Category: KanglaOnline

IMPHAL, June 5: The Self Support Group and All Manipur Positive Women Network, Imphal East, Christian Net of Positive Women Manipur Branch, has strongly condemned the killing of 4 year old Thiyam Roberoy and the bomb blast at ADC office Khuman Lampak, wherein a mother and her two daughters were injured.A press conference was held in this connection at Hatta, Imphal East district. Speaking to media persons the representatives of the organizations urged the government to produce the culprit involved in the killing of the minor boy within June 10 failing which it warned to endorse any course of action taken by the JAC formed against the killing. The groups further condemned the act of a police officer who used his service pistol to threaten protestors yesterday who were staging a protest against the killing of the minor at Ningthoukhong.At the same time, the groups while condemning the blast at the ADC office which injured three women folk of a family has urged the perpetrator to avoid similar incidents in the future.Menawhile, the Poumai Students’ Union in a press release signed by its publicity secretary has decried the bomb blast which at the ADC complex, Khuman Lampak on May 28, which had left three members of a fmily injured. The release has stated that the responsible group behind the attack should come forward and claim responsibility of the incident. The Union also condoled the injured victims and their family members while mentioning that the public should joined in to condemn the barbaric act.

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After nearly two decades of the new push in India’s South East Asia foreign policy, often referred to as “Look East Policy”, which created such a lot of optimism in the region when it was first spelled out, it has hardly left any substantive mark in the Northeast. Nobody can say 18 years is not a long enough time to see at least some visible evidence of its fruits. The question that beggars an answer for those of us in the region at this moment is, what happened? There are of course some developments which can be seen as preparatory measures, as for instance the ongoing construction of the super highway which would connect Silchar to the rest of the super highway network in the country, the upgrading of airports in the northeast, in particular the Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala airports. These airports now even have modern night landing facilities. If the extended deadline is not extended again, Imphal would be in the railway map of the country by 2014. The Silchar highway and the Imphal rail line, it is anybody’s guess, will not culminate either at Silchar or Imphal, but ultimately be extended to link up with the road communication network in South East Asia. Still, even as these preparations are being made, there ought to have been also some parallel activities that ensured the optimism of the policy did not die in the region.

A lot of initiatives however have been happening elsewhere as part of the Look East Policy. Free trade treaties have been signed, multilateral business and policy summits held in various capitals of South East Asian capitals where important decisions were taken etc. Indeed, statistics show a substantial increase in the trade volume between the ASEAN and India during the period. Most of these trades however have been happening by the sea route. The point is, in all these activities, either towards policy framing process or their execution, there has been very little involvement of the Northeast region and its minds. This is unfortunate, although the fault must be shared by the intelligentsia and political executives of the Northeast. They have been simply allowing this very important issue, which are predicted to come to have very important bearing on all of their lives ultimately, to pass by without paying much attention. The guilt must also be equally if not more, borne by our so called enlightened academia. What have they been doing as this very important caravan continues to pass by the region? They should have taken the lead in correcting perspectives.

This is not to say trade under the Look East Policy must be made to happen only through the Northeast. This will not be possible as like water, trade will also normally take the route of least resistance. It must be remembered traders are looking for profit and not philanthropic social service. Hence, the sea route normally would be preferred wherever feasible, as transportation cost as well as effort needed for transportation, is much less by sea. Perhaps this is an indication that the Look East Policy must have two components. One should concentrate on trade alone, and the other to the uplift of the Northeast region through studied opening up of suitable trade potentials. In the framing of the roadmap for the latter, it is vital that the intelligentsia and political establishment of the Northeast are made major partners. As for those in the Northeast who are sceptical about the Look East Policy per se, let them reassess the matter from the standpoint that this opening up is a process which cannot be halted, not only because it is being pushed as a policy, but precisely because it is a natural process as well. Since this is something which would happen with or without our participation, it is better we participate and be in the driver’s seat of the affair so that only the right windows and doors are opened, and those which should not be opened are left unopened. Traditional trade routes had become dislocated and shut on account of another geopolitical shift of political paradigm in the wake of the decolonisation process of a large part of Asia and the drawing of new national boundaries in the mid-Twentieth Century. Natural economic region thereby became fragmented and disjointed. The second proposed component of the Look East Policy designed to have a relevance to the Northeast is precisely about reopening and revitalising these ancient trade routes and economic spheres for the benefit of the region.

