Hi Vivek,

Change of heart and Dr.Swaminathan? Are you joking? Some sort of damage control
to exist in the coastal areas. That's it

Santha



--- On Mon, 12/29/08, Vivek SIFFS <vivek.siffs@...> wrote:
From: Vivek SIFFS <vivek.siffs@...>
Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] The tsunami and a new chapter
To: andamanicobar@...
Date: Monday, December 29, 2008, 8:59 PM











             Dear Madhu,

All of us have been wondering about Dr.Swaminathan' s statement. Is this a

change of heart? Or is it that we have misjudged him in the past? Perhaps a

bit of both! Visiting MSSRF a couple of months back, I realised that it was

fighting a battle for credibility among fishing communities in some of its

project areas. The MSSRF has been involved historically in many projects on

the coast: promoting mangrove regeneration (pitchavaram, kakinada), marine

environment protection and alternative livelihoods (Gulf of Mannar) and now

fisheries "co-management" in Poompuhar (Nagapattinam) . Coastal "bio-shields"

have been a theme that Dr.Swaminathan has been championing vigorously for

quite some time. Obviously, all this involves close interaction with fishing

communities and require their good will.



After the Swaminathan Committee Report and the CMZ draft notifications

released by the MoEF, some of the fishing community organisations and NGOs

have taken a strong position against Dr.Swaminathan and MSSRF. Actually,

some have even gone out of the way to attack the MSSRF in its project areas.

MSSRF had to counter this with its own propaganda and try to explain how the

Swaminathan Committee recommendations were not against the fishermen but

were meant to actually help the fishermen. I think it is this that has led

to the realisation that unless Dr.Swaminathan himself clarifies his

position, MSSRF will end up with a pariah status on the coast. Typically,

Dr.Swaminathan never apologises or acknowledges mistakes. He has replied

with another of his "big ideas"!



One cannot help wondering: is it just a case of coincidence that

Dr.Swaminathan' s article comes a week after many of us met in Madras under

the NCPC banner and decided to seek a new Act on the lines of the Forest

Rights Act? Or is our idea being highjacked? We had even constituted a small

committee, in which I am a member, to work on drafting such an alternative

legislation.



However, I am not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. We have to make

use of all the support we can get. When Dr.Swaminathan, seen as the author

or the notorious CMZ, himself says this, the MoEF will find it embarrassing

to go ahead with its current formulation of the CMZ.



Regards,



Vivek



2008/12/28 Madhu Sarin <msarin@sify. com>



>

>

> It's interesting that Dr M S Swaminathan recommends a law similar to the

> FRA for fisher people feeling threatened by the draft coastal zone

> management notification of MoEF based on his recommendations which makes no

> mention of the rights of fishing communities

> Madhu

>

> http://www.hindu. com/2008/ 12/26/stories/ 2008122655480800 .htm

> The tsunami and a new chapter

>

> M.S. Swaminathan

>

> The 2004 calamity marked the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of

> those who lost their homes, fish boats, and much else. Anticipatory action

> plans for managing the consequences of seawater intrusion in our coastal

> areas have become an imperative.

>

> The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was a terrible calamity resulting in

> serious loss of lives and livelihoods in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu,

> Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The response to

> this calamity was immediate from the Central and State governments,

> non-governmental organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, U.N.

> organisations, religious groups, and the media. In an article titled,

> "Beyond Tsunami: An Agenda for Action& #8221; in The Hindu of January 17,

> 2005, I outlined the immediate as well as the short and long term measures

> that should be taken for providing relief to the affected families, and for

> strengthening the coping capacity of the coastal communities in case of

> future tsunamis. I also indicated the steps needed to strengthen the

> ecological security of coastal areas, in order to ensure sustainable

> livelihoods for both the fisher and farm communities living along the coast.

> This agenda for action served as the basis for the tsunami recovery plans of

> many government and non-government organisations.

>

> The tsunami served as a wake-up call for both government and community

> management of our coastal areas. Nearly 250 million people live within 50 km

> of the shoreline, in addition to about five million fisher folk. The fisher

> communities are, unsurprisingly, the most affected during tsunami, cyclonic

> storms, floods and tidal surges. Fisher families live on the coast but

> depend upon the sea for their livelihood. The tsunami underlined the need

> for an integrated approach to the management of the coastal zone.

>

> The length of India's coastline ranges from 1962 km in the Andaman and

> Nicobar Islands, 1600 km in Gujarat, and 1076 km in Tamil Nadu, to 142 km in

> the Lakshadweep Islands. From 1991 the management of the coastal zone has

> been regulated through the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification under

> the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. A Committee constituted by the

> Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2004 under my chairmanship examined

> the operational difficulties experienced in implementing the CRZ

> notification.

>

> We recommended that, instead of regulating only the use of the landward

> side of the sea, we should take both the sea and land surface for

> sustainable and equitable management. The inclusion of the sea surface is

> important to prevent pollution, erosion, and salt water intrusion as well as

> for facing the challenge of sea level rise caused by global warming and

> climate change. In a draft notification issued for public debate by the

> Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on July 21, 2008, the coastal zone

> has been defined as "the area from the territorial waters limit (12 nautical

> miles measured from the appropriate baseline) including its sea bed, the

> adjacent land area along the coast and inland water bodies influenced by

> tidal action including its bed, up to the landward boundary of the local

> self government or local authority abutting the sea coast, provided that in

> case of ecologically and culturally sensitive areas, the entire biological

> or physical boundary of the area may be included as specified under the

> provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986."

>

> The bottom line of any Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy should

> be safeguarding the ecological security of coastal areas, the avoidance of

> sea pollution as well as unsustainable exploitation of living and non-living

> aquatic resources, protecting the livelihood security of fisher and farming

> communities, and the conservation of cultural heritage sites as well as

> migratory routes of birds and the Olive Ridley Turtle and other faunal

> breeding grounds.

>

> The fisher families, whose only source of livelihood is living aquatic

> resources, are concerned that the draft Coastal Management Zone (CMZ)

> Notification of 2008, if implemented, will open the doors to depriving them

> of their housing sites and access to the ocean, because of the land grab

> tendencies among the rich. These are genuine concerns based on past

> experience. Therefore it will be desirable to enact legislation along the

> lines of the "Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers

> (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006" to safeguard the interests and

> rights of fisher communities. This will ensure the long-term security of the

> sole means of survival for more than five million fishermen and women living

> near the sea.

>

> In future, the greatest threat to coastal communities will come from a rise

> in sea level as a result of global warming. The President of Maldives, for

> example, has been highlighting the threat to the survival of his nation

> posed by a rise in sea level. We will face similar threats to the Andaman

> and Nicobar Islands, the Lakshadweep group of islands, and the coastal areas

> in the mainland, including cities like Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

> Recently, the Government of India launched a National Action Plan for

> Climate Change comprising eight Missions. Although a reference is made in

> the Plan to proactive action for preventing a serious loss of lives and

> livelihoods when the sea level increases in areas adjoining the oceans, it

> will be prudent to have a separate Mission for managing the consequences of

> sea level rise, because this will decide the future of nearly 250 million

> children, women, and men.

>

> The mangrove and non-mangrove bioshields I recommended in The Hindu article

> of January 2005 have now become part of the National Disaster Management

> Plan. Because of the outpouring of support for post-tsunami rehabilitation

> from many donor agencies, non-governmental organisations could undertake

> several useful long-term measures. For example, scientists of the M.S.

> Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai have undertaken the

> restoration, rehabilitation, and creation of bioshields in Tamil Nadu and

> Andhra Pradesh, which will serve as effective speed breakers when a

> tsunami-like situation arises in the future. Over 200 hectares of bioshields

> have been raised in 18 villages in partnership with fishing communities.

> Further, a coastal farming system involving mangrove plantations and

> aquaculture is becoming popular. Mangroves are also very efficient in carbon

> sequestration, thereby contributing to the maintenance of carbon balance in

> the atmosphere.

>

> The other post-tsunami initiatives of MSSRF scientists include the

> establishment of coastal biovillages, which can enlarge opportunities for

> sustainable livelihoods. For example, tsunami-affected fisherwomen were

> trained in a few villages in poultry farming, which has proved to be a

> highly remunerative occupation. Another programme involved the provision to

> the affected families of solar lamps to replace the smoky glow of kerosene

> lamps while going out in the sea.

>

> During discussions with fisher families, a strong desire for opportunities

> for training in the science and art of sustainable fisheries was expressed.

> In response to this request, a Fish for All Research and Training Centre has

> been set up at Poompuhar with support from Tata Trusts. This unique field

> research and capacity building centre will impart training, based on the

> pedagogic methodology of learning by doing, to fisherwomen and men in a

> holistic manner, ranging from fish capture or culture to fish processing and

> marketing. Training in all aspects of sustainable fisheries covering

> conservation, capture, consumption, and commerce will be imparted. The

> Poompuhar Fish for All Research and Training Centre is designed to foster a

> technological and management revolution in small-scale fisheries.

>

> Another MSSRF initiative has been the establishment of computer-aided and

> internet connected Village Resource Centres (VRC) and Village Knowledge

> Centres (VKC). The VRCs established with the help of the Indian Space

> Research Organisation have satellite connectivity and teleconferencing

> facilities. VKCs and VRCs, managed by trained local women and men, provide

> demand driven and dynamic information. Synergy between the internet and

> mobile phones helps fishermen in catamarans to get the latest information on

> wave heights at different distances from the shoreline and on the location

> of fish shoals. This helps to allay fears and save time in fish harvest.

> Recent developments in Information and Communication Technologies have

> opened up uncommon opportunities for helping small-scale fishermen to

> practise safe and sustainable marine fisheries. This is one of the

> fascinating and meaningful applications of mobile phone technology.

>

> Thus coastal bioshields, biovillages, and knowledge centres have become

> important tools for integrating ecological and livelihood security in a

> symbiotic manner in coastal areas. The proposal is, in cooperation with

> panchayati raj institutions, to train one woman and one man in every block

> as Climate Risk Managers; they should be well versed in disaster prevention,

> mitigation, and management. Coastal farm families were also affected by sea

> water intrusion as a result of the tsunami. For them, an agronomic

> rehabilitation package was introduced immediately.

>

> MSSRF also initiated in 1991 an anticipatory research programme to meet the

> challenge of sea level rise, which involves the transfer of genes for

> seawater tolerance from mangroves to rice, pulses, and other coastal zone

> crops. This strategic research programme has led to the breeding of salt

> tolerant varieties of rice, which are undergoing tests as per prescribed

> regulatory procedures.

>

> Impressive progress has been made by the State governments and

> non-governmental organisations in providing well-designed and hygienic homes

> to the affected families. The calamitous tsunami thus marked the beginning

> of a new chapter in the lives of those who lost their homes, fish boats, and

> much else. It is possible that global climate change will increase the

> frequency of such trials. Anticipatory action plans for managing the

> consequences of seawater intrusion in our coastal areas have become an

> imperative. At the same time, seawater is a valuable resource for raising

> salt tolerant trees and crop varieties and fish in suitable agro-forestry

> and sylvi-aquaculture systems. The 2004 tsunami has thus opened a new

> chapter in the lives of those who depend on the ocean for their livelihood

> as well as those who live near the sea and derive their income from a

> variety of opportunities, including farming, industry, and tourism.

>

> (The author, a distinguished agricultural scientist and food policy expert,

> is chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and a Rajya Sabha

> M.P.)

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>

>

>



--

V.Vivekanandan

Advisor

South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies

Karamana, Trivandrum 695002



Phone (office): +91-471-2343711, 2343178

Residence: +91-471-2922162

Cell phone: +91-98470-84840

Email: vivek@siffs. org



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





























[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Walter,
In discussion of your perspective I would like to quote these lines... my lines
are in green TR 12 bold font

In most cases, the forest department creates a situation (including getting
elephants to destroy huts) ... Pray can you please share with me for my
understanding how wild elephants can be commaned by the forest department to
destroy peoples' huts?

I think policies should be changed that ensure a balance between wildlife and
human communities. The type of houses you mention are possible when there is an
official rehabilitation scheme but it does not always happen. If the public
servants entrusted with the responsibility of running the state do not implement
policies in the letter and spirit they should be held accountable and activists
on this forum could well ask public servants and legislators one simple
question: why aren't they accountable to the tax payer despite having the
cushion of pensionable jobs? On occasions I reminded officers that they are
public servants making us the public and them the servants!!! Again I must
reiterate that fora such as these are excellant means of evolving - not moulding
public opinin. The Press moulds public opinion, these kind of e groups are
excellant fora for evolving opinion and resolution of debates. Only after
resolution of debates can we ask public representatives to enact legislaytion in
synch with the public opinion, and then public servants to implement laws.

All the services are made available in towns and cities. I beleive that the
people in the forest villages should be having similar services where they are. 
Sir, I beg clarification... if indeed indigenous people want all these
facvilities, then why in heaven's name cannot they come out of arduous terrain
so that they too can literally have a level playing field to avail of equal
opprtunities and exposure?

If a human being kills a protected animal he/she is fined Rs 1 lakh but when an
animal kills a human being,...Has this ever happened in the history of
Independent India?
Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Sincerely
Malini
©
Malini Shankar
The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
be subject to legal privilege.The pictures and multimedia files attached
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All content, and attachments with this e mail are copyright protected. This
e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender.
Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.
Malini Shankar
Environmental Journalist / Nature Photographer /
TV & Radio Producer,
# 1 / 1 "Amrutha" Police Station Road, (New # 3)
Basavanagudi
Bangalore 560004
Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645 /
+91 0 948 070 2176
mailto: mogli@...
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Dr. Walter Fernandes
   To: andamanicobar@...
   Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 4:53 PM
   Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack


   Dear Malini

   I think we are in agreement that all, including the forest dwellers, have a
right to the type of dignified life that they are aspiring for. Not all will be
comfortable in the type of houses you mention. Besides, such houses will be got
only when there is an official rehabilitation policy and that is an exception.
In most cases, the forest department creates a situation (including getting
elephants to destroy huts) that forces people to migrate. The law that creates
the human-animal conflict is one more mode of forcing them to migrate away from
the forest. Migrating away from the forest village is not the only situation
because more often than not their alternatives is the misery of a slum. I think
policies should be changed that ensure a balance between wildlife and human
communities. Schools and other services have to come to these villages to make
sure that when they decide to migrate they do it in such a way that they are
able to deal with the new society they are thrown into. The type of houses you
mention are possible when there is an official rehabilitation scheme but it does
not always happen.

   That is why I do not quite accept your view that people should not be living
in the forests today. Yes, they are deprived of their basic right to services
and that is the problem with the present policies. All the services are made
available in towns and cities. I beleive that the people in the forest villages
should be having similar services where they are. The whole value system behind
this neglect should be questioned so also the present law that ensures
human-animal conflicts but does not value the human being. If a human being
kills a protected animal he/she is fined Rs 1 lakh but when an animal kills a
human being, the affected family receives a compensation of Rs 5 to 10,000. That
is ridiculous but shows a certain value system. We have to for a change in this
value system and the policies that keep the people where they are or force them
to migrate under sub-human conditions. All the best

   Walter

   Dr Walter Fernandes
   Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre
   110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor)
   Guwahati 781004
   Assam, India
   Tel (91-361) 2602819
   Email: nesrcghy@...
   www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/NESRC

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Malini Shankar
   To: andamanicobar@...
   Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 11:24 AM
   Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack

   Dear Walter,
   I do not mean to oscillate from one or the other extreme points of view. I am
firmly of the opinion that all human beings have a right to a life with dignity.
Dignity does not have to connote materialism at all, though many would subscribe
to that view. What I mean by dignity is an opportunity to aspire for and achieve
those goals that one sets for oneself. I have reported on indigenous people and
even squatters living at the mercy of the elements in many PAs. Why do people
have to live inside forests in this day and age? I have known instances of a
woman in labour pain giving birth in a tractor in which she was being taken in
absolute panic when the heavy tractor climbed up gingerly on a rope tied flimsy
bamboo bridge and the blessed ropes untied. This incident happened in Bhadra
Tiger Reserve in 1995 when it was not yet Tiger Reserve. Another man was mauled
by an angry elephant. His family and friends migrated from the village in
absolute panic, with the miogration of all these Muslim families in Bhadra,
there was no quorum; so the Mosque in this village in Bhadra shut shop for lack
of quorum, and the Mullah migrated. Then there were only 2 Muslim families
remaining inside Bhadra who opted to stay behind because they would get
compensatory housing with the relocation programme. Without the Mullah and the
Mosque functioning, they could not get their hands on Halal meat. Bringing Halal
meat all the way from the district HQ was not entirely practical for them, for
these villagers had no power connections and a refrigerator not being necessary
in the cool climes of the moist deciduous forests, it was impossible to have any
kind of modest cold storage. So these 2 Muslim families remained vegetarian for
2 full years before they could be relocated satisfactorily. After relocation
this young Muslim gentleman moved into a pucca, cement concrete house with power
and water supply, fresh fish, vegetables, milk and poultry for his growing
daughters, access to a government school, hospital, veterinary clinic, public
transport, agricultural lands with irrigation, agricultural marketing yards and
the works... Young Mohiuddeen set up a tea stall and canteen for a living in the
new relocated village and is literally living a happily ever after life. This is
the kind of dignity he craved for, after being born in a village deep inside the
Bhadra forests.... dignity that the striped tiger gave to the squattors and the
political class of a nascent democracy struggling for a political identity was
provided by the silence of a mutely suffering tiger. His ancestors were brought
in there as labourers by the blessed British and his home in the forests was for
him always an emotional trauma, because he aspired for a higher standard of
living and in a secure environment for his children. It was possible thanks to
the wisdom and syastem of governanvce in my home state Karnataka and the
difference that two officers and one NGO activist made by differentiating
between beastly and humane existence. This kind of an example I daresay might
not be so easy to replicate in states like Uttar Pradesh Orissa WB or even
MP!!!! For this last statement of mine I give all of you the full liberty to
blasphemy, gang up against me, cow me down and whatever, but mine is a moderate,
well substantiated argument. Phew!!! Why am I breathless?

