[sacw] SACW | 21 March 03
Harsh Kapoor
aiindex@mnet.fr
Fri, 21 Mar 2003 01:03:50 +0100
South Asia Citizens Wire | 21 March, 2003
#1. Pakistani NGOs' Statement For Peace and To Avert War on Iraq
#2. Report of Karachi Teachers and Students Demo (20 March)
#3. Upcoming March to the US Embassy in New Delhi on March 22, 2003
(Committee Against War on Iraq)
#4. Anti-War Demonstration in Ahmedabad (21 March)
#5. Unfinished Business (a poem by I.K. Shukla)
#6. Report of Women's protest against US war of aggression on Iraq
(New Delhi, 20 March)
#7. India: Excavating trouble in Ayodhya (Praful Bidwai)
#8. India: Aman Ekta Manch Campaign to raise funds for Kashmiri
migrant camp in Delhi
#9. India: CPJ protests censorship of documentary
#10. INSAF letter to the Dutch Ministers of Foreign Affairs and
Development Co-operation
#11. Canada: War, Peace and Small Arms: A South Asian Civil Society
Perspective - Discussion(April2, Ottawa)
-----------------------------------
#1.
CALL TO URGENTLY INVOKE UN RESOLUTION 377: "UNITING FOR PEACE"
PAKISTANI NGOs' STATEMENT FOR PEACE AND TO AVERT WAR ON IRAQ
18 MARCH 2003
The Citizens Peace Committee (CPC), Women's Action Forum
(WAF-National), Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy
(PIPFPD), Aurat Foundation, and members of the Pakistan Joint Action
Committee for Citizens' Rights (JAC) note, with the gravest concern
and sadness, that the US/UK-led coalition has today rejected the
voices for peace of tens of millions around the world, including
Pakistan, and has also rejected the route adopted by the United
Nations. Barring a last-minute miracle, we are now possibly only
hours away from a full-scale, unprovoked war of aggression and
genocide on the long-suffering, weak, helpless and innocent civilian
non-combatant population of Iraq, unleashed by the largest military
and industrial power on earth, in violation of the UN Charter, and
international and US law, all of which forbid pre-emptive war.
It is a failure of peace, justice, sanity and reason, civilization,
and of humanity. War will be the triumph of injustice, hate,
aggression, and blatant economic and political self-interest. Some
may even read into it overt prejudice and the clash of civilizations,
religions and cultures, thereby generating further spirals of hate.
Thus, it is now apparent that might IS right, that the meek shall NOT
inherit the earth, that swords shall NOT be fashioned into
ploughshares, and that the mighty do NOT accept the raison d'=EAtre of
the United Nations: "to save humankind from the scourge of war and
to promote peace". It is immeasurably sad to think that war,
injustice and hatred should be allowed to prevail over peace, reason
and world opinion - so forcefully voiced in the past days and weeks.
However, there is still a glimmer of hope. We urgently call upon the
UN Secretary-General to convene an emergency meeting of the General
Assembly under the UN resolution 377 - a procedure called "Uniting
for Peace", which was utilized successfully during the Suez crisis in
the 1950s. This would be a last-ditch effort by the global community
to attempt to avert the imminent launch of the war against the Iraqi
people. The General Assembly can, and urgently needs to, demand an
immediate withdrawal. If the war has already begun by then, it can
also demand an immediate ceasefire. Neither the US, nor the other
UNSC permanent members, have a veto power in the General Assembly.
The initial information on this procedure has been researched and
disseminated by Robert Fisk, Michael Ratner, Jules Lobel and Jeremy
Brecher, and the necessary resolution re. Iraq, utilizing resolution
377 - the Uniting for Peace procedure - has already been drafted by
lawyers at the US Center for Constitutional Rights.
We urgently call upon the Pakistani and global peace activists to
immediately and intensively lobby and advocate with the UN
Secretary-General and the General Assembly membership, to press for
this slim chance to avert the war - it is our last chance now.
