[sacw] SACW Dispatch | 8 Aug. 00

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch & South Asians Against Nukes Post
8 August 2000
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

#1. Pakistan: Lahore Peace Forum - 'No More Hiroshimas'
#2. Pakistan: ACAAR Meeting & Demo, Hiroshima (6th Aug.) Nagasaki Day (9th
Aug.)
#3. Pakistan: Lets over come the spreading famine in Balochistan!
#4. Seminar Announcement: "The State of Pakistans Future" by Tariq Banuri
#5. India: 'Lets Desolve the People' - A comment on the draft new
Constitution of India by the RSS
#6. India: Stop Arrests, Detention & Forced Repatriation ff Political
Refugees Into Myanmar
#7. Book Review: The New Jackals. Ramzi Yousef, Osama Bin Laden & The
Future of Terrorism

_____________________

#1.

NO MORE HIROSHIMAS,

LAHORE PEACE FORUM FORMALLY LAUNCHED

A seminar on the theme of "No More Horishimas" was organised jointly
by Lahore Peace Forum and Joint Action Committee For Peoples Rights
on 6th of August at Lahore Press Club. Despite severe rain at the
time of seminar, over 200 turned up to hear known human right
activists and trade union leaders. Among the range of speakers were
Asma Jehangir, I.A. Rehman (HRCP), Tahira Mazar Ali (Democratic Women
Association), Farooq Tariq (Labour Party Pakistan), Rizwan Atta
(Deputy Editor Weekly Mazdoor Jeddojuhd) and Moeen Nawaz Punnu (
Rustum Sehrab Cycle Factory Workers Union), Roshan Dhunjibhoy and
Shahtaj Qazalbash.

Several peasants organisations and trade union leaders were among the
audience. One peasant organisation presented their "Tarana" reminding
the well receptive audience that if we do not change the system, wars
would continue. A Punjabi poet Arif Shah Prohnaa was given tremendous
applause when he spoke against the price hike and linking it to built
the unwanted atomic bomb. At the end of seminar, LPP cultural wing
present a short play "Annanaas and Atom bomb", taken from Khawaja Ahmed
Abbas writings.

Speaking on the occasion, Asma Jehangir, a well known human right
activists and former chairperson of Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan said that people of pakistan and India are not in favour of
war and ongoing conflicts. They want a peaceful solution of Kashmir
issue. She opposed the nuclear madness of the rulers of India and
Pakistan. Asma Jehangir criticized the military rulers of Pakistan
and suggested to link the Peace movement to the struggle for
restoration of democracy in Pakistan.She said we do not want any
child of Lahore, Delhi or Peshawar to be victims of nuclear holocaust
like Hiroshima.

Mr. IA Rehman warned the audience that the threat of a nuclear war is
more closer than any other time in the history of Pakistan. He
remembered the day of 6th August 1945, when he heard of the terrible
lost and decided to launch a movement against it.

Farooq Tariq said by formally launching the Lahore Peace Forum today,
we will make every effort to build a real mass peace movement in
Pakistan. " an isolated peace movement from the rest of the fights
will be not very much effective to achieve the goals" He told the
audience. He gave details of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki disaster and
pledged to continue the fight for peace in memory of those who gave
their lives in atom attacks. He severely criticized the American
imperialism for it role in building the nuclear arsenal
internationally. " Do not believe the fine words of American
president, they are only an eye wash, real intentions are to keep
the role of international gangsterism" Farooq Tariq said.

Comrade Riuzwan Atta, Moeen Nawaz Punnu, Tahira Mazhar Ali, Shahtaj
Qazalbash and Roshan Dhunjibhoy spoke of building the peace movement and
linking it other organizations. Moeen Nawaz assured the audience of trade
unions
support for the peace movement.

The seminar left a very positive mark and was well taken up by the
local and international media. A demonstration was held after the
seminar outside the Lahore Press Club building.

To contact Lahore Peace Forum,
Email. lahore.peace@u...
Address: 40 Abbot Road Pakistan
report buby Farooq Sulehria
______

#2.

