? For every ten revolutionaries killed, there are twenty more to fill their place. No revolution in the world can be suppressed by military force, you know. We'll keep fighting until we achieve independence and sovereignty of our motherland just as our valiant leaders and comrades who had laid down their lives in the struggle had wished." The political leader said, "As long as the underground problem remains, there will never be peace, nothing to say about development. So my humble appeal to the underground brothers is 'Please lay down arms and come out, let's talk. The door is kept widely opened. Whatever differences of opinions and grievances there might be, let's solve them through dialogue.' After all, it's a free, democratic country." After listening to all four, the journalist said, "We are caught in your conflict. We've become victims of the conflict situation. We can't preform our duties freely. We can't enjoy our rights to freedom of expression. There's no freedom of press. We want freedom, justice..." God looked at all the discussants and smiled, and thought, "All these fools think, they have the power to snuff out human lives and make or mar others' reputation. They think, by doing so, they'll get gallantry awards or whatever, which have no significance when the end comes. See, these fellows who played God in their lives are now 'nothing', they are all equal in their 'nothingness." God hardly finished his thinking when all the five players, rather actors vapourised and disappeared.

Armed Conflict:

Indeed, we the people of Manipur, find ourselves in a conflict situation from which we don't know how to get out. Even God doesn't seem to know.

By armed conflict, we mean that there is a fighting going on in Manipur between the armed forces of the Government of India and the State forces on one side and the various armed organisations on the other side. The armed organisations are fighting against the Government of India and its armed forces for the restoration of Manipur's independence and sovereignty. According to the Geneva and the Hague Conventions, an international armed conflict means fighting between the armed forces of at least two states. It has also been noted that wars of national liberation have been classified as international armed conflicts.

And as the Geneva and The Hague conventions further described, a non-international armed conflict means fighting on the territory of a State between the regular armed forces and identifiable armed groups, or between armed groups fighting one another. To be considered a non-international armed conflict, fighting must reach a certain level of intensity and extend over a certain period of time. Considering these descriptions, Manipur's situation may easily be qualified as either of the two categories. However, I shall not go into that. I'll leave it for the experts in the field to delve into it. However, there can be no difference in opinion in saying that there certainly is an armed conflict in Manipur. A number of seminars, workshops and discourses had been held in Manipur over the years to discuss the conflict situation and the media's role. Resolutions and recommendations had been adopted and made them available to all parties concerned. Yet no improvement in the situation has come about. In fact, the situation has worsened. The media have even become pawns.

Importance of Media :

In such a situation in Manipur where armed conflict goes on between the central para millitary forces, Army and the Manipur Police Commandos on one side and the various rebel groups on another, and also several armed factions fighting one another, the significance of media becomes doubly greater. Specially among the various small armed groups/factions, but with the power to issue big threats and diktats, media seem to have become something like a piece of meat thrown in among a pack of wolves. All of them want and try to force the media to act as if the media were their notice boards. They use the common tactics of intimidating the media houses� print or electronic (private) to shut down until the media oblige to publish as the armed groups wish. Further allusion is unnecessary as everyone in Manipur is already familiar with this typical happening which is not seen in any other insurgency-prone or terror-troubled state elsewhere. Each one of the many armed groups operating in the state tries to use the media as their only weapon of propaganda within the state. They have no other means except to depend on the media. Likewise, all other civil society organisations, institutions, unions, associations, political parties and all sections of the people seek media's help as and when they need them. The odd dozen or so newspapers and the private electronic media - ISTV and now more popular than any time in the past years - the All India Radio Imphal's news and, of course, the DDK Imphal news have all become so important in the present-day society of Manipur. The media are growing, more or less, with the changing times of Manipur.

Complete Shutdown:

Everyone says that media - specially the newspapers have become an integral part of life - daily routine. It's often heard that the day can't begin without reading one's favourite newspaper. Many people have complained about the five-days Yaoshang holiday for the newspapers saying that it is too long. It's true that nowhere in the country or the world, the press shut offices for five days at a stretch as holidays. Let alone five days, not even two days' holiday consecutively can be seen anywhere in the world. But then, it's Manipur where many things, all things that are strange happen. We all live a strange life in a strange society. Naturally, strange things and situations that do not happen and are not seen elsewhere can be seen abundantly in Manipur.

