Day: December 8, 2012

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 8 : Population Foundation of India (Manipur State Unit, PFI) is organizing a State Exposition that will showcase the journey undertaken by district level networks of People Living with HIV/AIDS during the course of the Promoting Access to Care & Treatment (PACT) program on the theme “Lead-Empower-Deliver”.
Earlier editions of the State Exposition in 2008 and 2009 have highlighted the need for economic development amongst People living with HIV (PLHIV). This year, the State Exposition (Manipur) will be held to showcase the achievements of the program to different stakeholders that has worked under Civil Society-Government-Private Sector partnerships during the program period; to share the experiences of PLH1V networks on their enhanced capacity in program management and working towards their own sustainability and providing a platform for PLHIV to have a direct interface with government and private sector agencies to find out various ways of strengthening the existing models of their income generation activities and/or initiate new models based on the capacity and interest of PLHIV networks.
The State Exposition, which is to be held at Hotel Classic on December 11, 2012 will feature an inaugural function followed by an experience sharing session of PLHIV group members.
, a panel discussion on entrepreneurship and sustainability as also display various products put together by the district level network groups.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/lead-empower-deliver/

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 8 : Rahul Gandhi General Secretary of AICC (I) during his one day visit to the state will open the state level convention of local bodies’ elected members, local self governance and 16 flagship programmes of the UPA Government, being held at Palace compound on December 10.
Talking to the media President of MPCC (I) Gaikhangam, who is also Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home affairs said, Rahul Gandhi, icon of Congress Party, who has been projected as the future Prime Minister of the country has agreed to open the convention. The convention is the first of its kind, he added.
Rahul Gandhi will arrive at Imphal airport around 11 am and move directly to the Palace compound. The agenda of the convention include, introduction of MPs, Ministers and office bearers of the Congress party to the visiting dignitary.
If the SPG permits there will be presentation of guard of honour by about 300 Seva Dal workers of MPCC (I). Rahul Gandhi will address the crowd after the formal inauguration of the convention. The other speakers of the convention are Chief Minister O. Ibobi and Faleiro Congress General Secretary in charge of NE region.
Congress President Gaikhangam will give the welcome address while the vote of thanks will be proposed by Phungjathang Tonsing Medical Minister. Congress President has assured to raise various issues that will be of importance to the state and its people during the course of his speech.
He appealed to the people of the state to extend warm welcome during Rahul’s visit to Manipur. He will be the future Prime Minister of the country and we can demand a lot from him.
When asked by a scribe whether Rahul will be available for meeting with representatives of civil organisations he did not give straight reply but added Rahul will return to the capital on the same day. But Rahul has assured to meet with about 200 NSUI and Youth Congress workers of the state, also said.
Asked about the significance of the visit, he said Rahul cannot come to the state quite often. We need to remind him the requirements of the state, he added. Gaikhangam scoffed at the allegation that the Congress party has politicalised the local bodies by inviting them to such convention being addressed by the Congress General Secretary. He added all the elected members of the local bodies need to be made aware of the importance of flagship programmes of the Union Government led by Congress party. He expects about 15000 people to turn up to welcome the visiting dignitary. Security arrangements have been tightened as Rahul Gandhi enjoys z plus security cover.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rahul-gandhi-to-meet-with-200-nsui-and-youth-congress-workers/