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IMPHAL, June 17: Desperate evicted families of Lamphel Yaipha Leikai stayed in the Lamphel Police custody briefly after their temporary sheds and shelters were yet again evicted by the Police.

A team of the Lamphel police as a part of their continued drive of eviction today ransacked the temporary makeshift sheds and shelters this evening around 3 pm, put up at the road side between the Lamphel Employment Exchange office and office of the Chief Electoral Officer by the affected individuals of the eviction that was carried out on June 6 at Lamphel Yaipha Leikai.

About 10 individuals including two children forcefully climb on board the Police vehicle contending that they have no more shelters due to the further eviction of their only sheds and shelters.

After staying in custody of the police for a brief period the displaced residents later walk away from the police station late in the evening.

The police were compelled to take the aggrieved residents along with them till the police station following their adamant act.

The displaced residents have been putting up temporary sheds and shelters in the area since the eviction. Moreover they were left in the agitating mood for only 14 houses were affected by the eviction leaving behind some houses nearby.

In the meantime, even as the concerned MLA offered a place at the vicinity of Lamphel for relocating the displaced residents the offer however was rejected by the residents owing to the lack of security over the land and the unfavorable condition for habitation.

It has been reported that the alternative relocation is a marshy area at the same time temporary for three months only.

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IMPHAL, June 20: The National Highway 53 truck owners association has mocked the government’s target to complete the construction of the highway by 2013 while taking into account the failure of the government to start implementation of work till date.

A team of media persons along with the association conducted a survey of the condition of the NH 53 from June 18 to June 19.

While speaking to media persons during the survey the spokesperson of the association, Kh. Inaoba expressed his apprehension about the condition of the NH in case the monsson sets in fully given the present deplorable condition of the highway.

He said that the condition is worse especially from Barak to Nungdollan. The section remain muddy making it risky for vehicles mainly the trucks to pass through during the monsoon. There are high chances of getting stuck in the thick mud or slipping as the trail left on the muddy road by the heavy loaded trucks is knee deep, he added.

He further maintained the main factor for the condition was absence of proper drainage system and added that 80 percent of the road conditions are not favourable for vehicles to ply.

He also claimed that the stone piled up at the road side, to be used in the repairing of roads are of low quality.

Taking into account the ground reality of the road the spokespersons stated that the target set by the government to complete the works of developing the NH-53 by 2013 will be impossible.

Despite the hardship the truckers have been plying on the road and also added that the price of essential commodities would be low if the condition of the road is improved.

In the meantime, A. Khomei Singh, manager in charge FCI godown, Jiribam stated that the condition of the FCI godown is outdated and needs to be upgraded to do away with the woes of rice scarcity in the state.

He said that since January 11, 2011, a 22 compartment train with ten trips per week has been feeding the FCI godown which to some extent has improved the woes.

However in order to make the most of the improving situation the condition of the 2500 metric tone capacity FCI godown much be further upgraded to the required 20,000 capacity.

Besides the manger incharge suggested for the need for using better train against the current which derail often in rainy season due to its small size and, also suggested the unloading of the loads at the godown directly.

The manager also appealed the concerned authority to upgrade the man power of the godown.

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By Nilofer Rehman
26th June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is observed globally. Torture is one of the worst crimes against humanity. The direct implications of torture are both physical as well as psychological. Of these two, the psychological effects are more difficult to cope with by the survivor of torture. The physical injuries can be healed, while the psychological effects take time to heal. The survivors may live their whole lives with the psychological and emotional effects; often the survivors succumb to these effects.

People who are subjected to torture suffer a severe form of trauma. We all use the word “trauma” in everyday language to mean a highly stressful event. Traumatic events refer to extremely stressful experienced events that can overwhelm a person’s ability to cope. Traumatic events are unique individual experiences of events or enduring conditions in which – the individuals ability to integrate emotional experience are overwhelmed or the individuals experience a threat to life, bodily integrity or sanity. The individual may be overwhelmed emotionally, of his or her normal mental functions and physically. Torture can be faced by males and females, all ages, all races, all classes, all sexual orientations, all religions and all nationalities.