_____
#2.
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 10:42:33 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Over 2000 strike/rally/block road against War on Iraq
Dear All:
Over 2000 teachers, staff and students staged one of the biggest
demonstrations in the history of the Karachi University against the
US led war on Iraq. Students and teachers assembled at the Karachi
University Arts Lobby around 11 am to stage a protest rally called by
the Karachi University Teachers=ED Society. KUTS had announced three
days earlier that it will strike and stage a demonstration against
the imperialist war. Teachers representatives of the KUTS assembled
at 9am and took round of the campus to ask mates to boycott classes
and assemble for the demonstration. Within an hour hundreds of
teachers and students gathered at the Arts Lobby. The crowd was much
beyond the expectation of the organisers and in their haste some of
them started the rally without waiting for the thousands who were to
assembled later after half an hour and left in the lurch looking for
the organisers. Nevertheless teachers and staff took a brief round of
the campus and by the time they reached the main University Road
there were over 2000. They marched towards the nearby engineering
university and staged a sit-in/road-block which lasted for over an
hour. President KUTS Sarwar Nasim, Prof Abdul Qadeer, Mr Nasiruddin
Khan, Dr Rafiq Alam and Secretary Dr Riaz Ahmed ---council members of
KUTS=F3sopke on the occasion. Sarwar Nasim called for asking the
war-supporting embassy staff to leave, Prof Qadeer called for united
action against the war and termed war as part of the globalisation
agenda, Rafiq Alam called for the unity of Muslims against US
aggressors, Nasiruddin Khan demanded withdrawal of support to the
aggressors and Riaz Ahmed called the war against Iraq as a war
against the entire humanity and called for creation of committees on
class-room basis to organise protests and boycotts. The demo was also
addressed by students leaders belonging to the Imamia Students
Organisation and Islami Jamiat Tulba.
Dr Riaz Ahmed
Secretary, KUTS
[Karachi University Teachers Society]
_____
#3.
Committee Against War on Iraq
Protest Against the Criminal War Against Iraq
March to US Embassy and day-long sit-in on March 20, 2003
The United States has begun its war on Iraq. This is a war which is
totally illegal and unjust. The United Nations has refused to
sanction such a war. This is a war against the Iraqi people defying
worldwide opinion.
To protest against the war, the Committee Against War on Iraq is
organising a March to the US Embassy at Chanakyapuri on March 22,
2003 (Saturday).
The point of assembly will be the circle opposite the Teen Murti
Bhavan at 11 a.m. [New Delhi]
The march will convert into a day long sit-in protest from 11.30 a.m
to 5.00 p.m There will be songs and cultural programmes against the
war during the sit-in.
Please inform as many people as possible.
_____
#4.
LET US ALL BREAK THE SILENCE
& SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE WAR IN INDIA
JOIN THE ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATION IN AHMEDABAD
=46RIDAY MARCH 21, 2003 (5 p.m.)
Venue: SARDAR BAUG, Opp. Roopali (LAL DARWAJA)
Organised by:
ALL INDIA ANTI-IMPERIALIST FORUM
(Justice V R Krishna Iyer, D N Pathak, Prakash Shah, Dwarikanath Rath & othe=
rs)
_____
#5.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1.
The wreck of Ottoman Empire
was left midway in 1922
when Kuwait was forced out of Basra,
Caesarean section, by John Bull
in the service of Brit Empire.
(So did UNkill Sam prise open Venezuela.
Thus was Panama born
to serve the Yank Empire.)
2.
The rape of Iran was left halfway in =9153
when they crowned a cannibal
who served them for 36 years, but=85
To reclaim Iran they helped and goaded Iraq
to pummel it for 8 years.
(Thus too had they urged and helped Hitler
to destroy the Soviet Union
for the benefit of the imperium.)
3.
Division of labor
between father and son
the junior to finish what senior had begun.
Iraq done in by dad
must be undone
by son.
