Manipur News

IMPHAL, May 12: The Kangla Foods production factory has shut down its function from today indefinitely due to monetary demands of Rs 20 Lakhs imposed by a militant group identifying themselves as KCP MTF.

Denouncing the extortion demand, the employees of the factory staged a sit in protest demonstration in front of the factory located at Nambol Chingmang.

The Kangla Foods is an emerging local foods production unit engaged in producing and promoting various indigenous food items. About 150 individuals are employed in the factory.

Discontenting the act one of the protestor termed it as an unfortunate act. He said that a small scale industry like the Kangla Foods is providing job opportunities in a state like Manipur where employment opportunities are rare.

He appealed the outfit to lift the demand and the intimidation on the factory and the proprietor taking into consideration the service rendered by the Kangla foods.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/ikpRsyfnEro/

IMPHAL, May 12 (NNN): Intensifying its protests against the unavailability of school textbooks in the market, four students `™ unions of the State`“All Manipur Students`™ Union (AMSU), Democratic Students`™ Association Manipur (DESAM), Manipur Students`™ Federation (MSF) and Kangleipak Students`™ Association (KSA)`“today lambasted the State government of playing with the life of the students.

Speaking to the media at the office of AMSU in DM College campus at about 5 pm today the students`™ bodies said that their stake-outs and vigils and a tip-off by a teacher led to the discovery on May 11 of some 6000 school books being stashed away clandestinely inside Shakhi Devi High School in Uripok.

Unfortunately, as the students`™ activists went to the school to survey and ascertain the fact, police had intervened, they said.

They complained that even as a summer vacation was supposed to begin next month, schools in Imphal valley have declared the vacation prematurely, depriving the students of education.

The fact that the government is only interested in recruiting teachers and not concern about textbooks not being available in the market speaks a lot about the rot in the education system and corruption, the students`™ activists said. `Printing of textbooks is hardly profitable while recruiting teachers involve exchange of fat money within the government,` they said.

Romen of AMSU, Thoithoi of DESAM, Anash Shah of MSF and Nanao of KSA were present in the press meet today.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/OTZjmDfcDuI/

AFGHANISTAN, May 12 (AP): Prime minister Manmohan SIngh called Osama bin Laden`s death an opportunity for the region to unify Thursday and pledged ongoing support for Afghanistan, which has long been caught in the middle of the power struggle between his country and rival Pakistan.
Manmohan Singh`s first visit in six years appeared to signal that India sees an opportunity to pull Afghanistan closer to its side as Islamabad`s precarious relationship with the U.S. is further strained by the bin Laden strike.
But Singh walked a cautious line between showing support for Afghanistan and trying to assuage any fears in Pakistan that he was enlisting Afghan President Hamid Karzai against India`s longtime rival.
He said bin Laden`s death can be an opportunity to put aside decades-old regional rivalries and work for peace across Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“I sincerely hope that all countries of this region — Afghanistan, Pakistan, India — would recognize that this is a unique moment in the history of this region. Thereby we all should agree to work unitedly to end this scourge of terrorism,” Singh told journalists at a press conference in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., was killed in a U.S. commando raid on his hideout in Pakistan earlier this month. Pakistan was not consulted about the raid and complained afterward about the violation of its sovereignty.
Despite his call for regional cooperation, Singh`s trip signaled shifts in the regional power play between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, in which Afghanistan has often been caught in the middle. With Pakistan`s international stature taking a hit after the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden, India may see an opportunity to pull Afghanistan closer to its side — further pressuring Islamabad.
A joint declaration issued by Singh and Karzai said that the two countries agreed to work to strengthen their bilateral agreements. And India announced in the declaration that will give an additional $500 million to the Afghan government for development programs. That brings India`s total development aid to the country to $2 billion.
“India is your neighbor and partner in development,” Singh told a gathering including Karzai and other senior officials earlier in the day. “You can count on us as you build your society, economy and polity.”
But both India and Afghanistan are clearly wary of appearing to be teaming up against Pakistan. The last sentence of the joint declaration states: “The two sides affirmed that their strategic partnership was not directed against any other state or group of states.”
Karzai called Pakistan a good partner, noting that he had a productive meeting with Pakistan`s prime minister just last month.”We`d like expand this relationship with them to have an effective campaign against terrorism — for the benefit of Pakistan, for the benefit of Afghanistan, for the benefit of India,” Karzai said.
Singh said: “We would like to develop the friendliest possible relations with all countries of this region. That includes Afghanistan. That includes Pakistan as well. There is no question of Pakistan feeling that good relations between India and Afghanistan are at the cost of Pakistan.”
But Singh did call for an investigation into whether the Pakistani government knew about bin Laden`s location.
“The picture that emerged immediately after this incident was a picture which caused some amount of confusion,” Singh said.
Singh last visited Afghanistan in 2005, but Karzai has been a frequent visitor to India.
Pakistan, which supported the Taliban`s rise to ensure it had a friendly government on its western border, has deeper ethnic and cultural ties with Afghanistan. Pakistan has long bristled at the post-Taliban government`s friendly terms with its major rival, which supports Karzai`s administration with aid money.
Afghanistan is likely to become more reliant on these warring regional allies as its NATO partners face pressure to withdraw troops. The U.S. plans to start decreasing forces in July, and all NATO partners are committed to handing over responsibility for security to Afghan forces by 2014. And Bin Laden`s death has some in NATO countries pushing for even quicker drawdowns.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/_im9rjF5BQo/

IMPHAL May 12: A foundation laying ceremony of a new school building for Moirangpural High school was held today at the proposed site at Moirangpural under Andro constituency. Moirangpural high school is among the four schools in Andro constituency that were recently upgraded to high school status from junior high school.

The school has 650 students studying from class III to class IX at present.

Th. Shyamkumar Singh, MLA, Andro constituency, today laid the ceremonial foundation of the new school building. A function was held at the school campus to mark the foundation laying ceremony.

Speaking at the occasion, Th Shyamkumar encouraged the students to be aware of the environment and the issues resulting from deforestation.

He assured the students of the newly upgraded Moirangpural High School of a sum of Rs 5000 to each student who can successfully plant five fruit tree saplings. He informed that he has already acquired several varieties of tree saplings from the concerned department, which will be distributed to the students within two days time, he added.

He also assured an award of Rs 10 lakhs to any student from his constituency who can bag the first position in the State High School Leaving examination and senior secondary examination and another Rs 10 lakhs for the teachers of any school which could produce student with the first position.

He also promised Rs One lakh award for any student from his constituency who could come among the first ten toppers in the state in both the examinations.

He said that the government has been extending its full corporation on many spheres. The government has been helping in developing the infrastructure of the schools, providing free books and other essential items to the schools from time to time.

`Yesterday, 150 pairs of desk and benches were provided to the school from the concerned government department`, he said. He further added that another 150 pairs of desk and benches were provided to Poroukhongjil High school that has 710 students.

The four schools of the constituency that were upgraded to high school status from junior high school recently are Andro High school, Hueikap High school, Moirangpural High school and Poroukhongjil High school.

He further stated that many local teachers as well as others from outside the constituency are engaged in the schools. Shyamkumar added that the teachers of these schools were paid from his own expense every month.

He appealed the invitees, teachers and students gathered in the function to act sincerely and responsibly, as the developmental and welfare initiatives were taken up in accordance with the objectives of free and compulsory education.

The ceremonial function was attended by staffs and students of the school as well as many guardians of the students from the locality.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/myZLC9pPIYs/