As a part and parcel of that strangeness, the print and electronic media of Manipur sometimes get to face Catch-22 situations and have no other option but to cease publication/telecast for days together to protest certain actions taken by an armed group or the government on the press or a section of the press thought to be unjust, undemocratic or in violation of the freedom of the press as enshrined in the Constitution of India and guarded by the Press Council of India. Very often, the Imphal -based press close down due to various factors. Sometimes, the press on its own decide to cease work in protest against unbearable pressures and intimidations from certain underground group or the press is forced to close down under the threat of certain underground groups.

It seems that both the media and the underground groups have cultivated a habit of closing down press for reasons both think essential. Recently, the closure of newspapers and ISTV news for 13 days in protest against the mysterious killing of Konsam Rishikanta, Junior Sub Editor of Imphal Free Press and demanding judicial enquiry into the killing, has provoked debates among the media fraternity in particular and the public in general on the kind of agitation launched by the journalists demanding justice.

Demand for Justice :

As Manipur remains embroiled in armed conflict between the state and the non-state forces, no one in any profession is safe. Specially for us in the media, a profession which, wily milly, is intrinsically connected to the situation, it's all the more hazardous. We always remain exposed to the perils of the conflict situation. Therefore, many other undesirable situations will be arising in future and the journalists community would be required again and again to sit and put heads together to find ways to get out of the quagmires. In the event of yet another difficult situation, when the need for the journalists community to protest and demand justice arises, it would become necessary for the journalists to rethink and take examples from other parts of the world as well where innocent journalists fell victims under various circumstances.

Before the media:

Presently, Manipur is going through different crises. It's not just the armed conflict that's inflicting serious disturbances on the Manipuri society but also many other difficult and complicated situations are threatening to bog down Manipur in her journey towards modernisation. We are facing many other problems, such as unemployment, migrants' influx, cultural invasion, youths at crossroads, drug and alcohol-related problems, HIV/AIDS, ethnic dissensions, food shortage, very bad road communication, lack of infra-structure, rising crimes, specially against women and children and so on. All these are big issues that lie in front of the people of Manipur, which certainly need the attention of the media. However, the role of media in conflict situation being the subject of this paper, let me keep aside other issues, though related offshoots they are.

The role of media in a conflict situation cannot be laid out as easily as any other professions. It is not like you go to your work-place at 9.30 or 10 am , you do your work and return home at 4 pm, and when the month is over, you get your pay. I am not saying that other professions do not have any conflict related problems. Every profession has problems of different kinds, the most notorious and nagging kind being the percentage cut and demand letters. Fortunately, the media persons seem to be exempted from the percentage and demand menace so far. If the media persons are asked to pay "donation," then, I guess, they have to sell their old scooters or motor-cycles and pay up.

The media need to understand the insurgency, what the various armed organisations call liberation movement or struggle for independence. The media must understand the root cause of the insurgency prevailing in Manipur and the various organisations involved in the movement. We need to understand the history of Manipur and how Manipur became a part of Indian Union as well.

Then we must not forget the endless series of human rights violations that had been taking place for the past nearly three decades till today. The torture, the killings, the massacres, the disappearances, the rape and all such heinous acts, and their perpetrators must be understood properly.

On the other hand, we cannot turn a blind eye to the violation of human rights committed by the non-state actors too. The numerous summary executions, capital punishments meted out by kangaroo courts, kidnap for ransom, extortion, threats, beatings, shooting in the leg, killing on mistaken identity, forcibly taking shelter at people's homes, bomb explosions, call and thrash and all these can't be simply ignored. Therefore, when it comes to human rights violations, it doesn't matter who commits, all are same. It's only the question who commits more. The media must understand it and act accordingly.

However, unlike in other parts of the country and in other countries where there is no such thing as insurgency and the media see fierce competition in telling the truth as bravely as possible, in Manipur, the media find themselves in a position not being able to tell the complete truth, for reasons known to all. The media need to look at the reality happening around - in the state, in the neighbouring states and in the country. We also need to look around the globe. Then we must also understand the changing attitudes of the people of Manipur towards violence, bloodshed and all kinds of disturbances. Then the sit-in-protests here and there almost daily against the monetary demands or threats of the UG groups are all telling examples of the people's growing disaffected moods. All these hapennings indicate that the people of Manipur want peace and normalcy. The media can't miss this reality and will feel the need to place the people's desire in focus.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Brozendra Ningomba presented this paper at the seminar on "Role of Media in the present situation in Manipur" organised by the Editors' Forum, Manipur on December 24 at the State Guest House. This paper/article is courtesy Hueiyen Lanpao where this paper was carried on the print edition of 25th & 27th December 2008.
This article was webcasted on 27th Dec 2008.

