Dalai Lama visits Benuban Vihar Monastery in Agartala

Agartala, Jan 19 : Nobel laureate and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama visited the Benuban Vihar monastery here on Thursday.

The Buddhist spiritual leader arrived around 10 AM amidst tight security, where hundreds of devotees, monks and non-Buddhist were already present to witness the spiritual leader who delivered a one and a half hours speech.

The Dalai Lama said the Buddhism like all other religion teaches to love people and the main cause of human suffering was desire and evil thought.

He also expressed that the Indian secular government is the best system as it respects and gives equal opportunity to all religions to grow, adding that Hinduism and Buddhism is twin.

The Buddhist leaders later in the afternoon interacted with people, discussing the various aspects of religion and secularism at the Agartala Town Hall.

Burmese migrants told to leave South Mizoram town



Kamalanagar, January 19, 2007 - Burmese migrants in College Veng, Saiha, in South Mizoram have been told to leave the locality in the wake of a murder of a local.

Mara Thyulia Py (Mara Youth Organization), College Veng, Saiha, Mizoram, India in a press communiqué ordered Burmese migrants to vacate the locality in 28 hours on January 10. MTP took this stern action after a local was murdered by a Burmese migrant on December 27, 2006.

Rammawia murdered Rothanga belonging to the locality enraging residents of College Veng. The killer was arrested by Saiha Police after three days of the murder.

"Burmese migrants settled in College Veng are in a spot. They are being displaced and have to find refuge in the homes of other migrant families in other localities," said a Burmese human rights activist on condition of anonymity.

No untoward incidents have been reported so far after the expiry of the notice to vacate. Burmese migrants in Saiha, however, are anxious and apprehensive of vindictive action against them by the town as a whole.

Meanwhile, the Saiha police transferred Rammawia to Lunglei jail apprehending a riot in Saiha prison. The MTP has targeted Burmese migrants but untoward incidents may occur as most of Burmese are traders, who are supposed to leave Saiha after finishing the day's business, according to a police officer in Saiha.

"It is peaceful in the town despite the notification by the MTP," said a senior official in the Saiha police when contacted.

Meanwhile, the medical training organized by the National Health and Education Committee in new Saiha east locality continues 'peacefully' according to Pu Bawia, owner of the training venue. The President of MTP, Dr K Beichhua, could not be contacted as he was busy in his clinic.

The relationship between Burmese migrants and locals in Saiha were cordial prior to the murder. MTP and Burma's democracy parties have jointly fought against social vices, such as production and supply of liquor in the town.

United Jumma International hopes for free and fair election in Bangladesh


Sydney, January 19, 2007 :The United Jumma International (UJI) has welcomed the reconstituted caretaker government and hoped that the rescheduled elections in Bangladesh would be held timely in a free and fair manner.

President of the UJI, Venerable A. Paññājoti pleased that the authorities in Bangladesh have chosen to postpone the national elections that were planned for January 22.

"To have held the elections in spite of a planned boycott by opposition parties would have meant such elections would have lacked credibility and been unacceptable to UJI and the international community,".

Venerable welcomed the decision of President Iajuddin to appoint a new chief adviser of the caretaker government, and encourages the new chief adviser to ensure the rescheduled elections are free and fair, and be held in a timely and peaceful manner with the participation of all political parties.

"The situation in Bangladesh remains fragile and the UJI urges all parties to work together to ensure the interests of all Indigenous communities and Bangladeshis are upheld,".

PCJSS activist shot dead
Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari

Khagrachari, January 19, 2007 : An activist of Jubo Samity, a youth front of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), was shot dead allegedly by the activists of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) at Chongrachhari under Dighinala upazila of the district yesterday morning.

The victim was identified as Vinku Kumar Chakma, 30, son of Sneha Kumar Chakma of Hasinsonpur village under the upazila.

Police said the UPDF activists swooped on Vinku while he was visiting his fish farm at Chongrachhari village at around 6:00am. They shot him point blank and left the scene. Vinku died instantly.

Police recovered the body and took it to Dighinala Police Station. Later, the law enforcers sent the body to Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital for autopsy.

Police could not arrest any of the killers as of 5:00pm yesterday.

Malaria deaths in Tripura

Agartala, January 19, 2007 : Five persons, including four children, have died of malaria in Belonia and Kanchanpur subdivisions of Tripura.

Puranmala Tripura (6) and her brother Sundarlal Tripura died within 24 hours of the malaria outbreak being reported from the tribal-dominated Maihar village of Belonia subdivision.

With the deaths sparking a furore, finance minister Badal Chowdhury, who hails from the subdivision, initiated emergency measures through the health department to prevent any more casualties.

The special medical camps being organised across the tribal-dominated areas of the subdivision seem to have succeeded in containing the outbreak, as no more cases have been reported from the subdivision so far.

Kanchanpur subdivision, however, was not so lucky. Three persons, including two children, have already fallen victim to malaria in Ananda Bazar and Gachhirmapara of this tribal-dominated subdivision in North Tripura in the past four days. On Friday, 39-year-old Rujoi Reang died of malaria at Saitoal village in Jampui hills while eight-year-old Uchoi Reang and 10-year-old Mamitha Reang died of the disease in the neighbouring village of Sakhantang the next day.

According to sources, what has become a source of worry is that over 50 inmates in the six congested Reang refugee camps in the subdivision have contracted malaria, though no casualty has been reported so far from there.

The sources said health workers, who visit the interior areas to distribute medicine and disinfectants, have reported to the subdivisional headquarters that over 500 tribals are suffering from malaria in the interior villages. The situation would worsen unless emergency measures are taken immediately, they warned.

