Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Imphal, Jan 2: Manipur Education Minister, L Jayenta Kumar, who called on Korean ambassador Young Sun Paek in New Delhi, recently discussed for extension of co-operation between Korea and Manipur in the fields of culture, sports and economic, official sources here said today. Sources said Kumar during his meeting with Paek extended an invitation for sending a cultural troupe of Korea to Manipur in February or March this year. Manipur director of education (School) M Harekrishna, social activist, N Ratan, secretary (culture) of Korean embassy Spung-Ho Kin and Korean professor J K Kim were also present during the meeting, sources said. Sources said Koirean ambassador had also agreed to the opening of a Korean studies faculty in Manipur university and assured that Korean teachers would be sent for providing 6-month Korean language training course. The minister was informed that expenditure for opening Korean studies would be borne by the Korean authorities, sources added. Source : Press ...

Govt plans Heirok-style recruits in valley districts Imphal, Jan 1: The 301 special police officers (SPOs) recruited by the Okram Ibobi Singh government to protect Heirok in Manipur’s Thoubal district in June last year are yet to be assigned any duties. However, while the SPOs await their call, the state government is planning to recruit more such officers from different parts of the four valley districts. Sources said the Union home ministry had agreed to a proposal by the government to recruit 1,500 SPOs. This includes the 301 officers already trained to protect Heirok. The Heirok SPOs completed six months of training at the Manipur Police Training School on December 30 and were taken back to their village the same day. The SPOs, who were given a two-day holiday, will report back tomorrow morning at the India Reserve Battalion post at Heirok. Sources said the police could use the officers to patrol areas in and around Heirok. A source said unlike the Heirok SPOs, the officers who wo...

Major militant camp busted in Manipur Imphal, Jan 2: Security and police forces have busted a major camp of militants during a combing operation at places near Loktak lake in Bishenpur district of Manipur and recovered many sophisticated weapons, police said on Friday. Sources said a joint team of army personnel and police commandos, attached to Bishenpur police station, launched a massive manhunt at Tharopat, Ngamupat and Yennapat near Loktak lake on Wednesday last. As they stepped up search operation, they were fired upon by suspected militants of Kanglei Yawol Kann Lup (KYKL), sources said adding that exchange of fire lasted several hours during which the militants reportedly escaped to nearby jungles. No casualty was, however, reported. Security personnel continued operation and later busted a major hideout of the militants, recovering two AK 56 rifles, 12 AK magazines, 21 grenades, 251 rounds of ammunitions, anti-personal mines and other explosive materials besides a television se...

Ibobi wants to develop Moirang Imphal: Let's strengthen Congress party all the more by winning both seats of the Lok Sabha in the coming general elections, Chief Minister O Ibobi said. He was speaking at a function held at the Congress Bhavan to felicitate Mairembam Prithviraj who just won the by-election of Moirang assembly constituency held on December 27 . Expressing happiness on the success of Prithviraj, Chief Minister Ibobi thanked the electorate of Moirang AC for having voted for Prithviraj, son of the late MLA M Manindra. The people of Moirang have shown that they have full confidence in Congress party for which he and the party would ever remain grateful, he said. Moirang AC is a historical place and the government would do everything possible to develop the place. All that the late MLA had thought of developing Moirang AC, now Prithviraj would be made to complete, the Chief Minister said. He also thanked the minority Muslim community of Moirang AC for having supported the...

PM reaches Guwahati Guwahati, Jan 2: The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has arrived at Guwahati today. He is accompanied by three Union Ministers Mani Shankar Aiyar, Kapil Sibbal and Prithviraj Chouhan. They were received in the Borjhar Airport by the State Governor Shiv Charan Mathur and the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. On his arrival,the Prime Minister staightaway went to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital to take stock of the condition of those injured in last evening's serial blasts in the Guwahati city. Dr. Singh will go to Shillong in Meghalaya on Saturday morning. He will inaugurate the 96th Indian Science Congress at the North East Hill University in Shillong. This is for the first time that Indian Science Congress meet has been organized in the North Eastern part of the Country. More then four thousand scientists are taking part in the five day science congress . This year's topic is Science Education and attraction of talent for excellence in research.