KCP's publicity apparatus busted

Lamka, December 26 2008: MANIPUR POLICE commandoes in a major breakthrough, managed to arrest an owner of a computer institute and seized his computer sets and printers etc for printing incriminating documents of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party's letter heads including the extortion notes this afternoon.

Police commandos in civies raided the computer training institute based on specific reports, and seized the computer sets and printers etc used for printing incriminating documents of the outfit, SP Imphal East district, Th Radheshyam told reporters here. The police commandos also rounded up Konthoujam Baleshwor (37), a resident of Kongba Uchekon Lai Muriba, the owner of the Type Writing Institution and Computer training Education Centre at Kongba bazaar in the district and seized three computer sets, two printers, three honda generators, 14 number of incriminating documents of KCP.

The raid took place around 1.30 pm. On verification, Baleshwor, a father of three daughters disclosed that he started working for the outfit since March last following pressure and besides getting easy money through one self style Information and Publicity Secretary, Ibungo Ngangom and self style finance (fundriser) Nando, both of KCP. "If I print 25 pages and above, I used to get Rs 4000 to 5000 in advance," Baleshwor informed. Police commandos had picked up this owner twice in the past but released as no evidence was found to incriminate him, the SP said.

Source: Hueiyen News Service

330 rape, molestation cases in Delhi in 2008

NEW DELHI: The national capital seems to be finding it difficult to shed the image of being the "rape capital" with over 330 rape and molestation cases reported in the first four months of this year.

According to official figures, 121 cases of rape were registered so far this year while about 210 incidents of molestation were reported from various parts of the city.

Eight minors were among the 14 females raped in the city this month, which prompted the Parliamentary Committee on Women and Child Development to summon Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal and ask him to submit a report on cases of crime against women in the recent past and action taken by police. ( Watch )

"We have arrested the alleged rapists in over 90 per cent cases. In majority of the cases, persons well known to the victims were behind the crime," a senior police official said.

A two-and-half year-old girl was the youngest rape victim this month while two minors were sexually assaulted in a moving car, including one in which a traffic police constable was arrested along with his property-dealer friend.

The red-faced Delhi Police immediately dismissed Sanjeev Rana, the constable who also tried to allegedly bribe the victim's family to drop the case, from the service.

In other shocking incidents, a woman, who accused her landlord of raping her, was publicly thrashed by family members and neighbours while a mentally-challenged girl, who is deaf and dumb, was allegedly raped by a bus driver.

A teenaged boy, who was arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl, escaped from police custody in north-west Delhi this month.

In other cases, a 40-year old woman was allegedly gangraped on April 16 by four men, including her husband's friend in a moving car while a day later unidentified men who barged into a house in north Delhi raped a 26-year-old woman before decamping with valuables.

In 98.28 per cent of 581 rape cases registered last year, the accused were known to the victims and had been interacting with the victims in the normal course of life.

While 658 rape cases were reported in 2005, the figure fell to 49 the next year. The number of molestation cases was 762 and 713 for 2005 and 2006 respectively while last year, 835 such incidents were reported.

Delhi Police attributes the incidents of rape to a number of sociological factors, including "mushrooming of JJ clusters and sub-human living conditions" there.

"Poor civic amenities, sub-human living conditions, inadequate housing facilities and mushrooming of JJ clusters are few of the sociological factors contributing to the increased tendencies in general and incidents of rape in particular," the report said.

"In JJ clusters, the entire family lives in a small area devoid of any privacy which affected family taboos and moral barriers," it said.

An analysis of rape cases in 2007 by Delhi Police said 68 per cent of rape accused were illiterate while 24 per cent studied up to Class X. About 80 per cent of the accused belong to the poor strata.