According to a report compiled by the subdivisional authorities, over 500 people are suffering from malaria in Monpi, Saitoial, Banglabari, Nandirampara, Mitrajaypara, Gopalpur and Laljuri villages. The report said the situation could be worse in the remote villages bordering Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

Subdivisional medical officer Sujit Chakma said the situation was not so alarming.

He, however, admitted that incidence of malaria in the winter months had so far been a rare phenomenon in Kanchanpur and hence needed to be probed.

Director of health services Satya Debbarma, however, denied reports of the outbreak of malaria in Kanchanpur. “In case we receive reports of such attacks, we will definitely take action,” he said.

'Enact laws to protect HR of indigenous people'
RU Correspondent

Dhaka, January 17, 2007 : Adibashi (indigenous) leaders yesterday demanded enactment of appropriate law to protect their human rights including culture and heritage.

They also demanded a separate ministry for indigenous people and special allocation for them from national budget to ensure equal rights with other citizens of the country.

The demands came at a discussion and warm clothes distribution programme among the coldhit poor Adibashi male, female and children on Kakonhat upazila Adibashi Sangskritik Unnayan Sangstha (ASUS) office premises.

The programme was organised by ASUS.

The Adibashi leaders urged the government to ensure their rights to land and vote because they are still facing ethnic discrimination.

They called upon people from all walks of life to come forward to help ensure their rights.

The programme was attended by Rishikul UP Chairman Jahangir Ahmed Sarker as chief guest while ASUS Executive Director Rajkumar Saw was in the chair.

Jatiya Adibashi Parishad President Anil Marandi, Adibashi leader Gones Mazi and Modhusudon Mitra also addressed the programme.

At least 200 blankets and 100 jackets were distributed among the cold-hit Adibashi people.

Boosting US-Bangladesh relations


Dhaka, January 17, 2007 : Bangladesh is the second largest Muslim democratic country in the world after Indonesia. Although the US' relationship with Bangladesh was initially troubled because of strong US-Pakistan ties, the friendship and support developed quickly afterwards. Mr. Archer Kent Blood, who was the US Consul General in Dhaka in the then East Pakistan in 1971 reported the truth and supported rights of people of this country even at the expense of his own career.

Bangladesh was founded as a secular state, on a regional identity -- Bengali, both Muslim and Hindu -- and not on a religious identity. The US recognised Bangladesh in April 1972.

US-Bangladesh relations today can be described as a special relationship. Bangladesh always desires to strengthen relations with US. Her bilateral relations with the US are clearly a matter of highest priority. It is equally highly important to US also that democracy, Islam and moderation can co-exist, as it does in Bangladesh today.

Bangladesh could serve as a model of Muslim majority country. The US considers Bangladesh as a very important partner in the region. In recent years, the bilateral relations have made significant strides in all spheres of cooperation.

At the same time, Bangladesh also considers the US as close and trusted friend and there is continued efforts to strengthen the existing bilateral relations and cooperation. Bangladesh is an ally of US in the fight against terrorism, and this has further strengthened Bangladesh-US relations.

The US considers Bangladesh as a 'traditionally moderate and tolerant' country that has made progress in establishing democracy since gaining independence in 1971. After years of military rule, Bangladesh has carried out a series of democratic elections since 1991.

She pursues a moderate foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy. She is and has been for many years now a tested ally of the US.

As an active member of SAARC, Bangladesh has emerged as a key player in South Asian geo-politics due to its human resources and changing economic status. The US is having vital strategic interests in Bangladesh due to her location that is very close to the Indian Ocean between two regional powers India and China.

US had been providing lot of military aid to South Asian countries, particularly to Pakistan of which Bangladesh was a part until 1971. Just after independence, Bangladesh did not receive any military aid form US. In 1983, Bangladesh received US $ .4 million from the US for buying defence hardware. The defence relations between Bangladesh and the US was strengthened during Gulf War in 1991, when some 2500 troops of Bangladesh Army served with the coalition forces along with a few Muslim countries and afterwards participated in multinational forces to restore democracy in Haiti. She, frequently at the urging of the US, has been regularly contributing to UN peace keeping missions all over the world.

Gulf War was basically the turning point in the US-Bangladesh relations, since then the relationship has taken a new dimension. Presently, military relationship between them is very healthy. They are regularly participating in joint military exercises, which obviously serve as the bridge of friendship between both the countries. The US military assistance to Bangladesh has been fairly steady since the 1980s.

Cooperation between the US and Bangladesh forces was visible during 'Operation Sea Angels' -- a search and rescue operation carried out by US Army in 1991 after the devastating cyclone, which is credited with having saved as many as 2,00,000 lives. This also helped the Armed Forces of both the countries come closer of each other.

Both countries have a long and successful bilateral partnership in many areas, from economic and social development to peacekeeping and counterterrorism, because they share common values and aspirations for freedom and a better life for future generation.

Bangladesh has benefited from US assistance in many different ways. US extended help in coping with various natural disasters that Bangladesh has been plagued with since long.

US is a major buyer of RMG from Bangladesh and Bangladesh imports wheat, fertilizer, cotton, communication equipment, aircraft and medical supplies, a portion of which is financed by USAID.

A bilateral investment treaty was also signed in 1989. From 1971 to 2006, USAID has provided over US $ 5 billion in development assistance, with over half of that amount in food aid. In 2006, USAID provided US $ 75 million in development assistance to Bangladesh.

The relations were boosted in March 2000 with the visit of then President Clinton, a first visit ever by a sitting US President.

Following the tragic event of 9/11, Bangladesh extended its full support to the US in its war against international terrorism. The 9/11 attacks altered the way of perceiving terrorism that is not limited to the battlefield. Instead, terrorism needs to be fought in the classroom as well. As part of global fight against terrorism, US arranged to establish the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, which will be a world class liberal arts college to educate intelligent and talented young women from diverse backgrounds across Asia and the Middle East.