The 96th Indian Science Congress is being held in North Eastern Hill University, NEHU, Shillong, 3-7 January 2009. The theme this year is "Science Education and Attraction of Talent for Excellence in Research". The event is to be inaugurated tomorrow by the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam will be inaugurating the Children's Science Congress on the 5th of January, 2009. Dr. T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology is the President of Indian Science Congress 2009. The event which is being held in the North East for the first time, will be attended by a galaxy of scientists form India and abroad who will interact with each other for common goal of scientific advancement for the good of the society. These interactions will take place in various sessions, seminars and symposia. Several public lectures have also been organised on the occasion. There will be a special programme with the focus on the north e...

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has opposed extending the ceasefire with the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)—an armed outfit considered more dangerous than the ULFA—which expired on December 31. Gogoi’s opposition to the ceasefire extension comes on a day when P Chidambaram arrives on his maiden visit to Assam as Union Home Minister. Chidambaram, who reaches Guwahati late on Thursday night, will review the Assam security scenario in the wake of the October 30 serial blasts as also the counter-insurgency operations under the United Command structure. “I am against extending the ceasefire with NDFB which expired last night. They have violated the ceasefire ground rules. In spite of the ceasefire they carried out serial blasts in Guwahati and other places (on October 30),” Gogoi said. The CM, however, said it was ultimately for the Centre to take the ultimate decision. “The Centre will of course make its own assessment of the ground situation before taking...

Guwahati, Jan 2 The country's largest lender, State Bank of India, today said about 60 branches of the bank are expected to come up in the North-Eastern region, particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas. "An additional 60 branches are expected to be added to the tally, majority of which will be located in rural and semi-urban areas," bank's Chairman O P Bhatt said during an interaction with the media here. With today's opening of the 11,111 branch by Home Minister P Chidambaram, the bank has now a network of 230 branches in Assam, and 478 in the entire North-East. SBI has opened around 2,50,000 no-frills accounts and sponsored five regional rural banks with a network of 175 branches. It was recently awarded the best bank by the Banker magazine of London and it has been in the forefront of the country's economic development, especially in the far flung, inaccessible areas. The bank has 288 ATMs in the region with all the branches and the ATMs are networked...

Sketch of Assam blast accused released Guwahati, Jan 2: The sketch of an ULFA militant, said to be the prime accused in Thursday’s serial blasts in Guwahati was released on Friday by the Assam A sketch of the prime accused in Thursday’s serial blasts in Guwahati. The sketch is of 20-year-old Pranjol Deka alias Biju Sarania alias Bhambal of the ULFA's 709 battalion, the prime accused, police spokesperson Jyashree Khersa said. Deka was the mastermind who carried out the three blasts with the help of two associates, she said. Deka was a resident of Duarkuchi village in Assam's Baksa district. The police have launched a massive manhunt to nab him and his two associates, she said. Five persons were killed and over 50 injured in the blasts. Source : Press Trust of India (PTI) Image : Times Now Other Stories : Assam serial blasts toll rises to six Guwahati, Jan 2: The death toll in the serial blasts in Assam has risen to 6 with one person succumbing to his injuries overnight, official...

Chidambaram warns of action against NE militants Guwahati, Jan 2: In a tough message against the backdrop of New Year-day serial blasts, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today said security forces will deal with banned outfits in the north east "decisively" if they threaten peace and integrity of India but felt talks could be held with ULFA if it gave up sovereignty demand. "The leaders of banned organisations if they are listening as I speak now or read it in tomorrow's newspapers or watch television later in the day, they must get this clear message that security forces will deal decisively with the members of these banned organisations who threaten peace and integrity of India," he said. Addressing a press conference here after a review meeting with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also chairs the Unified Command in the north east, Chidambaram said "no quarter would be given to militants." Condemning yesterday's blasts here in which five p...

Centre had provided intelligence to Assam: Chidambaram Guwahati, Jan 2: Refusing to blame intelligence failure for the serial blasts in Guwahati, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that Assam police had acted "swiftly and decisively" on the inputs provided by the Centre but was "unlucky" to have missed the culprits. "Assam police nearly apprehended him (one of the blast suspects). A little bit of luck evaded Assam Police. I am sure next time Assam Police will be lucky," Chidambarm told reporters here. Chidambaram said the Centre had intelligence inputs which were passed on swiftly to the state. He disagreed that the blast occurred due to intelligence failure. "Assam police acted swiftly and decisively" but were unlucky not to apprehend the culprits, Chidambaram said in reply to a question. Chidambaram said riverine police should be set up in Assam along Brahmaputra. Asked whether the blasts were the result of intelligence failure, Assam Chief...