"Of all the cases last year, 64 per cent were committed in houses and five per cent in slums," the Delhi Police Annual Report for 2007 said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/330_rape_molestation_cases_in_Delhi_in_2008/articleshow/2994429.cms

Airport security: Govt. issues instructions to states

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) With heightened terror threat to the aviation sector, a series of instructions has been issued to all state governments, airports and agencies concerned across the country by the Civil Aviation Ministry, which has asked for their strict compliance.

"The Civil Aviation Ministry has circulated some instructions to all the airports," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters, but did not elaborate.

All airports across the country have been on a state of high alert since the Mumbai terror attacks, with Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar writing to state governments and union territory administrations to secure all airports and airstrips under their jurisdiction.

There are about 340 airports and airstrips in the country, with many of them non-functional. A large number of these airstrips are of the Second World War vintage.

Besides securing the airports, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) have also issued instructions for additional layers of personal and hand-baggage checking before a passenger boards an aircraft.

They have also directed that the strength of sky marshals be increased and they should be put on more flights, rather than on the already identified sectors like those in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.

With elections nearing and the use of helicopters increasing, the DGCA will soon issue a new set of security guidelines for helicopter operators to report mandatorily to the local police before making landings at any unscheduled place. PTI

Related articles by Zemanta

• India Jets Hijack Terror Threat
• Kashmiri Police Say 3 Bomb Suspects Are Pakistani
• Clashes Before Polls Close in Kashmir Vote
• Ruling Congress party wins elections in key Indian states
• Indian Police Arrest 2 in Mumbai Investigation and Look at Cellphone Link
• Botched Mumbai Arrest Highlights India's Intel Failures
• Voters praised over Mumbai factor
• 60 Years Later, Kashmir Trade Route Opens
• Mumbai attacks: Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari vows 'action' against militants
• Indian Congress 'ahead in polls'

RTI Act needs to be improved: Additional DGP

Imphal, Dec 25: Manipur Additional DGP A Romenkumar today said the Right to Information Act(RTI) had helped the people of the country in knowing what they wanted to know.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the Editors Forum here, Romenkumar said people should use the RTI Act properly, adding it empowered every citizen of India.

Excepting some matters related to the country’s security, most information could be sought, he added.

“However, the RTI needs to be improved. This is because the officials do not continue to observe the recommendations. The Act should have more teeth,” he added.

Editor of Manipur Mail, an English daily, N Sanatomba said the media should reflect the truth and this would help the society to correct the wrongs.

Former News Editor of AIR N Mangi said the media should concentrate more on developmental issues.
President of the Editors Forum S Jugol said the journalists were busy covering crime and insurgency related news that economic issues and important issues were sometimes sidelined.
DS Sharma, an economist, said the media should have an opinion of its own and become the conscience keeper of the society.

Editor of Ireibak, a local vernacular daily, I Arun observed that there was a debate if the media should only act as a mirror or should have an opinion of its own. (UNI)

AFSPA condemned in Manipur & NE News

Imphal: Despite the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, (AFSPA) in the seven segments of Imphal Municipal Council area, the percentage of dead in the hands of military forces is rising with at least 3-4 persons being killed everyday, stated Mr Irengbam Arun, editor of the Ireibak, an Imphal-based Manipuri newspaper.

Addressing the agitators, Sharmila Kanba Lup, on the 14th day of their relay hunger strike in support of Sharmila the editor stated that as per reports or heard, most of those killed as suspects were arrested from their houses or local areas, taken to a ‘killing field’ and then killed. In this regard, Irengbam Arun suggested the need for a 24x7 control room in every locality to keep an eye on the arrests and even opined that this control rooms could help in the investigations of the arrests and the murders. (NNN)

5 militants killed in Manipur gunbattles

Imphal: Five militants have been shot dead in separate encounters in two districts of Manipur, police said on Tuesday.

Sources said police commandos, attached to Imphal West district, searched Lilong area near here on Monday following reports of the presence of some militants.

During the search, some militants of People's United Liberation Front (PULF) opened fire at them and a militant Md Tajuddin was killed on the spot when the commandoes retaliated, sources said, adding, that one 9 mm pistol was found the spot.

In another incident, combined forces of police commandos and personnel of 12 Maratha Light Infantry shot dead an unidentified militant at Tabungkhong Mayai Leikai in Imphal West district on Monday evening.