Payback time too
for those who had in a putsch
catapulted a boob in the Warlord House
(with the grunt of a beast and the mind of a mouse).
4.
Imperialism can't survive
without colonies.
Its God, greed,
is the Third World's meed:
loot and slavery, drenched in gore.
The insatiate savage will
ever forage for more and more.
Millions over eons have failed to sate it.
Millions more of men, women, and children
to be turned into its fodder
are supposed to love losing life and liberty.
However, they must be killed
for a "civilization" whirling in a macabre dance
for a fiend to fiddle and set freedom afire
for a "democracy" to advance
infinite injustice and enduring serfdom.
5.
(Guilty of nationalizing its oil in 1973)
Iraq will not be the last.
Nor were Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The empire of evil
the scourge of Satan
the enemy of mankind
(all bare, no blush)
will be easy to locate
in the map, in the mind
even for those who are
totally illiterate, and
wholly blind.
I.Shukla
31Jan.03
_____
#6.
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 23:12:11 +0530
Women protest against US war of aggression on iraq
in a unique protest women of 35 countries under the banner of the
world march of women, an international network against poverty and
violence, joined hands today in new delhi to protest at the american
centre against the us imperialist aggression in iraq. the women were
in india to attend an international committee meeting from march
18-22. learning of the war, the women jopined their indian colleagues
in a protest that attracted hundreds of sympathisers and supporters.
shouting slogans against "warmonger bush" the women demanded an
immediate stop to the war. they also demanded a session of the un
assembly under sec. 377 that can be used when there is no agreement
in the security council. the women representatives were from
countries in south america like brazil. peru, argentina, nicaragua
and cuba, from europe, scandanavia, from west asia there were women
from jordan,syria, morocco, from africa, from south east asia like
the phillipines,hong kong, from south korea and other countries. from
india, several women's organisations including the all india
democratic women's association and nawo organised the protest. the
demonstration.
the women stressed that they were particularly concerned about the
consequences for iraqi women and children who had suffered most in
the 12 year old war against iraq. expressing their strong solidarity
with iraqi women, the demonstrators called upon women all over the
world to organise and also join anti-war protests. earlier, the women
had adopted a declaration for peace and against the us imperialist
aggression against iraq and the people of the entire region.
[Related News Report]
The Hindu
=46riday, Mar 21, 2003
Anti-war protests in Delhi
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003032105161100.htm
_____
#7.
The News International, Pakistan, March 20, 2003
Excavating trouble in Ayodhya
Praful Bidwai
Nothing highlights the poverty of leadership in South Asia more
starkly than its failure to resolve contentious issues politically
while passing the buck on to institutions like the judiciary, special
police or the army.
The Ayodhya/Babri mosque dispute is a classic example of this. It
should and could have been resolved through talks, arbitration or
legislation well before it acquired a menacing edge in the mid-1980s.
But the government failed to resolve it. Even after the Babri mosque
was razed in 1992, and when the government had a unique opportunity
to put the Hindutva forces on the defensive, it lobbed the issue into
the law courts.
Now the courts have lobbed it into the lap of the Archaeological
Survey of India by ordering it to excavate the disputed site at
Ayodhya. This has set off less a scientific investigation than a
secret quasi-military operation. The excavation represents one more
twist in the unfolding of the Ayodhya controversy since 1949, when
Hindu idols were stealthily spirited into the Babri mosque.
The excavation is unlikely to lead to a conclusive, clinching,
determination of the question, did a Hindu temple exist, and was it
destroyed, where the Babri mosque was built in 1528? Nor will it
settle the Ayodhya title-suit which originates in a property dispute
in the modern period, not in medieval history.
India's eminent archaeologists and historians have sharply criticised
the excavation order, its passive acceptance by the ASI and the
appointment of an obscure private company, Tojo-Vikas International,
as its adviser. The operation has attracted other contenders for the
land in Ayodhya, who claim they too were "wronged" by "history". An
organisation representing the Jains claims a Sixth Century Jain
temple existed at the site before any Hindu monument was built. The
excavation order will promote more contestation and squabbling over
the Ramjanmabhoomi issue, in keeping with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's
agenda.
