People and Politics

FIACONA for Central rule in Orissa

webmaster — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:12:13 -0500

Federation of Indian Christian Organizations in North America, the organisation alleged in a press release issued that the attacks against Christians in Orissa are continuing despite assurances from the Centre and the State Governments.

The Orissa Government has been reduced to a position of being a mute spectator, thestatement charged. The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh has assured that the violence will stop; however, no signs of its abatement are evident enough to warrant his well-meaning intentions.

Although CRPF, police, and the paramilitary have been deployed, yet the anti-Christian pogrom does not stop. The Orissa Government has declared the situation is "under control". It is astonishing that in an "under control" situation, six more churches have been attacked, set on fire, and completely razed to ground. Hundreds of Christian-owned houses have met a similar fate. The number of missing people and refugees is rising. More than 60,000 Christians are hiding in the forests without food and water. Hindu radicals are making plans to cleanse Orissa of its Christian population. The brutal mob goes on raping nuns and beating up priests. Thereafter nuns and priests are stripped semi-naked and paraded on the streets and ordered to have sex with each other for the devilish enjoyment of the satanic mob or die.

The priests and nuns obviously refuse and so the mob pours kerosene, petrol, and other country made fuels on their heads, and torches them alive. All this happens in broad daylight. There have been more than 3,000 forcible "re-conversions" to Hinduism, where the re-converted Hindus are ordered to attack the same churches where they once prayed. Christians are mercilessly persecuted, pregnant women are cut to pieces, thousands are rendered homeless, orphanages are burnt, churches are razed, and yet the Orissa Government labels the situation as "under control".

The Union Home Minister's statement of not naming the VHP as the culprit shows his weakness and his inability to rein the anti-society, anti-democracy, and anti-national activities of the VHP. It was more or less a Congress affair and no word against the BJD-BJP Government has been spoken by him, which has left the Orissa Congress leaders speechless. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil commented, "I am not here to indulge in blame game", displays his total lack of interest in resolving the volatile situation. His visit was meaningless and has in fact encouraged more violence. Home Minister should play control game and control the violence.

Dr. Victor Joseph, Chairman Governmental Relations said "The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has failed miserably in sending an investigation team to the riot-hit areas of Orissa." The NHRC has come to mean wastage of national resources, as it is unable to pull up the Orissa state authorities for their acts of commissions and omissions on human rights. The NHRC has even failed to issue a public statement either to condemn the killings or visit the strife-torn areas to improve the situation of the victims. It only issued a perfunctory notice to the State Government of Orissa where it suppressed the actual status of the grave situation, which in itself is scandalous, considering the scale of violence against Christians. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has also taken no action on the Orissa violence against Christians.

There is a global outcry against these barbaric atrocities being perpetrated towards Christians, which may result in a possible backlash in reduction in foreign investments in Orissa. The violence has not completely subsided and this continuous violence tarnishes the image of India, which is no longer viewed as a non-violent, and a peace-loving country.

FIACONA condemns the barbaric acts of violence that are still taking place in Orissa against Christians in the strongest possible terms. The attitude of the current government in Orissa and at the Centre towards these types of macabre acts against the Christian minority is unacceptable. Government should intervene to protect the rights of the minorities and the freedom of religion. Heinous crimes of this magnitude cannot be ignored. All these ghoulish incidents highlight the trauma, the pain, and the helplessness of the Christians.

FIACONA demands an immediate investigation into this matter by the respective authorities. The Union Government must authorize the Army to move its troops into affected districts where the local police and RAF have failed miserably. The NHRC should send an investigation team and see that human rights are not violated. The Ministry of Minority Affairs should ensure the security of the minorities. The Centre must dismiss the Orissa Government as it has totally failed to protect its citizens. Urgent compensation to the kin of the dead and the injured must be provided. Relief and rehabilitation must be provided so that the tens of thousands of Christians now hiding in the forests can return home.

The Government must rebuild every single home, every single orphanage, and every single church that has been attacked and burnt. The Government must book the culprits and prosecute them. "Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should immediately resign, said Bernard Malik President of FIACONA "if not on the grounds of complete failure of law and order, then certainly on the grounds of lack of initiative to curb the ongoing violence."

Son arrested for neglecting aged mother

webmaster — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:22:34 -0500

The first case after the Senior Citizens Act came into force last year, a 58-year-old man was taken into custody for neglecting his aged mother and cases have been registered against his five siblings at Kottiyam near here, police said. The action against the siblings, three of them women, was taken under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, based on instructions from the District Probation Officer yesterday, police said.

According to police and lawyers, this is the first case registered under the act in Kerala and perhaps the first in the country as well.

The plight of 84-year-old Lakshmikutty was brought to the notice of the authorities by social workers in the area, who found the partially-paralysed woman abandoned in her house.

They first shifted her to a private hospital three weeks ago. Lakshmikutty's daughter-in-law left the hospital after attending on the woman for three days leaving her to the mercy of charity workers.

As her health improved slightly, the district authorities and social workers moved her to a charity home at Mayyanad near here, and later shifted to a church-run poor home at Thankassery in the town.