In yet another incident, two unidentified militants were also gunned down by personnel of 57th Mountain Division at Irengbam village in Bishenpur district on Monday. One 9 mm pistol, one grenade, four live rounds of ammunition and one extortion note of Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council were found from the spot, sources said. The personnel of 29th Assam Rifles also shot dead a militant at Maklang area in Imphal West district on Monday. (PTI)

Officials shield colleagues in corruption probe: Assam minister

Guwahati: Assam Agriculture Minister Pramila Rani Brahma on Tuesday maintained that corruption charges against district-level officials of the department went mostly unaccounted for as district administration officers entrusted with fact-finding had failed fail to prepare proper reports.

''Whenever we receive charges of corruption, the department approaches the respective district administration to conduct an inquiry into the complaint.

"But the latter tends to shield the accused and we are unable to proceed,'' she said here.

The minister, however, affirmed that she would act tough if conclusive evidence was provided.

On delay in providing seeds to the farmers, Ms Brahma said, ''the Agriculture department has to go through a lengthy process in the Revenue department for sanctions for procuring the seeds which causes much unforeseen delay. ''

On other measures, the department was undertaking for the growth of agriculture, she said organic manure worth Rs 1.4 crore would be bought and an organic manure market would be established in Guwahati. (UNI)

Coal mines a major threat to tiger population at Balpakram

From Our Spl Correspondent

New Delhi: After adventurists blaming cement factories damaging the caves, now environmentalists are out against coal mines alleging threat to the Balpakram National Park and its main inmate, the vanishing tigers.

The headman of Chitmang Gongrot Aking was interested on initiating coal mining near the boundary of the Balpakram National Park. Besides construction activities, mining near the park poses a threat to the tigers as well as rare species of plants such as orchids and pitcher plants.

NGOs in the area got together under the banner of the Chitmang Hills Anti-Mining Forum ( CHAMF) to protest against the mining and construction activities. They send a legal notice, seeking remedial action, to the state forest department officials, according to reports here.

Meanwhile, an official report said that the country has lost at least 110 tigers, including 17 tigresses, in the past six years due to poaching and several other reasons. North East is one of the hot spots as far as tigers are concerned.

The figures reflects that the royal predators have been unsafe not only in non-protected area but also inside reserves, given that this year alone 14 cases of tiger mortality, including four tigresses and two cubs, have been reported till November.

"These are official figures and the actual figures may be higher," Delinda Wright, prominent wildlife expert, noted. The situation was grim in 2006 too, when eight tigresses and two male striped cats died inside the reserves in various tiger-range states.

The Balpakram National Park, besides tigers, also houses leopards, elephants, hullock gibbons, deer, great Indian hornbill, pheasant and wild cats.

Some rare species of plants such as drosera also flourish here, said Kamal Medhi, team leader of Samrakshan Trust fighting for the big cats, the reports said.

Earlier an PIL filed by the Meghalaya Adventures Association in the Supreme Court alleged that the cement companies have manipulated all records to continue to exploit the limestone main raw material for cement production. "Caves are the unique creation of Nature and integral to environment and human-animal-plant existence.

Destruction of caves will result in un-assessable loss to the humanity and will certainly lead to a catastrophe, the implication of which would be immeasurable.." the petition had said.

The western side of the park borders Siju Bird Sanctuary, which hosts many species of birds. " We have sent notice to the authorities. We will initiate legal proceedings against the government officials if the coal mining and road construction activities are not curbed," said CHAMF secretary Ginseng Sangma.

The NGOs claim no clearance was taken under the Forest Conservation Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification before work began near the park. There is no clearance from the Meghalaya Pollution Control Board, either.

Mining activities besides destroying the wildlife will also destroy livelihood of a number of villages as it has an adverse impact on land, soil and water sources.

The NGOs claim 26 villages and 600 families and almost 3,000 individuals will be affected by the construction.

Coal mining in other parts of Meghalaya has led to the influx of undesirable elements that cause permanent damage to the social life of the simple tribals.

This has led to social evils like alcoholism, drug abuse and prostitution, the report said. Even by the Government’s own admission coal mining in Meghalaya goes mostly unofficially without much control.