IMPHAL, Dec 8: Two days before the International Human Rights Day, a New Delhi based group Campaign for Peace and Democracy ( Manipur ) said in the Indian sub-continent not a single day is passed without some forms of resistances and demands to defend democratic rights.
With regard to Manipur, the Campaign for and Peace and Democracy (Manipur ) said that taking into account the affidavit of the thousands of fake encounters perpetrated by the government troops the Supreme Court had recently asked ‘are we in a state of war’ in Manipur.
“The reality is that the Indian State’s war on the people has been ongoing to control the territory and market, corporatize resources, exploit labour and strengthen the stockpile for capitalist expansion towards the Southeast Asian countries. The war has been carried out by a collusion of military and paramilitary forces, police and State sponsored militant organizations that perpetrated communal or sectarian assaults. People’s assertion for democratic rights and rights activist had been suppressed under suppressive legislations such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, National Security Act (1980) and Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act (1911). Deceptive jargons such as ‘national security’, ‘law & order problem’, ‘war on terror’ and ‘development’ had been widely articulated to cover up suppression and exploitation,” the Campaign group added.
It then alleged that extrajudicial killing of people for democratic assertion and ideological dissent has been frequent. Justice is denied to several victims and their families. Hundreds of activists are languishing in jails in the most inhuman manner. Most of them do not enjoy the legal status of political prisoners. Witch hunting of rights activists is rampant. Those who have raised protest to the destruction of agricultural land, environment, fossil fuels, and forced displacement to construct airport, dams, office building, and military camps to serve the interest of the corporates are brutally targeted. The India State’s commitment to the Indian Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, constitutional fundamental rights, and other international standards such as the International Declaration of Human Rights 1948, Geneva Conventions 1949, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966, International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966, etc remains unfulfilled. There has been reign of terror in the name of national security, the Campaign for Peace and Democracy (Manipur) further alleged.
“We are also aware of the manifold assertions and demands by various sections of the population. There is peasants’ demand for agricultural land, incentives and facilities; unemployed youths demanding jobs; ad-hoc employees demanding regularization of job; government employees demanding regular monthly salary; private sector employees demanding pay high and decrease workload; peoples demanding improvement of roads, regular electric supply, other facilities; women street vendors demanding permanent allotment of plots; children yearning for free education and against child labour; minority communities demanding recognition of identity and resource control; homosexuals demanding against social discrimination; women demanding empowerment, protesting sexual harassment and domestic violence; demand for compensation against forced displacement and human rights violation; demand to control corruption; medical patients demanding for necessary attention, and so on and so forth,” it pointed out.
Each of these demands is legitimate from the perspective of the respective sector. But these demands, to achieve respective immediate goals within the framework of the existing governance, are deeply structured and rooted in the neo-liberal system. The governance continued but the grievances are not adequately addressed. On the contrary the demands are reduced into duplicity for lack of the ideology to coordinate towards a political process to create a situation favourable to all, the Campaign group observed.
“While we are not indifferent to these demands, we give due attention to the war policy of the Indian State that has not only failed to address these issues but has also suppressed democratic assertions. In other words the ongoing war on people does not distinguish people along sectoral or communal or regional lines. The war is supported by the lumpen puppets in Manipur that operate collectively using different camouflages as communal leaders, reformists, people’s representatives, etc. Several youths are being misinformed and misguided, lured by the prospects of job and promotion, recruited in the rank and file of the repressive forces and drawn into the war against the poor and marginalized. Among them, the underpaid auxiliary forces comprising of Village Defense Forces (prototype of SPOs in central India) who are drawn from the working class and peasant families have began to raise demands for regularization of job, reduction of workload and higher pay. Frustration and fratricide among the paramilitary and military forces have been reported from time to time. However, the war is on without a break!,” the Delhi based group highlighted.
The group then expressed with concern that rights to life, economic livelihood, and justice have become burning issues. The pretext of the war is best analysed by contextualizing it in the overall policy of the neo-liberal State that rely on sectarian politics, suppressive laws and repressive tactics for its own survival.
“On our part to save the lives of millions we need to expose the character of the State and defeat the war policy both in theory and practice. The expansionist stockpiles had to be dismantled and the wealth distributed to the millions of the deserving needy. A democratic society free from any form of suppression and exploitation had to be established. It can be realised with the collective struggle of the progressive forces cutting across community and regional boundaries,” it opined.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/campaign-group-on-rights-condition/

IMPHAL, Dec 8: Observing that the present threat to Manipur’s integrity is mainly the result of the present administration’s failure, the International Meiteis Forum (IMF) on Saturday said the forum will convince other indigenous communities living in the North-Eastern India to support the cause for safeguarding the ancestral boundary of the land being threatened allegedly on “parochial communal lines” and to stand unitedly against the steps of the NSCN-IM, Kuki National Organisation (KNO), United People’s Front (UPF), and other civil bodies like United Naga Council (UNC) and Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) to disintegrate Manipur.
IMF addressed a press conference at the Manipur Pres Club announcing its formation on December 5 when the forum reacted against the much hyped Alternative Arrangement for the Nagas outside the Government of Manipur pending the vexed Naga political problem and the demand for separate Kuki homeland as well.
Members of the newly floated civil organization, IMF S Samananda, RK Gopalsana, former member, Manipur Human Rights Commission, W Homeshwor, advocate and RK Rajendra attended the press conference.
Saying that IMF whole-heartedly respects the firm and stand and commitment of the United Committee Manipur (UCM), All Manipur United Clubs Organisation) AMUCO), civil societies, political and non-political bodies in safeguarding the territorial integrity of Manipur, it alleged the main organizations representing the so-called Nagas and Kukis (alien nomenclatures in the soil) have already reached the saturating point of their communal diplomacy to disintegrate the state.
Calling the main organizations representing the Nagas and Kukis “communal forces,” IMF blamed them for propagating and pressurizing at the national and international bodies with “concocted histories of the land” for their parochial interests.
“Acknowledging that the Government of India has now indicated the very willingness to grant political solutions through political dialogues by declaring ‘ceasefire’ or ‘Suspension of Operation’ with warring factions of so-called Nagas and Kukis (Nagas for ‘Alternative Arrangement’ and Kukis for ‘Homeland/Separate State)”, IMF said it observes that the weightage of considering the Meiteis’ interest that is, the Manipur’s interest (safeguarding the territorial boundary of Manipur) in the ongoing Central Government sponsored political dialogues is less considered by the parties.
Pledging that IMF will convince other indigenous communities living in the North-Eastern Inda to support the cause for safeguarding the ancestral boundary of the land being threatened allegedly on parochial communal lines and to stand unitedly against the disintegrating steps by the NSCN-IM, United People’s Front, and other civil bodies like the United Naga Council and Kuki State Demand Committee, IMF said it believes in living together all indigenous communities of the region with love, peace and dignity.
Pointing out that it is a living fact that the valley areas occupying 8 percent of the state, IMF said the valley is accommodating all the communities of the state which has led to population explosion in the valley only.
Observing that if the Government cannot become rational, justifiable and proactive enough against this discrimination then ethnic clashes will surely be destined to happen in near future, IMF asked whether it is what the Governments of India and Manipur are expecting in this land.
Once more, the IMF appealed that all the communities of the land should accept the true history of their “origins” and respect the historical legacies in order to avoid such catastrophe for maintaining the old-age love and interdependency.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/meitei-forum-on-boundary-issue/