   I have met villagers in all the remaining villages in Nagarhole National Park
in Karnataka. The majority of them (from 4 of the 7 villages) told me that they
wanted to relocate and wanted to live a life in peace and security without the
fear of marauding elephants. There were a few (3 I think) who said they would
rather stay back in the forests because for one, his home was the forests, the
other said he was being manipulated by NGOs so he would rather stay back in
protest besides he could not face the competition for resources in a mainstream
society and the third - a stone drunk tribal from Nanachi village said even if,
he, his folks and his children were to be relocated his sentiments would not
permit him to allow the government to relocate the temple of their venerated
Goddess from the forests... all sentiments that need to be addressed
individually by people without vested interests. One elderly gentleman told me
that he would rather relocate because his children and offspring / next
generation would learn the skills of survival, that struggle was atleast
honorable and they would learn to survive and atleast browbeat the miserable
poverty they ailed from. And the guy who said he was being manipulated by NGOs
touched me the most... his picture is there on our media centre website, ....
holding a wildbird in his hand. He left me preoccupied about how and what I
could do to help him realise his ideals and smoothen his spiritual trauma.

   I can honestly echo the sentiments of the relocated villagers in Sariska,
Corbett and Ranthambore Tiger Reserves (in the last they have not yet been
relocated but are yearning for it) to the effect that they too aspire for a
higher standard of living and I have made a blueprint of how to utilise their
services for my media content production. I will submit it eventually to the
Planning Commission too.

   When I reported about the man eating panther in Kadur in Chikmaglur also in
1996 my heart bled for the nursing leopardess whose entire home and hearth in a
cave with three cubs was smoked by the hunters who were given the executive
order to hunt and kill the man eater. The hunters went gung ho with trigger
happy orders and without even identifying the the man eating panther, killed
dozens and dozens of panthers. I was the only journalist, still 26 years old
then, who went with the hunters on night patrol. After thorough investigation I
learnt the cause of the man eating phenomenon: railway labourers brought in from
a neighbouring state who had died of an epidemic were neither cremated nor
buried but were discarded in the open to disintegrate with the elements doing
their bit.There was no official documentation by the State about this
phenomenon, but this was what had led to cadavour feasting by the carnivores and
that eventually led to man eating. There was no injured panther or old panther
that had evolved into a man eater. Man eaters can only be shot dead, or kept in
a zoo, but my heart still bleeds for that leopardess which was smoked along with
its cubs. If anything after this incident my heart throbs more for wildlife and
I apologise to none for my love for animals. My thinking nevertheless is, that
Man is evolved ... has a sense of reasoning and language / communication skills
which is still not there amongst wildlife. So in my view human beings can be
asisted, and given all possible support to restart life unlike for the fauna. By
the way the railway labourers who worked for the line doubling on the berur line
in Chikmaglur .... now supports the super fast Intercity and Jan Shatabdi
Express trains with hot crisp Masala Dosas served on board. And yes when I have
to go to Hubli I do take this rail link - but only because the trains have a
toilet on board not because of the catering... we get better Masala Dosas in
Bangalore.

   P.S. The Rajasthan Forest Department's WL PCCF sent me photographs of new born
tiger cubs as a Mothers Day gift in May this year. Very sincerely I adoped all
of them as my children - to honour his sentiments(!) and have named them as
under:
   1.. Rambhe
   2.. Urvashi
   3.. Menake,
   4.. Padmini and
   5.. Thilottame
   6.. Rana
   7.. Rostum
   8.. Sikander,
   9.. Prithviraj,
   10.. Mowgli
   As far as I know it was Rana and Rambhe that were relocated to Sariska. Even
if it is thankless and poorly paid, I would rather voice for the wildlife...
   warm regards
   Malini
   ©
   The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
   be subject to legal privilege.The pictures and multimedia files attached
herewith are meant for one time publication / broadcast alongwith the articles
   submitted by this journalist / photographer. Reprinting or republication in
   any form calls for written permission of the photographer.
   All content, and attachments with this e mail are copyright protected. This
e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
   intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender.
   Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.

   Malini Shankar
   Environmental Journalist / Nature Photographer /
   TV & Radio Producer,
   # 1 / 1 "Amrutha" Police Station Road, (New # 3)
   Basavanagudi
   Bangalore 560004
   Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
   Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645
   mailto: mogli@...
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Dr. Walter Fernandes
   To: andamanicobar@...
   Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 7:57 AM
   Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack

   Malini

   I am afraid you are going from one extreme to another. Nobody has denied that
most of the indigenous peoples would like to join what you call the "mainstream"
though I do not believe in this term. It implies that there is a mainstream that
all the "sub-streams" should join. I do not think that the indigenous people
want to join that "mainstream". They want to change and make progress and they
have a right to do that but on their terms, not those of the "mainstream".
Nobody says that they should remain where they are but it is important not to
impose that "mainstream" on them. It has been done already in many ways for
example by imposing the laws of the "mainstream" on them with no consideration
for their customary laws that had for centuries protected in a sustainable
manner what the urban wildlife activists would like today to protect from them.
I think it is important to understand first the thinking between these two
systems if we are to support the right of the people and of wildlife to a life
with dignity.

   Walter

   Dr Walter Fernandes
   Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre
   110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor)
   Guwahati 781004
   Assam, India
   Tel (91-361) 2602819
   Email: nesrcghy@...
   www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/NESRC

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Malini Shankar
   To: andamanicobar@...
   Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 10:24 AM
   Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack

   Oh Arnab,
   I agree that this space is a great platform for voicing the interests of the
minorities and I also believe that Democracy is all about defending effectively
the interests of the minorities. But the power of articulation makes it somewhat
hydraheaded and I ended up feeling this morning that the isssue I raised -
whether murder does not constitute a crime in societies of the indigenous people
was almost wholly circumabulated in a debate with very interesting viewpoints.
So I am now left to conclude that the e groups are interesting and no more. I
better get back to writing serious copy that my editors pay me to publish!!! I
maybe wrong but I feel my articulation was lost.

   Now if anyone out there were to misconstrue this as saying I would rather
write where I get paid, I will perhaps end up head banging in frustration...

   I have seen and the lifestyle of the soligas and noone will grudge them from
the wildlife lobby. I have seen the daily chores of many indigenous people and
refrain from making sweeping statements, but to be honest more than 85% of the
indigenous folk whom I have interacted with in PAs have expressed the desire to
integrate into mainstream. Perhaps the indigenous folk of ANI have a strong case
for isolation because of so many factors including hostility to the
Administration and a whole plethora of factors that merits them of distinctive
identity, but certainly not the mainland tribes.

   Anyway if my sanitised worldview has offended any of the worthies, I do
apologise for that was not at all my intention, I was just as carried away by
passion as others, besides my sanitised worldview comes from exposure to a
plethora of folks from all walks of life in 17 countries.
   Salut
   Malini
   ©
   The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
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e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
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   Malini Shankar
   CEO
   Weltanschauung Worldview Media Centre
   # 1 / 1 Amrutha (New # 3) Police Station Road,
   Basavanagudi
   Bangalore 560 004
   India
   Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
   Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645
   mailto: malini@...
   www.wwmcindia.com
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Arnab Sen
   To: andamanicobar@...
   Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 8:50 PM
   Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack

   Hi Malini
   I can see you have serious reservations about the internet, but don't you
   think that the internet, the cellphone text, and other modes of information
   in this much hated and vilified postmodern urbanity have given a space, a
   voice to those who were silent up until now? In the spirit of debate, don't
   you think that a democracy that is all about nation states and elections
   cannot and will not ensure that the least powerful, the most dominated, can
   at least get to express themselves? Don't you feel that wildlife may not
   have a say, a vote, but can at least have its advocates who can own spaces
   in the mindscape of peoples and communities on the net - which can further
   lead to mobilization and activism? The Jarawa are a people who do not know
   about the net. It is irrelevant to them. But at least some people who
   respect them for their otherness can get together on the net and talk about
   the injustice that we urban civilized people are doing them. Same for the
   wildlife, all the indigenous peoples and the forests. I have worked with the
   Chenchu in the Nallamala Hills, I have tried to reach out a hand to the
   Birhor in the forests of Dalma and believe you me, there are people and
   forests who form a continuum, and who do not have a voice in the
   "democratic" processes that tear down hills and tear up forests, dam rivers
   and drive whole ecosystems to death. I live in a big city, I use all the
   tools of modernity. This is the truth, the paradox I have learnt to live
   with in my life, we all make these compromises with modernity, but there are
   times I cannot contain my anger at the injustice of it all. And the
   injustice does not come from a vile computer or cellphone network, for tools
   are merely tools and cannot think, and at least some postmodern information
   tools have given the silent a voice. The injustice comes from human beings
   who have lost respect for otherness, for diversity, for nature and the
   living world.
   I find this submission quite enlightening:
   *Who Speaks the Other Voices?*
   There is a hue and cry for human rights of all people, what of the rights of
   the natural world?
   Where is the seat for the Buffalo or the Eagle?
   Who is representing them here in this forum?
   Who is speaking for the waters of the Earth?
   Who is speaking for the trees and the forests?
   Who is speaking for the Fish, for the Whales, for the Beavers, for our
   children? *
   Submission by **Native American **representatives at a human rights
   conference in Geneva.*

   Arnab Sen
   Flat # 1024 Sector C Pocket 1
   Vasant Kunj
   New Delhi 110070 INDIA
   Phone: (+91) 9811004308, (+91 11) 26124928

   On Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 9:29 AM, Malini Shankar <malini@...>wrote:

   > Hello Arnab,
   > Violating terrain is anethma I agree, but atleast the human beings have a
   > voice in this kind of an internet raveged democratic sovciety, but the
   > wildlife do not have a voice, much less a vote.
   >
   > I agree that Sariska was a bit of a big scam because there was not even
   > authentic data whether there were 14 - 16 tigers in Sariska or 22 at the
   > time of the so called Sariska slaughter. The scam can be traced to the fact
   > that the pugmark method of tiger census was redundant, and the forest staff
   > were indeed relieved to get acquiescence that policing the tiger was futile
   > because they had no sovereign custody of the lands where the tigers roamed,
   > worse they were expected to turn a blind eye to people violating forest
   > conservation laws in the heart of tiger terrain.
   > Malini
   > (c)
   > The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
   > be subject to legal privilege.The pictures and multimedia files attached
   > herewith are meant for one time publication / broadcast alongwith the
   > articles
   > submitted by this journalist / photographer. Reprinting or republication in
   > any form calls for written permission of the photographer.
   > All content, and attachments with this e mail are copyright protected. This
   > e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
   > intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender.
   > Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.
   > Malini Shankar
   > CEO
   > Weltanschauung Worldview Media Centre
   > # 1 / 1 Amrutha (New # 3) Police Station Road,
   > Basavanagudi
   > Bangalore 560 004
   > India
   > Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
   > Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645
   > mailto: malini@... <malini%40wwmcindia.com>
   > www.wwmcindia.com
   > ----- Original Message -----
   > From: Arnab Sen
   > To: andamanicobar@... <andamanicobar%40yahoogroups.co.in>
   > Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 3:28 PM
   > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack
   >
   > As an anthropologist who works in advertising, on strategies for brands in
   > postindustrial urbanity, and who has lived and worked among PTGs or call
   > them what you will, I cannot but exclaim in utter amazement how basic
   > issues
   > of identity, homeland and security, including food security can be
   > appropriated in a totalizing discourse of citizenship and nation state. To
   > any sensible Jarawa the people who build roads through their land and fish
   > in their waters is a brutal colonizer, and the sooner we realize it the
   > better it is for us "Indians" and for the Jarawa; only the soonest possible
   > might be too late for the Jarawa, attacked by land on the Andaman Trunk
   > Road
   > and now attacked by water on fishing boats. Come on, guys, let's try
   > understand that it takes many points of view to make the world and to
   > priviledge Western neoclassical, or Indian national or any such view of the
   > dominant mainstream when talking about the Jarawa is insane! The issue is
   > not that the Jarawas do not know they are Indian or whatever, it is that
   > "Indian" is a cultural construction that has no relevance to the Jarawa.
   >
   > On the issue of wildlife and indigenous people, the people responsible for
   > the destruction of forest and biodiversity in India are, in that order:
   >
   > 1. The Indian state with its myopic forest policies, monoculturation,
   > forced conversion of swidden croppers to settled cultivation, dams and
   > waterworks
   > 2. The mining and other industriesincluding state owned steel and other
   > plansts and now, the global corporates acquiring mining rights in Jharkhand
   > and Chattisgarh
   > 3. The timber mafia
   >
   >
   > More often than not, indigenous people have their culturally determined
   > mechanisms for protecting biodiversity. So an adivasi hunting an animal is
   > likely doing much less harm to wildlife than a government official who
   > gives
   > a final approval to build a big dam. Sariska (I have been there and know)
   > is
   > a big scam of the Rajasthan Government and the Government of India.
   >
   > Arnab Sen
   > Flat # 1024 Sector C Pocket 1
   > Vasant Kunj
   > New Delhi 110070 INDIA
   > Phone: (+91) 9811004308, (+91 11) 26124928
   >
   > On Fri, Nov 28, 2008 at 11:17 AM, Malini Shankar
<malini@...<malini%40wwmcindia.com>
   > >wrote:
   >
   > > Hi,
   > > It is perfectly realistic that the Jarawas, Onges, Shompens, Sentinalese,
   > > Great Andamanese do not know that they are either Indians or PTGs. If you
   > > read the Andaman Gazetteer by Kiran Dingra you will understand and
   > > appreciate atleast the anthropological roots of these PTGs. One will also
   > > understand the futility of an elaborate State and its inefficacy in the
   > > context of the ANI as well its its sociological repercussions. The point
   > is
   > > we must somehow ensure that they realise that they are are our brethren,
   > > that there is a system to protect them. But is there one? And is it
   > > effective? Can we please come together, pool our thoughts and think of a
   > way
   > > to mainstream the indigenous people atleast by removing their
   > > marginalisatuion and alienation? That is ofcourse if they want it. But
   > how
   > > do we know if they want it or not?
   > >
   > > I can think of one option: By documenting trough the Media and gazette,
   > > their best practices and worst practices, we can perhaps offer a sounding
   > > board to the tribes themselves about the need for upliftment from the
   > brutal
   > > conditions of poverty, and inadequate sanitation they suffer from...
   > There
   > > are also instances of malnutrition, inbreeding. I am not saying we must
   > > introduce clinical standards of sanitation or western style flushing
   > > toilets, ... by documenting their best practices of health and
   > sanitation,
   > > they not only get a sense of integration, but we can definitely benefit
   > from
   > > their traditional and sustainable best practices.
   > >
   > > Their traditional knowledge regarding response to natural calamities in
   > > earthquake prone ANI will be of enormous utility to the USGS, GSI Tsunami
   > > Warning systems etc. By studying diligently their best practices and
   > > traditional knowledge they get a sense of mutual respect and fairplay and
   > it
   > > also effectively mitigates animosity and decrease their mistrust, and who
   > > knows how it will develop further? Personally I feel very - very hurt to
   > see
   > > anyone beggging bananas even on the city streets in Mumbai, Chennai,
   > > Bangalore or Delhi and am speechless about Jarawas being prevented from
   > > boarding that rickety bus from Rangat to Port Blair, there are actually
   > > boards on the Baratang Island to say do not give fruits and eatables to
   > > Jarawas. Does that mean that even if they beg for food we should turn a
   > > blind eye? I almost got tears when I saw that board after entering
   > Baratang
   > > from Uttara Creek jetty. I dream of providing an equal opportunity to
   > less
   > > fortunate people so that they can live with as much dignity as I do.
   > >
   > > The Soligas live in BRTWLS in Karnataka. I am more familiar with the
   > > Soligas than with the indigenous clans of the ANI. The Soligas use bamboo
   > > fibre to sever the umbilical chord of the new born infant, similarly
   > their
   > > best practise regarding post natal maternity care can teach us a lesson
   > or
   > > two in post natal nutrition and non sedantary habbits. For a detailed
   > study
   > > / read you can log onto my article on
   > > http://www.indiatogether.org/2008/oct/env-tribals.htm. It is part of my
   > > present series Tiger the Lost Emperor.
   > >
   > > Being a wildlife journalist I have repreatedly pointed fingers at the
   > > hostile villagers living in and around Sariska, and I honestly grudge
   > them
   > > their temerity to annihilate wildlife so wantonly. Yet these same
   > villagers
   > > call me and ask me to provide them opportunities to be part of my
   > shooting
   > > crew. They ask to be trained for media production one guy said "Didi I
   > too
   > > want to go with you across the country, I too want to use a laptop etc".
   > I
   > > felt so honoured honestly. I have now made a blueprint to utilise the
   > > serivices of indigenous people in media production. We from the Media,
   > > especially the film making crews are hardy enough to practise what we
   > > preach, in doing so we provide opportunities for 'inclusive economic
   > > growth'. The fact that the Sariska Gujjars are willing to listen to my
   > > lectures even in my Latfatta broken Hindi speaks volumes of how much they
   > > are yearning to be part of the mainstream that too when I mince no words
   > > about my sympathy for the cause of wildlife. Human rapport based on
   > > communication can defy the limits of linguistic abilities.
   > >
   > > 60 years after independence if a whole section of indigenous people are
   > > suffering from appalling standards of health and hygiene, nutrition
   > poverty
   > > education etc doesnt it speak volumes of the dichotomy in our governance
   > > system?. Sure the indigenous folk have no use for either our standards of
   > > human development index or for our perception of higher standard of
   > living.
   > > Not that we have achieved great strides in becoming more civilised and
   > > rudite! All the same wretched poverty is definitely their bane too?
   > > Suffering is after all universal, the emotional pain caused by mternal
   > > mortality is the same even if it is in Andamanese, or Assamese society.
   > > regards
   > >
   > > Malini
   > > (c)
   > > The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
   > > be subject to legal privilege.The pictures and multimedia files attached
   > > herewith are meant for one time publication / broadcast alongwith the
   > > articles
   > > submitted by this journalist / photographer. Reprinting or republication
   > in
   > > any form calls for written permission of the photographer.
   > > All content, and attachments with this e mail are copyright protected.
   > This
   > > e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
   > > intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender.
   > > Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.
   > > Malini Shankar
   > > CEO
   > > Weltanschauung Worldview Media Centre
   > > # 1 / 1 Amrutha (New # 3) Police Station Road,
   > > Basavanagudi
   > > Bangalore 560 004
   > > India
   > > Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
   > > Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645
   > > mailto: malini@... <malini%40wwmcindia.com> <malini%
   > 40wwmcindia.com>
   > > www.wwmcindia.com
   > > ----- Original Message -----
   > > From: Sharbendu De
   > > To: andamanicobar@...
<andamanicobar%40yahoogroups.co.in><andamanicobar%
   > 40yahoogroups.co.in>
   > > Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 4:04 PM
   > > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack
   > >
   > > Dear Malini,
   > >
   > > I'm glad that you wrote further explaining your point. I was kind of
   > hoping
   > > a discussion on this. Just to briefly introduce myself though am quite an
   > > old memeber here: I am a Development Consultant who works for the social
   > > sector but is also writer and photographer. I have been writing on the
   > > issues of Andaman Islands including travel, tribes, environment and
   > > development issues for quite some time now.
   > >
   > > Now coming back to the discussion, I find your response coming from the
   > > same patriarchical point. Yes, it's quite true that murder is an extreme
   > > form of social conflict, but are you talking about 'conflict within a
   > > society' or 'conflict within two societies'. We might very much wish to
   > > romanticise and call our soceity and that of the PTGs as one, but the
   > fact
   > > say it's not. I'll give a very subtle example for this from the
   > liguistics
   > > aspect of the Nicobari tribe who reside in the Southern part of A&N
   > > archipelago with small habitations in Little Andaman and mainstreaming in
   > > the mainland oriented society in Port Blair and other places. In nicobari
   > > language, they call their own people as 'tarik' which going by literal
   > > translation means 'man'; quite interesting they call outsiders like us as
   > > 'taun' - the literal translation of this (if I'm not wrong) means an
   > alien
   > > (meaning someone who doesn't belong to our own society).
   > >
   > > Going by this premise, your comment on the soceital confllict would have
   > > been very pertinent in the case of the Jarawas, had there been a case of
   > > burder within their society. If am not wrong, such events have never
   > > occured.
   > >
   > > Secondly, your inference that murder can have retaliation is quite true.
   > > Any act of violence towards a community or an individual bearing
   > allegiance
   > > to some community/society will have a retaliation from individual of the
   > > homogeneous background. It's about protecting their identities and thus
   > the
   > > violence. However, I wish to strongly disagree with your interpretation
   > that
   > > 'taking law into one's own hands by PTGs make them more vulnerable'.
   > Please
   > > understand that they are largely tolerant in nature, but do run over the
   > > edge when we push them way too hard. We are fighting over the greed of
   > > resources and dominance; they are fighting for their identity. This and
   > > similar incidents should be seen in the light of 'identity and violence'.
   > > But you're quite right that they're vulnerable, and that's perhaps
   > because
   > > they do not enjoy the brute technological force. They are vulnerable. But
   > > since we're not, we need to be more tolerant and responsible for our
   > acts.
   > > With great power comes great responsibilities.
   > >
   > > Law is the 'law of the land'. If we take this as another premise, then
   > the
   > > lands are seperate and thus not obligatory on the Jarawas or any
   > community
   > > who do not belong to that particular land. They have their own laws of
   > their
   > > land, and those laws don't seem to be violated by them. Their acts of
   > > violence are sheer evidence of their efforts to protect their territories
   > > and resources, and thereby their identities. It is us mainlanders
   > > (non-tribals) who have encroached their alnd and resources and confined
   > them
   > > to a very restricted land spot. Haven't we violated their laws of the
   > land?
   > > What should be our punishment then? Shouldn't the Jarawas have come out
   > and
   > > shot spears into all ur chests?
   > >
   > > Regards
   > > Sharbendu
   > >
   > > ________________________________
   > > From: Malini Shankar <malini@...
<malini%40wwmcindia.com><malini%
   > 40wwmcindia.com>>
   > > To: andamanicobar@...
<andamanicobar%40yahoogroups.co.in><andamanicobar%
   > 40yahoogroups.co.in>
   > > Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 2:03:43 PM
   > > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack
   > >
   > > Dear Dr. Fernandes,
   > > I was not by any chance saying the tribes threaten wildlife or any such
   > > thing; neither do I mean to impose laws on tribes. but murder is an
   > extreme
   > > form of social conflict and in this instance it deprives oinvestigators
   > of
   > > leads. Besides, as news is just trickling in that these fisherfolk were
   > > perhaps poachers, it could also be prudent to to know that these poachers
   > > might have been depleting the food resources for the Jarawas. Practically
   > > speaking it is indeed difficult to expect tribes to go and ask for
   > > protection from the patriarchal state... nevertheless murder can lead to
   > > retaliation etc. Taking the law into one's own hands by PTGs makes them
   > more
   > > vulnerable.
   > > Malini
   > > (c)
   >
   > > The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
   > > be subject to legal privilege.The pictures and multimedia files attached
   > > herewith are meant for one time publication / broadcast alongwith the
   > > articles
   > > submitted by this journalist / photographer. Reprinting or republication
   > in
   > > any form calls for written permission of the photographer.
   > > All content, and attachments with this e mail are copyright protected.
   > This
   > > e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
   > > intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender.
   > > Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.
   > > Malini Shankar
   > > CEO
   > > Weltanschauung Worldview Media Centre
   > > # 1 / 1 Amrutha (New # 3) Police Station Road,
   > > Basavanagudi
   > > Bangalore 560 004
   > > India
   > > Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
   > > Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645
   > > mailto: malini@wwmcindia. com
   > > www.wwmcindia. com
   > > ----- Original Message -----
   > > From: Dr. Walter Fernandes
   > > To: andamanicobar@ yahoogroups. co.in
   > > Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 9:17 AM
   > > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack
   > >
   > > Dear Malini
   > >
   > > I would be careful not to take such a drastic view of hunting by the
   > > tribals. Today it has become a problem because of the shortage caused by
   > > outsiders interfering with their livelihood. I believe that one should
   > take
   > > a middle path of beginning with the right of human (especially tribal)
   > > communities to a life with dignity. Ways have to found of putting the
   > rights
   > > of both of them together. Without it there is no way one can save either
   > the
   > > tribal or the wildlife rights.
   > >
   > > Walter
   > >
   > > Dr Walter Fernandes
   > > Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre
   > > 110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor)
   > > Guwahati 781004
   > > Assam, India
   > > Tel (91-361) 2602819
   > > Email: nesrcghy@gmail. com
   > > www.creighton. edu/Collaborativ eMinistry/ NESRC
   > >
   > > ----- Original Message -----
   > > From: Malini Shankar
   > > To: andamanicobar@ yahoogroups. co.in
   > > Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 2:04 PM
   > > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack
   > >
   > > This debate about civilised and uncivilised ethnic group has been going
   > on.
   > >
   > > PTGs and other indigenous have secured legal immunity / or justify
   > > wildlife crime under the alibi of ritual hunting. I am a wildlife
   > > journalist and am more prone to using this line of arguement in defense
   > of
   > > voteless voiceless wild animals, nevertheless killing a human being just
   > on
   > >
   > > the grounds of unauthorised entry is a crime, ... even in tribal society.
   > > We, the erudite internet class of people think that democratic principles
   > > are not applicable to indigeous clans. But crimes against
   > > women, crimes like murder, are murders in all societies be they Amazonian
   > > tribes or Andamanese tribes or even Andhra society. The point is a crime
   > is
   > >
   > > a crime, the essence of legislating democratic principles can be traced
   > to
   > > a
   > > sociological / historical sense of fair play which can and ought to be
   > > traced to the platonic evolution of man. It is when this evolution cannot
   > > be
   > > confomed to, that laws are rendered somewhat alien to the society,
   > > and becomes impossible to implement. The point and purpose of legislation
   > > is to protect the victims in all societies, why do we keep forgetting
   > that
   > > in this day and age?
   > > Malini
   > >
   > > (c)
   >
   > > The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may
   > > be subject to legal privilege.The pictures and multimedia files attached
   > > herewith are meant for one time publication / broadcast alongwith the
   > > articles
   > > submitted by this journalist / photographer. Reprinting or republication
   > in
   > > any form calls for written permission of the photographer.
   > > All content, and attachments with this e mail are copyright protected.
   > This
   > > e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the
   > > intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender.
   > > Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.
   > > Malini Shankar
   > > CEO
   > > Weltanschauung Worldview Media Centre
   > > # 1 / 1 Amrutha (New # 3) Police Station Road,
   > > Basavanagudi
   > > Bangalore 560 004
   > > India
   > > Tel: +91 80 2667 7090
   > > Cellphone: +91 0 944 805 5645
   > > mailto: malini@wwmcindia. com
   > > www.wwmcindia. com
   > > ----- Original Message -----
   > > From: K.Narayanan
   > > To: andamanicobar@ yahoogroups. co.in
   > > Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:38 AM
   > > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] One Killed in Jarawa Attack
   > >
   > > Dear All,
   > > I saw the mail just now (25th) circulated in this forum, even though
   > > incident happened on 19th ..
   > > It raises a few disturbing questions.
   > > How can the fishermen halt at a tribal reserve area ? It seems that,
   > going
   > > by the statement, this halting is more regular than rare.
   > > Can you apply the same laws that is there for citizens of the country to
   > > the
   > > primitive tribes, like charging them under Murder etc.,?
   > > How reasonable it is for us to expect the tribes to behave and respond
   > > like other citizens ?
   > > If the tribes have to be left alone, they need to be left alone, simple
   > > is it not ?.
   > > At most, this can be classified as a unfortunate incident..
   > > Narayan.
   > > denisgiles wrote:
   > >
   > > >
   > > > Andaman Chronicle: Friday 21st November 2008
   > > >
   > > > Jarawa attacks local fishermen
   > > >
   > > > One Killed, Three Injured Badly at Mahua Tekri near Kadamtala
   > > >
   > > > Port Blair, Nov. 20: One fisherman was killed on the spot while three
   > > > others badly injured by the Jarawa tribe at Mahua Tekri near Kadamtala,
   > > > Middle Andaman yesterday 19th Nov. 2008. The team of fishermen was
   > > > returning from Diglipur to Port Blair after their catch and halted at
   > > > Mahua Tekri, which comes under the Jarawa Reserve.
   > > >
   > > > According to the report registered at PS Chatham, Port Blair, the
   > > > fishermen while passing through the area found no Jarawa at Mahua Tekri
   > > > and anchored their boat in the creek. Few got down from the boat while
   > > > one D. Eariah along with three others stayed back to cook food.
   > > >
   > > > But all of a sudden a team of Jarawa consisting of 14-15 of them
   > > > including men, women and children reached the shore from their huts
   > > > situated 100 meters away from the boat. The Jarawa expressed that they
   > > > were starving and wanted something to eat. But instead of lending food
   > > > to the Jarawa, Eariah who was seated over an Ice Box placed on the boat
   > > > challenged the tribe. As the tide was low, the entire group of Jarawa
   > > > managed to enter inside the boat. Eariah along with the three others
   > > > revolted but in the process one of the Jarawa men pulled out an arrow
   > > > and stabbed Eariah who succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
   > > >
   > > > Finding Eariah dead, the other three fishermen named Jogga Rao, Kurma
   > > > Rao and Christy tried to fight back but were again stabbed badly.
   > > > Noticing the clash, the remaining fishermen immediately jumped in the
   > > > water and swam away from the boat. The Jarawa then collected rice,
   > other
   > > > eatables, dah and whatever they could find and returned back to the
   > > > forest.
   > > >
   > > > Noticing tribe vanish inside the forest, the remaining fishermen swam
   > > > back to the boat and fled away carrying the dead and the injured
   > > > members. But instead of proceeding towards Kadamtala which was just
   > > > couple of hours from the spot, they proceeded towards Port Blair
   > fearing
   > > > that they might be booked under Law for entering inside Jarawa Reserve
   > > > by the Police at Kadamtala. On their way made a call using mobile phone
   > > > to the owner of the boat named Vallav Rao. The owner then informed the
   > > > matter to the Police Station, Aberdeen and asked the fishermen to
   > return
   > > > to Chatham Jetty.
   > > >
   > > > The report also adds that Eariah and the three were new to the area
   > > > while the others who managed to escape the attack had been regularly
   > > > visiting the place `Mahua Tekri'.
   > > >
   > > > Finally after seven long hours of travel, the boat reached Chatham at
   > > > around 2.00 am on 20th Nov. 2008 carrying the body of Eariah and three
   > > > injured.
   > > >
   > > > The body of Eariah was taken for Post Mortem by the Police and was
   > > > handed over to the family members while the three injured have been
   > > > admitted in G.B. Pant Hospital.
   > > >
   > > > After recording the statement from the surviving fishermen, a case has
   > > > been registered against the Jarawa for murdering, attempt to murder,
   > > > theft etc. at PS Chatham under various sections of the Indian Penal
   > > > Code. The case has now been handed over to PS Kadamtala for further
   > > > investigation.
   > > >
   > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
   > > >
   > > >
   > >
   > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
   > >
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   > >
   > > No virus found in this incoming message.
   > > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg. com
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   > 11/25/2008
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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8:06 PM


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Navy, Coast Guard rescue 100 illegal Bangladeshi migrants
December 28th, 2008 - 9:04 pm ICT by IANS -

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/navy-coast-guard-rescue-100-il\
legal-bangladeshi-migrants_100135942.html

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Donning a humanitarian role, the Indian Navy
and Coast Guard have rescued about 100 Bangaldeshis, who were illegally
taken to Thailand for fishing, and were drifting in the Indian Ocean for
12 days, an official here said Sunday.The Bangladeshis, rescued off the
Andaman and Nicobar islands, were being interrogated at the Little
Andaman Island.

“These boys, 412 in number, from Cox Bazaar in Bangladesh were hired by
a local person for fishing in Thai waters. However, as soon as they
arrived, they were caught by the Thai police,” a defence official of the
Integrated Defence Command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands told IANS
by telephone.

“They said the Thai police put them on a pontoon tied to a ship to
deport them back. But these boys quietly opened the cable and the
pontoon started drifting.

“One of the survivors reached the Little Andaman Island. Following this,
the army, navy, air force and Coast Guard in consultation with the local
police launched an aerial reccee and patrolling to locate the rest of
them,” the officer said.

During patrols a boat, with 88 people onboard, was found 40 nautical
miles away from the Little Andaman Island. A dozen others were also rescued.

“The Indian Navy and Coast Guard rescued the survivors in a joint
operations. The rescued people are being questioned if there is a
pattern in their trafficking,” the official added.

Buzz up!vote now


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Talking native
28 Dec 2008, 0143 hrs IST, Pallavi Srivastava, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Wide_Angle/Talking_native/articleshow/3902221\
.cms
  	 Text:
It took Ashok Kumar Baxla almost 30 years, and a visit to Germany, to
decide that he wanted to learn his mother tongue. Baxla, an
agrometeorologist with the Ministry of Earth Sciences in Delhi, could
barely speak a smattering of Kurukh - the language of the Oraon tribe to
which he belongs - before he went for a year-long official visit to
Germany. He spent the first five months studying German. "That inspired
me to learn Kurukh. Till then, I only knew a few words picked up during
visits to my village in Jharkhand," says Baxla, who grew up in Ranchi.
He is now fluent in the language, and has been a key member of the
Kurukh Literary Society since its launch in 2006. Last month, the
society decided to publish Kurukh folktales.

"We want to develop original literature in Kurukh, and also make it more
socially acceptable, especially for the younger generation," says Baxla.

Like him, many people are now trying to keep their native language
alive, some of them so little known that their existence may be unheard
of outside the group of speakers. When the recent International Film
Festival of India in Goa featured Yarwng, a movie in Tripura's Kokborok
language, information & broadcasting minister Anand Sharma is said to
have admitted that he didn't know such a language exists.

Hundreds of languages are in a similar state the world over. Reports
from UNESCO say over 50% of some 6,700 languages spoken today are in
danger of disappearing. Experts estimate that 96% of the world's
languages are spoken by 4% of the population, and one language
disappears on average every two weeks.

India, which has 22 scheduled languages (the number increased from 18,
when Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added to the list in 2003),
has also seen some shift in the language profile of populations. In the
1961 Census of India, 1,652 mother tongues were recorded. However, the
2001 census listed only 234 identifiable mother tongues - those which
have 10,000 or more speakers each at an all-India level.