ACAAR Meeting & Demonstration, Hiroshima (6th August) Nagasaki Day (9th
August)

7th August 2000

PRESS RELEASE

A well-attended meeting of doctors, lawyers, trade unionists, writers,
academics and social activists was held on 6th August 2000 to observe 55th
anniversary of the atom bombing of Hiroshima. The meeting was jointly
organized by Action Committee Against Arms Race (ACAAR), Pakistan India
People's Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD), Association of Peoples of
Asia (APA), Pakistan Doctors for Peace & Development (PDPD), and
International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Pakistan
Chapter.

Welcoming the participants, ACAAR President Dr. A. Aziz recalled the
tragedy of Hiroshima and appreciated the cooperation extended by the
component member organisations and individuals in organizing the Hiroshima
Day.

Dr. Ishtiaq of PDPD reminded the audience of that great tragedy which
caused instant death of 70,000 people and the destruction of the entire
city besides causing never-ending misery to those who survived.

B.M.Kutty of PIPFPD traced the formation of ACAAR in May 1998 following the
nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. He recalled the contribution of Mr.
Yusuf Mustikhan as the convenor of ACAAR in the formative stages of ACAAR
and of Dr. Haroon Ahmed for his contribution as its first elected president
in developing ACAAR into an active anti-nuclear, anti-arms race citizens=92
organisation, leading to the subsequent formation of Pakistan Peace
Coalition =96 a coalition of several other anti-nuclear and peace committee=
s
in different cities and the national Peace Conference it orgnised in
Karachi in February 1999, attended by over 500 Pakistani and foreign peace
activists.

Dr. Tipu Sultan representing IPPNW Pakistan Chapter told the gathering
about the horrible medical and social consequences of a possible nuclear
attack on Karachi. Within seconds of the attack, half of the city=92s
population would be killed and virtually the whole city would be reduced to
rubble. There will be no hospitals or doctors to attend to the survivors
who will also die slowly and painfully in days, weeks and months. Same will
be the fate of any Indian city facing a nuclear attack. He exhorted the
members of the medical profession to spread the message of the anti-nuclear
movement and disseminate the knowledge about the devastating medical
effects of nuclear weapons to the largest number of people, to mobilize
public opinion against nuclear weapons.

Dr. Haroon Ahmed attributed the apparent apathy of the people towards the
peace movement, to lack of education and the jingoistic atmosphere created
by religious extremists who want to promote their vested interests by
misleading the innocent public with extremist slogans inciting violence. He
also cited the feeling of insecurity among the people as one of the reasons
for such apathy.

Dr. Jaffar Ahmed stressed the need for including in our syllabus peace
education as an important component. He called for a revision of the
curriculum particularly concerning history, to remove such components which
poison the minds of the students and incite them to violence and
intolerance. In this context, he cited the example of the ongoing violence
in Kashmir, in which hundreds of young men are dying in the name of Jehad
sponsored by extremist religious groups.

Manzoor Razi of Railways workers Inqilabi Union highlighted the impact of
militarisation and arms race on the working people who are the worst hit by
the diversion of national resources towards arms race and militarisation of
society. He condemned the religious extremist groups for spreading war
hysteria in the name of Kashmir Jehad. To divert the attention of the
working people, the state machinery is encouraging these religious groups.
He condemned the induction of military personnel in civilian institutions.

Ms. Sheen Farrukh said that women are the hardest hit victims of all kinds
of arms race and war-mongering. They remain concerned for the lives of
their sons and husbands who are pushed into war. They also become targets
of violence from marauding armies during armed conflicts. She called for
wider participation of the people in larger numbers in expressing public
protest at all forms of arms race and war-mongering.

Maulana Ubaidullah Bhutto of Jamiatul Ulemai Sindh refuted the claims of
some religious parties that the activities of the Jehadi groups in Kashmir
are in accordance with Islamic principles. He said that Islam attaches the
highest value to the life of the human being, irrespective of his faith.
According to Islam, the murder of one human being is tantamount to the
murder of the whole humanity. He quoted from Holy Quran to support his
viewpoint that Islam only permits modest measures in self-defence but
causing indiscriminate destruction or making weapons of mass murder is
inimical to Islamic teachings. He said Islam preaches peace and tolerance,
not war, violence and intolerance.

