Nobel Peace Prize – Manipur News

Gallery: Binalakshmi Nepram Meets Former US President, Jimmy Carter & Kofi Annan

Global Peace Makers : Binalakshmi Nepram Meets Former US President, Jimmy Carter & Kofi Annan in Oslo

New Delhi,23 June 2014: Noted woman civil rights activist,writer & humanitarian, founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network from Northeast Indian state of Manipur, Ms Binalakshmi Nepram attended the prestigious Oslo Forum which was successfully held last week on 18 and 19^th in Oslo, Norway.

Bina with Former US President Jimmy Carter

The Oslo Forum is one of the leading global network of conflict mediation practitioners. In the past, a number of high-level participants including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Gerry Adams, Mohammad Khatami, Martti Ahtisaari, Bono, and many other luminaries have participated in the Forum. The Oslo Forum have also hosted several Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Leading mediators representing governments and regional organisations as well as key United Nations actors charged with negotiating peace were also present.

Bina with Kofi Annan

In her visit to Oslo last week, Ms Nepram met with His Excellency Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and spoke with President Jimmy Carter who is the 39^th President of USA. Ms Nepram gave to both dignitaries the beautiful Leiroom woven by the women of Manipur which was received with great warmth by President Jimmy Carter. Ms Nepram also met and spoke with Mr Tim Sebestian, founder of BBC Hard Talk besides several dignitaries who are engaged in peace talks around the world

In a statement issued after her return from Oslo, Ms Nepram said, “My participation at Oslo Forum sincerely will go a long way in ushering much needed peace in 60 decades of violence that has engulfed India’s Northeast region. Citizens across Northeast region too aspire for peace,progress,development and hope this is achieved with collective,sincere,dedicated,united efforts of all. 45 million people of India’s Northeast deserve to live with dignity,without war and loss of lives. I went in peace and have returned with lessons for finding peace for us all. The journey for peace have begun and this time it will be led by women of the Northeast”.

Contact~Office of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network & Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace

Email : cafi.communique@gmail.com

Phone: +91-11-46018541 Fax: +91-11-26166234
Web: www.womensurvivorsnetwork.org / www.cafi-online.org

The Voice of Dissent

By: Maisnam Chanu Liklainu Liu Xiaobo ,the Nobel Peace Prize winner is one of the dissidents languishing in the Chinese jail. He was never afraid to disagree with the military… Read more »

By: Maisnam Chanu Liklainu

Liu Xiaobo ,the Nobel Peace Prize winner is one of the dissidents languishing in the Chinese jail. He was never afraid to disagree with the military might of the Chinese Communique. The voice of dissent is the most potent force.Its not easy to be different amongst those who are out to crush you.

Many a dissidents serving life sentences in this part of the globe. Their voices are crushed many a times .They have to pay the price for being outspoken. Either you are thrown in the dungeon or either you have to meet an untimely death. Its a risky proposition… They have the guts to be different, to be critical and to be objective . They have to take risk for being different…. They are sceptical,they love to question the authority even at the risk of their lives… They are the ones who do what other people dream of. They never do the predictable. They are instinstive and compulsive questioning the authority….They give a hard time to the authority….

Its time we have more spunky people to take on the powers that be…

Be it the government or the parallel government….

Lets not be homogeneous in our thinking….

Conformity will kill us….

Lets take risk…

Lets not be afraid to disagree….

We surely want a vibrant society…….

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/09/the-voice-of-dissent/

Nobel Women Peace Laureates Urge Government of India, Manipur & Northeast States to Protect Women in Armed Conflict

Toronto : From May 23-25, Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire led an unprecedented conference in Canada, to develop strategies for ending rape as a weapon of war. They were joined by over 120 civil society activists, corporate and security sector leaders, military and peacekeeping personnel, and academics to discuss and share ideas at the conference, entitled Women Forging a New Security: Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict.

According to Nobel Women’s Initiative who organised the Conference, “Sexual violence takes place in every region of the world, with the reasons for its use varying from conflict to conflict. It has been used as a tactic to terrorize communities suspected of supporting guerrilla forces, as a way to force population off land, and to punish human rights defenders”.

Binalakshmi Nepram with 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate, Shirin Ibadi. Photo by Jennifer Shepherd

“Waging war on the bodies of women has got to stop,” says Jody Williams, who won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work to end anti-personnel landmines. “Like any tactic of war, it can be eliminated.The magnitude of the problem must be matched by our collective effort. Working together, we can finally bring an end to this scourge on women and their communities.”

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and honorary member of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, Aung San Suu Kyi also sent a video message emphasizing the critical importance of ending sexual violence in conflict.

On 26 May, which was declared as international day of action against sexual violence in conflict, the three Nobel Peace Laureates called upon concerned people and nations from around the world to TAKE A STAND to end rape in war.

Binalakshmi Nepram, Founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network who participated in the conference spoke about the situation in Manipur and in India’s Northeast Region and the non-violent ways of unique protests in which women in Manipur and Northeast India have undertaken to respond to sexual violence against women in conflict zones.