"Mother tongues which have less than 10,000 speakers in India, are in a
pathetic condition," says Professor Ganesh Devy, founding trustee of the
Vadodara-based Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, which promotes
the study, documentation and conservation of languages not protected by
the Constitution of India. Devy reveals that hundreds of them, such as
the Kolati language spoken by traditional rope-walkers of Maharashtra
and Karnataka, are on the verge of extinction.

The UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing
mentions that "in the Andaman Islands, there are only a few dozen people
left who speak Vnge and Shompen."

"The Great Andamanese language is already extinct, and these people have
been speaking Jero," says Vaishna Narang, professor of linguistics at
JNU. He has worked on the documentation and preservation of the
languages of the Andaman & Nicobar Island.

But now, adds Narang, these island inhabitants can't even converse
fluently in Jero. "They speak Port Blair Hindi," she says, blaming the
government for their patchy assimilation with the mainstream society.

Linguists like her are deeply concerned about preserving the minor
languages of the country. Language, after all, is not just a medium of
communication. It is also a source of information about the history and
culture of any society. "Preservation of languages is our concern, and
should be our concern," says Narang, adding the mother tongue should be
used as the medium of instruction at the primary school level.

Also, educationists say that promoting the use of mother tongue can
boost the self-esteem of marginalized people. This has been noticeable
in Jharkhand, which has worked to further the use of the tribal
languages spoken in the state. "The tribal society is realizing that if
we don't teach the native language to our children, they may later
develop an identity crisis," says Dr Karma Oraon, head, anthropology
department, Ranchi University. The university, which has a post-graduate
Department of Tribal and Regional Languages, offers bachelors and
masters courses in Kurmali and Mundari.

In other parts of the country too, organizations are working to promote
such languages. A five-day training programme on tribal languages
development was conducted this past week at the Tribal Research
Institute, Chingmeirong, Manipur, where concerns were voiced about the
35 languages in the state that need to be protected and encouraged by
the government. The Central Institute Of Indian Languages at Mysore is
compiling an online information database called Language Information
Services (LIS), with details like the history, structure, script, and
oral and written literature of 16 languages each from the scheduled and
non-scheduled groups, including Juang, Kharia, Khasi, Korku, Kom,
Lahnda, Nyishi, Rabha and Thadou. The Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing (C-DAC) is working on making various Indian languages
compatible with computers.

Also, new scripts have been developed for languages such as Lambadi,
Kurukh and Santhali.

Devy has been involved in preparation of study material in Rathwi,
Dehwali, Dungri Bhili and Pavri languages and pictorial glossaries in
Rathwi and Dehwali. He, however, emphasises that not every language in
the world has a script, the best example being English, which is written
in the Roman script. "The development of a language is not logically
related to the presence of a script," he says.

"What it is strongly related to, on the other hand, is having enough
speakers." And that can come only when people feel connected with their
roots. "No amount of effort from the government will help any language,"
says Devy, citing the example of "sarkari Hindi"."Ultimately, people
have to take pride in their language, and have development opportunity
in it."

A classic war of words

In a country where state boundaries have been drawn on a linguistic
basis, it is no surprise that language regularly emerges as a bone of
contention. The most recent issue rankling some Indians is the Centre's
decision to accord classical language status to Telugu and Kannada while
ignoring Malayalam. The announcement, made earlier this month, has
prompted the Kerala government to approach the Centre with a 'statement
of facts' that details the parallels Malayalam has with Kannada and Telugu.

Telugu and Kannada have joined Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and Tamil in the
group of classical languages, which makes Malayalam the only South
Indian language to have been excluded. To be accorded the status of a
classical language, a language must have a recorded history of over
1,000 years, its literary tradition must be original and not borrowed
from any speech community, and it should have a rich body of ancient
literature. After Tamil was accorded the status in 2004, Kannada and
Telugu activists had lobbied hard to get their languages included in the
group.

Eminent poet ONV Kurup, who prepared the report for Kerala, stresses
that no language other than Sanskrit can strictly be called a classical
language in India. "All the four South Indian languages have originated
from the same Proto-Dravidian language," says Kurup. "And since Tamil is
nearer to it than the others, we can perhaps consider it a classical
language too."

However, Kurup asserts that though Kannada and Telugu have a slightly
earlier beginning than Malayalam, one or two centuries should not make a
difference. "The three are equally influenced by Sanskrit and have
developed quite similarly."

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C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
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Email: psekhsaria@...

Dear Madhu,
All of us have been wondering about Dr.Swaminathan's statement. Is this a
change of heart? Or is it that we have misjudged him in the past? Perhaps a
bit of both! Visiting MSSRF a couple of months back, I realised that it was
fighting a battle for credibility among fishing communities in some of its
project areas. The MSSRF has been involved historically in many projects on
the coast: promoting mangrove regeneration (pitchavaram, kakinada), marine
environment protection and alternative livelihoods (Gulf of Mannar) and now
fisheries "co-management" in Poompuhar (Nagapattinam). Coastal "bio-shields"
have been a theme that Dr.Swaminathan has been championing vigorously for
quite some time. Obviously, all this involves close interaction with fishing
communities and require their good will.

After the Swaminathan Committee Report and the CMZ draft notifications
released by the MoEF, some of the fishing community organisations and NGOs
have taken a strong position against Dr.Swaminathan and MSSRF. Actually,
some have even gone out of the way to attack the MSSRF in its project areas.
MSSRF had to counter this with its own propaganda and try to explain how the
Swaminathan Committee recommendations were not against the fishermen but
were meant to actually help the fishermen. I think it is this that has led
to the realisation that unless Dr.Swaminathan himself clarifies his
position, MSSRF will end up with a pariah status on the coast. Typically,
Dr.Swaminathan never apologises or acknowledges mistakes. He has replied
with another of his "big ideas"!

One cannot help wondering: is it just a case of coincidence that
Dr.Swaminathan's article comes a week after many of us met in Madras under
the NCPC banner and decided to seek a new Act on the lines of the Forest
Rights Act? Or is our idea being highjacked? We had even constituted a small
committee, in which I am a member, to work on drafting such an alternative
legislation.

However, I am not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. We have to make
use of all the support we can get. When Dr.Swaminathan, seen as the author
or the notorious CMZ, himself says this, the MoEF will find it embarrassing
to go ahead with its current formulation of the CMZ.

Regards,

Vivek


2008/12/28 Madhu Sarin <msarin@...>

>
>
> It's interesting that Dr M S Swaminathan recommends a law similar to the
> FRA for fisher people feeling threatened by the draft coastal zone
> management notification of MoEF based on his recommendations which makes no
> mention of the rights of fishing communities
> Madhu
>
> http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/26/stories/2008122655480800.htm
> The tsunami and a new chapter
>
> M.S. Swaminathan
>
> The 2004 calamity marked the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of
> those who lost their homes, fish boats, and much else. Anticipatory action
> plans for managing the consequences of seawater intrusion in our coastal
> areas have become an imperative.
>
> The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was a terrible calamity resulting in
> serious loss of lives and livelihoods in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu,
> Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The response to
> this calamity was immediate from the Central and State governments,
> non-governmental organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, U.N.
> organisations, religious groups, and the media. In an article titled,
> "Beyond Tsunami: An Agenda for Action& #8221; in The Hindu of January 17,
> 2005, I outlined the immediate as well as the short and long term measures
> that should be taken for providing relief to the affected families, and for
> strengthening the coping capacity of the coastal communities in case of
> future tsunamis. I also indicated the steps needed to strengthen the
> ecological security of coastal areas, in order to ensure sustainable
> livelihoods for both the fisher and farm communities living along the coast.
> This agenda for action served as the basis for the tsunami recovery plans of
> many government and non-government organisations.
>
> The tsunami served as a wake-up call for both government and community
> management of our coastal areas. Nearly 250 million people live within 50 km
> of the shoreline, in addition to about five million fisher folk. The fisher
> communities are, unsurprisingly, the most affected during tsunami, cyclonic
> storms, floods and tidal surges. Fisher families live on the coast but
> depend upon the sea for their livelihood. The tsunami underlined the need
> for an integrated approach to the management of the coastal zone.
>
> The length of India's coastline ranges from 1962 km in the Andaman and
> Nicobar Islands, 1600 km in Gujarat, and 1076 km in Tamil Nadu, to 142 km in
> the Lakshadweep Islands. From 1991 the management of the coastal zone has
> been regulated through the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification under
> the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. A Committee constituted by the
> Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2004 under my chairmanship examined
> the operational difficulties experienced in implementing the CRZ
> notification.
>
> We recommended that, instead of regulating only the use of the landward
> side of the sea, we should take both the sea and land surface for
> sustainable and equitable management. The inclusion of the sea surface is
> important to prevent pollution, erosion, and salt water intrusion as well as
> for facing the challenge of sea level rise caused by global warming and
> climate change. In a draft notification issued for public debate by the
> Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on July 21, 2008, the coastal zone
> has been defined as "the area from the territorial waters limit (12 nautical
> miles measured from the appropriate baseline) including its sea bed, the
> adjacent land area along the coast and inland water bodies influenced by
> tidal action including its bed, up to the landward boundary of the local
> self government or local authority abutting the sea coast, provided that in
> case of ecologically and culturally sensitive areas, the entire biological
> or physical boundary of the area may be included as specified under the
> provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986."
>
> The bottom line of any Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy should
> be safeguarding the ecological security of coastal areas, the avoidance of
> sea pollution as well as unsustainable exploitation of living and non-living
> aquatic resources, protecting the livelihood security of fisher and farming
> communities, and the conservation of cultural heritage sites as well as
> migratory routes of birds and the Olive Ridley Turtle and other faunal
> breeding grounds.
>
> The fisher families, whose only source of livelihood is living aquatic
> resources, are concerned that the draft Coastal Management Zone (CMZ)
> Notification of 2008, if implemented, will open the doors to depriving them
> of their housing sites and access to the ocean, because of the land grab
> tendencies among the rich. These are genuine concerns based on past
> experience. Therefore it will be desirable to enact legislation along the
> lines of the "Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers
> (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006" to safeguard the interests and
> rights of fisher communities. This will ensure the long-term security of the
> sole means of survival for more than five million fishermen and women living
> near the sea.
>
> In future, the greatest threat to coastal communities will come from a rise
> in sea level as a result of global warming. The President of Maldives, for
> example, has been highlighting the threat to the survival of his nation
> posed by a rise in sea level. We will face similar threats to the Andaman
> and Nicobar Islands, the Lakshadweep group of islands, and the coastal areas
> in the mainland, including cities like Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
> Recently, the Government of India launched a National Action Plan for
> Climate Change comprising eight Missions. Although a reference is made in
> the Plan to proactive action for preventing a serious loss of lives and
> livelihoods when the sea level increases in areas adjoining the oceans, it
> will be prudent to have a separate Mission for managing the consequences of
> sea level rise, because this will decide the future of nearly 250 million
> children, women, and men.
>
> The mangrove and non-mangrove bioshields I recommended in The Hindu article
> of January 2005 have now become part of the National Disaster Management
> Plan. Because of the outpouring of support for post-tsunami rehabilitation
> from many donor agencies, non-governmental organisations could undertake
> several useful long-term measures. For example, scientists of the M.S.
> Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai have undertaken the
> restoration, rehabilitation, and creation of bioshields in Tamil Nadu and
> Andhra Pradesh, which will serve as effective speed breakers when a
> tsunami-like situation arises in the future. Over 200 hectares of bioshields
> have been raised in 18 villages in partnership with fishing communities.
> Further, a coastal farming system involving mangrove plantations and
> aquaculture is becoming popular. Mangroves are also very efficient in carbon
> sequestration, thereby contributing to the maintenance of carbon balance in
> the atmosphere.
>
> The other post-tsunami initiatives of MSSRF scientists include the
> establishment of coastal biovillages, which can enlarge opportunities for
> sustainable livelihoods. For example, tsunami-affected fisherwomen were
> trained in a few villages in poultry farming, which has proved to be a
> highly remunerative occupation. Another programme involved the provision to
> the affected families of solar lamps to replace the smoky glow of kerosene
> lamps while going out in the sea.
>
> During discussions with fisher families, a strong desire for opportunities
> for training in the science and art of sustainable fisheries was expressed.
> In response to this request, a Fish for All Research and Training Centre has
> been set up at Poompuhar with support from Tata Trusts. This unique field
> research and capacity building centre will impart training, based on the
> pedagogic methodology of learning by doing, to fisherwomen and men in a
> holistic manner, ranging from fish capture or culture to fish processing and
> marketing. Training in all aspects of sustainable fisheries covering
> conservation, capture, consumption, and commerce will be imparted. The
> Poompuhar Fish for All Research and Training Centre is designed to foster a
> technological and management revolution in small-scale fisheries.
>
> Another MSSRF initiative has been the establishment of computer-aided and
> internet connected Village Resource Centres (VRC) and Village Knowledge
> Centres (VKC). The VRCs established with the help of the Indian Space
> Research Organisation have satellite connectivity and teleconferencing
> facilities. VKCs and VRCs, managed by trained local women and men, provide
> demand driven and dynamic information. Synergy between the internet and
> mobile phones helps fishermen in catamarans to get the latest information on
> wave heights at different distances from the shoreline and on the location
> of fish shoals. This helps to allay fears and save time in fish harvest.
> Recent developments in Information and Communication Technologies have
> opened up uncommon opportunities for helping small-scale fishermen to
> practise safe and sustainable marine fisheries. This is one of the
> fascinating and meaningful applications of mobile phone technology.
>
> Thus coastal bioshields, biovillages, and knowledge centres have become
> important tools for integrating ecological and livelihood security in a
> symbiotic manner in coastal areas. The proposal is, in cooperation with
> panchayati raj institutions, to train one woman and one man in every block
> as Climate Risk Managers; they should be well versed in disaster prevention,
> mitigation, and management. Coastal farm families were also affected by sea
> water intrusion as a result of the tsunami. For them, an agronomic
> rehabilitation package was introduced immediately.
>
> MSSRF also initiated in 1991 an anticipatory research programme to meet the
> challenge of sea level rise, which involves the transfer of genes for
> seawater tolerance from mangroves to rice, pulses, and other coastal zone
> crops. This strategic research programme has led to the breeding of salt
> tolerant varieties of rice, which are undergoing tests as per prescribed
> regulatory procedures.
>
> Impressive progress has been made by the State governments and
> non-governmental organisations in providing well-designed and hygienic homes
> to the affected families. The calamitous tsunami thus marked the beginning
> of a new chapter in the lives of those who lost their homes, fish boats, and
> much else. It is possible that global climate change will increase the
> frequency of such trials. Anticipatory action plans for managing the
> consequences of seawater intrusion in our coastal areas have become an
> imperative. At the same time, seawater is a valuable resource for raising
> salt tolerant trees and crop varieties and fish in suitable agro-forestry
> and sylvi-aquaculture systems. The 2004 tsunami has thus opened a new
> chapter in the lives of those who depend on the ocean for their livelihood
> as well as those who live near the sea and derive their income from a
> variety of opportunities, including farming, industry, and tourism.
>
> (The author, a distinguished agricultural scientist and food policy expert,
> is chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and a Rajya Sabha
> M.P.)
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>



--
V.Vivekanandan
Advisor
South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies
Karamana, Trivandrum 695002

Phone (office): +91-471-2343711, 2343178
Residence: +91-471-2922162
Cell phone: +91-98470-84840
Email: vivek@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

300 migrants feared dead off remote Indian islands
Sun Dec 28, 2008 7:06pm IST

http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINSP41905220081228


PORT BLAIR, India, Dec 28 (Reuters) - About 300 illegal migrants, mostly
Bangladeshis, are feared dead after they jumped from a boat and tried to
swim ashore in India's remote Andaman islands, the Indian coast guard
said on Sunday.

A senior coast guard official said they had rescued 88 people from a
small boat near Little Andaman island, about 90 km (55 miles) south of
Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of
Bengal, on Saturday.

Another 11 men were found on nearby Sandy Point island, said S.P.
Sharma, commander of the coast guard for the Andaman region, adding that
about 300 men were still missing.

"Around 300 of them reportedly jumped into the sea hoping to swim across
to the shore," Sharma told reporters in Port Blair.

"While all of them are feared dead or missing, search operations are
still ongoing," he said.

A survivor told officials there had been there had been 412 men, aged
between 18 and 60, on the boat, which had little food or water and only
a plastic sheet for a sail.

Sharma said the man told police seven others had died at sea and their
bodies were dumped overboard.

Preliminary investigations suggested the men had left Bangladesh bound
for Malaysia in six motorised boats about 45 days ago. At some point on
their journey, the men had changed vessels, a coast guard statement said.

One survivor, identified as Mohammad Ismail Arafat, said he and others
had paid a Bangladeshi agent for promised jobs.


"We were left to the mercy of God ... after drifting for 10-15 days when
finally we saw a lighthouse, many jumped into the water," the statement
quoted him as saying.

Coast guard vessels were still combing the area and police were
searching nearby islands for survivors.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie about 1,200 km (750 miles) off
India's east coast. (Reporting by Sanjib Kumar Roy; Editing by Paul Tait
and Nita Bhalla)
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Andaman Chronicle, Dec. 29, 2008

412 Bangladeshis Drifted at Sea  

One Held at Hut Bay while 10 admitted in GB Pant Hospital, Port
Blair 
 
Port Blair, Dec. 28: One Bangladeshi national was held at Hut Bay on
26th Dec. 2008 after he got drifted from a pantoon from Bangladesh. On
investigation by the Police, it was revealed that there were around 412
of them who sailed in a pantoon from Bangladesh. On seeing land, all of
them jumped into the sea and one could manage to reach Hut Bay. Soon
after the Bangladeshi was held at Hut Bay, search operation was
intensified. 