At the end of the meeting, it was announced that a peaceful demonstration
shall be held outside the Karachi Press Club on 9th August (the 55th
anniversary of the atom-bombing of Nagasaki at 4:30 P.M.). An anti-nuclear
leaflet with Fahmida Riaz's poem "Pokhran aur Chaghi" was distributed.
Several banners with anti-war slogans were signed by the participants,
which will be displayed in the 9th August demonstration.
=20
( B. M. Kutty )
______

#3.

GIDAN TEHRIK

Lets over come the spreading famine in Balochistan!

MID-TERM & LONG TERM PROJECTS

1-GUAFTA PROJECT
2-CATTLE RESCUE FARMS
3-LOW COST SMALL DAMS

Gidan projects are started with the donations of friends of peace movement
Pakistan, special thanks to Prof.A.H.Nayyar, Foqia Sadiq, Zubair Faisal
Abbasi, Beena Sarwar, Zia Mian and Akhtar Jan Mengal

INTRODUCTION
Balochistan is facing the most horrible famine of history, which has
destroyed 90% means of sustenance of about 70% population of Balochistan.
We are almost destroyed and starting from the beginning. We are planning
for mid-term & long-term actions to overcome drought and restore life and
economy.

Arenji was the big bang which has broken the silence and shaken all of us,
122 died by hunger, people were not able to find leaves of trees to eat,
cows were eating dead sheep, it was shown on BBC TV. Then the authorities
had admitted the situation of famine in the whole province that is facing
the situation of Arenji. There is no proper rainfall for last three years,
so no proper crops, no fodder for cattle. Sheep, goats and camels are
dying by hunger. Water resorts are dried, under ground water level had
gone below 600 ft which was at 60 ft some years ago, ill-fated hopeless
people are still migrating, burying households, and leaving behind dead
cattle, to unknown destinations. Relief camps are still increasing in
number, there is a great need of continuous supply of food, medicines and
fodder. In relief camps people are not properly taken care of, 50
died(mostly children) in Siyah Koh Camp Chagai in last two months,
volunteers and donors are not allowed to visit the camp.

>From Makuran to Harnai famine has destroyed 22 districts out of 26 of the
province. Food supply is the first step and food security is the ultimate
goal has to be achieved with the joint efforts of local community, friends
of Balochistan, Govt. and international support agencies.

GIDAN TEHRIK started in a meeting at Mehrgarh, Sariab Quetta, on March
16,2000 held to evaluate the efforts done for Arenji as short-term action
and what should be the future planning for the whole province.
Intellectuals, Poets, journalists, artists, political activists, NGO
representatives participated in the meeting concluded that the threat of
famine in Balochistan can destroy every thing here, people have to migrate
it is a threat for life and civilization, it needs a well organized
movement to overcome famine. Gidan is a Balochi word means the traditional
tent made-up of goat or camel hair, it is the shelter, the home of our
people, which travels with us wherever we go. Gidan Tehrik is a call for a
united struggle of survival, it is a life saving effort, all of us in
Balochistan and our friends out side will defeat famine jointly.

WORK DONE
1. A documentary film "DUKKAL" has been produced with the support of
OXFAM on drought situation in Balochistan, it also includes some
suggestions to overcome famine. Film is available for fund raising and
for the agencies interested in relief work or mid/long term planning
for Balochistan. 2. Network of volunteers organized in drought hit
areas who are involved in relief activities,(list with contacts is
available) actually they are those young guys who first of all helped
the displaced people, organized relief camps, provided food, shelter,
medicines for the helpless (after that relief work from donors & govt.
started), collected data which includes names of family members(women,
men, kids), number of cattle survived, from where they have come and
what they have lost(human lives, cattle) these details are also
available. 3. Contacts with supporting agencies and Relief Commission
(Govt. of Balochistan) established, 4. One camp is identified for
Guafta weaving, and provided with wool & tools with the help of
funding pool established for this purpose, 5. A piece of land
with plenty of water is selected for the first cattle rescue farm in
Kanak, waiting for support to construct temporary boundary and shade,
fodder will be provided by the Govt.