A virtual parallel government runs there with all sorts of social evils with anti-social elements ruling the roost. - Shillong Times

“Non- Nagate’n kivaihawmna tuam i neih uh hunta hi”: TS Haokip

Lamka, Dec 24: Centre Government, Manipur Government leh Manipur singtangmi helpawl (Non- Naga) group United Peoples Front leh Kuki National Organisation in singtangmite’ dangtakna leh mahni kivaihawmna ( interms of self government) phutna ziak in India malsuah bial ah kiphinna ana pan ua, hiai tawh kisai in mihing luang tamtak kikham in, sisan-naisan a na luang a, unau melhaih hun tanpha ana tung hi.

Himahleh, Manipur a teng Non-Naga helpawl UPF leh KNO in Government tawh kihouna neih in singtangmite ading in gahsuahna banghiam hon puak ding ahi chih a gel ziak un Centre Government tawh Suspension of Operation kichi ah suai ana kai uh hi’n kigen hi. KNO lam a Defence Secretary T S Haokip in agenna ah, “Manipur a teng Non-Nagate’n kivaihawmna tuam i neih uh hunta a, nomenclature a i buaibuai hun uh hinawnlou ahi” chi hi.

Official hikei mah leh, muanhuaitak apan thusuak kingah dan in, Govt leh UPF/ KNO te’n SoO abawldung zui un Designated camp 11 Govt in lemsa hi’n kigen a, UPF in designated camp 13 Govt ah ngen ua, KNO in designated camp ding 9 ngen ua, himahleh, Govt in UPF te ading in camp 6 leh KNO te ading in designated camp 5 peding hi’n muanhuaitak apan thutut kingah hi.

UPF in Govt kiang ah cadre list 2529 submit ta hi’n kigen a, KNO in leng cadre list 1700 val submit ta uh hi’n kigen hi. Thusuak kingah dan in, Government in United Peoples Front nuai a om helpawlte adia designated camp a pomsakte uh ahihleh, KNF (P) te3 ading in Vakopphai, Sadar hills, KRA te ading in T.Khonom, Sadar Hills, KNF (Samuel) te ading in N.Phaisat, ZRA te’a ding in Leijangphai area, HPC (D) te’ ading in Parvachawm, UKLF te ading in Khuangkang, Chandel District hi’n kigen hi.

Thusuak kingah dan in, Kuki National Organisation nuai a om pawlpite ading in Samusong, Sadar Hills, Mongbung, Sangaikot area leh Chongkhojou Chiangpi hiding in kigen a, mun 2 ahihleh felnai chiahlou hi’n kigen hi. Identity card tawh kisai in Intelligence Department in UPF leh KNO top leader mi 20 vel te kiang ah issued ta a, cadre te ading ahihleh designated camp a cadre te a om hun un piak hiding in kigen hi. Tuabangkalah, thudang khat kizadan in, KNO lam in proposal a bawl uh “KNO outpost” ding in Ukhrul District sung a om Kamjong/Chassad area lemsa uh hi’n kigen a, KNO te’n ground rules sukfel ahih zawh chiang in hiai mun luah ding uh hi’n muanhuaitak apan kiza hi;.

http://zogam.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5119&ac=0&Itemid=2

A year of political change and famine for Mizoram

AIZAWL, Dec 25 – For Mizoram, hit hard by rodent menace leading to a famine-like situation, 2008 was also of change – as Congress stormed back to power with an absolute majority.

Congress, out of power for the past decade trounced ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) in the 40-member state assembly elections held on December two and became the only party to score an absolute majority since Mizoram became a state in 1987.

Led by three-time former chief minister Lal Thanhawla, Congress bagged 32 seats while MNF could manage to win only four with the help of its ally Mara Democratic Front (MDF).

Outgoing chief minister Zoramthanga lost from both the seats he contested. The third force known as the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), an alliance of Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) also got only four seats.

The year began with fear of the impending repetition of ‘mautam’ or famine caused by gregarious bamboo flowering resulting in destruction of crops by millions of rodents as Dendrocalamus Hamiltoni, locally known as “phulrua” flowered during the last part of 2007.

Experts like James Lalsiamliana had warned last year that flowering of phulrua would proved wrong the predictions of village elders that 2007 would be the climax of the Mautam and 2008 would be ‘a vur kum’ or ‘year of harvest boom’.

