Re: [Assam] Wahid Saleh - From the Sentinel

[umesh sharma]

Waled-da,
   
  Congratulations. Good to know of your interest in 
   
  *** His recent visit to his home state also saw him promising aid from his own
pocket in setting up fisheries for the Prajnalaya in Titabar in Jorhat
district and help to the Parijat Academy at Pamohi, Guwahati.
The former is a school with more than 180 students – some orphans and the
rest coming from families whose pecuniary condition does not allow them a
proper education. Parijat Academy too is a school for the underprivileged
which covers seven tribal villages. "It was begun by Uttam who paid the
village carpenter Rs 800 to make a pair of desks and benches for students
from money he saved by giving tuitions to students outside the village," Mr
Saleh said. Its URL is www.parijatacademy.org.

  Umesh

Shantikam Hazarika <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
  Dear Mr. Saleh:
heartiest felicitations on your feature in the Melange, the Sunday issue from 
Sentinel. It was also very well written.
Regards.
Shantikam hazarika


  _
   
WAHID SALEH
Reaching Out 






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Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html


















http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
   
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[Assam] CNN: Run for Education -chase life : Marathon Blog @ ASHA DC

[umesh sharma]

http://rameshjayakurup.spaces.live.com/  blog of marathon trainer for ASHA for 
Education DC
   
  http://www.ashanet.org/dc/marathon/index.php?page=coaches 
  http://www.ashanet.org/dc/marathon/index.php?page=home
  I wont be joining since I work six days a week (travelling more than a 
marathon distance each way to work). But maybe will participate in the real one 
. I am motivated by my Harvard student loan sponsor Dr K. of LA who has run 
more than 5 marathons in past 3 years.
   
  http://www.lopersclub.org/races/lv05lopr.htm
   
  This Health groups was mentioned in 
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/chasing.life/ special report on Chasing Life 
-since Seventh Day adventists who set up Loma Linda city are health conscious 
and don't smoke or drink (alcohol). I ran 5 and half miles on my first morning 
in USA from their Univ  
http://www.kdesis.com/doctors/Geriatrics/CA/Fontana/Kamal-Kejriwal-CA-Fontana-Geriatrics.php
 
   
   
  Umesh


Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html


















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[Assam] Another picture of NE

[debajit das]

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/apr/23isi.htm

_
Mortgage rates near historic lows. Refinance $200,000 loan for as low as 
$771/month* 
https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035&url=%2fst.jsp&tm=y&search=mortgage_text_links_88_h27f8&disc=y&vers=689&s=4056&p=5117


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[Assam] ISI fomenting trouble in India's north-east: US intelligence-Rediff News

[NayanJyoti Sarma]

