[sacw] sacw dispatch (7 Dec.99)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch
7 December 1999
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#1. Press Statement - India Christans see Indian Prime Minister
#2. Workshop On Militarisation In South Asia (Delhi, 12 dec.99)
#3. Meeting on 'Health Cosequenses of Sanctions in Iraq' (Delhi,15 dec.99)
#4. Pakistan's activist minister says NO to big dams
#5. A spririted Mumbai citizens' book on the Enron Power Project in India
#6. Bangaldesh: Trafficking in women, children going unabated
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#1.
7 December 1999
Catholic Bishops Conference of India / National Council of Churches in
India / United Christian Forum for Human Rights
CBCI Centre, 1, Ashok Place, Gole Dakkhana, New Delhi 110001=20
Ph: 334 4695, 334 4470
Chairman : Archbishop Alan de Lastic Co-Chairman: Dr K Rajaratnam
Coordinators: Bishop Karam Masih, Archbishop Vincent Concessao Convenor:
John Dayal email:johndayal@v... =20

PRESS STATEMENT INDIAN CHRISTIAN LEADERS MEET PRIME MINISTER VAJPAYEE
Christians seek right to adopt children Nuns demand security, Vajpayee
told of threats in Gujarat to instal idols in church =20

NEW DELHI, December 7, 1999 National leaders of the Christian community=20
met the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence last
night and called on the government to take urgent steps to meet the
pressing demands of the small minority community on affecting their
legal, social rights and their physical security. A memorandum presented
to the Prime Minister called for restoration of the rights of Dalit
Christians, changes in adoption laws to ensure that Christian couples too
could legally adopt children, and reforms in marriage, divorce and
security laws. The Christian leaders told the Prime minister that while
many of those responsible for violence against the community in the last
two years had yet to be brought to book, fresh threats were being
received. Referring specially to Gujarat, the spokesmen told the Prime
minister that hate literature and campaigns had increased in recent
weeks. There was a renewed threat to a church in Gujarat's Dang district.=
=20
The delegation urged the prime minister to ensure that the Gujarat
government maintained peace and assured the safety of the community and
its places of worship in the Christmas season. The delegation led by
Archbishop Alan de Lastic, President, Catholic Bishops Conference of
India, and Dr. Rajaratnam, President, National Council of Churches India,
consisted of Church of North India Bishop of Delhi Karam Masih, CBCI
deputy secretary general Fr. George Pereira, United Christian Forum for
Human Rights national convenor John Dayal, Rev. Fr. Lourduswamy,=20
Executive Secretary SC. ST Commission, NCCI vice president Dr. Oliver, Air
Marshal Denzil Keelor, President of New Delhi YMCA, Dr. James Massey,
Ex-Member National Commission for Minorities, Mr. John Anchanmani,
Treasurer, NCCI. Dr. Dominic Emmanuel, PRO, CBCI, and Sr. Dolores Rego,
General Secretary, CRI.