The funding will likely be through USAID with startup cost of US $ 50 million, total initial endowment of US $ 30 million and annual operating cost of US $ 25 million. The University will teach democratic essentials such as moderation and reconciliation -- key weapons against extremism and intolerance.

Bangladesh also received assistance from Peace Corps with their presence from 1998 until it suspended Bangladesh operation in March 2006 to avoid the possible attack from the militants.

Peace Corps volunteers used to work with government youth development centres, where the demand for English teaching was at the forefront of community needs. In addition to that, the volunteers used to work with communities to develop other programmes at the youth centres to meet their needs by organising youth clubs to facilitate life skills development, conducting computer and IT training, gardening, tube well sinking, dye block printing and batik, small animal husbandry, development of village information books, working with women's groups to organise girls' esteem and empowerment workshops, and mobilising and teaching women and girls micro-business skills in order to market their handicraft products.

Using communicative and participatory methodologies and following a national curriculum, the volunteers used to initiate less formal teaching activities such as designing and teaching after-school conversational classes, forming English clubs and book clubs, teaching art, and working with NGOs to build their fluency in English.

Bangladesh is a country that is not well understood by the majority of Americans including Congress members. Many of them still remember the tumultuous founding of Bangladesh in the war of independence or visions of the dire floods and famines that Bangladesh experienced in its early years of nationhood.

A concerted effort will have to be made in Washington to enlist the continuous support of the President, the National Security Council (NSC), the US Trade Representative, the State Department and the Congress. It is expected that US will do everything possible to support the economic and political stability of Bangladesh at any critical juncture.

We hope both the countries must join hands and help each other in every way possible to ensure that the basic and fundamental values that both countries share are preserved, which should be the basis of special relationship between the two countries.

Khan Ferdousour Rahman is a freelance contributor.

'Ensure rights of indigenous people'


Dhaka, January 17, 2007 : Speakers at a discussion at Shyamnagar yesterday said that indigenous people are yet to get their constitutional rights although they are fighting for the same for a long time.

The discussion titled 'Indigenous People's Rights to Land and Government Property and Actual Wage' was jointly organised by Action Aid Bangladesh, CPD Khulna and a local NGO Pragati Samaj Unnayan Sangstha.

Held at the Pragati Samaj Unnayan Sangstha auditorium at Shyamnagar the discussion was presided by Principal Ashek E Elahi.

Speakers demanded enactment of appropriate law to protect their rights including their culture and heritage. They wanted a separate ministry for indigenous people and special allocation for them from national budget to ensure equal rights with other citizens of the country.

They urged the government to ensure their right to land and vote because they are still facing racial discrimination and being deprived of human rights.

Now their existence is at stake due to repression perpetrated on them for a long time, they said.

Although indigenous people contribute a lot in national development, yet they do not get their due wage, they said.

They were critical of influential people who grabbed their land taking advantage of poverty and illiteracy.

They called upon people of all walks of life in society to come forward to ensure their rights.

Among others, Sharifullah Kaisar Suman, Prof Abdullah Al Farooque, freedom fighter SM Monsur Ali, Akbar Kabir, Abdul Hakim, Humayun Kabir, Zahidul Islam and others.

Eviction of Adivasis


Dinajpur, January 17, 2007 : AT least 250 landless people belonging to the indigenous community, the Adivasis, were reportedly living under the open sky in this bitter cold following a recent incident that took place at a place called Amoir under the Dinajpur Upazilas. These people belonged to 50 families living on a piece of government khas land for the past nine months.

A gang of 40 to 50 people swooped on their homes, dismantled them and even set them on fire. So brutal and merciless was the attack, as reported by a woman inmate of one of the houses that one of the attackers threw her two and half year old son into fire although she ultimately manage to rescue her son. Even the chairman of the union where the incident took place said: "The gang carried out the attack with a view to grabbing the government land." In the meantime the three people apprehended and accused of being involved in the incident have denied any wrong doing claiming that the landed property on which these people were staying belonged to them.

It looks as though the manifestation of the ugly legacy of torture and the marginalisation of the Adivasis in this country, far from coming to an end, continues unabated. These people are as much citizens of the country as any one else. This must never be forgotten.

We condemn the entire incident in no uncertain terms. Even if the Adivasis had to be evacuated or relocated surely it could have been done through a process that is more civil, rational and humane. Also consider this that they did not settle on the particular piece of land on their own accord. Apparently, as stated by the victims, an NGO of the area had asked them to stay there.

We recommend that a vigorous and swift enquiry into the incident be undertaken and those responsible brought to justice. In the meantime, the district administration should do more than just visiting the place of the incident; it must provide immediate relief to these poor victims side by side with arrangements made for their rehabilitation.

HR violation increases in Bangladesh


New Delhi, January 17, 2007 : War-torn Sri Lanka and politically unstable Bangladesh suffered worsening human rights violations in 2006 while other parts of the subcontinent saw scant progress, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.

In its annual report, the New York-based watchdog said Bangladesh's "already poor human rights record worsened, as security forces continued to commit numerous abuses, including extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force, and custodial torture.""A culture of impunity, reinforced by legislation, which largely shields the security forces from legal challenge, and by government praise for many of the unlawful killings, leads to abuses going largely uninvestigated and unpunished," it said.

In Bangladesh, this month's general elections were also shrouded in "fears of widespread violence." The opposition, led by the Awami League, are boycotting the January 22 polls and violence during protests since April has killed at least 35 people.

In Sri Lanka, an upsurge in fighting between government troops and the Tamil Tigers has "resulted in a dramatic increase in serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."

"Government forces were implicated in several massacres of civilians, indiscriminate aerial bombing and shelling, and complicity in the abduction of children for use as combatants," HRW said.