Trauma is an event outside normal human experience. The trauma of torture generally leave us feeling powerless, helpless, paralyzed, intense fear or horror. It tends to be sudden and overwhelming, and potentially life threatening. Though there are different traumatic events one can experience, they show common elements, such as unexpected, the person was unprepared; and there was nothing the person could do to prevent it from happening (beyond physical control).

It is also an individual’s subjective experience that determines whether an event is or not traumatic. These is likely to be due to one or more of these factors – the severity of the events, the individual personal history, the larger meaning the event represents for this individual, skills to deal with the experience, values and belief held by the individual, the reaction and support from family members, friends and/or professionals. Most of us have had at least one traumatic experience in our lives – for example, death of a loved one, serious illness or breakdown of a primary relationship. At such times we may have been very upset, or frightened or sad. But usually the grief passes; the pain lessens over time and eventually become normalized. But sometimes people experience life threatening or life changing situations that are so distressful or cruel that the memory doesn’t fade, not even slightly. For some people the experience is so extreme that they find they can’t get over it to move on with life.

Trauma is different from stress. Stress disregulates our nervous system but for only a relative short period of time. Within a few days or weeks our nervous system calms down and we revert to a normal state of equilibrium. This return to normalcy is not the case when we are traumatized.

There are common effects or conditions that may occur after a traumatic experience. Sometimes these responses can be delayed, for months or even years after the event. The following are symptoms that may result from unresolved trauma – physical (eating disturbances, sleeping disturbances, sexual dysfunction, low energy, chronic, unexplained pain; emotional (depression, spontaneous crying, despair and hopelessness, anxiety, fearfulness, compulsive and obsessive behavior, feeling out of control, irritability, angry and resentment, emotional numbness, withdrawal from normal routines and relationships), cognitive or mental function (memory lapse especially about the trauma, difficulty in making a decision, decreased ability to concentrate, feeling distracted , attention-deficit hyper activities; re-experiencing the trauma (intensive thoughts, flash backs or nightmares, sudden flood of emotions or images related to the traumatic events); and emotional numbing and avoidance (a total blank, avoidance of situations that resemble the traumatic event, detachment, depression, guilty feeling, grief reactions, hyper-vigilance, jumpiness, an extreme sense of being “on guard”, insomnia, obsession with death).

There are also other possible emotional effects of trauma. Some of them are on common personal and behavioral character like substance abuse, compulsive behavior, uncontrollable reactive thoughts like rage, inability to make healthy lifestyle choices, dissociative symptoms like inability to love a dear one, feeling of ineffectiveness, shame, despair, hopelessness, feeling permanently damaged, or a loss of previously sustained beliefs. Trauma can even affect interpersonal relationships like inability to maintain close relationship or choose appropriate friends and mates, sexual problems, hostility, arguments in family members, employees or co-workers, or social withdrawal and feeling constantly threatened.

What one can do to help survivors immediately after a trauma?

One of the best ways to help a traumatized person is simply to listen compassionately and actively; and make the person aware that we are willing to listen. We must make the person believe or reassured that we are willing to help and there are realistic ways to make it okay, that s/he can survive. We should suggest practical assistance. We should not ask if we see that something needs doing, we should suggest that we will do it. This is much more effective than simply saying “If there is anything I can do….”. We shouldn’t criticize the person’s reaction, instead minimize the trauma and suggest it was fate of God’s doing, minimize the person’s feelings or say we know exactly how they feel. We should not interfere with actions the person has chosen to take, unless they are endangering themselves or others.

Recovering from a traumatic experience takes time. We must give ourself time to heal and mourn the losses we have experienced. We should not try to force the healing process. We must be patient with the pace of recovery. We have to prepare for difficult emotions. There are some strategies that can be used by the individual to heal from these worst condition. Some of the strategies are:
· Don’t isolate: – After following a trauma, we may want to withdraw from others. But isolation makes things worst. Connecting to others will help us heal, so we must make an effort to maintain our relationship and avoid spending to much time alone.
· Ask for support: – It’s important to talk about our feelings and ask for the help we need. We much try to take help from a trusted family members, friends and counselor.
· Establish a daily routine: – We must try to stick to a daily routine with regular time for waking, sleeping, eating, working and exercise. We must also try to schedule time for relaxing and social activities, too.
· Take care of our health: – It is important to note that a healthy body increases our ability to cope with stress. We have to get a plenty of rest and exercise regularly and eat a well-balanced diet. It is also important to avoid alcohol and drugs.