Funding Pool
1. Friends of Peace Movement in Pakistan:
Rs.19490+19600=3D Rs. 39,090

2. Akhtar Jan Mengal=3D Rs.50,000
We appeal to all of you to join hands with Gidan Tehrik to contribute what
ever you can to overcome famine in Balochistan.

1- GUAFTA PROJECT

Women of Balochistan fighting against famine: stepping towards rehabilitat=
ion!

Introduction

Guafta is traditional craft making considered as precious inheritance a
daughter can get from her mother. The hand woven rugs, wall hangings and
bags of different sizes and colors are made of wool(goat, camel, lamb)
almost all Baloch women are skilled in Guafta weaving, with classic
designs and colors even the designs of 11,000 years old, the first urban
civilization on earth The Mehrgarh are still alive, breathing in their hard
working hands.

Nature of the project:

It is an income generation project for drought affected women of
Balochistan. Wool (lamb, camel) and other necessary tools will be provided
to the women living in relief camps, rugs/ wall hangings/bags will be
produced with classic Balochi/Kurdi designs with a message of peace. There
are 12 major relief camps in different districts of Balochistan, in each
camp 1000 women are residing, approximately, who can contribute in washing
wool, coloring it, making threads, weaving, etc., after that these will be
collected, packed and distributed to the interested organizations and
friends for sale.

2- CATTLE RESCUE FARMS
In Balochistan the traditional grazing rout Chagai -Khurasan -Kachi, and
the areas of Kharan , Jhalawan & Dasht Makuran were used to meet the
demand for wool, meet and leather inside and outside Pakistan and
especially it was the hub for export of camels.

People of Balochistan have lost the major part of their livestock, which
had provided sustenance, most of the people have migrated from their
ancestral homes because all of the pasturelands are changed into deserts.

There is a need to provide Rescue Farms for cattle survived from drought.

1- What to do
1. Allocation of 10-20 acres of land pieces free of cast from the
generous land-owners in areas where
drought effected people are gathered for relief.
2. Arrangements for water supply, hand pumps 3. provision of water
storage tanks, temporary tube wells if ground water level is low.
4. Mobilization of shepherds to bring their cattle in the nearest Rescue
farm, through the volunteers working in the camps and govt. officials
5. Construction of temporary shades to save cattle from intensity of
weather 6. Provision of fodder and veterinary medicines
7. Employ some of the camp people to take care of cattle 8. depute
veterinary doctors 9. Keep proper record of the cattle, local
volunteers may be hired for the management.

2- What we have

Landowners agreed to provide their lands free of cast for Rescue Farms in:
a) Kili Malik Abdul Ali, Kuchlagh
b) Shori, Kanak
c) Arenji, Khuzdar
d) Parwar, Mushke
We can have lands in the same way in Dasht Makuran, Noshke, Kardigab,
Dasht, Bolan and other areas also

3- Low Cost Small Dams
( under preperation)

We will overcome famine one day!

Naela Quadri,
Director Program
Conscience Promoters, Gidan Tehrik
Ph: 92-81-441975
D-5 University Town, Quetta
E-mail; naela@c...

______

#4

SDPI WEEKLY SEMINAR SERIES

Seminar on "The State of Pakistans Future"
Thursday August 10, 2000, At 04:00 p.m.
Venue : SDPI, # 3, UN Boulevard, Diplomatic Enclave 1, G 5, Islamabad
Speaker: Dr. Tariq Banuri
* Entry is open for all.

______

#5.