Speaking on behalf of over 70,000 nuns in India, Sr Delores told the
Prime minister that the religious sisters loved to serve the people of
India, but were feeling a threat to their security. In an emotional voice,
she urged the Prime minister to ensure security for religious women. =20
While focussing on the issue of Dalit Christians, personal laws and
security, the Delegation also urged the Prime minister to declare 2000
AD as Yesu Christ Jayanthi Year and to give Christian pilgrims to the Holy
land concessions given to Haj and other pilgrimages. =20
The following are extracts from the Memorandum given to the prime Minister
today: =20
I. Equal Rights to Dalit Christians: At the dawn of Independence and the
adoption of the new Constitution of the Republic of India, pro-active
legislation was enacted to empower the Dalits who had suffered from three
millennia of subjugation and discrimination. This laudatory Constitutional
provision was however communalised when through a Presidential order in
1950, the rights and privileges were limited only to Hindus. Later, it was
amended twice to include the Sikhs and Buddhists through sustained
struggle, won for themselves all privileges and rights given to Dalit
Hindus. The Dalit Christians however are being still denied these
privileges accorded to other citizens of their status in the Indian
society. This discrimination violates all norms of natural justice and is
against the avowed principle of secular India. Successive governments
gave assurance but failed to fulfil it. The Father of the nation, Mahatma
Gandhi and the architect of the Constitution, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, have
unequivocally stated that a change in religion does not bring about any
change in the social status of the former untouchable convert. They
continue to suffer from the same social, economic and educational
infirmities. In fact the situation worsens for them as they are denied all
facilities in many areas which are given to their kin. Your Government is
committed to Social Justice. Hence we would like you to implement it in
restoring the rights of the Dalit Christians. =20
PERSONAL LAWS : We take this opportunity to impress on the government
once again to move necessary legislation in Parliament at the earliest.
The four bills are =20
1. The Christian Marriage Bill (the existing one is over 100 years old),
2. The Divorce Bill (which apart from being more than a century old, is
also discriminatory against women)
3. The Christian Adoption Bill (At present Christians are discriminated
against as they can only assume guardianship of a child, while Hindus can
legally adopt children)
4. The Succession Bill, (Which regulates equitable share of property among
heirs). All four Bills have been pending with government for long, and
successive ministries have not brought the Bills before Parliament. The
Christian community is deeply distressed at this apparent lack of concern
by the governments in power.
Yesu Christ Jayanthi 2000: The government has accepted to release a stamp
on the 2000 anniversary of the birth of Jesus, initiating the celebrations
of Yesu Christ Jayanthi. Mr. Vajpayee had in 1998 assured that the
government of India would join the people in celebrating Yesu Christ
Jayanthi 2000. We hope that as the year 1999 comes to a close, the NDA
government will take suitable steps in keeping with its tradition of
joining in the celebrations of other communities. =20
IV. Protection of Christian Minorities: Many State governments and
Central organisations have been tardy in bringing to book all those who
have committed acts of violence against members of our community and those
who continue to carry out a virulent hate campaign against the Church and
the community. We hope your government will take steps to stop such
harassment wherever it occurs and to ensure that the rule of law prevails.
=20

Released to the Press statement by John Dayal on behalf of the Delegation
---------------------
# 2.
CHAMPA: THE AMIYA & B.G. RAO FOUNDATION
25 Nizamuddin East, New Delhi, 110013 INDIA
Tel. : 4631359, 4632962

4th December, 1999
Trustees :
Ambar G. Rao
Amrit Wilson
Aparna Rao

Board of Advisors
& Directors :
Kuldip Nayar CHAMPA WORKSHOP , 12TH DECEMBER
1999
N.D. Pancholi
Tarlok Singh
ON
Uma Chakravarti
=46ather T.K. John
Dalip Swamy MILITARISATION IN SOUTH ASIA

Dear friend,
The year 1999 has seen a massive increase in militarisation in South Asian
region What are the implications for this for the future? To discuss it in
depth, Champa: The Amiya and B. G. Rao Foundation is devoting its annual
event this year on 12th December to a workshop exploring this
very question.

Champa would like to analyse the issue in the context of the political
forces which have led to the nuclearisation and weaponisation of India and
Pakistan by examining their impact on the lives of the people of South Asia.

The Workshop will be held between 10 a.m. and 5 p. m. on Sunday, the 12th
of December, 1999, at the Speakers Hall, Constitution Club, Vithalbhai
Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi- 110001.

Detailed schedule of the programme [posted below].

Keeping in mind the seriousness of the subject and your own interest in
the issue involved, we hope you would like to attend. We, on behalf of
Champa Foundation, request you to participate and make your valuable
contribution to the discussion.

