Skip to content Skip to navigation

Survival International stick to guns in GPC’s Meet the Press

GUWAHATI: Tasked with protecting wildlife, foresters often try to cover up their inefficiency and corruption by terrorizing indigenous people inhabiting areas near forests. But without taking these people into confidence, it is impossible to preserve forests and wildlife. Expanding on this issue, Sophie Grigg, Senior Research and Advocacy Officer, Survival International, said that merely arming forest guards with sophisticated weaponry actually complicates the conservation effort. She was addressing city-based scribes from London through video conferencing as part of Guwahati Press Club’s ‘Meet the Press’ programme. Referring to Kaziranga national park, Ms Grigg however claimed that while a large number of rhinos have been gunned down in the past 5 years, the killing of poachers too “have continued apace”.

Coming out strongly against ‘shoot at sight’ powers foresters are being armed with, she said: “The outcome of shooting down poachers is that the masterminds remain in the dark. And it is the masterminds who keep pushing in new poachers to take the place of those who have fallen to foresters’ bullets. By all means, catch poachers alive and prosecute them, but do find out who are pulling the strings”. Conservation policies should also factor in the traditional knowledge of indigenous people inhabiting forests and surrounding areas, she commented.

It may be recalled that international tribal rights advocacy organization ‘Survival International’ has been taking up cudgels on behalf of tribals adversely impacted by ham-handed conservation efforts. It strongly supported the BBC documentary ‘Killing for Conservation’ which riled the Kaziranga authority and Indian government last year for claiming long-standing human rights violation and extra-judicial killings of poachers in the national park in the name of conservation. Moving on to the suspected killing of an American citizen in the Andamans recently by Sentinelese tibals, Ms Grigg appealed to the Indian and US governments not to send in a party to exhume the body. “This could cause these tribals, hitherto separated from the wider world, to be infected by all sorts of diseses that could result in extermination of the entire community,” she cautioned.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Amguri joins protest against citizenship move

21 May 2018 - 5:18am | AT News
BIJOY BURAGOHAINAMGURI: Hundreds of people took out a torch rally in Amguri on Sunday in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 alleging it a conspiracy to push Assam, it's people,...

New FM channel in Guwahati; courtesy Sun TV

8 Apr 2008 - 3:20pm | editor
Sun TV Network Ltd has launched launched an FM Radio Station in Guwahati under the brand 'S FM' through its subsidiary South Asia FM Ltd.The FM station is starting its operations on Tuesday at 93.5...

Arunachal youth talks on asiatic black bear conservation

16 Dec 2015 - 4:40pm | Subhamoy Bhattacharjee
In a first of its kind sensitization programme on Asiatic black bears, 14 youth from Shergaon - a small but important area in Arunachal Pradesh – were taken on an exposure visit to IFAW-WTI run...

Uneasy calm in Kohima, Dimapur

4 Feb 2017 - 11:28am | AT News
Normalcy is marginally back to Kohina and Dimapur three days after an irate mob unleashed an orgy of violence for killing two protestors in police firing forcing the authority to clamp curfew in both...