Our sources reveal that around 10 of them have been traced out and
admitted to GB Pant Hospital, Port Blair. The names of the 10
Bangladeshis admitted in GB Pant are: Mohd Zubair (Male 30), Akhtar
Hussain (Male 20), Abdul Rasheed (Male 22), Abdul Rahim (Male 28),
Usmaan Gani (Male 15), Moufiz (Male 17), Mohd. Salim (Male 21), Hussain
Ahmed (Male 36), Mohd. Hafiz (Male 19). The name of the last person aged
around 24 years is not known. It is learnt through sources that this
person is in a critical state 

Bangladeshi nationals reaching the islands has become a regular
phenomenon. Sources reveal that earlier many Bangladeshis have been
captured from various parts of the islands and many have even escaped
after they were captured. Drifting in a pantoon is an easy way of
induction of Bangladeshis in the islands. 
Since the islands have Bangladeshi settlement pockets in the entire
Andaman District starting from Hut Bay in the south to Diglipur in the
north, it becomes difficult for the authorities to identify the newly
inducted person. Moreover, after the tsunami of 2004 hundreds of
Bangladeshis came to the islands as labourers and many never went back.
They have even settled in sensitive tribal reserves of the Nicobar
District and continue to work as labourers. Some have even become civil
contractors. 
Our sources further add that the Bangladeshis after coming to the
islands even change their name like `Mohd. Mondal' in order to
hide their identity as Bangladeshis. 

Security threat to the islands: In our previous edition, Andaman
Chronicle carried a complaint of a resident of Prothrapur, South Andaman
who lost his mother and brother due to excessive dust pollution
generated by the illegal quarries and crushing units in and around
Prothrapur. The letter revealed that round the clock blasting goes on in
the area. It is surprising to note that the allotment of quarry is done
by the A&N Administration, which has a set of laid rules that is never
followed. The question is where does do these quarry operators get so
much of explosives to blast round the clock. Have the Andaman
Administration ever tried to track the amount of explosives being
imported into the islands? 

The induction of Bangladeshis in the islands and import of heavy amount
of explosives by quarry operators if not checked in time, might turn
fatal for the peaceful islands, referred to as `Mini India'.
 
 

(Latest report from the Indian Coast guard said that 102 Bangladeshis
have been captured, while the remaining 310 are still missing. 

The captured Bangladeshis were brought to Port Blair by the Coast Guard.
The IG Coast Guard S.P Sharma felt that the version given by the
captured Bangladeshis cannot be fully agreed upon as there are lots of
gaps in their version of getting drifted. 
According to the captured Bangladeshis, they had sailed for Malaysia by
paying to the agents. In between they were caught by the Thai Navy and
later forced to sail in a non mechanized boat. After seeing land, all of
them jumped in the sea hoping to swim and reach ashore.)  




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Pankaj,

Hello, just to share that CEE in partnership with ArcelorMittal for the MOEF
GOI is facilitating the implementation of the KBPA.
Kaun Banega Bharat Ka Paryavaran Ambassador (KBPA)

A Climate Change Education programme for Schools



An Initiative of

Centre for Environment Education

for

Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI,



in partnership with

Arcelor Mittal



I am attaching the purpose of the same attached and we shall appreciate if
you could please share these attachemnts to all the schools and ask them to
vote. In case you want any information, then please do not hesitate to write
the same. It will be a pleasure to exchange the program that you are doing.
I also manage the GEF UNDP Small Grants Program. Looking forward to hearing
from you. Best wishes for the 2009.
With Best Regards,

Prabhjot Sodhi
National Coordinator,
GEF UNDP Small Grants Program
Centre for Environment Education (CEE)
C - 40, South Extension Part II, New Delhi 110049
(o) 00 91 11 26262878;79;81. (m) 09811811996
www.sgpindia.org; www.ceeindia.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pankaj Sekhsaria" <psekhsaria@...>
To: "andamanicobar" <andamanicobar@...>
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:26 PM
Subject: [andamanicobar] Eco-Clubs sensitized to protect environment


Eco-Clubs sensitized to protect environment

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, December 17, 2008
Staff Correspondent

Port Blair, Dec 16

     A sensitization meeting on eco-clubs’ National Green Crops Programme
(NGCP) under the Ministry of Environment & Forest, GoI was held in the
conference hall of Mini Zoo, Haddo here this evening. The Conservator of
Forest (HQ), Smt N Kala, who is also Nodal Officer, NGCP, was the chief
guest of the programme. The programme was organized by Forest Extension
& Publicity Division of the Department of Environment & Forest, A&N Islands.

      An amount of Rs.25,000/- each to as many as 46 eco-clubs schools of
South Andaman were presented to the in-charge of the respective
eco-clubs by the chief guest on the occasion.

     Addressing the function, the chief guest underlined the need for
creating awareness among the children on the protection of environment
which is a burning issue of the whole world. She said, children must be
educated to protect the environment and they should also be encouraged
to make it clean by planting more and more trees.

     Shri A Anil Kumar, DFO (FE & PD), through a power-point presentation
on eco-clubs under NGC programme, gave details on the initiative of the
government in implementing the green revolution programme and the steps
need to be taken in this regards.

     The In-charges of Eco-Clubs of different schools presented their
views on the steps that need to be taken up for proper implementation of
the programme. Smt Bhawani, in-charge, Eco-club, Govt. Girls Sr. Sec.
School stressed that apart from curricular activities of the schools,
children should be made the habit of planting trees as a co-curricular
activity. Shri R K Choubey, Principal, GSSS Kanyapuram appreciated the
programme and suggested that the activity relating to eco-club need to
be entrusted to a permanent in-charge so as to carry out the programme
un-interruptedly.
--

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pankajsekhsaria/
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/psekhsaria/Atcrossroads

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In continuation of the previous mail, this is Mr E A S Sarma's response to MSS's
article

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/27/stories/2008122755690900.htm
'Strict law needed to ensure the right of fishermen to coastal habitat'








E.A.S.Sarma, former Secretary to the Government of India and convener, Forum for
Better Visakha, Visakhapatnam, writes:

We refer to Dr. M.S. Swaminathan's interesting article, "The tsunami and a new
chapter" (The Hindu, Edit page, December 26). The article rightly highlights the
need to strengthen the ecological security of the coastal communities, so as to
ensure sustainable livelihoods for the fishermen.

In Andhra Pradesh, we have come across several instances of vandalisation of
coastal resources, wanton destruction of mangrove forests and incursion of
salinity into local ground water aquifers, all perpetuated in the name of
"development." The disconcerting aspect of this is the uninhibited complicity in
this of the very same official agencies that are supposed to enforce the
provisions of the Environment Protection Act and the Coastal Zone Regulation
(CRZ) Notification. The MSSRF deserves commendation for its multifarious efforts
to conserve the coastal ecology.

However, we wish to express serious reservations on the Coastal Management Zone
(CMZ) Notification that the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MOEF) propose to
bring into effect, on the basis of the findings of Swaminathan Committee. As
admitted in the article, the fishing community is apprehensive about replacing
the existing CRZ by the proposed CZM. On the basis of our interaction with the
local fishermen, we get the feeling that the committee had not fully taken their
concerns into account, while arriving at their recommendations. As already
stated, over the last several years, there have been numerous instances of
violation of CRZ all along the coast, often by the State itself, in nexus with
unethical developers. From the point of view of the fishermen, CZM is merely a
ploy to open the floodgates to similar violations taking place on a much larger
scale.

In our view, any statutory notification on coastal zone management should
revolve around the basic concept that the fishing community has the inherent
primary right to access to the sea and its resources. CZM fails to state this in
a forthright manner.

Dr. Swaminathan has rightly suggested in his article that a legislation similar
to the one enacted by the government in 2006 on forest rights for the Scheduled
Tribes should be introduced for the fishing community. Going one step further,
what is perhaps required is to enact a more stringent legislation (similar to
the Land Transfer Regulation for the Scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh and some
other States) to declare the inherent right of the fishermen to their coastal
habitat and access to the sea and its resources.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It's interesting that Dr M S Swaminathan recommends a law similar to the FRA for
fisher people feeling threatened by the draft coastal zone management
notification of MoEF based on his recommendations which makes no mention of the
rights of fishing communities
Madhu

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/26/stories/2008122655480800.htm
The tsunami and a new chapter


M.S. Swaminathan



       The 2004 calamity marked the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of
those who lost their homes, fish boats, and much else. Anticipatory action plans
for managing the consequences of seawater intrusion in our coastal areas have
become an imperative.






The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was a terrible calamity resulting in serious
loss of lives and livelihoods in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The response to this
calamity was immediate from the Central and State governments, non-governmental
organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, U.N. organisations,
religious groups, and the media. In an article titled, "Beyond Tsunami: An
Agenda for Action& #8221; in The Hindu of January 17, 2005, I outlined the
immediate as well as the short and long term measures that should be taken for
providing relief to the affected families, and for strengthening the coping
capacity of the coastal communities in case of future tsunamis. I also indicated
the steps needed to strengthen the ecological security of coastal areas, in
order to ensure sustainable livelihoods for both the fisher and farm communities
living along the coast. This agenda for action served as the basis for the
tsunami recovery plans of many government and non-government organisations.

The tsunami served as a wake-up call for both government and community
management of our coastal areas. Nearly 250 million people live within 50 km of
the shoreline, in addition to about five million fisher folk. The fisher
communities are, unsurprisingly, the most affected during tsunami, cyclonic
storms, floods and tidal surges. Fisher families live on the coast but depend
upon the sea for their livelihood. The tsunami underlined the need for an
integrated approach to the management of the coastal zone.

The length of India's coastline ranges from 1962 km in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, 1600 km in Gujarat, and 1076 km in Tamil Nadu, to 142 km in the
Lakshadweep Islands. From 1991 the management of the coastal zone has been
regulated through the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification under the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. A Committee constituted by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests in 2004 under my chairmanship examined the operational
difficulties experienced in implementing the CRZ notification.

We recommended that, instead of regulating only the use of the landward side of
the sea, we should take both the sea and land surface for sustainable and
equitable management. The inclusion of the sea surface is important to prevent
pollution, erosion, and salt water intrusion as well as for facing the challenge
of sea level rise caused by global warming and climate change. In a draft
notification issued for public debate by the Union Ministry of Environment and
Forests on July 21, 2008, the coastal zone has been defined as "the area from
the territorial waters limit (12 nautical miles measured from the appropriate
baseline) including its sea bed, the adjacent land area along the coast and
inland water bodies influenced by tidal action including its bed, up to the
landward boundary of the local self government or local authority abutting the
sea coast, provided that in case of ecologically and culturally sensitive areas,
the entire biological or physical boundary of the area may be included as
specified under the provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986."

The bottom line of any Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy should be
safeguarding the ecological security of coastal areas, the avoidance of sea
pollution as well as unsustainable exploitation of living and non-living aquatic
resources, protecting the livelihood security of fisher and farming communities,
and the conservation of cultural heritage sites as well as migratory routes of
birds and the Olive Ridley Turtle and other faunal breeding grounds.

The fisher families, whose only source of livelihood is living aquatic
resources, are concerned that the draft Coastal Management Zone (CMZ)
Notification of 2008, if implemented, will open the doors to depriving them of
their housing sites and access to the ocean, because of the land grab tendencies
among the rich. These are genuine concerns based on past experience. Therefore
it will be desirable to enact legislation along the lines of the "Scheduled
Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act
2006" to safeguard the interests and rights of fisher communities. This will
ensure the long-term security of the sole means of survival for more than five
million fishermen and women living near the sea.

In future, the greatest threat to coastal communities will come from a rise in
sea level as a result of global warming. The President of Maldives, for example,
has been highlighting the threat to the survival of his nation posed by a rise
in sea level. We will face similar threats to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
the Lakshadweep group of islands, and the coastal areas in the mainland,
including cities like Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Recently, the Government of
India launched a National Action Plan for Climate Change comprising eight
Missions. Although a reference is made in the Plan to proactive action for
preventing a serious loss of lives and livelihoods when the sea level increases
in areas adjoining the oceans, it will be prudent to have a separate Mission for
managing the consequences of sea level rise, because this will decide the future
of nearly 250 million children, women, and men.

The mangrove and non-mangrove bioshields I recommended in The Hindu article of
January 2005 have now become part of the National Disaster Management Plan.
Because of the outpouring of support for post-tsunami rehabilitation from many
donor agencies, non-governmental organisations could undertake several useful
long-term measures. For example, scientists of the M.S. Swaminathan Research
Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai have undertaken the restoration, rehabilitation, and
creation of bioshields in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which will serve as
effective speed breakers when a tsunami-like situation arises in the future.
Over 200 hectares of bioshields have been raised in 18 villages in partnership
with fishing communities. Further, a coastal farming system involving mangrove
plantations and aquaculture is becoming popular. Mangroves are also very
efficient in carbon sequestration, thereby contributing to the maintenance of
carbon balance in the atmosphere.

The other post-tsunami initiatives of MSSRF scientists include the establishment
of coastal biovillages, which can enlarge opportunities for sustainable
livelihoods. For example, tsunami-affected fisherwomen were trained in a few
villages in poultry farming, which has proved to be a highly remunerative
occupation. Another programme involved the provision to the affected families of
solar lamps to replace the smoky glow of kerosene lamps while going out in the
sea.

During discussions with fisher families, a strong desire for opportunities for
training in the science and art of sustainable fisheries was expressed. In
response to this request, a Fish for All Research and Training Centre has been
set up at Poompuhar with support from Tata Trusts. This unique field research
and capacity building centre will impart training, based on the pedagogic
methodology of learning by doing, to fisherwomen and men in a holistic manner,
ranging from fish capture or culture to fish processing and marketing. Training
in all aspects of sustainable fisheries covering conservation, capture,
consumption, and commerce will be imparted. The Poompuhar Fish for All Research
and Training Centre is designed to foster a technological and management
revolution in small-scale fisheries.

Another MSSRF initiative has been the establishment of computer-aided and
internet connected Village Resource Centres (VRC) and Village Knowledge Centres
(VKC). The VRCs established with the help of the Indian Space Research
Organisation have satellite connectivity and teleconferencing facilities. VKCs
and VRCs, managed by trained local women and men, provide demand driven and
dynamic information. Synergy between the internet and mobile phones helps
fishermen in catamarans to get the latest information on wave heights at
different distances from the shoreline and on the location of fish shoals. This
helps to allay fears and save time in fish harvest. Recent developments in
Information and Communication Technologies have opened up uncommon opportunities
for helping small-scale fishermen to practise safe and sustainable marine
fisheries. This is one of the fascinating and meaningful applications of mobile
phone technology.

Thus coastal bioshields, biovillages, and knowledge centres have become
important tools for integrating ecological and livelihood security in a
symbiotic manner in coastal areas. The proposal is, in cooperation with
panchayati raj institutions, to train one woman and one man in every block as
Climate Risk Managers; they should be well versed in disaster prevention,
mitigation, and management. Coastal farm families were also affected by sea
water intrusion as a result of the tsunami. For them, an agronomic
rehabilitation package was introduced immediately.

MSSRF also initiated in 1991 an anticipatory research programme to meet the
challenge of sea level rise, which involves the transfer of genes for seawater
tolerance from mangroves to rice, pulses, and other coastal zone crops. This
strategic research programme has led to the breeding of salt tolerant varieties
of rice, which are undergoing tests as per prescribed regulatory procedures.

Impressive progress has been made by the State governments and non-governmental
organisations in providing well-designed and hygienic homes to the affected
families. The calamitous tsunami thus marked the beginning of a new chapter in
the lives of those who lost their homes, fish boats, and much else. It is
possible that global climate change will increase the frequency of such trials.
Anticipatory action plans for managing the consequences of seawater intrusion in
our coastal areas have become an imperative. At the same time, seawater is a
valuable resource for raising salt tolerant trees and crop varieties and fish in
suitable agro-forestry and sylvi-aquaculture systems. The 2004 tsunami has thus
opened a new chapter in the lives of those who depend on the ocean for their
livelihood as well as those who live near the sea and derive their income from a
variety of opportunities, including farming, industry, and tourism.