After this, the District Probation Officer, who is the authority to implement the rules concerning the protection of the aged, asked the police to take action against the children.

Lakshmikutyy's eldest son Ramanan was arrested by a Sub-Inspector at Kottiyam yesterday. He was later released after recording the arrest.

Power cut at mass marriage venue causes mix-up of brides

webmaster — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:19:11 -0500

Power cut at a crowded mass marriage venue here at an auspicious moment when about 40 grooms had to simultaneously tie the 'mangal sutra' around their bride's neck led to a mix up with two of them missing the target.

Veerachamy, instead of tying the mangal sutra to Subbulakshmi, the bride, tied it around the neck of her friend, who was standing near her. Similarly, Balamurugan tied the sacred thread around another girl's neck, instead of Sivakami. The mix-up which took place at the Sri Subramaniaswamy temple complex at Periyakulam, however, was soon detected.

All ended well as elders, in a quick damage control exercise, removed the mangal sutras and made the grooms tie the tread to the right brides after a 'parikara pooja' (pooja for making amends). Temple officials said as all the couples had gathered along with their relatives and their friends, leading to overcrowding on Wednesday night.

Symposium on Women's Economics, Women's Right to Leadership

webmaster — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:39:01 -0500

The inauguration of a new university chartered to grant degrees to underserved women in Asia will be celebrated at a Symposium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 17-18,2008. The Asian University for Women (AUW), based in Chittagong, will offer a five-year program of combined bachelor's and graduate-level professional training across the liberal arts, communications technology, management, public policy, and environmental science.

The initiative is funded by leading global corporations and foundations plus individual donors dedicated to educational opportunities for future women leaders and entrepreneurs from rural, impoverished areas in Asia.

Featured speakers at the October kick-off event include Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Muhammed Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank; the Honorable Dr.Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor, Dr. Kamal Hossain, principal author of the Bangladesh
Constitution; Lubna Al-Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates; and Iranian human rights advocate Mehrangiz Kar.

Principal funders of the Asian University for Women include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Goldman Sachs Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and USAID. Kamal Ahmad is President and CEO of the Asian University Support Foundation, the strategic planning and philanthropic arm of AUW.

The Asian University for Women currently underwrites the education of 130 women from six Asian nations as part of their Access Academy, a pre-university preparatory curriculum that will help the young women migrate easily to their first year of College in the Fall of 2009.

The Asian University for Women (AUW) is being established as a leading institution of higher learning for women from across Asia. Located in Chittagong, Bangladesh and master-planned by the renowned architect Moshe Safdie on a 100+ acre campus site donated by the Government of Bangladesh, the University aims to be the first of its kind: a regional institution of the highest quality, dedicated solely to women's education and leadership development, international in outlook but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of people across Asia, and offering an educational paradigm that
combines liberal arts education with graduate professional training. The principal institutional financial supporters of the project to date include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Goldman Sachs Foundation, the Open Society Institute, Citigroup Foundation, and USAID.

The mission of the Asian University for Women is based on the firm belief that education-especially higher education-provides a critical pathway to leadership development, as well as more broadly in achieving sustainable
development, economic progress, and social and political equity. AUW will educate promising young women from diverse cultural, religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds from across South and South East Asia and the Middle East -- with a particular emphasis on the inclusion of women from poor, rural, and refugee populations. AUW will enable its students to become skilled and innovative professionals, service-oriented leaders, and promoters of tolerance and understanding. www.asian-university.org

BJP expels eight LS members for defying party whip

jimmy elias — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:04:12 -0500

Cracking the whip on MPs who defied the party in Parliament, the BJP today expelled eight Lok Sabha members, who bailed out the UPA government either by cross-voting or remaining absent during voting in the confidence motion.

"We have expelled eight MPs who either cross-voted or abstained during the trust vote," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters here after a meeting of senior party leaders at Leader of Opposition L K Advani's residence.

While four MPs were expelled for voting in favour of the government in the trust vote in Lok Sabha last night, four others faced the action for remaining absent.

The expelled Lok Sabha members are Brijbhushan Sharan Singh (Balrampur), Manjunath (Dharwad), Chandrabhan Singh (Damoh), H T Sangliana (Bangalore North), Manorama (Udipi), Haribhav Madhav (Jalgaon), Babubhai Katara (Dohad) and Somabhai Patel (Surendranagar).

"But for cross-voting and abstentions, the UPA would not have won. This government was formed with the help of tainted people who were included in the ministry...This is a tainted victory," Advani said.

Janata Dal (Secular) rebel MP Shivanna expelled

jimmy elias — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:00:29 -0500

The Janata Dal (Secular) on wednesday expelled its Lok Sabha member M Shivanna for defying the party directive and voting in favour of the UPA government during Tuesday's trust motion in Parliament. The decision to expel the Chamarajanagar MP was taken at a meeting party chief H D Deve Gowda had with Lok Sabha member M P Veerendrakumar and JD-S secretary general Danish Ali.