Multitude of rats survived feeding on the fallen seeds of phulrua to again ravage the jhums or paddy fields all over the State.

The death of 38 children in and around Zawngling village in the southern tip of the state, bordering Arakan of Myanmar, during the last part of 2007 and beginning of 2008 shocked the state as some reports concluded that they died due to malnutrition and starvation due to Mautam famine.

Officials of the state health department, however, investigated the deaths and found that the children died due to meningitis which spread in an epidemic-like proportions in the area.

The death of four manual workers due to the collapse of a retaining wall which was under construction in Aizawl created quite a furore as the state Public Works Department had been under the scanner of the people for alleged sub-standard works. Public outcry forced the state government to constitute an inquiry committee on the disaster which found some engineers guilty of criminal negligence.

Though crime rate was on the wane in Mizoram, murder and crime against women especially rape cases were on the rise during the year as compared to the yesteryears.

The sensational and mysterious death of Rev. Chanchinmawia, a senior priest of the Presbyterian Church and President of the Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF), a church-sponsored organisation for political and electoral reforms, at his official church residence at Khatla locality in Aizawl on October one shook the very foundations of the church and the government.

A special team of state police investigating the case concluded that the the Pastor took his own life and his death was not a homicidal one.

Public and church pressures forced the state government to order a reinvestigation of the case by the CBI and the country’s premier investigating agency is yet to submit its report.

Being the last year of the second successive MNF government and the year when the Sixth Pay Commission was set to be implemented, series of agitations by the state government employees marked the whole year. – PTI

Manipur, Meghalaya celebrates Christmas

IMPHAL, Dec 25 – With hymn of praise and a sequence of choir in their respective churches, Manipur celebrated Christmas today.

State leaders including Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi and the former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Rishang Keishing along with the Christian community in presence of majority Meitei community prayed for peace and prosperity State.

Reverend LTimothy Phaomei, pastor Manipur Baptist Convention Centre church administered the intercession and the prayer for all. Wearing a festive mood, the church of MBC Centre in Imphal during its Christmas celebration witnessed a series of musical performances.

Chief Minister O Ibobi while delivering his short speech, said: “We’re all equal in the eyes of god. So everyone in this region should be proud of it and should live together peacefully.”

MP Rishang Keishing said everyone of us are sinners. So god sent Jesus to forgive us and bring peace in the world, he added.

Being the speaker of the Christmas celebration, WA Shishak, former chairman of the Manipur Human Rights Commission, said: “The time has come for those speeches of integrity to translate into action.” The former Chief Justice of the Chhatisgarh High Court also reminded the gathering that there’s too much hypocracy. Popular singer and actor Hamom Sadananda and another upcoming singer Bobin also belted out couple of Christmas numbers besides the special numbers by choir and harvest teams enthralled the gathering on the occasion of Christmas celebration.

Earlier, Governor Gurbachan Jagat in a message greeted the people of Manipur, specially the Christians of the state, on the auspicious and joyous occasion of Christmas.

----------------------------------------

Christmas celebrated in Nagaland

KOHIMA, Dec 25 – After attending the midnight mass, believers in Nagaland today celebrated Christmas with religious fervour and gaiety.

As the sky was clear, people in their best attire thronged different churches to attend the morning services in towns and villages across the predominantly Christian state.

Ao Naga community in the capital town organized the celebration at Kohima local ground as their church can not accommodate a large crowd.

Exchange of greetings, gifts, family get together, merrymaking, visits to friends and relatives and community feasts marked the celebration during the day. Christmas, the largest festival of this hill state, is also an occasion to foster friendship. – PTI

-------------------------------------

Hindus, Christians celebrate Christmas in Meghalaya
SHILLONG, Dec 25 – Ramakrishna Mission here today celebrated Christmas to spread the message of love, peace and universal brotherhood.

Prayers were offered to Jesus Christ amid ‘Vedic chanting’. A mix of Hindu and Christian cultures marked the worshipping of Lord Jesus who was also offered cakes, sweets and fruits.

Speaking at the function, MLA and Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Ampareen Lyngdoh said RKM made the Christmas celebrations more meaningful.

“Religion does not make man but man makes religion,” she said.

Christians and Hindus sang together Christmas carols like ‘Silent Night’, ‘Holy Night’ and ‘Oh! Come Let us Adore Him’ at the celebrations on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, thousands of people were seen crowding the city for last minute shopping of clothes, cakes, pastries and decorations to light up the Christmas trees.