Objections to the excavation fall into three categories. The first
concerns morality. Assuming that the ASI finds that a structure
existed at the site prior to 1528, would that retrospectively justify
the razing of the mosque as part of "getting even with history"? Many
monuments were built in ancient and medieval India on top of
demolished religious structures, whether animist, Buddhist, Jain,
Hindu, Jewish or Muslim.
What if the Taj Mahal or some of the greatest Hindu temples are found
to belong to that category? Should people go on a spree of
bloodletting and razing of monuments-in the way the Taliban destroyed
the Bamiyan Buddhas? Can the vandalism of the past justify revenge
today? The ethical answer must be no.
Good Indian scholars accept this. In 1993, the broad-based
historians' association, Indian History Congress, voted
overwhelmingly against the view that "a monument can be destroyed ...
if there are ... grounds for assuming that a religious structure of
another community had previously stood at its site." It also said
such "post-facto rationalisation" of the Babri mosque demolition
"would place in jeopardy ... numerous historical monuments all over
the country..."
What would be the practical outcome of the excavation at Ayodhya? If
irrefutable evidence is found that a temple existed at the site,
Muslim organisations say they would give up their claim to the land.
But the obverse is not true. Hindu groups have ambivalent positions
on excavation itself. The VHP employs double standards. If the prior
existence of a Hindu temple is confirmed, it will press its demand
for building a temple (without a mosque) on the entire land. But it
refuses to say it will drop its demand if no such evidence is found!
Tomorrow, the BJP-RSS-VHP can turn around and say the Ayodhya issue
concerns "faith", not "facts".
The second set of objections relates to the excavation methods and
the competence and impartiality of the agencies involved-Tojo-Vikas
and the ASI. According to eminent medieval historians KM Shrimali and
Irfan Habib, and archaeologist Suraj Bhan, Tojo-Vikas has "no
previous experience of archaeological surveying." The credentials of
Claude Robillard, its "adviser and chief geophysicist", also seem
"doubtful". The company's report doesn't furnish his bio-data.
Tojo-Vikas was earlier asked to conduct a "non-intrusive" geophysical
survey at Ayodhya. Its results were inconclusive.
However, Tojo-Vikas doesn't appear impartial. Its report reveals it
was expected by certain quarters to trace some "pillars". This
probably derives from the dubious claim of the pro-sangh
archaeologist B.B. Lal of his "discovery" of "pillar bases",
presumably of a temple.
The scholars quoted above question the ASI's competence to conduct
rigorous, scientific and impartial excavations. For about 10 years,
it hasn't had a professional archaeologist heading it. The ASI
reports to the Central government, comprising ministers charged with
instigating the Babri demolition, including L K Advani and M M Joshi.
Say the scholars, "no agency under their complete control can be held
to be above suspicion."
The excavation period is compressed to just one month under court
orders. Serious archaeological excavation cannot be done in a hurry.
Professor M K Dhavalikar, former director of the highly regarded
Pune-based Deccan College, says: "An ideal time-frame would be three
full seasons of three to four months per year".
The third objection is even more fundamental and relates to the
nature of archaeology as a discipline. Archaeology is not a natural,
but a social, science. Archaeological finds are subject to a wide
range of interpretations. Says archaeologist Shereen Rutnagar. "The
mere discovery of objects, however, well-preserved they might seem,
doesn't count as archaeological evidence". Objects and artefacts are
mute and don't speak for themselves. Their context-stratification,
relationship to the surroundings, place in a certain material
culture-is all-important in interpreting them. Proper excavation is
done layer by layer, establishing each stratum's age and provenance.
Excavation needs meticulous record-keeping-trench notebooks,
materials notebooks, photographs, etc. These must be available for
peer scrutiny and review. But the ASI has often refused to share
records.