A declaration was also unanimously adopted at the historic conference which called up Government of India, Manipur and Other Northeast Indian States and also to non-state armed groups stop violence against women in conflict areas and work to protect women. Following is the resolution that was taken at the conference:

Binalakshmi Nepram with 1976 Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Maguire.Photo by Jennifer Shepherd

“We, 120 women from 33 countries including three women Nobel Peace Laureates gathered at the conference “Women Forging a New Security: Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict” in Montebello, Canada, May 23-25, 2011, call upon the Governments of India and the state of Manipur and other Northeast Indian states and non-state armed groups operating in the region to end violence against women in Manipur and Northeast India. We declare our solidarity with Irom Sharmila and hundreds of thousands of women in Manipur and India’s Northeast region who have non-violently resisted militarization in the name of insurgency and counter-insurgency. We call upon the Government of India to uphold its democratic values by repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958. We call on all parties to cease attacks on the civilian population and seek peaceful solutions”

For more information:

Binalakshmi Nepram, Founder, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network

Mobile: +91-9891210264 Binalakshmi@gmail.com

Reena Mutum, Coordinator, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network

Mobile: +91-9774357042 Reenamutum@gmail.com

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/24iA4tzy2_I/

Why support ‘Nobel Peace Prize for Irom Sharmila’ as part of International Women’s Week’?

By: Shanjoy Mairembam First think ‘Irom Sharmila’ as an Indian, as a woman, as a human; then, acknowledge the fact that she’s been fasting for the last 10yrs in practical… Read more »

By: Shanjoy Mairembam

First think ‘Irom Sharmila’ as an Indian, as a woman, as a human; then, acknowledge the fact that she’s been fasting for the last 10yrs in practical Gandhian style of non-violence asking Indian Govt to treat every Indians same within India and follow the democratic principles what India itself preaches to the whole world; also acknowledge that Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi met and supported her during the delhi visit; also, realise that Sharmila is no lesser suitable than Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner ‘Aung San Suu Kyi’ as woman role model towards humanity; NOW Reason yourselves – Doesn’t ‘Irom Sharmila’ deserve to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize; being the only Lady who is in history a living example/follower of Gandhian non-violence approach?

Dear Friends!
As part of celebrating ‘International Women’s Day’, let us share the info about ‘Irom Sharmila’ who is an Indian woman from Manipur State (located at north-eastern border of India, sharing international border with Myanmar/Burma). She has been a strong follower ‘MK Gandhi – Father of Nation in India’ not just theoretically but in practice. She has been on ‘FASTING’ for the last 10yrs (a whole decade) in Gandhian approach. Her simple request is “To remove the unlawful Act named ‘ Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958′ which gives uncontrolled legal rights for army officers/soldiers to shoot/kill anyone without having to go through any form of reasoning/justification in the areas (i.e. North-East Indian states) wherein the ACT is in force since 4-5 decades by now”. Please promote her cause and support her nomination for Nobel Peace Prize. Please make Indian govt realise its own mistake by the global audience and help the humanity.

What does her request means? –
The Govt of India ought to treat every Indians in the North-East Indian states same as other Indians in other parts of India, because North-East Indians (having mongoloid facial look similar to Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) are not some sort of foreigners who should have a separate set of laws to be followed while within India. It’s worth reminding newly that “India became ‘Republic’ as a country by combining a diverse and numerous kingdoms in the past prior to 1950”. So, the terminologies such as country ‘India’ and the people ‘Indians’ were created / realised practically only form 26th Jan 1950 onwards. Thus, the term ‘Indians’ are similar to the term ‘Americans referring to everyone settled legally within USA (i.e. French, Germans, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilians, Spanish, British etc) ‘.

So, Indian Govt and its constitution is absolutely WRONG to treat Indians in North-East part of India as some sort of aliens/foreigners by enacting/enforcing some unethical/inhumanly laws which should never be used on India’s own people. In fact, the AFSPA is the modified version of the ‘Rawlatt Act’ used by the then British Empire to curve/control the then Indian freedom struggle. So, Isn’t it wrong for Indian govt to treat North-East Indians as if some sort of colonised people in the 21st Century via some ACTs which are not recommended for use in other parts of India, when India claimed itself to be the greatest ‘Democratic & Republic country’ globally’? Either Indian govt should declare publicly/globally that there is a WAR going on in the North-East Indian states for such radical acts to be justified, or, clarify under the Indian constitutional framework (or International legal framework) how a part of democratic and republic India can have such radical laws in-force for 4-5 decades by now. In fact, such gross mistakes of Indian govt will tear down the whole concept of oneness ‘the Indian’ and the country ‘India’, since such acts discriminates among Indians and breaks down ‘unity in diversity’.

Being a responsible Indian citizen and being a responsible human being, we ought to open up the closed eyes & ears of Indian Govt to follow the democratic norms/laws which it preaches to the whole world first within India itself. Indian Govt and people of India need to refresh the lessons of ‘what does Diversity actually mean?’ because, ‘diversity’ seems to mean different things to different people and understanding ‘what should Diversity mean to Indians’ will help National Integration and prosperity of India as a country.

Author: Shanjoy Mairembam, London (UK)
shan_mairembam (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk

http://www.causes.com/causes/559021-nobel-peace-prize-for-irom-sharmila

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/l03RRzj6p0k/