The present imbroglio on the Chakma-Hajong Rights issue is a reflection of monumental failure and mismanagement by the government. Civil organizations urge restoration of all rights to vulnerable Chakmas and Hajongs without further delay as 90 per cent of them are already citizens by birth and hence the restoration of Citizenship Rights is out of question.
Right Cause, an organization working for the marginalized and vulnerable tribal groups is concerned with the continuing denial and deprivation of legitimate democratic rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh.
The issue of citizenship in Arunachal Pradesh is a fall out of the anti-foreigner agitation in Assam and is politically motivated. Citizenship has been already granted implicitly to them when the Government rehabilitated them and allotted 5 acres of land per family in the1960s. The issue has been unnecessarily politicized and has become like the proverbial goose that lays golden eggs at the cost of vulnerable Chakma and Hajong tribal population. The population of 47, 471 (as per 2011 Census) has been blown out of proportion to 1 lakh in order to create fear and xenophobia in the state claims Mahendra Chakma, President, Right Cause.
According to him, the present problem is also a result of misidentification of Tibetan refugees who have not accepted India Citizenship and decided to go back once Tibet is free and Chakma and Hajong refugees who have come with the intent of making India their permanent home as they are anyway persons of Indian origin. Blanket labeling of refugees under one bucket and failure to recognize this distinction has led to the present crisis. The Chakmarefugees who came in 1986 and were camped in Indo-Bangladesh borders in Tripura and repatriated in 1997 are different and not to be confused with that of Chakma and Hajong refugees who are permanently rehabilitated in the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) formerly the North East Frontier Tracts.
Chakma during a press meet Saturday, demanded immediate restoration of all rights like public employment banned in 1980, issue of ration card in 1991, and reinstate the Gaon Burah/Panchayati Raj institution which was canceled in 1984.
“We at Right Cause also urge all stakeholders and political leaders not to politicize the issue further and work together towards a permanent solution to the problem. It is sad to see that the patriotism of the Chakmas and their loyalty to India has been exploited by the governments, the it settled them in NEFA to safeguard China border but 50 years after rehabilitation continue to face this ordeal suspended between the mirage of citizenship and threat of deportation,” he said.
The U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata in collaboration with social enterprise Contact Base, is launching a youth entrepreneurship initiative – Y4BIZ (Youth for Business) in four cities Guwahati, Patna, Ranchi and Kolkata. The program in Guwahati took place in association with the local organization, Startup Assam. The Y4BIZ program aims to support a promising group of 50 young entrepreneurs, and transform their business ideas from the initial stage to a sustainable business model. The 50 entrepreneurs will be selected by a rigorous screening process after the launch events in all four cities. This will be followed by an online capacity building and mentoring program run by the IC2...
The People’s Democratic Council of Karbi-longri (PDCK) Thursday rubbished what it term ed as a “strange” news report aired by News 18 on November 7, 2017 with graphics of photographs and videos on the basis of a police claim. “The news report emphatically asserted that our Home Secretary, Mir-ang Sir-ang was and is directly involved in cases of poaching rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park. The allegation made by the greedy Assam Police personnel and corrupt forest department officials against PDCK and its Home Secretary for killing rhinos is baseless and fabricated. It is an insinuation of the worst kind manufactured out of thin air in order to tarnish the image of this promising...
Investigators from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) returned to India this week to continue the search for remains of U.S. personnel missing since World War II. Last year, DPAA deployed a team to northeast India for 30 days in search of remains for unaccounted-for U.S. airmen, and this is their fifth mission to India since 2013. There are approximately 400 U.S. airmen missing in India, most of whose remains are believed to be located in the Himalayan Mountains in northeast India. During World War II, the United States provided supplies to the Chinese Army by flying over the Himalayas, a route known as “The Hump.” Many of these aircraft went missing and were...
The People's Democratic Council of Karbi-longri (PDCK) an affiliate of the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWSEA) Sunday condemned the atrocities committed by what it terms ‘Indian occupation forces’ upon two arrested persons, namely Rau Engleng and Longsing Teron. “They used electric shocks and beating as a method of torture to extract information and forced them to confess. These practices are gross violations of Article 3 common to the Geneva Convention,” said the outfit. Stating statutes, PDCK said that occupation forces should recognize the International Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict, which protect persons as a target for...
One Planet Academy, a digital portal was launched in Guwahati on Wednesday as a part of WWF-India’s initiative in partnership with Capgemini to create awareness in the area of environment and educate students and citizens through an interactive interface. Leveraging the affinity of today’s learners towards technology, the website focuses on various environmental themes and is a digital hub for schools, teachers and students that brings under its ambit a digital training and resource centre. One Planet Academy is the first of its kind digital hub for environment education for schools, teachers, students and citizens. The OPA is designed to be a one stop destination for engaging not...
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Sunday filed an FIR at Bhangagarh Police Station, Guwahati, seeking immediate arrest and prosecution under the Criminal Procedure Code following remarks made by Jorhat Lok Sabha Constituency MP, Kamakhya Prasad Tassa on Saturday in a meeting held at Sonari in Charaideu District. Tassa described Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as 'garbage' in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The final round of the 10th International Edition of the Wild Wisdom Quiz, organised by WWF-India and Discovery Kids in association with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), was held at WWF-India, New Delhi on October 6, 2017.The event saw participation from 28 city level winners across the country and 2 winners from Nepal.Wild Wisdom Quiz has grown in strength over the last decade and has reached beyond the country, with Nepal running its first edition of the quiz in 2017. In India, the Wild Wisdom Quiz is being run across 817 schools in 14 cities with participation from approximately 50,000 students. Run in the format of a competition, the quiz is a fun way to help children learn...
Organized by Abiogenesis Society with sponsorship from North East Council, Ministry of DoNER, Shillong; Artist Aloud as Digital Promotion Partner, Asian News International (ANI) for international news coverage and Doordarshan Kohima Kendra for live telecast, the festival aims to showcase music made by indigenous social groups of the region.The main event on October 7, will see a very strong line up at IMC Hall, Dimapur from 5:30 pm featuring eight renowned artistes and bands.They are: Summersalt – a folk fusion band from Meghalaya who has been featured in the Bollywood film Rock On 2, Jambili – a folk fusion band from Assam, Imphal Talkies – a six member folk rock band from...
A land without ruins is a land without memories – a land without memories is a land without history: so wrote Reverend Abram Joseph Ryan, an American poet, popularly known as the Poet – Priest of the South and also as the Poet-Laureate of the Confederacy. Ruins are not alone physical remains of a building or a structure, but embodiment of memories. The past is deeply entrenched in them. Even in a stage of dilapidation, besides the stories of glory and loss, they also weave narratives of a sense of being part of that past which stand right there to be touched and felt. The historical monuments of the pre-colonial Dimasa state today lie in a state of ruins across vast geographical areas...
The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom [ULFA-Independent] expresses delight in the arrival of the under seventeen Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup soccer matches in homeland Assam. “I, on behalf of my organisation, thank FIFA for bringing International Football to this remote part of the world and a warm welcome to the FIFA officials and players of different nations to Assam,” states Abhizeet Asom, the elusive Chairman of the outfit.He believes that the people of Assam will immensely benefit by the experience, learning about international standards in football by witnessing the ways and manners of the teenage players from different countries and...
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