With Regards

N. D. Pancholi
Convenor.
On behalf of the Champa: The Amiya & B. G. Rao Foundation.

CHAMPA:THE AMIYA & B.G.RAO FOUNDATION 4TH MEMORIAL MEETING
WORKSHOP ON MILITARISATION IN SOUTH ASIA

December 12, 1999 --- Sunday

10:00 to 10:10
Opening of the Workshop

10:10 to 11: 45

Militarisation in South Asia: Global Perspectives
Chair: Manoranjan Mohanty

Militarisation in South Asia in the Global Context
Speaker: Anuradha Chenoy
Discussant: Praful Bidwai

Post-Pokharan Nuclearisation, Nationalism and South Asia
Speakar: Achin Vanaik
Discussant: Sumanto Banerji

12:00 to 12:15.
India & Pak on threshhold of nuclear arms race: Efforts for Peace
Speaker: Colonel Virendra Sahai Verma (Retd.)

12:15 to 13:00.
Coercion in every day life
Speaker: Dr. Kumkum Sangari
Discussant: Prof. Sumit Sarkar

14:00 to 14:45.
Rule of the Law and Rule of the Gun
Speaker: Ved Bhasin
Discussant: Anouhita Majumdar

14:45 to 15:30.
Private Armies & Militias
Speaker: Harish Dhwan
Discussant: Dr. Anand Chakravarti

15:45 to 16:30
Ethnic Conflict, Structural Adjustment and Militarisation of Sri Lankan
Ploitics
Speaker: Dr. Sumanasiri Liyanage, from University of Pardenya, Sri Lanka.

16:30 to 17:00 Summing Up

VENUE: Speaker's Hall, Constitution Club, Vithal Bhai Patel House, Rafi
Marg, New Delhi-110001,
-----------------------
#3.
Delhi Science Forum - Announcement

Topic: "Health Consequences of Sanctions in Iraq"
Speaker: Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF, Iraq
Date: Wednesday, 15th December, 1999
Time: 5 p.m.
Venue: Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, Lodhi Estate, New
Delhi, India

-----------------------
#4.
DAWN
7 December 1999

SMALL DAMS VITAL TO SOLVE ENERGY, WATER CRISES: OMAR
By Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Dec 6. The minister for environment, local bodies and rural
development, Omar Asghar Khan, has said construction of small dams,
controlled at the local level with the help of engineers, is necessary to
overcome energy and water crises in the country. He expressed these views
while inaugurating the 5th international energy and efficiency and
environment conservation symposium '99 at a local hotel on Monday. He
rejected the idea of big dams and emphasized: "Why not mini/small dams at
village, town and tehsil levels to address these vital issues which are
threatening our future generation." To address the energy issue, he said,
"We can also establish wind and solar energy projects, particularly along
coastal areas. This is not something new as India, the Philippines and
Indonesia have already done so successfully." He stressed the need for
undertaking research in national institutions to address the increasing
problem of energy as, at present, out of every three Pakistanis, one
person was deprived of electricity.
He blamed the political system and elite classes who, according to him,
had adopted a policy of selected electrification of villages/towns/
tehsils etc. They had also plundered national resources and forced the
poor to lead a miserable life in the slums, without basic human
facilities. He said that recently when the lists of utility bill
defaulters were published, they showed that all defaulters belonged to the
elite and ruling classes. He regretted that the distribution of
electricity was not done on an equity basis as only those people got
electricity who had political connections. This had led to increase in
slumps in urban areas and poverty in rural areas. He criticised the elite
class for multiplying the national problems by importing luxurious items
"to satisfy their ego and status." He said the main issue was "equity" and
unless people were treated on an equal basis, change would not occur. To
protect environment, he said, it would be necessary to stop deforestation
and commercial harvesting of jungles. Moreover, "we need to restructure
our universities to enable them to play their role in facing energy
problems in the new century." The research system in the universities had
collapsed as professors avoided research on issues, he said and suggested
that the government must give a lucrative package to university teachers
so that they could work with zeal and vigour. He said the country needed
to improve its environment as well because the WTO regime would pose a
great threat to Pakistan products in future. The government as such
planned to set up more environmental tribunals to help control pollution.
So far tow tribunals-at Karachi and Lahore- had been set up and they were
receiving regular complaints against industrial pollution. He said society
should also play its role of a watchdog and be vigilant against those who
were spreading pollution. [...].
---------------
#5.
The Times of India
7 December 1999 (Bombay Edition)
http://timesofindia.com/today/07mbom16.htm

BOOK ON POWER PROJECT LIKELY TO EMBARRASS GOVT

Nothing could have been more ill-timed for the
Maharashtra government than a study of the controversial
Enron Dabhol power project in a book format. It is likely to
provide enough embarrassment for the state government,
currently in the process of battling with a coffer that is
running dry.