Besides, there can be ambiguity about what constitutes, say, a
"temple relic". For instance, a carved stone or brick from a domestic
dwelling, dating back to the 15th century, can be confused with a
"temple relic" by misinterpreting or distorting its context. The lay
public can be fooled by the display of such "relics". The VHP can
work up emotions.
Such "voodoo archaeology" must be debunked. Indian historians have
grappled hard with the Ayodhya issue. But, according to Professor
Habib, they have found no "acceptable proof" that the Babri Masjid
was built at the site of a Hindu temple: "None of the 14 inscribed
Persian verses of the time ... even remotely mentions this". Nor does
Tulsi Das, an Ayodhya resident, who wrote the Tulsi Ramayana within
living memory of the mosque's construction. The claim that a Hindu
temple preceded the mosque wasn't made until nearly 250 years after
the Babri's construction.
A reputed American historian, Richard M Eaton, in his Essays on Islam
and Indian History, (OUP, Delhi, 2000) carefully documents "the
desecration of each and every Hindu temple between 1192 and 1760".
The total adds up to 80. This figure doesn't include a Ram temple at
Ayodhya. The Ayodhya issue couldn't be decided with finality by
history. It probably wouldn't be settled by archaeology either. The
excavation may only dig up more confusion.
_____
#8.
Aman Ekta Manch Campaign to raise funds for Kashmiri migrant camp in Delhi
Urgent help is required for a camp of about 600 families who have
fled their homes in Kashmir recently due to violence unleashed on
them by militants before and after the recent assembly election. The
camp is located in Shastri Park (near Buland Masjid) in East Delhi,
where hundreds of make-shift shelters house about 3000 people of whom
almost 75% are women and children (including a large number of widows
and orphans).
Significantly, the camp has both Hindu and Muslim families (about 30%
are Muslims) living together in harmony. The Delhi Government has
helped a little by providing some land for them to put up their
shelters (although the Metro construction activity has pushed them
back, so that several families now have to share the same shelter),
some shelter material, an occasional water tanker and an interim
compensation of Rs.1100 per family per month, within which they have
to meet all their expenses of shelter, fuel, clothing, food etc.
Despite all efforts to earn as much as possible by working in the
mandis, stitching for local people and sending young boys and girls
to all parts of the city to appeal for help, the camp has been
virtually on the verge of starvation. There has been some help from
individuals and institutions, but much greater mobilisation of
voluntary assistance is required just to keep them from starving,
leave alone deal with numerous health problems likely to arise with
the onset of summer and poor hygenic conditions.
Until concrete steps towards rehabilitation materialise, such as
interest-free loans to re-start their business of carpet weaving etc
or compensation commensurate with the yield-value of their property
(such as orchards and agricultural land), citizens of Delhi need to
rally around and help them in every possible way to tide over this
crisis.
Aman Ekta Manch plans to have a fortnight-long campaign to raise
funds and other essential items. Cash donations and cheques drawn in
the name of Aman Ekta Manch will be accepted against receipts.
Cheques should say "For Kashmiri Migrants" on the back. Cash and
cheques must be delivered/sent to the following address only: Aman
Ekta Manch C/o Jagori C-54 South Extension Part II (top floor) New
Delhi-110054 In addition, the following items may be deposited at any
of the following places:
a) Sahmat office
(8, V.P. House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi, Ph no: 23351424, Contact
person: Mr. Ashok, collection between 10 am to 5 pm, closed on Sunday)
b) Indian Social Institute (ISI Residence Reception, 21 Institutional
Area, Lodhi Road, behind Sai Baba Mandir, Ph no: 24625015, 24622379,
open 24 hours, all days) c) Vidyajyoti (4A Rajniwas Marg,
Delhi-110054, Near St Xavier's School, Ph no: 23947609, 23943556,
Contact person: Fr. T.K. John, collection between 8 am to 7 pm, all
days)
ITEMS
1. Rice/ Atta/ Sugar (in sealed 1 Kg. packs)
2. Dal-Chana, masoor or moong (" " " " =93)
3. Mustard oil (in sealed 1 litre packs)
4. Haldi, salt, red chilly powder
5. Tea leaves (in sealed pkts. of 250gms.)
6. Clothes, footwear in reasonably good condition
7. Sheets, old curtains, chatais, daris
The campaign will end on: 5th April, 2003 Please note that we cannot
accept any contributions after this date.