The Tigers were also branded as "responsible for direct attacks on civilians with landmines and suicide bombings, targeted killing of political opponents, and the continued recruitment of children into their forces."

"International expressions of concern about the situation in Sri Lanka were greater in 2006 than at any time in recent memory, but these did not translate into international action on human rights," the report added.

India, widely hailed as the world's largest democracy with a vibrant press and civil society, also came in for stiff criticism.

"Officials and members of the security services who abuse their power are rarely if ever brought to justice for torture, arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings in places like Jammu and Kashmir, the insurgency affected states in the northeast, and in areas where there is an extremist Maoist movement," HRW said.

In Kashmir, the report said "the Indian government has effectively given its forces free rein, while Pakistan and armed militant groups have never taken any action against militants who carry out atrocities."

Human Rights Watch also condemned India's failure "to protect the rights of children, religious minorities, those living with HIV/AIDS or those belonging to vulnerable communities such as tribal groups, Dalits and other 'backward' castes."

The situation in Nepal, where Maoist rebels declared an end to the decade-long insurgency and signed a peace deal with the government, gave some reason for cheer.

The human rights situation improved markedly after April 2006" when mass protests forced King Gyanendra to abandon direct rule and paved the way for the peace deal, HRW said.

But it also said both the Maoists and the government had "failed to institute accountability for past violations by their troops" and noted continued reports of abductions and murder.

UN threatens Bangladesh's peacekeeping role


Dhaka, January 17, 2007 : The United Nations yesterday threatened to strip the Bangladesh army of its prestigious and lucrative international 'blue helmet' peacekeeping duties if it mobilised to support disputed elections this month.

The warning came after the country's president declared a state of emergency and imposed a night curfew amid escalating tension ahead of polls, scheduled to take place on January 22.

"The United Nations appreciates the traditional role played by the Bangladesh armed forces in support of previous fully contested elections through the maintenance of law and order," said UN resident coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien in a statement.

"However, should the 22 January parliamentary elections proceed without participation of all major political parties, deployment of the armed forces in support of the election process raises questions. This may have implications for Bangladesh's future role in peacekeeping operations," she added.

The Awami League and its allies are boycotting the elections, demanding a total overhaul of the voter list and a swathe of other reforms.

PCJSS activist shot dead

Khagrachhari,January 17, 2007 : An activist of Jubo Samity, a youth front of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), was shot dead allegedly by the activists of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) at Chongrachhari under Dighinala upazila of the district yesterday morning.

The victim was identified as Vinku Kumar Chakma, 30, son of Sneha Kumar Chakma of Hasinsonpur village under the upazila.

Police said the UPDF activists swooped on Vinku while he was visiting his fish farm at Chongrachhari village at around 6:00am. They shot him point blank and left the scene. Vinku died instantly.

Police recovered the body and took it to Dighinala Police Station. Later, the law enforcers sent the body to Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital for autopsy.

Police could not arrest any of the killers as of 5:00pm yesterday.

American Buddhist monk accepts International position for Buddhism

Portland, January 15, 2007 : Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi Maha Thera, American Buddhist Monk, preferring to be known today as Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi, received word Friday, December 15th that he was officially confirmed as the first Representative from the United States of America to the Buddhist Summit, World Buddhist Supreme Conference. As part of his new position, he will coordinate U.S. representation at the Summit Conference to be held in Kobe, Japan in the Spring of 2007. The goal of the Summit Conferences is to bring together the many traditions of Buddhism in the world, and unify them to produce a united position dedicated to working towards balance, harmony, and world peace.

This is really a special and joyous time for all of us. Venerable Vimalaramsi is a most gifted and dynamic meditation teacher and a beautiful and loving human being. We are prepared to host many additional friends and visitors because he will reach far beyond our traditional community, especially when it gets out that in his new position he is basically the Head of Buddhism in our country now.
The Conferences meet every two years. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi's position on the World Buddhist Council will allow him to represent U.S. Buddhist interests and discuss a common point future for the various Buddhist traditions throughout the U.S. and the world. There are representatives from over 50 different countries on the World Buddhist Council. To be confirmed as a member, a monk representing each country has to be nominated by other World Buddhist Council members. For the U.S. to be represented on the council, an American born monk with a sufficient sphere of influence was needed. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is the first American born monk to gain the attention of world Buddhist leaders.

This is an unprecedented honor for the Venerable forest monk who lives in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and has dedicated his life to researching, studying, teaching, and writing about Buddhist Meditation for over 20 years. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi became a Buddhist monk in 1986 because of his keen interest in meditation. He went to Burma in 1988 to practice intensive meditation at the famous meditation center, Mahasi Yeiktha in Rangoon. There he practiced meditation for 20 to 22 hours a day. He remained in Asia as an active meditator for 12 years and was offered several chances to remain there as Abbott of Monasteries. During this time, he was invited to live and teach at the largest Theravada monastery in Malaysia, giving talks each week to up to 500 people. While in Asia, he wrote a book on the Mindfulness of Breathing called "The Anapanasati Sutta-A Practical Guide to Mindfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom meditation," which has nearly 1,000,000 copies in print and has been distributed in five different languages worldwide.

Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is beginning the process of unification during his U.S. tour which includes a three-week stop in Seattle in January of 2007. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is traveling with Buddhist nun Sister Khema, who will also be giving dhamma talks while in the area in January. During their visit, they will be residing at the Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery in Woodinville, WA. They will be giving dhamma talks on Loving Kindness-Vipassana or Tranquil Wisdom meditation at Nalanda West and various venues throughout the Puget Sound area. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi will also be offering a non-residential meditation retreat. For detailed information on the schedule, please go to www.dhammasukha.org/Seattle .

