http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070025128
AIDS funds become militants' cash cow Last week an unnamed militant group in Manipur issued threats to the Manipur AIDS Control Society (MACS) saying that the organisation will come to serious harm if it releases any funds to NGOs working with HIV+ patients. They charged the NGOs of misusing the funds. To make sure the message was heard loud and clear the militants delivered a grenade to director T R Kom's house. ''Since there is some external pressure on us, we cannot release the funds. The external forces tell us that you should not release the funds. And if you do so without our permission, without our consent, then you'll be in trouble,'' said T R Kom, Director, Manipur AIDS Control Society. This is not the first threat. In July, armed militants had opened fire outside the house of the previous director to scare him as a result he resigned. Real reason But when AIDS activists are asked if the militant's claim of AIDS funds being misused is true then a new story emerges. Given the dangers, no one is willing to give any answers on camera. But off camera they tell the real reason. At present there are about 50 NGOs working under Manipur AIDS Control Society and Manipur has the highest percentage of HIV+ people in the country. So their work is to reach out to the state's 27,000 patients most of them dependent on government funds for treatment. The plight of Manipur is so big in the map of AIDS activism that the state receives huge funds from the world over, including grants from the Bill Gates Foundation. And this is where the militants come in. They have realised that there is huge money in AIDS and started demanding big haftas or bribes without which they don't let NGOs do any groundwork. Pressure tactic Now some militant groups want more money. So they are threatening the Manipur AIDS Control Society as a pressure tactic. ''You know these are life and death problems. What they actually want right now is to increase their percentage from the things they have already received from the MACS,'' said an NGO worker. Just last month the militants had shut down all drug supplies in the state because the pharma traders and shopkeepers had refused to pay up Rs 1 crore extortion money. And Manipur had slipped into a medical emergency. Only recently the supplies resumed after insiders say money was finally paid up. Threats like these have become so common that this recent one to the AIDS control Society only meets with a response of resignation. ''I am telling you, truly speaking, any state, wherever in India it may be, everyone is working under pressure. It's a normal phenomenon,'' said S Manikanta, Deputy Director, Manipur AIDS Control Society. Hope the huge amount of cash flowing into militants' hands is stopped at the earliest. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