_____
#9.
***NEWS FROM THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS***
=46OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
INDIA: CPJ protests censorship of documentary
New York, March 20, 2003---The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls
on India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to reverse its earlier
decision to deny a certificate to the documentary "Aakrosh," which prevents
the film from being shown publicly. "Aakrosh," or "Cry of Anguish," is a
20-minute, Hindi-language documentary that features interviews with
survivors of the communal violence that swept the western state of Gujarat
in 2002.
On March 4, the CBFC notified the producers of "Aakrosh" that their
application for a certificate was denied. The filmmakers appealed the
decision to the board's Revising Committee, which met yesterday, March 19,
to screen the documentary. Committee members said that a decision would be
made shortly, but no date was given.
In the CBFC's March 4 letter to the filmmakers explaining the decision, a
copy of which was obtained by CPJ, the board lists several "Reasons for
Refusal of Certificate," including the fact that, "The film depicts violence
and reminds the people about the Gujarat riot last year. It shows the
Government and Police in a bad light. The overall impact of the film is
negative as it leads to communal hatred."
The film's producers say "Aakrosh" does not show footage of the violence and
is not incendiary. The film "preaches the importance of peace and communal
harmony," said a statement from the People's Media Initiative, an
independent production company that made the documentary. "We wanted to show
futility of the violence and tell the people that violence of any kind is
bad." The filmmakers say they did not identify the victims interviewed by
name or religion to avoid contributing to further polarization between Hindu
and Muslim communities.
The clashes in Gujarat began on February 27, 2002, when a Muslim mob set
fire to a train carrying Hindu activists, killing 59 people, according to
official reports. More than 2,000 Muslims were killed in the retaliatory
violence that followed. Journalists, diplomats, and human rights groups have
reported that much of this violence was actually organized and encouraged by
political leaders and groups associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), the Hindu nationalist party that governs Gujarat State and leads
India's national coalition government.
Arvind Trivedi, a former actor and BJP politician from Gujarat, currently
heads the CBFC.
This is not the first time that the film board has censored a documentary
for political reasons. In 2002, the CBFC ordered filmmakers to alter their
documentary "War and Peace" (Jang aur Aman), a program about the dangers of
the nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan. The film's director
refused to make the cuts and has filed a case with the High Court in Mumbai
challenging the board's decision. The next court hearing is scheduled for
March 25.
"War and Peace" has received numerous awards, including top honors at the
Mumbai International Film Festival and the Sydney International Film
=46estival, but it cannot be screened publicly in India without an official
certificate from the film board.
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press
conditions in India, visit www.cpj.org.
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue -- 12th floor
New York, NY 10001
phone: 212-465-1004
fax: 212-465-9568
e-mail: info@cpj.org
http://www.cpj.org
_____
#10.
Mr. Wilfred Mohr
Head,
Southern Asia Division, Asia & Oceania Department.
(em address: wt.mohr@minbuza.nl)
Dear Mr. Mohr:
Kindly transmit this letter to Mr. J. de Hoop Scheffer, Minister of
=46oreign Affairs, and to Mrs. A. van Aardenne, Minister for
Development Co-operation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. J. de Hoop Scheffer, Minister of Foreign Affairs
and
Mrs. A. van Aardenne, Minister for Development Co-operation
Postbox 20061
2500 EB Den Haag
The Netherlands
Dear Honorable Ministers Mr. Scheffer & Mrs. Aardenne:
We are profoundly grateful to the India Committee of the Netherlands
for their press release of March 11, 2003 - in which they outline in
details the huge violations of human rights and the state-sponsored
genocide that took place in the Gujarat State of India last year. A
vast majority of people of Indian origin living abroad would be
similarly grateful to the India Committee for the Netherlands. In
fact, so would be the people living in India too.