"The Northwest Buddhist community is very honoured that Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is beginning his journey of leadership and service with three weeks in the Northwest. We are filled with gratitude that he wishes to spend much of his attention uniting the Buddhist leadership in this area so that he can bring their messages back to the Summit Conferences. Bhante is also very focused on reaching as many people as possible to spread his messages of love and happiness" according to Kathleen Anderson, PhD, a member of the Seattle Buddhist Community who is providing coordination of the visit, "This is really a special and joyous time for all of us. Venerable Vimalaramsi is a most gifted and dynamic meditation teacher and a beautiful and loving human being. We are prepared to host many additional friends and visitors because he will reach far beyond our traditional community, especially when it gets out that in his new position he is basically the Head of Buddhism in our country now."

On November 7- 14 Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi flew to Kobe, Japan to complete a nomination process for his seat as the first U.S. representative for Buddhism to the World Buddhist Supreme Conference. He toured a large portion of Southern Japan and discussed the state of Buddhism in the World with other leaders. This nomination was offered by the Venerable Nandisena, the Representative from Mexico. There were several other members of the Council who were supportive of this nomination including his late teacher Sayadaw U Silinanda who encouraged him over the years. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi's position as a Representative for the World Buddhist Supreme Conference representing the United States of America is a hallmark for Buddhism in this country.

Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is the Abbott of the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, MO. He is also building a Forest Retreat Center, which will become the first American Buddhist Forest Tradition meditation center on U.S. soil.

As the US representative, Venerable U Vimalaramsi now joins other Nations in the task of re-examining the earliest Buddhist texts and practices, and clearly identifying how they are still relevant today.

The Buddhist faith is the sixth largest religion in the world with over 375 million followers. In the United States, the Buddhist faithful number over 6 million with over 500 temples across the nation. Buddhism is ranked among the fastest growing religions in the world with strongest growth occurring here and in Western Europe.

‘Buddha’ boy meditating at new venue

Kantipur, January 15, 2007 : "Buddha" boy, Ram Bahadur Bomjan, who was found on Monday after disappearing for 10 months, resumed meditation at a new site at Halkhorea pond, Tuesday.

Bomjan reached the area, some eight kilometers away from Baghjhor--where he was discovered by a group of hunters on Monday night--after covering the distance on foot for three hours.

As per his "new announcement" on Monday, he started meditating under the historic five hundred-year-old tree near the pond.

"He's now begun meditating in the same posture like in the past," informed chairman of Namo Buddha Committee Bed Bahadur Lama.

Bomjan left Baghjhor jungle with his sister Manmaya and a local Indra Lama, whom Bomjan chose as his helper. "We three walked till here during night time. But he did not talk to us throughout the journey," Manmaya told.

She claimed that he did not speak to anyone from Monday night.

Following these developments, locals have been continuing to turn up in huge numbers for a glimpse of the meditating teenager.

The new venue is located some 12 kilometers away from Pasaha River bridge of Pathlaiya-Nijgadh section of the East -West Highway.

Dharamsala protests Liu Yangdong's ongoing India visit


Dharamsala, January 15, 2007 : "Demanding justice for Tibet", Tibetans and their supporters in Dharamsala today, under the banner of four pro-Tibet organisations staged a protest march leading from the main McLeod Ganj Square till the main Temple.

The demonstration procession was held to protest the ongoing six-day visit to India by Liu Yangdon, the Head of United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Committee. Although the purpose of her visit could not be established, Ms. Liu is currently in India since January 8 and will leave tomorrow, the organisers said.

Although the protest march was called upon on a very short-notice, it was participated by an overwhelmingly large crowd, including monks and nuns.

Tibetan Women's Association (TWA), Cu-Chu-Sum Movement for Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) and Friends of Tibet (India) (FOT) are the four organising group.

According to the organisers; the UFWD of People's Republic of China (PRC) was responsible for forcing upon the independent Tibet the infamous 17 Point Agreement with which China now claims to have peacefully liberated Tibet. But since the signing of the agreement reportedly under duress on May 23, 1951, the official occupation of Tibet started, which unleashed an unprecedented death and destruction in Tibet.

Interestingly, it is through this department that Tibetan Government in Exile, based here in Dharamsala and led by the exiled Tibetan leader, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, establishes its direct contact with China. Since 2002, five rounds of delegation of the Dalai Lama have met with the different officials of UFWD. During the second round, the delegation actually met with the Liu Yangdong.

So far, there have been no concrete outcomes. TGIE, however, continues to create favourable condition to keep the dialogue process going with China in an effort to reach a possible negotiation stage. Since the Dalai Lama conceded the complete independence stance for Tibet for a "Genuine Autonomy" way back in late 80s, TGIE has been continuously working on to settle the vexed issue of Tibet by seeking a meaningful and acceptable autonomy for Tibetans.

But there are sections of Tibetans who are still determined to struggle until Tibet's lost independence is completely restored.

Speaking on the occasion, Ven. Ngawang Woeber, the President of the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement for Tibet said, "We will not, in anyway, allow UFWD to achieve its goal for which it is so purposefully established, especially when it comes to the Tibetan case". "We are historically and culturally unique from China and, there is no way to merge with the political aspirations of Communist China," observed Ven. Woeber.

"Through this platform, we want to urge China to continue with the dialogue process to the next level and resolve the issue of Tibet in a meaningful way", said Dr. B. Tsering, the President of TWA, in her address to the gathering.
The UFWD in the PRC is a broad coalition of different political groupings managed and led by Central committee of the CPC. The group is united in their work to oppose and control other hostile forces and, bring them in allegiance with the mainline Communist China. Besides the Communist Party, the department consists of eight democratic parties of China.

A Han by nationality, Liu Yandong is a native of Nantong, Jiangsu Province. Born in 1945, she joined the CPC in 1964 and joined the work force in 1970. Presently she is also the Member of the 16th CPC Central Committee and the Vice-Chairman of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Liu Yangdong was appointed the new head of the UFWD in 2002 by the Central Committee of the CPC to replace the then its head, Wang Zhaoguo.