Jubilation was visible all around the city with children, irrespective of caste and religion, singing Christmas carols.

Christmas trees, colourful buntings and lights and flowers adorned every household, Churches and institutions.

Christmas carols could already be heard across Meghalaya for the past one week.

Special Christmas dishes and cakes were being prepared in households and bakeries.

Hundreds of people gathered the churches here to take part in midnight prayers and candlelit mass, special readings and well-rehearsed choirs on the Christmas eve. – PTI

Christmas celebrated
City reporter
GUWAHATI, Dec 25 – Special midnight mass in churches, illuminated buildings and carols marked Christmas celebrations in the State today. A festival of the Christian community to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas has now become an occasion of joy and merry-making for the people of all castes and religions in the State.

Christmas carols from all corners added to the festivity with individual artistes and gospel bands enthralling crowds with popular numbers like Jingle bells, Santa Claus is coming to town and Silent night holy night.

Along with other parts of the State, different churches of the city commenced today’s celebration with prayers followed by refreshments and community feast. The main celebration of the city’s Catholic community was held on the premises of St Joseph’s Cathedral also known as Don Bosco Church, Panbazar and the other prime centres of celebration were the Christ Church and Guwahati Baptist Church.

Along with these centres, celebrations also took place in other parts of the city and its adjacent areas. Christmas programmes were held in other centres like the Catholic Church, Dispur, St Francis de Sales, Satgaon, Resurrection Catholic Church, Sonaighuli and St Claret’s Parish Church, Borjhar. Sub-centres of churches like Maligaon Don Bosco and the Krishna Nagar, Holy Child were also reported Christmas celebrations in the city.

People from different age groups in Santa Claus’ attire giving chocolates to the children and wishing them in the main thoroughfares was another attraction. The members of churches and voluntary organizations distributed calendar cards containing the messages of peace and greetings for the New Year in different areas of the city.

Marking the beginning of the year-ending festivities, the Christmas has also kicked off the countdown for the New Year. On the occasion, the city as a whole was seen in the colours of Xmas with the jingle bells and twinkling stars.

Today being a government holiday, a large chunk of city crowd were seen holidaying on the city roads along with the people of the Christian community. Thousands of people flocked to the churches for prayers and lighting candles. “The churches with a weeklong programme will continue the celebrations and the regular masses up to January 1,” said a member of St Joseph Church.

The city markets and the shopping malls were also abuzz with the buyers gripped in the Yuletide spirit. To add more colours to the last festival of the year, the shop owners have decorated their shops with twinkling stars, Christmas trees, life-size dummy of Santa Claus and many other Christmas accessories. A sizeable crowd was also noticed in the bakeries and card galleries of the city on the occasion of Christmas Eve on Wednesday. - The Assam Tribune

Related articles by Zemanta

• Going to Church on Christmas: A Vanishing Tradition
• Tourism Returns To Bethlehem For Christmas
• Calgary church service listings for Christmas
• Church of Nativity packed for midnight Mass
• Hundreds pack Bethlehem midnight mass
• The Heartfelt Christmas Tree
• Tourists, Locals Pray in Bethlehem on Christmas
• Czech Christmas Eve
• Christmas in Bethlehem to be streamed live online
• What are You Doing Online?!?
• Real Meaning
• What Are You Playing This Eve? [Lazy Thursdays]
• Fight Against Domestic Violence, In All Odds
• Jesus Was a Pretty Smart Guy
• The Morung Express: Naga villages to get award for sanitation
• My annual rant about Christmas at work
• Christmas celebrations start in Bethlehem
• The Purpose of Christmas?
• What is Christmas?
• Bethlehem pilgrims mark Christmas
• Church of Nativity packed for midnight Mass
• Hundreds pack Bethlehem midnight mass
• Christmas, secularism, and how Reason Magazine owes me a photo credit.
• Bethlehem Joyful, Gaza Violent On Xmas Eve
• A Real Holiday Story
• Pilgrims flock to Bethlehem for Christmas
• The Polar Express Experience - Sea World Orlando
• Church of Nativity packed for midnight Mass
• Hundreds pack Bethlehem midnight mass