(The author, a distinguished agricultural scientist and food policy expert, is
chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and a Rajya Sabha M.P.)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hey,

well as i said in India not many people are involved but few dedicated
people with the limited resources are doing the best job possible.as u asked
me to state few reintroduction/augmentation programme,i am doing the same
that follows

1.the conservation of 'Pygmy hog' initiated by PHCP(Pygmy Hog Conservation
Programme)-successful programme which included extensive study of their
habitat and behavior,captive breeding and after training them
reintroduced.combined effort of many dedicated conservationist saved them
from the verge of extinction.
(you can refer to the article in SANCTUARY ASIA,april 2008 issue)

2.reintroduction programme of crocodiles from crocodile park,chennai under
surveillance of romulus whittaker

3. Project Red Panda (funded by the Central Zoo Authority) from Singalila
National Park for reintroduction of Red Pandas from its captive breeding
program at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling

several plants have also been reintroduced in northeastern himalayas to save
it from extinction due to extensive habitat degradation.several critically
endangered orchids have been restored.the most successful was that of
'dancing girl' which is also now the state symbol of mizoram.

in a reintroduction programme its beyond human capability to get 100%
success but at times human intervention becomes a necessacity in the wild
population to save it from cascading effects of inbreeding or allee
effect(genetic related problems due to very small population).

reintroduction is not a very easy task(both animal and plants)needs
extensive study of its geographical range,habit and habitat understanding
social behavior and various ecological interactions.they are being trained
for which several techniques and tools are used.trainers from the wild who
are brought in to train the captive ones.
it needs contribution of immense time and dedication from the
conservationists.

well!!... i agree that the ones in captivity do not get the perfect wild
environment but they are kept only for few days and then left back.many a
times conditions in the wild degrade to the extent that it becomes a need
that they are taken care of till the favorable conditions prevail.

well!!.. now in several conservation efforts the knowledge of indeginious
people are encouraged.the local people are involved in the programme,they
become the volunteers and monitor the whole programme.with time methods of
educating the people is evolving and not just limited to the zoological park
with name plates hanging above them.

my nephew who is just 5 years old identifies all the animals in the zoo and
knows there is a need to save them as they are in trouble in the wild and
tells the same to his friends. :) :)

i have personally seen many people who have dedicated their whole life in
taking care of animals in the park cleaning their nests and understanding
their behavior and reproduction.

i am not saying all the zoological parks in india are very well maintained
and monitored and animals taken care of.i have myself complaint several
times about the ill state of animals in captivity and get answers like lack
of manpower or skilled workers also government would rather spend money in
rehabilitating the flood stricken people.
i know we still need trained taxonomists and dedicated conservationists in
india and more organised system.

i think more and more people should come up with new ideas and solutions to
the persistence problem of monitoring and conserving the species.


pls note:
i am still in a learning process and a student.
u are a more learned and trained person than me.
i am not trying to get into any kind of argument or counter attack every
statement
but definitely its a platform were we can discuss and express
helping each other to understand and learn more in a better way from
different sources

thank you for putting up the questions

we still can go into further discussion

best wishes
merry christmas

ema










On 12/22/08, Sabyasachi Patra <sabyasachi.patra@...> wrote:
>
>   Ema,
> You said:
> "we have not many options but to restore the degraded ecosystem.
> so we do need a zoological park and captive breeding(for reintroduction or
> augmentation) is one of the way out but only under well designed
> conservation strategies."
>
> I had asked this question before as to how often we reintroduce Zoo animals
> into the wilds. I would appreciate if you can give example. Since you are
> based in Delhi, can you give an example of the Delhi zoo or for that matter
> any zoo in India?
>
> I simply don't agree that you can reintroduce a zoo bred animal into the
> forest and make it live successfully. Let me take the example of a tiger.
> You managed to breed a healthy tiger in a zoo. Now you are ready to release
> it into the wild. Do you think this tiger would be able to survive? Who
> will
> impart the knowledge of the forest, of other animals and hunting
> techniques?
>
> The hunting technique of a tiger is different than that of a leopard. It
> doesn't strangulate its prey. A tiger breaks the neck of animals and kills
> it. It is a difficult technique to master. At times the young adolescent
> tigers are unable to do that cleanly. A tiger will jump on the back of its
> prey, holds its neck and puts all its weight. The animal falls and in the
> process the weight of the prey and the tiger dislocates the neck cleanly.
> Ofcourse, you don't see this technique used when the tiger is killing a
> small deer fawn, for obvious reasons.
>
> Do you believe that anyone can impart this knowledge to the young Zoo bread
> tiger?
>
> If you look at a tiger in the Zoo and a wild one, you will immediately
> notice the difference in the coat. The coat of the wild tiger would be
> glistening, where as that of the captive one would be dull. There is a huge
> difference in fitness levels. The zoo bred tiger will be easily killed in a
> fight with a wild tiger.
>
> You further said:
> "well!!.. the conservationists who are helping these animals dont ill treat
> them.they love them and help them to survive in the changing environment.
> they are introduced back in the wild."
>
> What kind of love is this that the loved one is stripped of his freedom and
> put behind bars? It is a fallacy that Zoos help them in surviving changing
> environment and they are introduced back in the wild.
>
> As far as educating people in the Zoos, we find one name plate with the
> name
> and scientific name, and habitat mentioned. Nothing else.
>
> Initially, I used to think that money is a problem. However, it is not. If
> you look at the money that flows into the top national parks, you would be
> amazed. The major problem is paucity of ideas rather than money.
>
> Regards,
> Sabyasachi
>
> On Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 11:13 PM, ema fatima
<fatimaema@...<fatimaema%40gmail.com>>
> wrote:
>
> > hey!.. to all
> >
> > due to detrimental actions of humans we have already set in the sixth
> > extinction in motion.
> > habitat destruction and overexploitation is causing extinction of various
> > rare species.we have not many options but to restore the degraded
> > ecosystem.
> > so we do need a zoological park and captive breeding(for reintroduction
> or
> > augmentation) is one of the way out but only under well designed
> > conservation strategies.
> > well!!.. the conservationists who are helping these animals dont ill
> treat
> > them.they love them and help them to survive in the changing environment.
> > they are introduced back in the wild.
> >
> > as far as ill treatment of animals in the parks happen that is because of
> > the visitors and tourists which can be controlled by having a strict
> > vigilence.lack of education and importance of that particular animal lack
> > in
> > the person who ill treats them.educating the people about the animals is
> > one
> > of the main aim of zoological parks(CBD,article9 and article13)
> > in india there is lack of resource awareness and man power.may be we can
> > come together and design a programme in promoting awareness among people
> > and
> > in successful reintroduction programme of animals by involving the people
> > in
> > it.
> > we need to change our perspective.with the little money available to the
> > authorities in the zoological park by the government and limited man
> power
> > they try and do the best they can.
> >
> > regards
> >
> > ema fatima
> > msc. biodiversity conservation
> > delhi
> >
> >
> > On 12/18/08, Sabyasachi Patra
<sabyasachi.patra@...<sabyasachi.patra%40gmail.com>
> <sabyasachi.patra%40gmail.com>>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Dear All,
> > > Why do we need a Zoo in Andaman? To make some more birds, animals and
> > > reptiles captive and ill treat them?
> > >
> > > I don't know of any instance when a animal from Zoo has been released
> in
> > > the
> > > wild. Hardly any scientific research happens there. It seems the
> primary
> > > purpose is to provide a picnic spot for unruly tourists who buy their
> > > ticket
> > > and then throw peanuts at animals.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Sabyasachi
> > >
> > > On Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 2:27 PM, Pankaj Sekhsaria <
> psekhsaria@... <psekhsaria%40gmail.com><psekhsaria%40gmail.com>
> > <psekhsaria%40gmail.com>
> >
> > > >wrote:
> > >
> > > > CZA expert team visits isles
> > > > THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, December 17, 2008
> > > >
> > > > Port Blair, Dec 16
> > > >
> > > > A team of CZA, consisting of Shri S K Patnaik, Retd. PCCF from
> > > > Orissa and an expert on -Zoos and Zoological/Biological Parks and
> Shri
> > > > Brij Kishore Gupta, Scientist of Central Zoo Authority, under the
> > > > Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India, New Delhi visited
> > > > these Islands from Dec 11 to 14, 2008 to evaluate the construction
> work
> > > > of the new Biological Park coming up at Chidiyatapu. During their
> > visit,
> > > > they met PCCF, A&N Islands, PCCF (WL)-cum-CWLW, and other senior
> > > > officials of Environment & Forests and AHW.
> > > >
> > > > The Committee stayed at Chidiyatapu and undertook an extensive
> > > > review of the completed animals' enclosures and those which are under
> > > > advance stage of construction. During on sight inspection, the expert
> > > > members gave practical suggestions to improve the enclosures for
> better
> > > > animal upkeep and visitors' experience.
> > > >
> > > > Acknowledging the damage caused and hampering of scheduled
> > > > construction work due to 2004 earthquake & tsunami, visiting experts
> > > > hoped that with the financial and technical support of Central Zoo
> > > > Authority, first phase of this unique Biological Park being set up
> > under
> > > > a unique forested landscape, will be completed soon and will be open
> to
> > > > Public.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com
> > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/pankajsekhsaria/
> > > > http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/psekhsaria/Atcrossroads
> > > >
> > > > C/o Kalpavriksh
> > > > Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
> > > > 908 Deccan Gym
> > > > Pune 411004
> > > > India
> > > > Tel: 020 25654239
> > > > Mob: 09423009933
> > > > Email: psekhsaria@... <psekhsaria%40gmail.com> <psekhsaria%
> 40gmail.com> <psekhsaria%
> > 40gmail.com>
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Save the Tiger
> > > www.indiawilds.com
> > > www.indiawilds.com/forums
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > "i am myself made entirely of flows,stitched together with good
> intentions"
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Save the Tiger
> www.indiawilds.com
> www.indiawilds.com/forums
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>



--
"i am myself made entirely of flows,stitched together with good intentions"


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Andaman and Nicobar Police suggest guidelines for the islands’ hotels

http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=2953&sid=1
Friday, December 26, 2008, 15:00 Hrs  [IST]
By HBI Staff | Mumbai

After the Mumbai terror strikes in November 2008, the Andaman and
Nicobar Police held a meeting with hotel owners at Port Blair to suggest
certain precautionary measures to ensure security in the islands’
hotels. Those properties frequented by foreign tourists have been
specially advised.

Suggested measures are believed to include proper guest identification
before check in, proper checking of all vehicles entering the hotel
premises, CCTV installation to ensure checking for and prevention of any
suspicious activities and securing the properties with walls to
discourage intruders.
--

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pankajsekhsaria/
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/psekhsaria/Atcrossroads

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

THE HINDU,
December 26, 2008

Andaman remembers tsunami victims

Port Blair (PTI): Lt Governor Bhopinder Singh on Friday led the
islanders of Andaman and Nicobar in paying homage to the victims of 2004
tsunami on the fourth anniversary of the tragedy.

As a mark of respect for the hundreds of victims, a two-minute silence
was observed and an all-faith prayer meeting held here. The Air Force
organised a function at its base in Car Nicobar to pay tributes to the
tsunami victims.

At a function held at Tsunami Memorial at Aberdeen Water Sports Complex,
the Lt Governor laid a wreath and paid floral tributes to the victims.

Chief Secretary Vivek Rae, MP Manoranjan Bhakta, senior officers of the
administration, public representatives and others participated in the
ceremony.

The day was also observed at the southern islands, the areas worst
affected by the natural calamity.
--

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pankajsekhsaria/
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/psekhsaria/Atcrossroads

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

hey!!..

its really a shameful act and a sign that we still lack in our conservation
efforts...

i think there is a need that we educate the local people and fisherman.we
can make them the part of monitoring and patrolling programme or propose to
give incentives to who ever protects them.

poaching is becoming a serious threat and we must take an urgent step or
design a programme to resuce the animals from poachers.

ema




On 12/26/08, VARDHAN <vardhan_patankar@...> wrote:
>
>   Slaughter of a female dugong at Neil Island
>
> "An adult female dugong that was sighted in the waters off Neil Island a
> few days ago was found dead on beach No. 3 at Neil Island
> this morning" reported Johann, a Dive Instructor at Neil Island. The
> portion from stomach to tail fluke had been cut off and the
> dorsal region had been slit open exposing the stomach and intestines. The
> flesh around the eye area had been taken off. There were
> apparent stab marks on the entire body, which makes the cause of death
> clear—it was poached.
>
> Last year, in December 2007, there was a similar incidence of a dugong
> killing at Neil Island. Despite dugong being the State Animal
> of the Andaman and Nicobar islands and consolidated efforts of the Forest
> Department and research organisations dugong's killings
> still continues.
>
> Dugongs are endangered marine mammals and are the only surviving species in
> the Order Sirenia. They are referred to as "sea cows"
> because of their diet that comprises sea-grass. Dugongs reach adult size
> between 9 and 17 years of age, and have a lifespan similar to
> humans. They will be able to live their entire lifespan only if they are
> left alone...Female Dugongs give birth underwater to a single
> calf every three to seven years. Baby dugongs are about 100 to 120cm long
> and weigh 20 to 30 kg. The calf stays with its mother,
> drinking milk from her teats and following close by until 18-24 months of
> age, and when the mother is killed it is cause for serious
> concern.
>
> It is high time that we do something about this, rather than leave the
> survival of the dugong to fate and just watch it go extinct. What can we do
> to save this elusive, innocent State Animal of the A & N island?
>
> Vardhan
> Reef Watch Marine Conservation
>
> Get your preferred Email name!
> Now you can @ymail.com and @rocketmail.com.
> http://mail.promotions.yahoo.com/newdomains/aa/
>
>



--
"i am myself made entirely of flows,stitched together with good intentions"


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Andaman Chronicle: Dec. 27, 2008

Repeated representations of general public on round the clock
operation of illegal quarries & crushing units turned down

"My mother has represented to the Administrative head of this
territory regarding the problem she was facing due to the existence of
these crushing plants on 13.07.07 and unfortunately I lost her four
days later on the 17.07.07=85"

Prothrapur, Dec. 26: There are many quarries and crushing units
operating in Prothrapur area of South Andaman District. Some of these
have managed to get a licence from the concerned authorities of A&N
Administration and there are many which run illegally round the clock.
Continuous blasting in the area has created havoc among the residents
and the dust generated by the crushing units have been killing people.
Inspite of repeated representations, mass representations by the
residents of Prothrapur and nearby areas to shift the quarry and
crushing units in some isolated area, the Administration never paid
any heed.
"My mother has represented to the Administrative head of this
territory regarding the problem she was facing due to the existence of
these crushing plants on 13.07.07 and unfortunately I lost her four
days later on the 17.07.07 due to health hazards created by
pollution", Shibu Varghese, a resident of Prothrapur wrote to the
Hon'ble Lt. Governor today.
Just five months after the tragic death of his mother, when Shibu and
his family members had hardly recovered from the shock, his brother
Saji Varghese passed away unexpectedly. It is learnt that Saji had
been suffering from continuous nose bleeding and breathing problem
when he died December last year.
"There are a number of similar incidents which is occurring
unnoticed", writes Shibu.
"Your kind attention is invited to numerous correspondence made
individually/ mass petition addressed to various higher authorities
including your good-self explaining the hazardous health problems
faced by the inhabitants of Prothrapur area around the cluster on nine
crushing plants in one area, which is operational round the clock
inspite of our repeated request for shifting/closure of the crushing
plants as detailed below:-
1. Shri. Manckam & Sons, 2. Shri. Ramar (ARM), 3. Shri. Karuppiah, 4.
Shri. Guruswamy, 5. Shri. Chellian, 6. Shri. Vellakannu, 7. Shri.
Sebastiammal, 8. Shri. Uma Devi, 9. Shri. V. Amuda.
"No action seems to have been taken by the concerned authorities for
shifting/closure of the above referred crushing plants.
"I would also like to give you a brief description about the
Govt./Private Institution functioning around the crushing plants
within 500 to 600 meter radius other than the residents.
1. District Jail, 2. Co-op Bank, 3. Prothrapore Secondary School, 4.
Mariamman temple, 5. CNI Church, 6. Andaman Bottling Plant, 7. Five
hotels, 3 functioning & 2 under construction.
"I would also like to highlight that the quarries which are closed for
want of renewal of their License used to operate/blast using
explosive, which is against the interest of the peaceful existence of
this islands and threat to the security of the nation.
Secondly, the road leading from Brichgunj junction to Brichgunj
cantonment via Prothrapore jail is under repair for the last one year
is also creating lot of dust pollution as the progress of the work
carried is at turtle speed".
Highlighting the issues which has been giving endless trouble to the
residents apart from killing people, Shibu requested for a personal
intervention of Hon'ble Lt. Governor to take an aerial survey during
the crushing time to asses the pollution created by these crushing units.
"I PERSONNALY FEEL THAT THE WHOLE MACHINARY UNDER THE BANNER OF
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ADMINISTRATION IS UTTER FAILURE in solving the
basic fundamental right of its citizen. Hope your lordship will look
into this matter personally and initiate action immediately", he added.

Dear all,
 
This reveals the rather sad state of affairs in the islands which
are have been for long treated by the defence personnel as personal
property. It was always saddening to see lit up runways and boats
etc being used for parties and having fun but it makes me very angry to
hear about something as appalling as this incident. Many people who
have interacted with the defence personnel in the islands would know
their attitude and how a lot of them claim the navy and air force areas
and vehicles as their personal property. The prime locations on most
islands have been occupied by the armed forces as well and they
frequently put demands to cut trees and clear forests for drills and
shooting practices. I have great respect for the defence personnel in
that they serve the nation and its people and to some extent provide a
much needed sense of security, but misuse of the rank and blatant abuse
of power and resources must not go unchecked. The incident must be
investigated and the officers in question appropriately punished for
terrorising innocent civilians.

 
Manak.


On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:21 AM, denisgiles <denisgiles@yahoo. com> wrote:






Andaman Chronicle, Dec. 24, 2008

This is a big insult to the tribals who have always cooperated with
the Indian Government: Ayesha Majid, Chairperson,
Tribal Council Nancowry

Kamorta, Dec. 23: The tribal passengers of Pawan Hans Helicopter

Service along with the Station House Officer, PS Kamorta were today
driven away from INS Kardip, a Naval Base at Kamorta Island at
gunpoint. The passengers and their relatives were made to stand
outside the main gate of INS Kardip for hours together at gunpoint by

six gunmen deployed by the Ex. Officer INS Kardip A.K. Bhupati.
Seeing the fully armed gunmen, one of the tribal lady had even
fainted on the spot.
"This is a big insult to the tribals who have always cooperated with

the Indian Government", said Mrs. Ayesha Majid, Chairperson, Tribal
Council Nancowry in an exclusive interview with Andaman Chronicle.
This is not the first time, the defense walas in INS Kardip behaved
in an insulting manner with the tribals, she said.