Other Contents by Author

Guwahati: Alternate media may be growing in India, but the conventional and mainstream medium including the newspapers still have a future in the populous country. India today emerges as a land of millions of smart phone & internet connected computer users, but there is a sizable population which lacks access to the new medium and continues to depend on the print media outlets. Alan Gray, editor cum proprietor of the highly followed news portal ‘Newsblaze.com’, while interacting with scribes at Guwahati Press Club through video conferencing from Jerrabomberra in south Australia on 12 October 2018, pointed out that the Indian newspapers in various languages will continue to serve a huge...
GUWAHATI: Asst Manager of SBI Dadara Branch Junu Sarma was shot dead from point blank range by two armed motor cycle borne miscreants at Agiathori under Amingaon PS in Kamrup on Tuesday evening. When the her car slowed down at Agiathori area, two man on a motorbike wearing helmets broke the window pane of the car and shot her from close range,police said.Her driver rushed her to NH Narayana hospital and later referred to GMCH where she was declared brought dead.The driver has been detained for questioning, police said adding that the cause of the attack is yet to be ascertained.
Guwahati: Alan Gray, publisher and chief editor of NewsBlaze Daily News, will interact with journalist-members of Guwahati Press Club on Friday (12 October 2018). The Australia based editor will be live through the digital media from 12.30 to 2 pm (Indian time) to deliver a lecture and answer queries from the scribes. Alan has been on the internet since it first started. He loves to use his expertise in content and digital marketing to help businesses grow, through managed content services. After living in the United States for 15 years, Alan is now in South Australia. He is expected to speak about the new media and its enormous possibilities across the globe. Moreover Alan will also...
Guwahati: Lone protester in the streets of Guwahati against all evils and an acclaimed musician Kishor Giri passes away this morning (7 October 2018). Giri, who lived in Kharghuli hill of the city with his family, was found dead at around 9.30 am. His daughters, who live in Bangalore, are arriving in the city by the evening. His cremation will take place tomorrow. Besides his musical journey, Giri was a regular visitor to Guwahati Press Club for attending film screenings, OPD clinics and interactions with distinguished personalities. The sixty plus social activist left behind his wife, two daughters and host of relatives and well wishers.
Guwahati: Two experienced Orthopaedic doctors from Apollo Hospitals will conduct this week’s media OPD clinic at Guwahati Press Club. Dr Navaladi Shankar and Dr Ram Bathi from the Chennai based hospital will be available for free consultation to media persons from 4.30 to 6.30 pm on 6 October (Saturday) next. Organized under the series of ‘Evening with a Doctor’ programs for the benefit of press club members along with their close relatives, the camp has been supported by Down Town Hospitals, GNRC Hospitals, Dispur Hospital, Ayursundra Hospital, Wintrobe Hospital, Health City Hospital, Nemcare Hospital, Excelcare Hospital, Sun Valley Hospital, Narayana Hospitals, Swagat Hospital, Barthakur...
Guwahati: Leaving aside all differences, a Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) based editor-journalist favours more people-to-people contact and exchange of ideas between all parts of Kashmir for greater regional understanding and meeting of minds. Haris Qadeer, who used to edit once the highest circulated Urdu daily newspaper published from Muzaffarabad, emphasized on frequent contact and movement of journalists to give a correct picture from a conflict zone. Interacting with Guwahati based scribes through the online medium on 28 September 2018, the young editor of Daily Mujadala, presently sealed by the Pakistan authority for one year now, also described various challenges in front of...
Guwahati: One of Charlie Chaplin's most celebrated works, The Gold Rush will be screened at Guwahati Press Club on Friday (28 September, starting at 5 pm). Produced and directed by Charlie Chaplin, the 1925 comedy film stars Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman and Malcolm Waite. Written and Edited by Chaplin himself, the silent era movie has cinematography by Roland Totheroh and music by Chaplin, Carli Elinor, Max Terr and James L Fields. Media interaction: Prior to the film screening, an interactive session with Kashmiri journalist Haris Qadeer (editor of Daily Mujadala) will be organized at 3 pm in the press club auditorium.
GUWAHATI: In par with the celebration of the World Photography Day, the Arya Vidyapeeth College in Guwahati organized an annual photo exhibition titled ‘SOBI’ for the third consecutive year at the college campus on Monday.The event was held under the aegis of the Photo Forum of the college.More than 80 participants submitted their works which were put on display during the exhibition. “We have build a common platform for honing the potentials of the budding photographers as well as an opportunity to showcase photography talent of both the present and past students,” said a member of the forum, Mrinmoy Sarma.The event was inaugurated by the Principal of the College, Dr Pradip Kumar...
Guwahati: Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) today denounces the diktat of separatist militants on celebration of 72nd Independence Day and appeals to the people of the region to celebrate the auspicious day with fanfare. The PPFA in a statement argues that every Indian should hoist Tri-colour on I-Day and Republic Day paying tributes to the martyrs of freedom struggle. Only an ungrateful nation can think of boycotting an occasion scheduled for honouring the martyrs, asserted the forum. It may be noted that various rebel groups comprising United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), co-ordination committee of RPF, UNLF, PREPAK, PREPAK (Pro) etc asked the people of Northeast to boycott...
GUWAHATI: The students of Gauhati University on Friday staged a street play to create awareness on the dangers of ragging. The senior students took efforts to make the freshers feel secure by highlighting the hazards of ragging and the social repercussions involved with ragging through a street play.It was organised by the university unit of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), in collaboration with the University Law College unit AASU. Students enacted the play which was lead by Nayan Jyoti Gogoi and Jonak Kankan Bhuyan. “We organised the street play basically to make the students as well as the general public aware about the ill-effects of ragging.” , President of the university unit of AASU...