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/apr/23isi.htm

ISI fomenting trouble in India's north-east: US intelligence

April 23, 2007 11:17 IST


Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence is working with Bangladesh's intelligence 
agencies to facilitate cooperation between north-east militant groups like 
United Liberation Front of Asom and other jihadi outfits in South Asian 
regions, besides Tamil rebels in Lanka, US intelligence service Startfor has 
said. 
In its latest forecast titled 'India: The Islamisation of the Northeast', it 
observes that there is a growing Islamisation in the region -- spurred by ISI, 
and instability in neighbouring Bangladesh which is giving foreign powers 
(China and Pakistan) a gamut of exploitable secessionist movements to use to 
prevent India from emerging as a major global player. 
Stratfor says there exists a strong nexus between ISI and Bangladesh's 
intelligence agencies. 
There are growing indications, says the report, that these two agencies are 
working clandestinely in Bangladesh to bring all the north-east-based insurgent 
outfits and jihadi elements under one umbrella. 
"The ISI has facilitated cooperation between ULFA and other north-eastern 
militant outfits; with the LTTE in Sri Lanka, Islamist militant groups in Jammu 
and Kashmir, Islamist groups in Bangladesh and a growing number of Al 
Qaeda-linked jihadi groups operating in the region," it adds. 
"ULFA's growing links with Bangladeshi Islamists and jihadi elements in the 
area are increasingly coming to light," the report claims. 
The April 9 attack timed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Assam 
marked the group's first-ever suicide bombing, a tactic that was pioneered by 
the Tigers and has been frequently employed by Islamist militants.
ULFA's adoption of suicide bombing, Stratfor says, looks to be the result of 
the group's increased Islamisation caused by collusion with Islamist outfits in 
the region. 
The bomber in the April 9 suicide attack was Ainul Ali, a Muslim. Citing Indian 
security sources, the report says ULFA did not have many Muslim cadres in its 
fold in the past, but the increasing flow of Bangladeshi refugees across the 
border has given the group more -- and more capable -- members willing to 
sacrifice their lives for the group's cause with nudging from the ISI, 
Pakistan's premier intelligence agency. 
Political conditions in Bangladesh, observes the report, appear to be 
indirectly contributing to the empowerment of Islamists there. 
Using the Pakistani military regime as an example, Bangladeshi Army chief Lt 
Gen Moeen U Ahmed is reasserting the army's role in Bangladeshi politics -- 
which have long suffered from a bitter political feud between Awami League, led 
by Sheikh Hasina, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Begum Khaleda 
Zia, it said. 
With both party leaders driven into exile, a political vacuum has started to 
take root in the country, and Bangladesh's Islamist parties are anxiously 
waiting to fill it, the report adds. 
As a result, it forecasts, New Delhi is facing a "bleak situation" in which the 
ISI's manoeuvres and Bangladesh's political troubles are sure to further 
constrain India's ability to dig itself out of the militant trap Pakistan has 
set for India with the help of Bangladesh. 
It quoted one informed Bangladesh observer as saying there does exist 
meaningful cooperation between ISI and Bangladesh's intelligence agencies in 
their combined fight against terrorism, at the nudging of the West, but their 
joint efforts to trap India may just be a collateral strategic gain.



   
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[Assam] Political change is in the air - Arun Nehru

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Political change is in the air   Arun Nehru   Change is in the air as the 
UPA is demolished in four elections (Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab and Uttarakhand). It 
will achieve little in Uttar Pradesh and faces defeat in the next three 
elections in Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The big loser is the Congress 
in all four elections held so far, and the biggest winner is the BJP-Akali Dal. 
  Clearly, the Congress is under pressure both from the NDA, and its allies 
within the UPA. The next three elections in Goa, Himachal and Gujarat are 
crucial, and if the Congress loses all three to the BJP then future moves 
cannot be avoided. Goa is no longer a political fight and governments come and 
go on commercial factors, and the Congress chief minister will have much to 
answer for the business interests of his immediate family. 
   
  Public opinion forced the Congress to withdraw the development plans for the 
state. Himachal will be an anti incumbency vote against the Congress, while in 
Gujarat, despite all the attacks from "secular" enthusiasts, Narendra Modi runs 
the best state government and is set to win a record third term. 
   