Tibetan nuns find time for education in an Indian exile

San Francisco, January 15, 2007 : Tibetan nuns in Dharamsala pray Sept. 12, 2001, for the victims of terrorist attacks in the United States one day earlier. Associated Press file photo by Angus Mcdonald.

If anything good can come out of oppression and loss, I may have just witnessed it in Dharamsala. This steep, sprawling town in the Himalayan foothills of northern India is home to thousands of exiled Tibetans -- including the Dalai Lama, who lives at Namgyal, a yellow and red monastery perched on the crest of a hill and surrounded by prayer flags. I stayed in a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery at the lower edge of town, and witnessed a transformation of lives that was not just visible but palpable.

Some 220 nuns -- called ani in Tibetan -- live at Dolma Ling, which was inaugurated a little more than a year ago by the Dalai Lama. It took 14 years to be completed, after long years of fundraising, planning and building -- which the nuns themselves helped to do, hauling stones and sand to save money on construction. Now the gracious white and maroon buildings, with simple cloisters, courtyards, and a temple (gumpa), provide a home for nuns from age 14 to 80, many of whom have escaped oppression and destruction of their nunneries in Tibet.

Before finding this sanctuary, some had been imprisoned and tortured for peacefully demonstrating against the Chinese communist regime in Tibet, refusing to denounce the Dalai Lama, or even for owning pictures of His Holiness.

One nun, Jangchup Dolma, in her mid-30s, struggled to describe in English how she and her travel companions were attacked as they tried to come over the border. "We walked on foot one and a half months. We walked at night, sometimes there was no moon, it was very dark and we didn't see any way. Our tsampa (barley meal) ran out and we had to beg for food in a small village. Sometimes there was heavy rain and some people seemed almost unconscious." When they got close to the Nepal border, they were chased down by Chinese border guards. Monks traveling with them tried to stop the trucks, but one was shot dead and seven were injured.

Such violent incidents still happen. The 17-year-old nun who was killed by guards near Mount Everest last year was planning to study at Dolma Ling. Yet Tibetans still flock over the borders into India and Nepal -- traveling over the frigid Himalayan passes on foot or by yak to escape a foreign occupation that has destroyed their way of life and marginalized most of them in their own country.

Now safe and secure, though in many cases separated from their families, the nuns, in maroon robes and with shaven heads, follow busy schedules.

What makes Dolma Ling unusual is that it's not only a religious community, but also an institute of learning. Up at 5 a.m., the nuns attend puja (prayer session) with rhythmic chanting in the gompa under a magnificent wall-painting of the Green Tara, the female emanation of the Buddha of compassion. After that, until the 6:30 p.m. puja, they don't have much time for meditation because they have a full slate of classes, including English, Tibetan language and sometimes literature, arithmetic and computer skills. This is part of a 13-year educational program that they do in addition to carrying out more practical duties such as cooking, cleaning, milking the nunnery cows, or making handicrafts to sell -- prayer beads, embroidered gifts, and decorations in the form of vajras or dharma wheels (Buddhist symbols).

For many, education is something new. Upon arriving in Dharamsala, 99 percent of them could neither read nor write. Few nuns in Tibet receive any education, and they are often illiterate because prayer is their life, and many come from families of nomads and yak herders whose culture is invested in oral tradition rather than book learning. Monks, by contrast, have always studied Buddhist philosophy and maintained libraries, according to their monastery's lineage or tradition.

What is even more unusual about Dolma Ling is that nuns here study theological debate, or jangkunju, an essential component for learning and growing more comfortable with the complexities of Tibetan Buddhism.

This activity is empowering -- something that became evident as I watched the nuns practicing their skills in the spacious courtyards, stamping and clapping their hands to emphasize obscure points of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. Delek-La, a lively young ani, challenged her teacher (a monk) about where the true self resides. (Her lama, or personal teacher, she explained, was serving a prison term in Tibet.) All the nuns were preparing for exams, in which they had to engage in rigorous argument on points of Buddhist doctrine, raising their voices and challenging an opponent.

Until recently, only monks have practiced this form of debate, but nuns are now proving themselves well able to take on many of the same academic challenges. Nine have already graduated with the second highest degrees in the Nyingma tradition, and a few are studying for the highest, Geshe degree -- though there are still obstacles both to this, and to full female ordination. With the Dalai Lama's full support, a major effort is now underway to remove the technical obstacles and ingrained traditions that have so far prevented women from reaching these goals.

Life in exile has brought many Tibetans to the realization that, while maintaining traditions is an enormously important challenge, learning to connect with the modern world is also vital to the survival of the culture.

"We really want them to empower themselves," said Rinchen Khando Choegyal, founding director of the Tibetan Nuns' Project. Choegyal -- the wife of the Dalai Lama's youngest brother, minister of education for the Tibetan government in exile for almost 10 years and the first president of the Tibetan's Women's Association -- is dedicated to seeing women, whether religious or not, gain independence.

But, Rinchen Khando added, even these advances do not make up for the painful fact of being expelled from their country. "We must not forget that we are Tibetans in exile -- if I was given the choice, I would have done this in Tibet."

"To Enlighten Sentient Beings: Calligraphy by Venerable Master Hsing Yun"

Hong Kong, January 15, 2007 : Venerable Master Hsing Yun is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding and influential Buddhist monks in the world. He was tonsured at the Qixia Temple in Nanjing at the age of twelve. In 1949, the Master arrived in Taiwan. In 1967, he founded the Fo Guang Shan monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He established the Buddha's Light International Association in 1992 acting as its President. Over one million people have become members of the association under his leadership. In addition to establishing Fo Guang Shan branch monasteries worldwide, Venerable Master Hsing Yun has also set up Buddhist colleges, high schools, universities, publishing houses, teahouses, Buddhist art galleries, a television station, a newspaper, and a mobile medical clinic.