[The following article is being published in the September, 2000 issue of
the Indian Journal " The Radical Humanist". SACW is thankful to the authors
for providing an copy for the SACW subscribers]

LET'S DISSOLVE THE PEOPLE

by Nivedita Menon and Aditya Nigam

Consider this. The Parliament will henceforth, consist of the President,
the Vice President, the Guru Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The Guru Sabha
will be an 'upper chamber' that will now comprise of the real 'Elders' -
the Patriarchs. Electing them will be the privilege of the educated and
enlightened, but that's not all - the "better" educated you are, the
more votes you have. Thus, primary school teachers will have one vote
each, while middle school teachers will have two, and so on up the
ladder, till you reach the dizzying heights of "Professors in a
recognized college/University" who will have thirty votes each. Persons
who have received awards recognized by the Guru Sabha will have one
hundred votes each. All legislation will be introduced first in this
Guru Sabha which will decide the policies of the State. It will not be
dissolved under any circumstances and its decisions "will have the same
force irrespective of any vacancies therein."

The Lok Sabha of 550 members will be elected for a period of five years
by direct election but it now has no powers other than "monitoring the
implementation of the policies" formulated by the Patriarchs. And why
not? In an enlightened nation, it is entirely fitting that a body such
as the Lok Sabha based on universal franchise, elected by the illiterate
masses, should remain under the thumb of the more evolved patriarchs.
The Lok Sabha can discuss bills referred to it by the Guru Sabha, but
its opinion will not be binding on the Guru Sabha. Further, the
President has the overriding right of "advice" by which both the Guru
Sabha and the Lok Sabha are bound. Bills of expenditure are the only
items which will first be introduced in the Lok Sabha, but not Bills
regarding the "Classified category of Expenditure", on which the Guru
Sabha shall take all decisions.

Then there will be a Raksha Sabha. It will consist of the President,
Vice President, Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, persons nominated by
them and by the President on the advice of the Lok Sabha, and by the
Vice President on the advice of the Guru Sabha. (The advice of the Guru
Sabha and Lok Sabha, one may recall, is not binding on the President).
The Raksha Sabha's term will be three years, and like the Guru Sabha, it
cannot be dissolved under any circumstances, and its decisions will have
the same validity regardless of the vacancies in it. The Raksha Sabha
will make the defence budget which will not be discussed in either house
of parliament.

Does this sound like an account of an autocratic kingdom of the 15th
century? As it happens, it is the projection of a 21st century Hindutva
India. This is a scenario extracted from the "Constitution of Bharat"
designed to achieve - through Parliament and parliamentary means - the
agenda of a cleansed, sanitized Hindu rashtra. This document, said to be
prepared by the RSS for discussion in the Constitutional Review
Committee, and now an ABVP publication, is being circulated and
discussed in various quarters. The all-powerful Guru Sabha is, along
with the President, the lynchpin of the system envisaged by the Sangh.
GS members will have a prescribed minimum, not a maximum term, and they
can only be citizens who are "not member(s) of any association or union
or political party". Not for nothing does the RSS insist that is not a
political, but a cultural organization. So the masses and their
representatives will be excluded at every stage and in every way -
debarring members of unions, associations and political parties will
effectively ensure that. Even more effective of course, is the emphasis
on "education" - is it an accident that the small percentage of educated
people in our country is overwhelmingly male, Hindu and upper caste? The

RSS agenda of transforming the character of education acquires a new
relevance given the role envisaged for "educated" people in their dream
constitution.

The interesting thing about this draft constitution of India, is that it
reveals RSS fears in a graphic and amazing way. All its fears, if the
draft is any indication, are reducible to one: the fear of the 'masses'.

And this fear surfaces in the way democracy is treated: the Lok Sabha,
elected by universal franchise, reduced to a mere implementing body, and
real powers being vested in the sinister institutions of the Guru Sabha
and the Raksha Sabha. It is evident in the way the question of
federalism and the powers of the states are simply obliterated. While in
the present Constitution, Part I begins with the declaration that "India
shall be a Union of States" the RSS draft substitutes it by "Bharat
shall be a Union of the citizens". The states simply do not exist in the
scheme of the Central Government envisaged by the draft. So, quite
unsurprisingly, the present Rajya Sabha, with members elected by the
State legislatures, would now stand abolished. Nor does the RSS
constitution outline the division of duties and responsibilities between
centre, states and local bodies. It is now the three hundred-odd elected
members of the Guru Sabha (plus 44 members nominated from different
categories) which will make that decision.