The incident happened today at 8.30 in the morning when two tribal
passengers availing Pawanhans reached the guardroom inside INS Kardip
to board the flight. But to their surprise, instead of taking them
to the waiting room near the helipad, the passengers were pushed away

by six gunmen who were deployed by the Ex Officer of Kardip.
As the helicopter landed at Kardip, the Assistant Commissioner
Nancowry Mr. Mohd and his daughter who had come in the helicopter
were forcefully taken to the guest room inside INS Kardip. At the

guest room, the Assistant Commissioner was contacted by the Ex.
Officer who demanded to allow two of his men to travel by rejecting
the tribal passengers.
One of the tribal passengers Master Reyhaan Pasha is 8 year old and

had to travel to Port Blair for medical checkup while the second
passenger Miss Rubina Yousuf is a MBBS student of Lady Harding
College at New Delhi and had to return immediately to join the
college after vacation.

Since tickets were already allotted to the tribals, the Assistant
Commissioner told the Ex. Officer that he will have to check the
feasibility with his office. It was only then the Assistant
Commissioner was then allowed to go outside INS Kardip.

Later it was learnt that the Ex. Officer AK Bhupathi had submitted an
undated requisition for tickets, while the procedure is to submit a
written request in advance mentioning the date of travel. Inspite of
his out of turn application, to cooperate with the defense personnel,

the Assistant Commissioner's office had made arrangement for one
ticket but this was not acceptable to the Ex. Officer.
"If the Kardip people have special rules not to allow tribals to
enter inside INS Kardip, they should have intimated us in advance",

Ayesha said.
"It was just few days ago this Ex. Officer of Kardip with his armed
men tried to stop the ongoing work of a tribal community hall. They
told us, there should not be any construction within 100 meters from

the compound of Kardip. I would like to ask one question from the
Defense walas; what were they doing when the foundation of the
community hall was laid. Now when the construction is about to
finish, they want to destroy the building, which is meant for the

entire community", the Chairperson Tribal Council said.
"It pains us when they cut our trees wherever they wish, without even
consulting the Tribals. We do not interfere in their matter believing
that it is done for the country's protection. Now when these people

have come out and started insulting us, we will also see to it that
their men and vehicles are not allowed inside our tribal land. Let
them restrict themselves inside INS Kardip", Ayesha added.
The Chairperson Tribal Council of Nancowry has even lodged an FIR at

the Police Station Kamorta regarding today's incident. It was later
learnt that after around 5 hours of delay, the Ex. Officer allowed
the helicopter to carry the two tribal passengers observing the fury
among the members of the tribe.





--




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I had written earlier on this forum about the possibility of setting up
low-power Community Radio Stations in the Andaman & Nicobar islands to
address sea-safety issues.
At present, the islands have only one radio station (AIR Port Blair), and
while AIR issues a couple of weather bulletins every day, the fishermen in
small boats are prey to small squalls that hit them without warning. A few
strategically placed CR Stations on the islands would go a long way to keep
the fishermen and coastal communities informed about shifting weather
patterns and sea conditions. Naturally, the CR stations would also offer
entertainment, local and developmental information which most of the
islanders don't receive today due to the low penetration of local media
outside Port Blair.

CR stations use FM transmitters, and all that is needed to receive the
programmes is a normal FM radio receiver, which costs less than Rs.200. (You
can pick up a Chinese receiver for Rs.50 or less in any city).

While Distress Alert Transmitters are useful, they are very expensive and
need to be heavily subsidized or given free of cost. Even so, the government
is able to distribute only a few dozen of these DATs to the hundreds of
fishermen in the islands. There should be a better way to ensure two-way
communication for fishermen. Perhaps marine VHF transceivers are a better
option for short-range communication (25 to 50 miles), or single side band
(SSB) short wave radio for long range communication. Now that Citizens' Band
(CB) Radio on 27 MHz has been deregulated in India, it is a great tool for
short-range boat-to-boat or boat-to-shore communications.

Sajan

On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:21 AM, denisgiles <denisgiles@...> wrote:

> Coast Guard Provides Distress Alert Transmitters To Local Fishermen
>
> Port Blair, Dec 23: The fishermen of these isles can breathe easy and
> feel much safer in case of any crises at sea, as they have been
> provided with Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT), free of cost by
> Coast Guard. At a function held at the Coast Guard Regional
> Headquarters, the Chief Secretary Shri Vivek Rae, handed over twenty
> two Distress Alert Transmitters to fishermen belonging to Port Blair
> and South Andaman.
> Earlier in may the Lt Governor, Lt General (Retd) Bhopinder Singh,
> PVSM, AVSM, had handed three Distress Alert Transmitters to fishermen
> belonging to South, Middle, North Andaman and Car Nicobar, for
> trials. The trials were successful and subsequently twenty DATS were
> distributed to fishermen of Diglipur North and Middle Andaman, during
> the recently held Bharat Nirman camp at Diglipur. Nineteen Distress
> Alert Transmitters are being distributed to fishermen of Campbell Bay
> and Car Nicobar shortly.    The DAT has a battery and is fitted to
> the fishing boat and, on activation, gives distress alerts which is
> picked up by an INSAT satellite and relayed to the reception centre
> at the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination (MRCC) at Port
> Blair. Situations like medical emergency, fire on board, sinking or
> capture of boats can be reported to authorities on shore for
> immediate action.
> These distress alert transmitters have been designed and developed
> indigenously by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in
> consultation with Indian Coast Guard. Speaking on the occasion the
> Chief Secretary thanked the Indian Coast Guard for providing such an
> important emergency alerting instrument to the fishermen, which
> should be helpful to alert the Coast Guard during distress and help
> save precious lives at sea. Assuring full support from the
> administration the Chief Secretary told fishermen that the
> administration is constantly striving to provide them with modern
> gadgets.
> He further emphasized the need for fishermen to be watch and ward for
> coastal security and appealed to them to inform any untoward
> situation/intrusion in our waters by fastest means possible to police
> or Coast Guard. This, he said has become more relevant in view of the
> prevailing security scenario in the country.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all,

This reveals the rather sad state of affairs in the islands which are have
been for long treated by the defence personnel as personal property. It was
always saddening to see lit up runways and boats etc being used for
parties and having fun but it makes me very angry to hear about something as
appalling as this incident. Many people who have interacted with the defence
personnel in the islands would know their attitude and how a lot of them
claim the navy and air force areas and vehicles as their personal property.
The prime locations on most islands have been occupied by the armed forces
as well and they frequently put demands to cut trees and clear forests for
drills and shooting practices. I have great respect for the defence
personnel in that they serve the nation and its people and to some extent
provide a much needed sense of security, but misuse of the rank and blatant
abuse of power and resources must not go unchecked. The incident must be
investigated and the officers in question appropriately punished for
terrorising innocent civilians.

Manak.

On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 11:21 AM, denisgiles <denisgiles@...> wrote:

>   Andaman Chronicle, Dec. 24, 2008
>
> This is a big insult to the tribals who have always cooperated with
> the Indian Government: Ayesha Majid, Chairperson,
> Tribal Council Nancowry
>
> Kamorta, Dec. 23: The tribal passengers of Pawan Hans Helicopter
> Service along with the Station House Officer, PS Kamorta were today
> driven away from INS Kardip, a Naval Base at Kamorta Island at
> gunpoint. The passengers and their relatives were made to stand
> outside the main gate of INS Kardip for hours together at gunpoint by
> six gunmen deployed by the Ex. Officer INS Kardip A.K. Bhupati.
> Seeing the fully armed gunmen, one of the tribal lady had even
> fainted on the spot.
> "This is a big insult to the tribals who have always cooperated with
> the Indian Government", said Mrs. Ayesha Majid, Chairperson, Tribal
> Council Nancowry in an exclusive interview with Andaman Chronicle.
> This is not the first time, the defense walas in INS Kardip behaved
> in an insulting manner with the tribals, she said.
> The incident happened today at 8.30 in the morning when two tribal
> passengers availing Pawanhans reached the guardroom inside INS Kardip
> to board the flight. But to their surprise, instead of taking them
> to the waiting room near the helipad, the passengers were pushed away
> by six gunmen who were deployed by the Ex Officer of Kardip.
> As the helicopter landed at Kardip, the Assistant Commissioner
> Nancowry Mr. Mohd and his daughter who had come in the helicopter
> were forcefully taken to the guest room inside INS Kardip. At the
> guest room, the Assistant Commissioner was contacted by the Ex.
> Officer who demanded to allow two of his men to travel by rejecting
> the tribal passengers.
> One of the tribal passengers Master Reyhaan Pasha is 8 year old and
> had to travel to Port Blair for medical checkup while the second
> passenger Miss Rubina Yousuf is a MBBS student of Lady Harding
> College at New Delhi and had to return immediately to join the
> college after vacation.
> Since tickets were already allotted to the tribals, the Assistant
> Commissioner told the Ex. Officer that he will have to check the
> feasibility with his office. It was only then the Assistant
> Commissioner was then allowed to go outside INS Kardip.
> Later it was learnt that the Ex. Officer AK Bhupathi had submitted an
> undated requisition for tickets, while the procedure is to submit a
> written request in advance mentioning the date of travel. Inspite of
> his out of turn application, to cooperate with the defense personnel,
> the Assistant Commissioner's office had made arrangement for one
> ticket but this was not acceptable to the Ex. Officer.
> "If the Kardip people have special rules not to allow tribals to
> enter inside INS Kardip, they should have intimated us in advance",
> Ayesha said.
> "It was just few days ago this Ex. Officer of Kardip with his armed
> men tried to stop the ongoing work of a tribal community hall. They
> told us, there should not be any construction within 100 meters from
> the compound of Kardip. I would like to ask one question from the
> Defense walas; what were they doing when the foundation of the
> community hall was laid. Now when the construction is about to
> finish, they want to destroy the building, which is meant for the
> entire community", the Chairperson Tribal Council said.
> "It pains us when they cut our trees wherever they wish, without even
> consulting the Tribals. We do not interfere in their matter believing
> that it is done for the country's protection. Now when these people
> have come out and started insulting us, we will also see to it that
> their men and vehicles are not allowed inside our tribal land. Let
> them restrict themselves inside INS Kardip", Ayesha added.
> The Chairperson Tribal Council of Nancowry has even lodged an FIR at
> the Police Station Kamorta regarding today's incident. It was later
> learnt that after around 5 hours of delay, the Ex. Officer allowed
> the helicopter to carry the two tribal passengers observing the fury
> among the members of the tribe.
>
>
>



--
Out and about..


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What a contribution it will be re infallibility in forbidding the propagation of
(t)error. I will await fishing and fishery and fishy info in this group also
hereafter.
Happy hunting in the new year 2009 fisherfolk. RAshokkumar

--- On Fri, 12/26/08, T Peter <peter.ksmtf@...> wrote:


From: T Peter <peter.ksmtf@...>
Subject: [andamanicobar] Fishermen, Kerala's coast guard
To: andamanicobar@...
Date: Friday, December 26, 2008, 7:19 PM






Fishermen, Kerala's coast guard
CITHARA PAUL
New Delhi, Dec. 25: The Kerala government has sought the assistance
of fishermen for surveillance along the Kerala coastline to prevent
Mumbai-style incursions from the sea.

The home and fisheries departments have jointly mooted a proposal to
collaborate with the fishing community, saying the "sons of the sea"
would be the best way to secure the 610km stretch along the Arabian
Sea.

According to the proposal, certain fishermen in each village will be
instructed to inform police of any suspicious activities in the sea
or on the coast. The police, along with the coast guard, the navy and
marine police, will act on the information. The selected fishermen
will be given basic physical training and provided walkie-talkies and
other communication equipment.

The plan has been placed before various fishermen organisations and
the modalities will be finalised at a meeting with them on Monday.

After the Mumbai attack, some fishermen in the city had complained
that they had alerted the police but no action was taken.

"The coastal border is as vital as the land border, if not more, and
alert fisherfolk could be of great assistance to the security forces.
Nobody knows the sea and its activities better than the fishermen,"
said home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The government plans to issue smart cards to fishermen for their
identification. It is also working on identification marks for boats
and canoes operating from the Kerala coast so that they can be easily
distinguished from other vessels. Registration of boats has already
been made compulsory in the state.

T. Peter, the national secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum,
said: "We are only too willing to co-operate with the security
agencies."
http://www.telegrap hindia.com/ 1081226/jsp/ nation/story_ 10303788. jsp

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


















[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Fishermen, Kerala's coast guard
CITHARA PAUL
New Delhi, Dec. 25: The Kerala government has sought the assistance
of fishermen for surveillance along the Kerala coastline to prevent
Mumbai-style incursions from the sea.

The home and fisheries departments have jointly mooted a proposal to
collaborate with the fishing community, saying the "sons of the sea"
would be the best way to secure the 610km stretch along the Arabian
Sea.

According to the proposal, certain fishermen in each village will be
instructed to inform police of any suspicious activities in the sea
or on the coast. The police, along with the coast guard, the navy and
marine police, will act on the information. The selected fishermen
will be given basic physical training and provided walkie-talkies and
other communication equipment.

The plan has been placed before various fishermen organisations and
the modalities will be finalised at a meeting with them on Monday.

After the Mumbai attack, some fishermen in the city had complained
that they had alerted the police but no action was taken.

"The coastal border is as vital as the land border, if not more, and
alert fisherfolk could be of great assistance to the security forces.
Nobody knows the sea and its activities better than the fishermen,"
said home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The government plans to issue smart cards to fishermen for their
identification. It is also working on identification marks for boats
and canoes operating from the Kerala coast so that they can be easily
distinguished from other vessels. Registration of boats has already
been made compulsory in the state.

T. Peter, the national secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum,
said: "We are only too willing to co-operate with the security
agencies."
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081226/jsp/nation/story_10303788.jsp


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Slaughter of a female dugong at Neil Island

“An adult female dugong that was sighted in the waters off Neil Island a few
days ago was found dead on beach No. 3 at Neil Island
this morning” reported Johann, a Dive Instructor at Neil Island. The portion
from stomach to tail fluke had been cut off and the
dorsal region had been slit open exposing the stomach and intestines. The flesh
around the eye area had been taken off. There were
apparent stab marks on the entire body, which makes the cause of death
clear—it was poached.

Last year, in December 2007, there was a similar incidence of a dugong killing
at Neil Island. Despite dugong being the State Animal
of the Andaman and Nicobar islands and consolidated efforts of the Forest
Department and research organisations dugong’s killings
still continues.

Dugongs are endangered marine mammals and are the only surviving species in the
Order Sirenia. They are referred to as “sea cows”
because of their diet that comprises sea-grass. Dugongs reach adult size between
9 and 17 years of age, and have a lifespan similar to
humans. They will be able to live their entire lifespan only if they are left
alone...Female Dugongs give birth underwater to a single
calf every three to seven years. Baby dugongs are about 100 to 120cm long and
weigh 20 to 30 kg. The calf stays with its mother,
drinking milk from her teats and following close by until 18-24 months of age,
and when the mother is killed it is cause for serious
concern.

It is high time that we do something about this, rather than leave the survival
of the dugong to fate and just watch it go extinct. What can we do to save this
elusive, innocent State Animal of the A & N island?



Vardhan
Reef Watch Marine Conservation




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Coast Guard Provides Distress Alert Transmitters To Local Fishermen

Port Blair, Dec 23: The fishermen of these isles can breathe easy and
feel much safer in case of any crises at sea, as they have been
provided with Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT), free of cost by
Coast Guard. At a function held at the Coast Guard Regional
Headquarters, the Chief Secretary Shri Vivek Rae, handed over twenty
two Distress Alert Transmitters to fishermen belonging to Port Blair
and South Andaman.
Earlier in may the Lt Governor, Lt General (Retd) Bhopinder Singh,
PVSM, AVSM, had handed three Distress Alert Transmitters to fishermen
belonging to South, Middle, North Andaman and Car Nicobar, for
trials. The trials were successful and subsequently twenty DATS were
distributed to fishermen of Diglipur North and Middle Andaman, during
the recently held Bharat Nirman camp at Diglipur. Nineteen Distress
Alert Transmitters are being distributed to fishermen of Campbell Bay
and Car Nicobar shortly.    The DAT has a battery and is fitted to
the fishing boat and, on activation, gives distress alerts which is
picked up by an INSAT satellite and relayed to the reception centre
at the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination (MRCC) at Port
Blair. Situations like medical emergency, fire on board, sinking or
capture of boats can be reported to authorities on shore for
immediate action.
These distress alert transmitters have been designed and developed
indigenously by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in
consultation with Indian Coast Guard. Speaking on the occasion the
Chief Secretary thanked the Indian Coast Guard for providing such an
important emergency alerting instrument to the fishermen, which
should be helpful to alert the Coast Guard during distress and help
save precious lives at sea. Assuring full support from the
administration the Chief Secretary told fishermen that the
administration is constantly striving to provide them with modern
gadgets.
He further emphasized the need for fishermen to be watch and ward for
coastal security and appealed to them to inform any untoward
situation/intrusion in our waters by fastest means possible to police
or Coast Guard. This, he said has become more relevant in view of the
prevailing security scenario in the country.