Power Play, written by Abhay Mehta, a city-based
freelance journalist and an energy analyst, attempts to
expose an apparently "corrupt system" in a narrative style.
Mehta claimed that the book was based on internal official
government correspondence, files and documentation
largely marked `secret' or `confidential.' He said minutes of
meetings, internal memos from sources as diverse as notes
prepared for the cabinets of India as well as Maharashtra,
the prime minister's office, the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board (FIPB), various union ministries and
MSEB's internal documentation formed the basis of the
book. They are at present in the author's possession and
available on

e-mail at am@a...

"It took me around four to five months to collate all the
information," said Mehta, who had fought a long legal battle
with Enron's project at the Bombay high court. The
narrative in the study was factual and chronological, he
claimed.

The payments due to the company are counter-guaranteed
by the Republic of India, and the central government would
be liable for payments up to Rs 1500 crore a year (indexed
to inflation, dollar-Re fluctuation, etc), in case the
Maharashtra government defaulted in its own guarantee.
The union government will directly deduct from the
constitutionally sanctioned share of revenues due to the
state, in case the former had to make any payments, he
said.

The book traces the history of the power project and
places it in the larger context of the power policy in India
since liberalisation. The author has documented in detail the
sequence of events that led to the initial signing of the
contract in 1993 between Enron and the state government
(led by the Congress) for the supply of electricity, that was
subsequently cancelled by the SS-BJP government. Then,
the surprise decision of the government to renegotiate the
contract, which was finalised in August 1996.

While a petition against the state government was still
pending with the Supreme Court, without any hearing on
the matter so far, the phase one of the power project had
already gone operational, while work on the second phase
was in full swing. The first few month's energy bill to
MSEB, the sole buyer of the power, was extremely high
with the cost of power running up to Rs 5 per unit.

bombaytimes@i...

The book is also reviewed at:
http://outlookindia.com/19991213/enron.htm
-------------------
#6.
The Independent
7 December 1999

Bangaldesh: Trafficking in women, children going unabated,.

APwo 12-6-99 7:58 PM
The bordering points on the northern districts, especially Nilphamari,
Lalmonirhat and Kurigram appear to be almost open for trafficking in women
and children to India. Women and children are allegedly being trafficked
through the bordering points of the three districts unabated. There had
been a restraint on trafficking in women and children a few months ago for
measures by the authority concerned. But recently the trafficking is being
carried on in a large scale. Sources said, women and children of poverty
stricken families having no source of income are collected by the agents of
an organised group of traffickers on the plea of providing jobs. They are
taken to safe places near the bordering points and are trafficked to India
in a planned way.
The sources said, trafficking in women and children has increased in the
northern zone at an alarming rate, which has created panic among the
people. The districts in the northern zone are prune to poverty due to
recurrent floods and the helpless women with their children fall an easy
prey to the agents of the traffickers when they offer allurement for jobs.
The sources said, more than 500 women and children have been trafficked to
India from this zone during the last three months. About 20 lakh women are
reported to have been engaged in sex works in different brothels in India
and the traffickers reap benefits from the flesh trade. The sources said,
the women after being trafficked are engaged in sex work directly and the
male children as domestic servants. The female children when grow up are
engaged in sex work. It is gathered that the Bangladeshi women are in great
demand in the brothels located in different provinces in India and as such
the traffickers find it more profitable in women trafficking at any risk.
The traffickers manage the law enforcers when they face any obstructions
from them. The bordering points along Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram
districts are more or less safe for trafficking in women and children for
reasons not known.
Copyright 1999 THE INDEPENDENT all rights reserved as distributed by
WorldSources, Inc.

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