This provision needs to be situated in its proper context. The distrust
of the states is precisely because today the diversity and plurality of
the entity called India is being fully reflected in the diversity of its
political formations at the state levels. This diversity reflects the
assertion of the Dalits and the lower Backward Castes in the states,
which is made possible largely because of the relative proximity of the
state governments to the local contexts. The desire to replace the
entity of the states with the idea of the "union of citizens" - unmarked
and abstract - represents the desire for a homogenised national culture
which by default can only be Hindu upper caste, once the illiterate
masses are put in their place. It is also interesting in this context
that the right to equality which in the present constitution (Articles
14-18) is elaborated with specific references to free access to "wells,
tanks, bathing ghats, shops, restaurants and public places", is replaced
by bland assertions of equality before the law which expunge these
specific references. Or take Art. 25, (Freedom of Conscience and
Religion) which states that nothing in it will prevent the state from
making any law providing for social reform. This clause is reformulated
in the RSS version such that the reference to "the throwing open of
Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes of
Hindus", stands deleted. It is educative to recall here the recent
statement by the Shankaracharya of Puri that separate temples should be
built for all those who "return to the fold of Hinduism after
reconversion."

Another significant feature is that the entire elaborate section of
Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV) is now condensed into one
loaded sentence: "The Directive Principles of State Policy will be
decided by the Guru Sabha from time to time and the same will be binding
on every wing of the state." The overarching concern in the present
constitution with social justice issues like the eradication of poverty,
free access to health care and - most significantly - universalisation
of education, are simply done away with. It is clear that the Hindutva
India of RSS dreams, will have no place for poor Hindus and Dalits. But
equally significant is the fact that this formulation allows the GS to
make any kind of law, totally outside any democratic constraint, and
such laws would be binding. The obsessive concern with 'national unity'
is translated into a proposal for a strong, militarized nation that
brooks no internal dissension, dissent or discord.

It is interesting that the fears of the Muslim Other, so prominent in
RSS discourse, seem to be hardly visible in the draft. The constitution
would continue to protect "Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith
and worship", citizenship continues to be the right of everyone who is a
citizen under the Constitution of 1950, and discrimination on grounds of
religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth continues to be prohibited.

Completely in keeping with the insidious ways of functioning of this
fascist machine, the real nature of the new constitution through which
the RSS seeks to remake India, is disguised in the language eminently
acceptable to our urban middle classes - the language of "merit"
acquired through education, and "stable government." However, one
crucial omission in this context is the freedom to propagate religion.
A provision decided upon after extensive and exhaustive debates in the
Constituent Assembly has simply been done away with by a stroke of the
RSS pen. The deletion of this clause is of course, a way of banning
conversions, for if a person chooses to convert, there must be someone
who "propagated" their religion to her. Such a closure of options in
essence, freezes identity at birth. For a constitution to forbid
citizens the option of assuming a legal persona other than that
conferred on them by accident of birth, is fundamentally undemocratic.

After decades in the political wilderness, the Sangh Parivar came into
its own in the 90s. Today it has matured into a multifaceted machine,
its different faces speaking with different voices, thus claiming every
possible space in our still democratic polity. The BJP can continue to
sound moderate and democratic even as the Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena let
loose a reign of terror on the streets. The RSS sticks to its claim of
being a 'cultural organization' while making public pronouncements on
economic policy and on Kashmir - even 'pulling up' the government on all
manner of policy issues. One of the RSS offshoots, the VHP, has actually
applied for recognition by the UN as a "social service organization."

Their agenda, openly proclaimed, is that of an authoritarian regime,
installed constitutionally by exploiting the very democratic procedures
of the present constitution that the new fascist one will do away with.
What provokes greater anxiety however, is the fact that these proposed
changes reflect a mindset widely prevalent among the urban middle
classes - that "experts" know what is best for everyone; that the
"common people" are incapable of understanding reasons of state; that
"education", already a privilege, should breed further privilege; that
what is purveyed as common sense in middle class drawing rooms is the
truth on which the whole of society should run.