When to seek professional help for emotional and psychological trauma
Everyone heals at his or her own pace. But if months pass, and our symptoms are not letting up, we may need professional help.

It’s a good step to seek professional help if we are:
· Having trouble functioning at home or work
· Suffering from severe fear, anxiety, or depression
· Unable to form close, satisfying relationships
· Experiencing terrifying memories, nightmares or flashbacks.
· Avoiding more and more things that remind us of the trauma
· Emotionally numb and disconnected from others
· Using alcohol or drugs to feel better
In order to heal from the psychological and emotional effects of trauma, we must face and resolve the unbearable feeling and memories we have long avoided. Otherwise they will return again and again, unbidden and uncontrollable. Trauma treatment and healing involves:
· Processing trauma-related memories and feeling
· Discharging pent-up “fight –or- flight” energy
· Learning how to regulate strong emotions
· Building or rebuilding the ability to trust other people
Trauma counseling is also very much effective in handling emotional trauma. Some of the techniques used are Ventilation which includes play therapy, journal/letter writing, art therapy, story- telling, puppetry, dance therapy, etc. Cognitive restructuring like positive thinking, logical thinking, attribution of meaning, and handling grief and guilt can also be used in treating such types of clients.

Counsellors can also use behavioral technique like daily scheduling, anger management, building self esteem, positive self talk, problem solving, and thought management. Relaxation technique like meditation, deep breathing and imagery works Talk therapy is also one of the most important traditional therapy uses by the counsellor.

Supporting victims of torture or survivors of trauma means enabling the persons to come out and deal with the problems, sometimes with the help of trained professionals. Sometimes, it may be too difficult for a survivor to make the first step towards reaching out to others. In such cases, forming self-help therapy can be very helpful. Medical and other health professionals must be aware and alert to the client who has been tortured or traumatized, and obliged to develop the skills to attend the problems appropriately. An enabling policy and professional environment is necessary for this, and the government has a very important role to play.

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IMPHAL, June 28: One alleged thief was killed in a mob furry while his companion has been admitted at the JNIMS with serious injuries, this early morning at Mantripukhri area.

According to local source, the incident happened this early morning at Mantripukhri, when the two thieves were nabbed by the locals while they were trying to enter a workshop.

The source also added that the locals thrashed the two alleged thieves meanwhile a team of the Heignang police arrived at the scene and controlled the mob.

However one of the thieves who is yet to be identified succumbed on is way to the hospital while his companion identified as Okram Manglemjao, 30, s/o late Thambou of Pangei Okram Leikai is fighting for his life at the JNIMS.

The dead body of the alleged unidentified thief has been deposited at the JNIMS morgue.

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IMPHAL July 2: To relieve from mud and water filled lanes marred by potholes on the Sagolband Salam Leikai and Wahengbam Leikai under Sagolband A/C stretch along the Imphal-Jiri highway resulted from the on going construction works conducted by the government under various developmental projects, several truck loads of stone chip and sand were donated today to the Sagolband joint development committee by Rajkumar Imo Singh, an active member of Congress I as a part of a temporary arrangement initiated for the aggrieved local populace of Sagolband A/C.

N. Kuleshwor, secretary, SJDC, while meeting media persons said that various inconveniences are faced by commuters especially in this area due to the construction works. Heavy down pour since the past few days has added another difficulty for the commuters, he added.

Condemning the local MLA Sagolband A/C for being silent on their repeated pleas for a viable solution from such inconveniences, the secretary lamented that it as very unfortunate.

However, on the other hand, the committee expressed contentment on various projects carried out by the government for the development of Imphal. The Sagolband joint development committee was formed after thorough consultation with local responsible residents for efficient development in Sagolband A/C, he added.

Rk. Imo said that the construction works of various developmental projects has adversely affected the commuters for the time being. He added that the temporary arrangement was instituted keeping in view of such condition and ease atleast some of the difficulties faced by the commuters till the constructions of the projects are completed.

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