A great deal has been posted on this website, some of it nonsensical and
some terrific. In no case do I see a call for censorship to be justified. It
would change the tone of what has been a vibrant and valuable discussion
group.
In the Nicobars there is a clear distinction between settlers and tribals.
The Nicobars are a tribal reserve and it is illegal for most outsiders to
live there. The Nicobarese have been seeking legal ways to evict illegal
settlers for years, an effort which has so far been frustrated. Most
recently they have submitted a petition on this matter to the LG.
To the best of my knowledge, the article in question simply reports an
existing and serious problem.
Madhusree


> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 10:59:04 +0530
> From: "devi@..." <devi@...>
> Subject: Re: Indian Tribe Refuses to be Silenced After Tsunami
>
> Hi
> I am concerned about such "stories" written for the popular press being
posted on to this group
> without caveats. I do not believe in restricting flow of information and
view points - but since
> this is supposed to be a group of inidviduals with some prior familiarity
not much is served by
> positing of general articles
>
> Regarding the article itslef, I have some questions.
> Are tribals denied suffrage either by law or usage? If the answer is no
then the article misstates
> fact when it says:
> "Lacking their own parliament, Yusuf says their voices are scarcely ever
heard.... "
>
> That the Indian Government is unresponsive may be a general plaint but
stated the way it is in the
> article I am afraid that the statement is not entirely factual nor
innocent of motives.
>
> Now the question of "settlers". I wonder whether in our constitutional
framework it is fair to
> describe anyone as a "settler" as against a "native". All are citizens of
a country and have
> "equal" rights. That the indigenous people need to be prtoected against
exploitation of any kind -
> including by journalists - is entirely a different question.
>
> If we see some as having a prescriptive right over natural resources then
the proper approach and
> this group's endeavour should be to create mechanisms for recognising
these rights and create
> "vehicles" for the expression of the rights. Just thoughtlessly spreading
articles that appeal to
> specific sectors of fund giving western populations does not help the
people. It serves neither
> the Nation nor its people to pit citizens against each other.
>
> The article is self-revealing when it talks quite unnecessarily and out of
context the religious
> persuasion of the island population.
>
> I would suggest that instead of circulating such pieces we get our head
together and think on what
> should be done to protect the islands' ecosystems including homo sapiens.
>
> devi
>
>