In India, fascism may not march in to the thunder of jackboots - it may
stroll in, suave and polished, to the strains of the national anthem.

______

#6.

7 August 2000

STOP ARRESTS, DETENTION AND FORCED REPATRIATION OF POLITICAL REFUGEES INTO
MYANMAR

We are concerned that since 25 July 2000 there has been a series of
action against refugees in the Mizoram state of India. We have learnt from
reliable sources which has been re-confirmed by the news paper reports
that arrests and detention of hundreds of refugees in the border state of
Mizoram is being carried out very vigorously. On July 28, Mr. U. Than
Sein, an exiled member of Myanmer Parliament of the NLD party and two
other activists of All Burma Students Democratic Front were arrested.
Though they were released on July 29, the fate of Mr. U than Sein,s son
and daughter-in-law who were arrested along with him is still unknown. =
=20
Though the number of arrests have not been released by the police to the
public, it is estimated to be around a thousand. This number may increase
in the coming days. It is reported that most of the arrested Chin Burmese
refugees have been charged with illegal entry into India under the
"Foreigner's Act" and that they wuld be deported to Myanmar (Burma). =
=20
Mizoram state borders the Chin state in Myanmar and about 40,000 to 50,000
Chin refugees have taken shelter in the Mizoram state due to military
repression and the civil warlike situation in the Chin areas. Majority of
the Chin ethnic people are Christians. There are several incidents and
reports of desecration of places of worship by the army controlled by SPDC
who are predominantly Buddhists. There are instances, of forced
conversions, mass instances of slave labour, looting of homes, rape of
women by the Myanmar army has created an exodus of Chins crossing into
Mizoram state in India.

The increased activities of identifying Chin Burmese nationals in Mizoram
state, their arrests and detention has to be seen in the wake of hectic
parleys between military heads in India and Burma to work together on
border issues.
Government to government strategic relationship between Burma and India
cannot compromise the real issue of refugees who have fled for their lives
in to neighbouring country (India).

According to information received, the arrests and detention of hundreds o=
f
people has taken place especially in Aizwal and five police stations have
been identified where the refugees are being held. The names of the police
stations where the refugees are kept after arrests are: Babutlang,
Bawngkawn, Vaiwakawn, Kulikawn & Luangmual. About 200 people are in these
police stations. We also have reports that due to lack of space in the
five police stations, central jail in Tandril is also being used.

The refugees have been denied permission to see the relatives nor have the=
y
been allowed to take their belongings. There is a threat of forcible
repatriation into Myanmar (Burma) which means the Indian army and Mizoram
police will hand over these Chin-Burmese refugees to Myanmar (Burmese)
army. This heightens the danger of imprisonment, torture and even death in
Myanmar if they are handed over to them. Though the arrests and detentions
have been happening since 25 July 2000, there seems to be no positive
intervention to protect the rights of the refugees by UNHCR or the Indian
government.

Human rghts activists of India and other South Asian countries are
concerned about this situation and seek the
intervention of human rights defenders from all over the world to stop the
forcible detention and expulsion of the Chin Burmese refugees from the
Mizoram state of India into Myanmar (Burma).We request you to urge The
Government of India to intervene
and protect the rights of refugees on humanitarian grounds . We also
request you to urge the UNHCR to take positive steps in this regard and
provide protection to the refugees who are under the threat of
deportation. Please write to; 1. Mr. Atal Behari vajpayee Prime
Minister of India South Block New Delhi 110001 Fax: +91-11-301 9817

2. Mr. L. K. Advani Home Minister of India North Block New Delhi 110001
Fax: + 91-11-3015750 3. Justice A. N. Varma Chairperson National Human
Rights Commission of India Sardar Patel Bhawan Parliament Street New
Delhi - 110001=20=20
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---------------------------------------------- Issued by South Asia Forum
for Human Rights (SAFHR) Kathmandu, Nepal
______

#7.