I am sure you have seen the press release of the India Committee of
the Netherlands. If not, you can access it at:
http://www.indianet.nl/pb030311.html
All the facts of what happened in Gujarat are undoubtedly known to
you. You are also aware that your own government's criteria of "good
governance" and "respect for human rights" (as "cornerstones for
government to government development cooperation") are thoroughly
violated by the government of Gujarat. Back in June 2002, the Dutch
Minister of Development Cooperation, Mrs. Eveline Herfkens, wrote to
the India Committee of the Netherlands, and to other NGOs, assuring
them that she would continue to follow up on the developments in
Gujarat. She also wrote: "It is of great importance to follow up to
what extent the Indian Central and Gujarati state government(s) will
match deeds with words, will take preventive measures to stop
repetition of violence, will undertake action to bring perpetrators
of violence to court, take care of an adequate rehabilitation of the
victims and implement measures to counter discriminations of
religious minorities. I have requested Her Majesty's Ambassador in
New Delhi to continue to report about this to me."
We would like to know what kind of reports you have received from
your government's Ambassador in New Delhi over the months. As
recently as last month, both Amnesty International and Human Rights
Watch have made statements to the effect that those guilty of
violence in Gujarat still go unpunished, and that there has hardly
been any relief and rehabilitation for the victims. All the
recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have
been ignored. Before retiring as Chairperson of NHRC, Justice J. S.
Verma went on a public record deploring the tardy progress in
providing relief to the victims of Gujarat carnage (The Hindu,
January 10, 2003).
Given this situation, we find it very disturbing that since June 2002
the Netherlands government has made no public statement on the
massacres in Gujarat. And we find it even more disturbing that your
government has continued to fund programs of the Gujarat government.
We join our voices with those of the India Committee of the
Netherlands in urging that the official development cooperation
between the government of the Netherlands and the government of
Gujarat should be suspended until the receommendations of the
National Human Rights Commission of India, Amnesty International, and
Human Rights Watch are satisfactorily implemented.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
hari sharma
Hari Sharma, Ph.D.
President, INSAF
(International South Asia Forum)
Secretariat: Box 272, Westmount Stn.,Montreal, QC, Canada H3Z 2T2
(Tel. 514 937-4714)
_____
#11.
South Asia Partnership (SAP) Canada cordially invites you to
War, Peace and Small Arms:
A South Asian Civil Society Perspective
With
Dr James Arputharaj
Executive Director, South Asia Partnership International (SAPI), Colombo
&
Ms. Chamila Hemmathagama, Program Officer (SAPI)
To be followed by a discussion
Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2003
Time: 12-2
Place: Room 202, 2nd Floor,
1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa [Canada]
The widespread proliferation and easy availability of small arms is a
pressing threat to the security of the states and peoples of South
Asia. In response, South Asia Partnership International has been
working on a initiative to find effective solutions for this growing
problem. Dr Arputharaj has played a key role in this initiative and
in the South Asian peace movement. He and his colleague will speak
about the small arms issue, in a regional and international context,
including the recent formalization of SASANet =96 Small Arms in South
Asia Network. A South Asian civil society led formation, the aim of
SASANet is to influence policy and bring about security sector reform
in South Asia through effective research, advocacy and public
engagement, at the local, national and regional level.
Please RSVP To:
Veena Gokhale, India Program Manager, SAP Canada
Phone: (613) 241-1333 ext 231, Fax (613) 241-1129
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SACW is an informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service run by
South Asia Citizens Web (www.mnet.fr/aiindex).
DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.
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