PM announces ex-gratia for Assam blast victims New Delhi, Jan 2: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the serial bomb blasts at Guwahati in Assam. An amount of Rs one lakh each would be given to those seriously injured in yesterday's blasts, Prime Minister's Media Adviser said in a statement. The assistance would be given from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. Expressing grief over the loss of lives in the blasts, the prime minister said yesterday that the government would root out terrorism taking the recent anti-terror measures to their logical conclusion. "The government will stay steadfast in its determination to root out terrorism and that the measures initiated recently in this direction will be taken to their logical conclusion," he had said. Source : Press Trust of India (PTI)

5 dead, 51 injured in serial blasts Guwahati, Jan 1: Three blasts took place in crowded areas of Guwahati today (Thursday), shortly before the arrival of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. The Assam Chief Minister's Office confirmed that the low intensity blasts have left five persons dead and 51 others injured. The first bomb exploded in the Birubari area, injuring three persons. At least four people were injured when a suspected cycle bomb exploded at Bhootnath locality, which falls on the route Chidambaram was to take, shortly before his arrival. Three persons were injured in a blast outside a Big Bazar retail chain outlet at Bhangagarh, an upmarket commercial area near the Guwahati Medical College. Earlier, an Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) kept in a municipal corporation dustbin went off at around 3:00pm leaving three persons wounded. Assam DGP, GM Srivastava has said, “One person is in critical condition. We can confirm that the perpetrators are ULFA.” ''We had inf...

PM to inaugurate ISC session on Saturday Shillong, Jan 1: The age old heritage and bio-diversity of the northeastern region will be shining once again when the country hosts its Science Congress session in Shillong on January 3. According to Vice-chancellor of North East Hill University (NEHU) of Pramod Tandon, delegates would be coming from outside and they have their desire to visit places like Kaziranga National Park and Cherrapunjee during their stay. Tandon, who is the chairman of the celebration committee said over 4,000 participants from countries like US, China, Japan and Bangladesh are expected to attend the five-day meet that will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 3. According to him, the grand event would help the region explore its potential, promote its tourism and showcase it to the world. Source : Assam Times Another Story Spotlight on NE during ISC session Shillong: The spotlight would be on the rich cultural heritage and bio-diversity of the NE...

Kolkata, Jan 1: Winter is the time when most of the handicraft trade fairs are organised the maximum. Kolkata is also hosting the North East Crafts Fair at the Salt Lake Central Park. The fair has been organised by the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Department to showcase and promote products of the North East to other regions of India. The products originating from the handlooms as well as handicrafts sector are a sight to behold. On exhibit are Naga shawls, silk saris, traditional jewellery, Assamese saris and many other items to catch the eye of the visitors from all the North East states of India like Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. The traditional skills passed down from centuries are visible in exquisite textiles and jewellery on display at the fair. Artisans are at hand to enthrall the visitors by giving demonstrations in the art of making the handicraft products. According to sources it takes a few months to produce the supe...

India hopes Bangladesh will crack down on NE insurgents New Delhi: Having correctly read Bangladesh's electoral mood, India now hopes that the new Awami League government will finally start cracking down on anti-India insurgents who have for long made that country their base. The presence in Bangladesh of leaders and key operatives of several militant groups from northeast India has been a thorn in bilateral ties that otherwise improved under the country's army-backed caretaker administration. But the insurgents, in particular the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), continued to use Bangladeshi soil. Although the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) also has a presence in Bangladesh, it is now in talks with India. Another group giving the Indian establishment a headache is the Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami (HuJI), a Bangladeshi group linked to terrorist actions in India. New Delhi is also hoping that the new government of Sheikh Hasina will sign an extradition treaty wit...