Far Eastern Economic Review
10 August 2000
INREVIEW: BOOKS
Tentacles of Terror

By Ahmed Rashid

ABU SAYYAF, the Muslim rebel group that has held
dozens of hostages in the Jolo Islands in the southern Philippines for
nearly three months, got its inspiration from two notorious Islamic
extremists back in the 1980s. Ramzi Yousef, the man convicted of blowing up
New York's World Trade Centre in 1993, and his headline-catching rival,
Saudi Arabian terrorist Osama Bin Laden, were known to have encouraged this
group, which also has carried out bombing campaigns in Manila. In addition
to their ransom demands of $1 million per hostage, the Abu Sayyaf have
issued several political demands, including the establishment of an Islamic
state in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

In the first truly original investigative work on the new generation of
Islamic fundamentalists and the terrorists they have spawned, journalist
Simon Reeve, an investigative reporter for London's Sunday Times, has
broken fresh ground tracking the lives of Yousef and Bin Laden, and
explaining the intricate web of alliances and terrorist cells they have
established around the world.

In the 1980s, nearly 200 Moro Filipino fundamentalists arrived in Peshawar,
Pakistan, to assist the Afghan jihad (holy war) against the former Soviet
Union. One of their leaders, Abdurajak Abubakr Janjalani, who later broke
away from the Moro National Liberation Front to found Abu Sayyaf, became a
close friend of Bin Laden. Later, when Bin Laden began to expand his
network globally, he approached Janjalani to help set up a terrorist base
in Southeast Asia. Bin Laden was the Abu Sayyaf's first financier.

Meanwhile, Ramzi Yousef based himself in Manila for several months, laying
the groundwork for the Bojinka Plot, a 1995 scheme to bomb a dozen U.S.
airliners in Asia. Luckily, Yousef's heinous plans were uncovered when a
fire broke out in a Manila apartment where Yousef and his accomplice, Abdul
Hakim Murad, were mixing chemicals. Yousef fled the country after the fire,
and police arrested Murad as he allegedly came back to the apartment to
clear out incriminating evidence.

Although terrorist acts against the United States have dominated the
newspapers, both Yousef and Bin Laden have quietly killed more fellow
Muslims and have successfully destabilized the politics of various Muslim
nations. They have tried to kill several Muslim rulers, attempts that
included a botched assassination bid on former Pakistani Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto. Bin Laden's attacks, which included the blowing-up of two
American embassies in Africa in 1998, have always killed more fellow
Muslims than non-Muslims.

Ironically, many Muslims still fund such acts of terrorism. Even though the
U.S. government has frozen the bank accounts of Bin Laden, who now lives in
Afghanistan, he continues to operate on donations from wealthy Arabs,
according to Reeves, who has had unprecedented access to Arab sources as
well as U.S.-intelligence sources. Kuwaiti supporters donate an estimated
$16 million a month to Bin Laden.

Until the Arab Gulf rulers put an end to this kind of financial support to
groups who want to eliminate the rulers themselves, terrorism will no doubt
continue unabated. Bin Laden is now reputed to be adding to his coffers
through money-laundering and drug-trafficking deals with the Taliban and
Chechen mafia--all in the name of Islam.

Reeve perceptively explains how little both men actually have to do with
Islamic teachings or fundamentalism. He points out that neither have ever
formally learned or acquired the Islamic pedigree to become a real leader
of Islam. But that has not stopped them from issuing fatwas, or religious
rulings, most of which have been death threats against Westerners.

Both men have spawned a new generation of militants who have latched on to
terrorism--not based on any real Islamic ideology, but because of their
hatred for the West.

In The New Jackals, Reeve also tracks the massive international effort to
catch these two men, interviewing more U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials than any other author who has
tackled this subject. No doubt Osama Bin Laden has already read and
digested Reeve's book, if for no other reason than to find out what he
should be doing not to get caught.

[ The New Jackals. Ramzi Yousef, Osama Bin Laden and The Future of
Terrorism ] by Simon Reeve. Northeastern University Press, Boston. $42.95

______________________________________________
South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch (SACW) is an
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