"We have decided to expel the MP for violating the decision of the party to vote against the confidence motion moved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Gowda told PTI. He refused to comment when asked what could have been the promises given by the ruling coalition to make Shivanna defy the party whip.

"Nowadays, political morality has thrown to the winds," he said, referring to allegations that the UPA indulged in horse-trading to muster the numbers during the floor test. "All unethical, immoral and shameful methods were adopted to persuade members to vote in favour of the government," he said.

CPI (M) expels Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the party

jimmy elias — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:50:12 -0500

CPM on Wednesday expelled Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the party on the ground of "seriously compromising" its position. The politburo of the CPM has unanimously decided to expel Somnath Chatterjee from the membership of the party with immediate effect, a party statement said after a meeting of its politburo.

"This action has been taken under Article 19 (13) of the party constitution for seriously compromising the party position," it said.

Among those who attended the politburo meeting were general secretary Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, M K Pandhe, S R Pillai and Brinda Karat.

Chatterjee had been under pressure to quit the constitutional post after the four left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government following their differences over the India-US nuclear deal.

However, the 79-year-old veteran parliamentarian refused to toe the party line and steered the House during the crucial session on Monday and Tuesday in which the government proved its majority.

Battle for numbers to decide UPA govt fate 6 PM today

jimmy elias — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:29:22 -0500

The battle for numbers that will decide the fate of the UPA government in the trust vote today entered the last lap with its hopes hinging on abstentions and last minute defections from rival camps. Hours before a cliff hanger trust vote, there was good tidings for the Congress-led UPA when the two-member national Conference announced it will vote for teh ruling coalition while a lone Mizo National Front (MNF) MP Vanlalzawma said he will abstain.

Ending the suspense on which way the NC will go, the party chief Omar Abdullah said this morning his party will vote in favour of the UPA government.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has fixed 6 p.m. as the time for voting on the confidence motion moved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is scheduled to sum up the government's position on the debate an hour before.

As the groupings for and against the government tried to rustle up the numbers, the fencesitters held centre stage amid reports eight to ten NDA MPs may either abstain or violate party whips that will help the ruling coalition pull through.

The target of 271 for getting the majority will come down in the event of abstentions setting the stage for a photo finish in which the Manmohan Singh government may just scrape through.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee also announced that six MPs has sought leave of absence which has been granted that will bring down the target to sail through. The party affiliations were however not disclosed.

Soon after Lok Sabha reconvened after lunch Tuesday and listened to Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Chatterjee said: "PM will speak at 5 p.m. and voting will be at 6 p.m."

Possibly sniffing a triumph, a more confident Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flashed another victory sign and thumbs up as he strode confidently into the Lok Sabha this morning to attend the proceedings.

The UPA however was not without any anxious moments when Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh alleged that six party MPs were being forcibly kept by BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Mayawati in the UP bhavan here ahead of the trust vote. The Samajwadi has a strength of 38 MPs that will largely help the government to sail through.

Oregon Pregnant Man Gives Birth to Baby Girl

jimmy elias — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:32:13 -0500

An American man, who was born as woman before undergoing a gender change surgery, has given birth to a healthy baby girl at an Oregon hospital. 34-year-old Thomas Beatie, who legally switched to a male identity while preserving his female reproductive organs, delivered the baby on June 29.

"The only thing different about me is that I can't breastfeed my baby. But a lot of mothers don't," Beatie told the magazine, adding that both he and his daughter were doing well.

Beatie, who took twice-weekly doses of testosterone and had his breasts surgically removed during his female-to-male transition, hit headlines around the globe last April when he announced that he a was expecting a child.

The report said he spent the first two decades of his life as Tracy Lagondino, a Girl Scout, former model and finalist in a Miss Hawaii Teen USA pageant.

Married to 46-year-old Nancy, Beatie became pregnant using donor sperm and his own preserved eggs, through artificial insemination, after relocating in 2005 to Bend in Oregon.

The magazine said the girl is Beatie's first child, and he had given birth naturally, not by caesarean section.

Cop kills self before Carla, Sarkozy

jimmy elias — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:10:16 -0500

An Israeli police officer fatally shot himself in the head on Tuesday at an airport departure ceremony for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, authorities said, sparking fear of an assassination attempt and prompting bodyguards to whisk Sarkozy and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert away from the scene.

The shooting occurred while a military band was playing, and the leaders apparently didn't hear anything. Dark-suited men then quickly ushered Sarkozy and his wife up the stairs of their plane. In a panic, Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs ahead of her husband.

At the same time, security guards, with their guns drawn, rushed Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres toward their cars. The incident was over within minutes, and Olmert returned and boarded the plane to inform Sarkozy what had transpired, witnesses said.

Police spokesman Shlomi Sagi confirmed that a policeman guarding the airport committed suicide just as Sarkozy was about to board his plane as a band was playing.

Another police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, denied reports that there had been an assassination attempt on the French leader.

The incident marred Sarkozy's three-day trip to Israel, a visit meant to improve relations between the two countries.

French presidential spokesman Franck Louvrier could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone. Another presidential spokesman who was on another scheduled flight out of Tel Aviv said he knew nothing about the incident.