  It is time to discuss tactics. Many feel (even the BJP felt the same way in 
the NDA) that the UPA government’s dream team will deliver economic returns 
(the economy booms at 8 per cent plus), which will motivate voter moods. But 
this is not the ground reality, as reforms are taken for granted, and any new 
government, irrespective of its ideology, will accelerate the process of 
reforms. West Bengal is a classic example of this reality.   The economic 
reforms, after the efforts of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and his finance 
minister Manmohan Singh in 1991, were introduced despite huge opposition from 
the Congress party itself. And we saw the formation of the Congress (T) and all 
the leaders — Arjun Singh, Sheila Dikshit, Natwar Singh — lost their deposits. 
The reform process has seen a drop in poverty levels and the "level" of poverty 
has changed, but sadly, while the middle class at all levels has grown, the 
disparity still exists and the "have not" category still has
 a huge majority at the ballot.   Sadly, the politics of caste, religion and 
political cadres (at Nandigram, for example) has ensured that the fruits of 
development are not balanced and fair. Electoral success is not guaranteed by 
any one factor, and even the best of performers have lost elections and the 
only certainty in politics is that nothing lasts forever and change is 
inevitable. Things can change, but as things stand, the UPA, the NDA and the 
Third Front will all be viable options.   The results in Uttar Pradesh and 
Gujarat will really determine who is leading the pack, as numbers, rather than 
ideology, will determine future alliances. In addition to all external factors, 
future alliance in marginal states will determine the end result. A very good 
example is Maharashtra (second largest after UP with 48 Lok Sabha seats) where 
the "honours" were divided between the Congress-NCP and the BJP-Shiv Sena in 
2004. Much has happened since then, as the NCP gets more seats
 than the Congress and dominates the government.   The Congress engineers 
defections in the Shiv Sena and inducts Narayan Rane. The Shiv Sena splits with 
the talented Raj Thackeray parting ways with cousin Uddhav. Clearly, the BJP 
and the Shiv Sena were on the defensive, with things becoming worse with the 
murder of Pramod Mahajan. Sharad Pawar was clearly on the rise. But in a few 
short months the picture has reversed with the Congress-NCP losing the Mumbai 
corporation elections. Raj Thackeray got only a handful of seats and the Shiv 
Sena and the BJP were back in the picture.   The Congress follows a policy of 
minority appeasement and caste reservations, and the trend in Mumbai elections 
were followed in the Lok Sabha byelections where the Shiv Sena and BJP won two 
out of three seats. The field is wide open and a new alliance can swing the 
numbers rather dramatically. Sharad Pawar can be a very major player in the 
future as he can fit the NCP into any alliance group. Every
 state will have to work out a similar exercise for the future and no one can 
take anything for granted.   As for the elections in Uttar Pradesh, I think 
that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is marginally ahead of the Samajwadi Party 
(SP), and the majority view based on anti-incumbency trends is that the BSP 
will get 130-140 seats, while the SP will get 100-110 seats and that the BJP is 
inching towards 90-100 seats. All parties make pre-poll agreements, but 
everything is subject to numbers. I think, the BSP, if it wins, will surprise 
everyone.   Read more hard-hitting columns   Sheer logic indicates that the BSP 
and the BJP will have an alliance, and it makes little difference whether 
individual leaders are in favour of this arrangement. The SP has a charismatic 
leader in Mulayam Singh Yadav, but anti-incumbency trends are not 

[Assam] Scribe look deeper if you care, you might find not only the local administration, but also the Centre and the Indian Army is covertly letting the drug habit flourish in par with the alcohol tr

[Bartta Bistar]

*Drug addicts sell kidneys in Assam***



*Quote*

*"** We can't live without drugs. I don't have any money so I sold my
kidneys to a man in Sibsagar. I sold it for Rs 40,000 and I got Rs 55,000.
What do we do, we have become dependent.** "*

- Manish and Utpal, drug addicts













Kishalay Bhattacharjee

Saturday, April 21, 2007 (Dibrugarh)

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070009411

No more the preserve of the rich in metros, drugs have proliferated even
small towns in India.

An NDTV investigation finds that druglords operate openly in Upper Assam's
Dibrugarh town, while addicts are selling kidneys to buy the next fix.

Amrita is one of many in Dibrugarh caught in a web that she's not strong
enough to break out of.

''I don't know the supplier's name but I have been doing this for ten years.
I can't leave, I manage the money somehow. I take powder, buy for Rs 70 in a
day, twice or thrice. I do wrong things to make money. There are 10-15 girls
with me mostly from well-to-do families. I can't kick the habit,'' said
Amrita, an addict.

Her desperation has led her into prostitution. Others have also sold their
kidneys. And yet others sell blood to feed their addiction.

''We can't live without drugs. I don't have any money so I sold my kidneys
to a man in Sibsagar. I sold it for Rs 40,000 and I got Rs 55,000. What do
we do, we have become dependent,'' said Manish and Utpal, drug addicts.

The trade is run by people who know just what lengths their customers will
go to. Panchali, a slum in Dibrugarh is full of such peddlers.

Yet another addict is a 12-year-old boy, who is almost defiant as most of
his friends. He openly snorts dendrite, a deadly drug popular with almost
300 children.

''We get a high. We saw others taking it so we learnt the habit. We are
30-35 children. We were taught. Now we can't leave. We need Rs 25-30 a day
to support the habit. I earn Rs 50 a day,'' said child drug addict.