Andaman Chronicle, Dec. 24, 2008

This is a big insult to the tribals who have always cooperated with
the Indian Government: Ayesha Majid, Chairperson,
Tribal Council Nancowry

Kamorta, Dec. 23: The tribal passengers of Pawan Hans Helicopter
Service along with the Station House Officer, PS Kamorta were today
driven away from INS  Kardip, a Naval Base at Kamorta Island at
gunpoint. The passengers and their relatives were made to stand
outside the main gate of INS Kardip for hours together at gunpoint by
six gunmen deployed by the Ex. Officer INS Kardip A.K. Bhupati.
Seeing the fully armed gunmen, one of the tribal lady had even
fainted on the spot.
"This is a big insult to the tribals who have always cooperated with
the Indian Government", said Mrs. Ayesha Majid, Chairperson, Tribal
Council Nancowry in an exclusive interview with Andaman Chronicle.
This is not the first time, the defense walas in INS Kardip behaved
in an insulting manner with the tribals, she said.
The incident happened today at 8.30 in the morning when two tribal
passengers availing Pawanhans reached the guardroom inside INS Kardip
to board the flight.  But to their surprise, instead of taking them
to the waiting room near the helipad, the passengers were pushed away
by six gunmen who were deployed by the Ex Officer of Kardip.
As the helicopter landed at Kardip, the Assistant Commissioner
Nancowry Mr. Mohd and his daughter who had come in the helicopter
were forcefully taken to the guest room inside INS Kardip. At the
guest room, the Assistant Commissioner was contacted by the Ex.
Officer who demanded to allow two of his men to travel by rejecting
the tribal passengers.
One of the tribal passengers Master Reyhaan Pasha is 8 year old and
had to travel to Port Blair for medical checkup while the second
passenger Miss Rubina Yousuf is a MBBS student of Lady Harding
College at New Delhi and had to return immediately to join the
college after vacation.
Since tickets were already allotted to the tribals, the Assistant
Commissioner told the Ex. Officer that he will have to check the
feasibility with his office. It was only then the Assistant
Commissioner was then allowed to go outside INS Kardip.
Later it was learnt that the Ex. Officer AK Bhupathi had submitted an
undated requisition for tickets, while the procedure is to submit a
written request in advance mentioning the date of travel.  Inspite of
his out of turn application, to cooperate with the defense personnel,
the Assistant Commissioner's office had made arrangement for one
ticket but this was not acceptable to the Ex. Officer.
"If the Kardip people have special rules not to allow tribals to
enter inside INS Kardip, they should have intimated us in advance",
Ayesha said.
"It was just few days ago this Ex. Officer of Kardip with his armed
men tried to stop the ongoing work of a tribal community hall. They
told us, there should not be any construction within 100 meters from
the compound of Kardip. I would like to ask one question from the
Defense walas; what were they doing when the foundation of the
community hall was laid. Now when the construction is about to
finish, they want to destroy the building, which is meant for the
entire community", the Chairperson Tribal Council said.
"It pains us when they cut our trees wherever they wish, without even
consulting the Tribals. We do not interfere in their matter believing
that it is done for the country's protection. Now when these people
have come out and started insulting us, we will also see to it that
their men and vehicles are not allowed inside our tribal land. Let
them restrict themselves inside INS Kardip", Ayesha added.
The Chairperson Tribal Council of Nancowry has even lodged an FIR at
the Police Station Kamorta regarding today's incident. It was later
learnt that after around 5 hours of delay, the Ex. Officer allowed
the helicopter to carry the two tribal passengers observing the fury
among the members of the tribe.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  SURVIVAL NAMES 2008’S TOP FIVE TRIBAL STORIES
Date:  Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:43:36 +0530
From:  Darryl D'Monte <darryldmonte@...>
To:  ifej@..., "zadie@..." <zadie@...>
References:  <728167.58499.qm@...>




      SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE

      22 December 2008

      SURVIVAL NAMES 2008'S TOP FIVE TRIBAL STORIES


      The biggest tribal news story of 2008 was the publication of photos
of an
      uncontacted tribe on the Brazil-Peru border, says Survival
International.

      The photos made headlines all around the world and even prompted
false claims

      they were a hoax. They were published to draw attention to the
illegal logging
      forcing uncontacted Indians to flee from Peru into Brazil ? making them
      possibly the world's first 'uncontacted refugees' (see
      http://www.survival-international.org/news/3340).


      2008's other top tribal stories:

      ? Plans to build a series of massive hydroelectric dams flooding Penan
      villages in Malaysia are leaked via the internet (see
      http://www.survival-international.org/news/3450).


      ? Satellite photos expose Brazilian company Yaguarete Pora illegally
      bulldozing forest in Paraguay in one of the remotest corners of the
planet ?
      the last refuge of uncontacted Ayoreo-Totobiegosode Indians (see

      http://www.survival-international.org/news/3833).

      ? Diamond company Gem Diamonds pushes ahead with plans for a
massive diamond

      mine in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, from where the traditional
owners, the
      Bushmen, have been evicted. Gem Diamonds gains approval from the
government on
      condition they do not provide Bushmen with water. The water may,
however, be

      used for wildlife (see
http://www.survival-international.org/news/4007).

      ? Hundreds of remote Indian tribesmen, the Dongria Kondh, dance in
protest

      against plans by mining company Vedanta to destroy their sacred
mountain for
      bauxite. The Dongria, armed with traditional weapons, sing and
dance their way
      through the state capital in Orissa (see
      http://www.survival-international.org/news/3844).


      Survival's director, Stephen Corry, said today, 'For centuries the
      treatment of tribal peoples was a hidden genocide. Finally, it's
beginning
      to be covered by the mainstream press. This will eventually create the

      groundswell of public opinion needed for these crimes to be
stopped. The world
      is waking up, but there's still a long road ahead before tribes
stop being
      seen as backward primitives, waiting for the so-called 'progress' which

      usually destroys them.'

      ?ENDS?

      For more information please contact Miriam Ross at Survival
International on
      (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or (+44) (0)7504 543 367 or email
      mr@... <mailto:mr@...>


      To read this press release online visit
      http://www.survival-international.org/news/4047

      To unsubscribe from this list, visit

http://survival-international.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=b14580b05b832fb959c4\
ee444&id=2896625f88&e=oNbRSUXrlo&c=dec2f458f7
<http://survival-international.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=b14580b05b832fb959c\
4ee444&id=2896625f88&e=oNbRSUXrlo&c=dec2f458f7>

      --

      We help tribal peoples defend their lives, protect their lands and
determine
      their own futures.

      Survival International
      6 Charterhouse Buildings
      London EC1M 7ET
      UK

      Tel: (+44) (0)20 7687 8700

      Fax: (+44) (0)20 7687 8701
      www.survival-international.org <http://www.survival-international.org>



---
Darryl D'Monte
Chairperson, Forum of Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI)
International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ)
Kinara, 29-B Carter Road, Bandra West,
Mumbai 400 050, India
Tel 91 22 2642 7088, 2645 9286
Cell: 98203 68872
Fax c/o 91 22 2645 8870
E-mail: darryldmonte@... <mailto:darryldmonte@...>

--

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C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
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Email: psekhsaria@...

Suggestions invited for drafting new tourism policy
A&N Admin, Press Release, December 24, 2008
http://www.and.nic.in/press/pwednesday.htm


     The Tourism policy for A&N Islands is under finalization. The
proposed tourism policy covers almost all important strategies for
promoting this island as an eco-friendly tourist destination in the
world map besides generating local employment and revenue. In this
connection the Department of Tourism, A & N Administration is seeking
valuable suggestions from the concerned agencies /authorities/
organizations who are directly or indirectly involved with this industry
so that the same could be incorporated in the proposed Tourism Policy
before finalization of the same. Draft tourism policy is available on
the official website of the Administration www.andaman.nic.in.

     The last date of receipt of suggestions have been extended. Any
suggestions /views should reach to this office on or before 20/1/2009
addressed to the Director (Tourism) A&N Administration, Directorate of
IP&T or mail it to our official email-id Andaman_tourism@....
--

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C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

From:  Madhu Sarin <msarin@...>


   	   <http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=45917>
**Friday, December 19, 2008**
**
	 **Ministry of Tribal Affairs**  ****




**
Primitive Tribes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
	 *15:13 IST *

*Lok Sabha*

The Ministry has been implementing a 100% Central Sector Scheme viz.
?Development of Primitive Tribal Groups? for over all development of
Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). It is a very flexible scheme. Any
activity/work, which is connected with the survival, protection and
development of PTGs, can be taken up under the scheme. The
activities/works may include provisions for housing, land distribution,
land development, agricultural development, cattle development, income
generation programmes, health-care, infrastructure development, social
security, etc.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Dr.
Rameshwar Oraon in a reply to a question by Shri Pratik P. Patil in Lok
Sabha today. He further stated that during 10th Five Year Plan, an
amount of Rs.105.03 crores has been released on the basis of annual
activities proposed by various States/UT. This includes Rs.20.48 crores
released for insurance coverage of 4.09 lakhs heads of PTG families
under Janashree Bima Yojana of Life Insurance Corporation of India.
Further, from the 11th Five Year Plan, the Ministry has started funding
long-term Conservation-cum-Development (CCD) Plan for the entire Plan
period, aiming at hamlet/habitat development of PTGs, prepared by each
State/UT on the basis of need assessed through baseline surveys or other
surveys conducted by them. Rs.57.86 crores & Rs.128.63 crores have been
released to States/UT and NGOs during 2007-08 & 2008-09 (as on
15.12.2008), respectively under these CCD Plans.

There are 75 identified Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) in the country
and their State-wise population as available in the Ministry is given in
Annexure.

Click here for :-Annexure
<http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2008/Dec/r2008121914.pdf>

*NCJ/DT *



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Four years after tsunami, hunt for missing children continues
23 Dec 2008, 0013 hrs IST, B Aravind Kumar, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/4_yrs_after_tsunami_hunt_on_for_two_ki\
ds/articleshow/3882143.cms

CHENNAI: "I want to see her at least once,'' says Sergeant Ravi Shankar
of the Indian Air Force, breaking down. The sergeant, posted in New
Delhi, is visiting Chennai in the hope that he may finally be reunited
with his daughter Apurva Kumari who, if alive, would be 12 years old today.

Accompanied by his friend M Venkataraman, Shankar has been to several
temples across the country, showing his daughter's photos to strangers
in the desperate hope that someone would help him track her.
Venkataraman too is searching for his son Arvind Srinivasan, who would
be a teenager now.

It is the eve of the fourth anniversary of the tsunami that killed
1,20,000 along the coastlines of 12 countries in south east Asia. In
India, the toll was estimated at 10,805 dead and over 5,640 missing, of
which children constituted a large percentage. Many like Apurva and
Arvind remain untraced. In their case, their fathers are certain that
the children, after being separated from the families, made it to a
tsunami relief camp, from where they were abducted.

The two children went missing when tsunami waves crashed into the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, sweeping away hundreds with their force.
Ravi Shankar and Venkataraman, both sergeants, had been posted at the
Air Force Station, Car Nicobar Islands. Apurva was eight years old and
Arvind 12 years when the tidal waves hit the islands on December 26,
2004, submerging most of them under water.

Both men say they were able to hold on to a tree branch and float to
safety. Ravi Shankar's wife clung to her one-year-old baby boy and
managed to reach dry ground. But the baby had swallowed too much sea
water and died in her arms. Their daughter was missing. As for the
Venkataramans, he managed to drag his wife out from a mass of dead
bodies floating in the water and save her. His daughter, 13, too managed
to swim to safety, but his son was not to be found.

When the sergeants, who were transferred to the Air Force Station at
Tambaram in the aftermath of tsunami, went back to Port Blair a few
months later, they showed photographs of their missing children to
relief workers. Some of them said they had seen children who resembled
Arvind and Apurva in the camps. "At least three women said they had seen
my daughter," recalled Ravi Shankar. But there were no further leads to
go by; the crestfallen father had to return to work.

As for Venkataraman, he had read a report that orphans from Andaman and
Nicobar Islands were sent to Kolkata. Sensing hope, the sergeant and his
in-laws visited orphanages in the city, carrying photos of Arvind. The
register of orphans in one of the camps run by the Nirmala School, a
welfare institution in Port Blair, even mentioned a boy named Arvind.

"One of the pastors serving with a missionary in Kolkata said he had
seen the boy in the camp in Port Blair. We flew to Port Blair. The
authorities in the camp had apparently sent my son with two men, who
claimed they were his uncles, but had no identity or even an address,"
said a shocked Venkataraman.

Last year, Sivakami, a friend of his sister-in-law, who left Andaman
after the tsunami disaster to settle in Tamil Nadu, recalled meeting
Arvind in one of the relief camps, and in fact, had spotted "the
accompanying uncle'' as well. Venkataraman took her to a police station
in Puducherry, where his in-laws reside, and got the sketch of the
"uncle'' using computer generated graphics. He went back to Port Blair
with the picture, but in vain. "A complaint of kidnap has been filed but
Andaman police slept on it," he said. After he petitioned the President,
Prime Minister and home minister, the police made a few enquiries but
the boy was nowhere to be found.

With the governments and police force unwilling to part with information
on the investigation and unable to help, the frustrated fathers are now
visiting temples and astrologers keeping their fingers tightly crossed
and with undying hope in their heart. "A keen study of videos shot at
the relief camps in Port Blair could open a door or two,'' pointed out
Venkataraman. But they were denied the tapes.

(Ravi Shankar can be contacted at 098687-63263 (New Delhi) and
Venkataraman at 097107-45190 (Chennai) for any information on their
children.)

arvind.kumar4@...

--

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All set for a grand opening of ITF

LG to inaugurate the mega event today

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, Dec 23
Staff Reporter

Port Blair, Dec 22

     All arrangements are complete to host the mega event - the Island
Tourism Festival (ITF) 2008-09 at the popular ITF ground on the VIP
road. The 15- day cultural extravaganza will be inaugurated by the Lt.
Governor, Lt. General (Retd.) Bhopinder Singh, PVSM, AVSM at the
Exhibition Ground, VIP Road at 1830 hrs tomorrow.  The Member of
Parliament, Shri Manoranjan Bhakta will be the guest of honor in the
inaugural function while it will be presided over by the Chief
Secretary, Shri Vivek Rae. A cultural pageantry will form part of the
inaugural ceremony.

       Various departments functioning under the Administration have put
up their stalls to showcase different developmental activities of the
Administration in various fields.  Cultural programmes by EZCC and SZCC,
Song and Drama Division alongwith local artistes will be the other
attraction during the festival. Besides, the main venue of the Island
Tourism Festival, cultural programs will also be presented by artistes
from SZCC & EZCC and Song and Drama Division in three different venues
i.e Dr. BR Ambedkar auditorium, Amphitheatre, Anarkali and Bhatubasti
School Ground. Cultural programs will also be presented in outlying
areas to enable the residents of the area to enjoy the rich cultural
heritage of our country.

       Meanwhile, the stall occupants are busy giving final touches to
the interior decorations. Besides the govt., a good number of private
stalls and stalls of eateries have also come up in the second and third
circle respectively. The town virtually wears a festive look as part of
the ITF celebrations with the roads leading to the ITF ground having
been illuminated brightly to add grandeur to the festival.
--

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Exploration of fisheries and petroleum resources : Govt. of India Press
Release
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=46080

LOK SABHA

The government has conducted survey in the territorial waters of the
country and in the continental shelf area for the exploration of
resources pertaining to Fisheries, Petroleum and Natural Gas and
Mineral. The details are as follows:

(i) Fisheries:

The exploratory surveys were carried out by the Fishery Survey of India
(FSI) for survey and assessment of marine fishery resources in inshore
and offshore waters along the east and west coasts, including Andaman
and Nicobar islands waters.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean and Information Services (INCOIS),
an institute under Ministry of Earth Sciences provides reliable and
timely potential fishing zone (PFZ) advisories to the fishing community
in coastal and island of India thrice a week. This has resulted into
substantial reduction of the search time thus, saving diesel as well as
increase of fish catch.

(ii) Petroleum and Natural Gas:

The Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) and
Director General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) have carried out detailed seismic
surveys in the Indian EEZ including the territorial sea and the
continental shelf for harnessing the hydrocarbon resources.

The estimated offshore crude oil and natural gas reserves as on 2007 are
368 million tonnes and 785 billion cubic meters respectively. Out of the
34.11 million tonnes of crude oil production (provisional) and 32.27
billion cubic meters of natural gas production (provisional) during
2007-08, the production form offshore areas are 22.90 million tonnes of
crude oil and 23.19 billion cubic meters of natural gas respectively.

(iii) Mineral Resources:

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has carried out seabed survey
within the EEZ of India including the territorial sea and the
continental shelf for non-living resources and investigation related to
the earth science. During the course of survey, GSI have delineated
economic heavy mineral sands comprising of ilmenite, rutile, zircon,
sillimanite, monazite and garnet within the territorial waters,
continental shelf and beyond, within the EEZ of India.

This information was given by Union Minister for Science & Technology
and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal in a written reply to a question by
Shri Ajit Jogi in the Lok Sabha today.

**********
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There is still no report on what that liquid was that the Onge drank. It has to
be a common liquid, nothing exotic, or it wouldn't have been found washed up on
the beach, as was claimed. How can it take so long to do the analysis? Is there
a connection between the illicit liquor seized in Hut Bay and the Onge deaths?

I too am pleased that Suresh has been released, I always believed him to be
innocent. It's clear that the CBI never had a coherent case, or even a motive.
They told Andaman papers that Suresh had been involved in some ship-breaking
scam and that Vasantha had threatened to report him. And they told a reporter
from a Bengali-language newspaper in Calcutta that he had been sending
prostitutes to senior military and administration officers, videotaping them and
blackmailing them, and that Vasantha had wanted a cut. The piece placed in the
Calcutta newspaper maligned not only Suresh but also the dead, describing
Vasantha as a loose woman with many lovers, among whom Suresh was supposedly
one. It was placed the day before Suresh's bail hearing, in an apparent effort
to influence the outcome. It worked; he did not get bail. He has been in prison
for almost two years without bail, but at least he is free now, which is more
than can be said for many, many others who are equally innocent.

I never met Vasantha, I wish I had. She seems to have been a woman of courage
and conviction, who was trying to help the Arakan freedom fighters who are still
on trial, and who need all the friends they can get. Her murder remains
unsolved.

Madhusree

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]