The Master has devoted much of his time to propagating the Dharma and to promoting "Humanistic Buddhism". Although he has had neither formal training in calligraphy, nor spare time to practice, his calligraphic works are in great demand. At the request of his devotees, he has produced a rich repertoire of calligraphic works on a wide range of subjects including encouragement to disciples, blessings to devotees, and Dharma phrases. In his heart, Master Hsing Yun hopes that his calligraphy can bring comfort and happiness to the masses and convey his blessings. The Master's works can be appreciated both for their artistic value and their spiritual value in propagating the Dharma.

Jointly organized with the International Buddhist Progress Society (HK) Ltd and Buddha's Light International Association of Hong Kong, this exhibition is a lively interplay of calligraphic art and Buddhist teachings. It features the Master's calligraphic works and includes a display of his letters to family members, devotees, and students; handwritten scripts of 2 publications, National Master Yulin and Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Buddhist monk, army man, scholar are Maoists' new envoys

Kathmandu, Jan 15, 2007: They tried to create a new society through an armed struggle that killed over 13,000 people. Yet Nepal's communist guerrillas have chosen a Buddhist monk to represent them in the new historic parliament that will be convened Monday.

After 15 years, the guerrillas are leaving the path of the bullet to fight with ballots and will re-enter mainstream and competitive politics Monday with 72 rebels, 40 percent of whom are women, in the new parliament.

Besides their party members, the Maoists have been given an additional 10 seats in the 330-seat House of Representatives.

As a tribute to civil society activists, who helped overthrow King Gyanendra's government last year by taking part in peaceful street protests, the rebels have now named 10 more members of parliament from different social wings.

The new envoys include Bhikshu Ananda, a Buddhist monk from Kathmandu, Maj. Gen. Kumar Phodung, who served with the Royal Nepalese Army, the Maoists' bete noire, for 35 years before retiring in 2002, and a Ph.D student from New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, Hari Roka.
For the first time in the history of Nepal, a former bonded labourer will also sit in parliament along with the kin of royalty and top army generals.

Motidevi Chaudhary, an ex-kamaiya from Bardiya district in farwest Nepal, is among the new names proposed by the Maoists as new MPs. Kamaiyas - people sold into slavery from childhood - were officially freed in 2000 after Nepal abolished the system. But in real life, the custom still prevails, due to acute poverty and illiteracy.

The kamaiyas have launched several protests in the capital demanding land and livelihood but despite promises by various governments, including King Gyanendra's, little has been done to redress their plight.

Chaudhary will go to parliament on a day when hundreds more Tharu families will ritually give their children into slavery.
The other Maoist nominees include a Dalit, a Muslim, an industrialist and a journalist.
The leader of the Maoists' parliamentary party and spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara told the media the new envoys were chosen on the basis of their contribution to the anti-king movement.
This is a major bone of contention between the Maoists and the seven-party ruling alliance.
When the two sides agreed to add 48 new seats, the preliminary understanding was that the new envoys would be chosen from the people. However, the ruling parties have chosen to bolster their own strength by nominating cadres.

Among the new names said to have been proposed by the ruling parties, there are likely to be two more members from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's family.
They are his daughter and Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala's aunt Sujata Koirala and the prime minister's nephew Shekhar Koirala.

Insurgents Behead Buddhist in Thailand

Bangkok, January 15, 2007: A Buddhist man in restive southern Thailand was beheaded by suspected Muslim insurgents who left a note by the body warning Buddhists to leave the area that has been gripped by bloody violence for three years, police said.
The man and his wife were working at a rubber plantation in Yala province when a group attacked them, shooting the man three times in the chest before beheading him and killing his wife, said police Lt. Kittiphong Phuduangjit.
Another Buddhist was killed in a drive-by shooting in a separate attack in Yala, said police Lt. Narasak Chiangsuk, who blamed the attack on insurgents.
Drive-by shootings and bombings occur almost daily in Thailand's three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, where an Islamic insurgency that flared in January 2004 has killed more than 1,900 people.

'N-E has more cancer cases than rest of country'

New Delhi, January 15, 2007: Cases of cancer are spiralling in India's north-eastern states, with certain areas having higher incidences compared to that of the rest of the country.

India's first population-based cancer survey of four north-eastern states Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim has found that 123 per 100,000 males and 103 per 100,000 females in NE are suffering from cancer. In contrast, the national prevalence hovers around 80 cases per 100,000.

The number stands at 68 per 100,000 males and 82 per 100,000 females in Delhi and 93 per 100,000 males and 103 per 100,000 females in Chennai. In Mumbai, the prevalence is 69 per 100,000 males and 83 per 100,000 females.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which conducted the study in the north-east, has for the first time also found that people there are more prone to mouth, stomach, gall bladder and lung cancer.

The study also highlights that lung cancer was more prevalent in males in Imphal while females in Manipur and Mizoram were more prone to lung cancer. Males in Mizoram and Sikkim are being diagnosed more with stomach cancer.In both males and females, Aizawl showed the highest incidence of stomach cancer.

"For the first time, we have authentic data on cancer cases in north-eastern states. A network of cancer registries in the country was established in 1981 but the north-east registry started accessing data only from January 1, 2003.

We believed that stomach and lung cancers were the most common. However, we were surprised when we found that gall bladder equally affects people in the north-east," Dr Kishor Chowdhary, deputy director general of ICMR, told TOI.

The health ministry allocates 10% of the total budget for cancer (Rs 82 crore in 2006) for the north-east. Officials say the allocation will go up in 2007.