But actually, the boy is a petty thief released from a police lock-up the
day before. Rajubhai is one of the rare ones who have managed to kick the
habit. He's now trying to convince the others.

He took the NDTV team on a tour of Dibrugarh's underbelly - the Kalibari
Path, a road that leads to a neighbourhood of petty traders in shanties.
It's from this shanty that peddler Ilahi Sheikh runs his ever-widening
empire of brown sugar.

Dibrugarh is one of the oldest hub of drugs of all kinds. It started in late
seveties, early eighties but what's alarming is the easy availability of
drugs right in the hearty of the town. For Rs 500 one can buy a gram of
drugs.

''Here it's brown sugar and all class of people do drugs here. They source
drugs mainly though students of Assam Medical College and it's available
like a commodity in a ration shop. The cost is Rs 500 for one gm.

Though smaller measures are available for Rs 70 and Rs 30, the supply is
mainly done by Ilahi Sheikh. The government knows about the whole trade. The
police raids occasionally. I used to take brown sugar directly from Ilahi. I
did drugs for 13 years. The drugs come from Jorhat, Dimapur and Uttar
Pradesh. Ilahi gets them from Dimpur,'' said Rajubhai, former drug addict.

Surprisingly anyone arrested there under the anti-narcotic act is out on
bail almost the next day, even though carrying commercial quantities of
narcotic substances is a non-bailable offence in other parts of the country.

''Only in NE, NDPS cases get bail, other places they don't get bail. They
have arrested Ilahi many times but he gets bail from court always. Among
central agencies we have little manpower unless we work together we can't
control this menace.

In 70s there was a kingpin called Baccha Khan who was dealing with opium.
For Upper Assam, Dibrugarh is the main centre for distribution of drugs. In
Dibrugarh there are many addicts from dedrite to opium,'' said M Sarania,
Superindentent Central Bureau of Narcotics.

Maybe it's time the administration woke up from its stupor and saw through
the haze in these areas.
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[Assam] How India dares to apply backdoor Emergency provisions contained in the AFSPA in Zangnan(NEFA as the British called it)? Can China allow Indian brutalities to be inflicted on the inhabitants o

[Bartta Bistar]

Entire Arunachal under AFSPA? MUKESH RANJAN
Posted online: Monday,
April 23, 2007

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=161965at 0137
hours IST

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*NEW DELHI, APR 22:  *Notwithstanding opposition from several quarters to
deny greater powers to armed forces in troubled areas, the Centre, in
consultation with Arunachal Pradesh, is considering a proposal to declare
the entire state a disturbed area and bring it under the purview of the
Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The Act is currently imposed only
in two districts that border Assam.

Those who want to extend its ambit to the entire state argue that the
counteroffensive against the ULFA after a recent spurt in its activities has
forced the extremists to retreat to Arunachal Pradesh. Home ministry
officials claim, after the AFSPA was implemented in Meghalaya, extremists
find Arunachal a safe haven.



At present, the AFSPA is in force in Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur,
Assam and parts of Tripura and Arunachal.

"The state government is finding it difficult to deal with extremist groups
without the army's help. So, the need is being felt to urge the Union
government to declare Arunachal a disturbed state under AFSPA. A proposal to
this effect will soon be sent to the home ministry for consideration," the
official said.

There has, however, been strong opposition to imposition of AFSPA by human
rights activists and political parties, especially those in the opposition.
A review of the AFSPA in Jammu & Kashmir is one of the key issues raised by
the PDP, which recently threatened to pull out of the coalition government
in the state.

• Armed Forces Special Powers Act is at present, in force in J&K, Nagaland,
Manipur, Assam & parts of Tripura, Arunachal
• The Act is currently imposed only in two districts of Arunachal Pradesh
that border Assam
• A proposal to declare Arunachal a disturbed state under AFSPA will soon be
sent to the home ministry for consideration





x

One can visit the following link to get orientation on the location of
Zangnan.

http://www.cng.com.cn/BBS/uploadImages/2003821145096912.jpg


For information on AFSPA the following link is recommended:

http://www.hrdc.net/sahrdc/resources/armed_forces.htm
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