Heavy fog hits air, rail traffic New Delhi, Jan 1: After a day's break, fog returned with a vengeance to the national capital today (Thursday) badly affecting air and rail traffic with over 76 flights being delayed and 18 cancelled and more than 25 trains running behind schedule. Several trains approaching the national capital were running several hours late, with some behind schedule by up to 20 hours, railway sources said. The trains running late included Goa Express, Mumbai- Firozpur Express and Vaishali Express. North-east Express and Dibrugarh Rajdhani from Delhi have been rescheduled, they said. Flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International airport here came to a standstill with the general visibility falling below 50 metres and runway visibility range (RVR) dipping to 125 metres, lower than the required minimum of 150 metres for the planes to take off, sources at the airport said. Around 40 outgoing domestic flights and 15 incoming ones were delayed by up to five hour...

Bodo girl works as domestic help Gurgaon, Dec 31 : A 22-year-old girl, belonging to a tribal community of Assam, was raped in Greenwood City Sector 40, Gurgaon, on Tuesday night (Dec 30). The girl has been living in Gurgaon for the last two years. She used to work as a domestic help till two months ago and was out of job at present. According to police sources, the victim had met the accused, Manish, through her boyfriend, Uttam, who is also from Assam and runs a momo shop. Manish works in an automobile company in Manesar and had promised the victim the job of a maidservant at his relative's place. The police said Manish took the victim to a flat in Greenwood City in a car on the pretext of getting her the job. There, he asked the girl to consume alcohol, however she declined. He then offered her juice that was mixed with some intoxicant and raped her. The accused also forced the girl to wear inappropriate clothes and clicked her photographs. Police officials said the victim was ra...

Congress candidate Prithiviraj wins Imphal, Dec 30: Continuing its good show in last assembly polls in the North-East, the Congress on Tuesday won the by-election to the prestigious Moirang assembly seat in Manipur. The Congress' candidate M Prithiviraj defeated his nearest rival H Bira of Manipur People's Party (MPP) by over 4,800 votes in the by-election to Moirang in Bishenpur district, election office said today. While Prithiviraj secured a total of 16,225 votes Bira came close by getting 11,338 votes. By-election to the seat was held on December 27. The by-poll was necessitated following the death of Congress MLA M. Manindra who was the father of Prithiviraj some months ago. The Congress-led Secular Progressive Front ministry has 35 seats (Congress 31 and CPI 4) in the 60-member Manipur legislative assembly. Of the rest 25 seats, the opposition Manipur People's Party (MPP) has 5, Rashtriya Janata Dal 3, National People's Party 3, Nationalist Congress Party 4 and i...

Rights activist flees from hospital Imphal, Dec 29: Sapamcha Kangleipal, a rights activist who was arrested under National Security Act for criticising the government for its move to arm villagers of Heirok, escaped from the security ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital today. Official sources said Kangleipal escaped through a window between midnight and 5am this morning. Police investigators found iron bars of the only window in the room cut. They also recovered a piece of hacksaw from the room this morning. Later tonight, three policemen, including a sub-inspector, were suspended. The security ward is an extension of the jail. “We cannot say how he escaped. An inquiry will be held to find out everything, including security lapses, if any,” inspector-general of police (law and order), M. Karnajit Singh, said. The deputy commissioner of Imphal East, Y. Thamkishore Singh, visited the security ward as did the superintendents of police, Imphal West and East, L. Kailun and Th. Rdheshyam Singh...

Manipur theatre artists enthrall Delhi New Delhi, Dec 30: Various theatre lovers in Delhi had a special treat from north-east India, recently as they attended a Manipuri play here. The play "When we dead awaken" was staged by Ratan Thiyam, the noted Manipuri playwright and theatre director during the Delhi Ibsen Festival organized by Royal Norwegian Embassy in collaboration with Dramatic Art and Design academy. In 1899, Henrik Ibsen wrote a story "When we dead awaken", which is about the celebrated sculptor Arnold Rubek and his wife Maia. The play, based on this story, was reflected an intense desire for life. The festival offered a platform to theatre artists for showcasing their talent. R.K Bhogen, one theatre artist, said: "We encourage those who are interested in joining theatre. Everyone is welcome. Be it a Tangkhul, Kuki or Meitei, if they are interested, we will train them." Ratan Thiyam, the theatre Director on this occasion, said: "We are ver...