India, specially the north-east, is also facing an acute shortage of radio therapy machines. For every 10,000 patients, one machine is needed. However, instead of the required 11,000 machines, India has just 345.

India, where 25 lakh cancer patients live at any point of time, sees 7-9 lakh fresh cases come up every year and the disease kills 4 lakh people annually. There are only 25 regional cancer centres, of which only three are in the north-east. One more is coming up in Shillong shortly.

Hundreds of Assamese join peace march in Guwahati

Guwahati, January 15, 2007: Hundreds joined a peace rally in here on Wednesday to protest the killing of 71 people, mostly migrant labourers; over a series of coordinated week-end attacks by the banned rebel group United Liberation Front of Asom."What has happened is not good. There can be no settlement because of the killing," said, Diganta Bora, president of Assam Yuba Manch (Assam Youth Association).

Hundreds of panicked migrant workers have fled the state. Most migrants are from States of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh and come to Assam to work at brick kilns eight months a year.

The Assam government has promised security to migrant workers.

"Very large extend we have been able to create some sort of confidence. The sense of insecurity is still there, I don't say the sense of insecurity is not there, but we have tried to create confidence among them also. This is our first priority," said Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of the State.

Authorities have deployed hundreds of new soldiers and policemen and intensified its operation against the ULFA.

"We don't talk about Rhino; yes we want to intensify our operation. How to intensify, how to coordinate, that is our whole idea. And make a real assessment of the situation," Gogoi added.

Violence has surged in Assam since the peace talks between the ULFA and the Centre collapsed in September.

Last week, the ULFA warned non-Assamese businessmen and labourers of dire consequences if they continued to live in Assam, accusing New Delhi of flooding the state with outsiders to reduce the indigenous Assamese population to a minority.

Security analysts said that, with the attacks, the ULFA had sent a message to New Delhi that it was still a force to be reckoned with.

Violence on Tribal women in Tripura

Agartala, January 15, 2007: Legal shield is hardly enough to prevent domestic violence and women in the state continue to be the victims even after a statutory law. While the act has earned the wrath of many a male chauvinist lamenting disintegration of traditional family structures, various women’s organisations, on the other hand, have welcomed it.

The fact remains that conjugal bliss is a chimera in many a household in Tripura.

“In my subdivision alone, 14 housewives were killed while nine more committed suicide last year. This year, one suicide has been reported,” said SDPO, Sonamura, Smriti Ranjan Das.

Suspecting an extra-marital relation, a teacher had recently beheaded his wife near Agartala. As if that wasn’t enough, dowry-related torture led Malati Paul to commit suicide at Sonamura yesterday.

Chairperson of Women’s Commission Tapati Chakraborty admitted that there were rising cases of incidence of crimes against women. “We are organising awareness programmes across the state. Let’s see if our organisation can bring about any radical change in people’s attitude.”

Police, too, admitted that a number of laws notwithstanding, incidents of domestic violence against women, including ill treatment of wives by their husbands, were continuing unabated in different parts of Tripura.

Suspecting that Namita, 36, had an extra-marital relation with his younger brother Arun, Prashanta, 42, teacher of a senior basic school in Jirania murdered her in cold blood. The couple with two grown-up children had been living in Dalura village under Ranir Bazar police station eight km east of Agartala for the past seven years after being ousted from militant-infested Jampuijala.

Prashanta would often engage in altercations with Namita who used to deny the allegations.

On Friday morning, Prashanta again broached the subject when Namita was working at the courtyard. Fed-up with his suspicion, an angry Namita told Prashanta not to pester her or else face police action.

Finding this too much to stomach, Prashanta rushed to the kitchen, came out with a hatchet and beheaded his wife.

He stood still by the blood-splattered body till the police came after being informed by Arun. Makhan Paul, 42, a businessman of Monaipathar under Sonamura subdivision, married Malati Paul. But his demands for dowry and an alleged illicit relation with a widow pushed Malati to the brink of desperation. She finally decided to take her life. The couple had two children.

Bijoy Chakma and Jan Bhuyan surrender


Dibrugarh,January 15,2007 : Two militants belonging to the NSCN (Khaplang) and Ulfa respectively surrendered before the 29 Assam Rifles at Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh today.

Jan Bhuyan a member of the banned Ulfa and Bijoy Chakma, an NSCN (K) cadre, also surrendered two universal machine guns, one radio set, a carbine and ammunition. The two had fled from their respective camps in Myanmar.

Dalai Lama to visit Tripura


Agartala, January 15, 2007: Nobel laureate and Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama will arrive for a two-day visit in Tripura on Tuesday to inaugurate the fifth anniversary celebrations of Bankul Dharmadwipa High School in the South district.

He will address religious gatherings in the school and the Venuban Buddhist monastery in Agartala during his trip.

The government is making elaborate arrangements to welcome the Tibetan leader. Security has been tightened in Bankul village and its surrounding areas.

A temporary pandal has been erected at Venuban monastery where the Dalai Lama will preside over a religious discourse.

Official sources said the Dalai Lama would arrive in Agartala on Tuesday and after a brief stopover, will fly to Bankul by helicopter.

Dalai Lama’s visit has generated “tremendous enthusiasm and interest among Buddhist Mog and Chakma communities and even among the non-tribals,” the source added.

Speaking over phone from Sabroom, Achaichhi Mog, a veteran leader of the community, said the Bankul Dharmadwipa High School was built in 2002 with only 50 students (30 boys and 20 girls).

Dharmadwipa Bhikshu, also a Mog, established the school.

“During the past five years, the school has made lot of progress. It now has more than 400 students and teachers,” Mog said. Classes are held in English and Hindi. The students are also taught Buddhist theology, scripture and Pali language, he added. However, admission is open to students from all communities.

The Mogs fled their homes in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and settled in South Tripura in a phased manner since Partition.