Protecting the Kangla

It is heartening that the chief minister Okram Ibobi has taken cognizance of the daily… more »

It is heartening that the chief minister Okram Ibobi has taken cognizance of the daily VVIP trespassers inside the Kangla complex. It is equally heartening that he probably took notice of this ugly miscarriage of official power after the matter was commented upon in the local newspapers, including the IFP several times. It is a surprise that so many of these VVIP’s did not realise or were brutishly ignoring the fact that they were violating a sacrosanct space all the while before being told by none other than the head of the government himself to know their limits. As per the chief minister’s public statement, the no other than the Governor of Manipur would be allowed to drive through the Kangla, using this patch of green with immense historical significance as a short cut to avoid busy traffic. This was being done even when these VVIP’s were not on duty or in a hurry. It had become a matter of flaunting their power and official status. Indeed, many of these VVIP trespassers had proven themselves to be eyesores, zipping at breakneck speed with sirens blaring across the Kangla, usually from its south to north gates and vice versa, but sometimes also the western gate.

What the chief minister has done is commendable. Not the least for deflating the disproportionately blown up VVIP egos. He has gone strictly by protocol to make the single exception of allowing only the Governor’s vehicle to pass through the Kangla if the need so arises. Apparently he has chosen not to even make the privilege available to himself. Practising what one preaches is definitely enchanting and the chief minister this time has done just this. The Governor is the constitutional head and as per official protocol is at the apex of the hierarchy of the state’s officialdom. We hope his statement gets transferred into official policy sooner than later and that prohibition of vehicles within the Kangla becomes as much an unwritten tradition as it is an official policy and nobody, absolutely nobody ever thinks of seeking exception other than for important public purposes. This is relevant because the Kangla obviously would be a tourist attraction as and when the tourist traffic increases, and now that the restrictions under the Protected Area Permit, PAP, has been relaxed, this is likely to be the reality in the coming years, or months as the case may quite possibly turn out to be.

We are at a loss why enlightened citizens as our VVIPs presumably are could not understand the value of heritage without being told. If they did, they would have treated the Kangla with more respect than they have shown. They probably also see the Kangla’s worth as much as its value as real estate. Indeed, many will remember there was once a move to divide up the Kangla into shop plots and at another time to build the state’s capitol here, and the Kangla moat outside the complex had begun to be filled. If that official plan had not been resisted by the more conscientious amongst the officialdom and by the general public, Manipur may have lost for good one of its most important, if not the most important historical heritage.

The mid 20th Century when the Second World War reached the soil of Manipur exposing the erstwhile kingdom to a scale of violence it had never seen before can be said to be the time Manipur was first introduced to the modern world in a real way. It was a traumatic start and it was sudden too. This being the case the disorientation that resulted is understandable. Even if many of the misinterpretations and misconceptions of modernity can be to a good extent attributed to this suddenness of epochal transition, it has been more than half a century since, and lessons ought to have been learnt by now. One of the biggest of these lessons is that beyond the material world which can be calibrated in material worth, there are also intangible heritages which are priceless. Once upon a time, unwritten rules, norms, taboos and even “motivated” and deliberately “cultivated” superstitions spelled out respect for these intangible gifts from the past eras. Today while these unwritten rules have lost their value, acquired modern laws and rationality have not been able to rewrite the need for protecting these heritages. The sooner the place comes to terms with this new challenge, the less irreversible harms would be done to our priceless heritages.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/protecting-the-kangla/

How real is the danger of military strike on Iran?

By  Tanveer Jafri While many countries of the world are investing more in research and… more »

By  Tanveer Jafri
While many countries of the world are investing more in research and development of cheaper and cleaner nuclear energy, the nuclear research programme of Iran has drawn ire of the West since a decade. Although Iran has repeatedly claimed that its ongoing nuclear research program is for peaceful uses and its purpose is merely to become self reliant in nuclear energy, the western countries, particularly the United States and Israel are not ready to accept this argument. The United Nations agency IAEA has several times expressed its concern over the Iranian nuclear programme. In its latest report, the IAEA has said that it has “credible” information that “Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.” Recently, a fresh resolution was passed by the IAEA calling on Iran to clear the doubts and concerns of the international community regarding its nuclear program.

On the other hand, Iran has called this report completely “non-professional, unbalanced and politically motivated” and prepared under “pressure” from the United States. Iran says the IAEA serves as America`s puppet. In the wake of this report, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once again insisted that Iran’s programme is for peaceful purposes and it will never stop it.

But according to the IAEA report, the research carried out in 2008-09 is a matter of serious worry. It has said that research pertains to such devices which have no other use than to detonate a nuclear bomb. In response to this report, the US has said that Tehran has repeatedly failed to convince the international community that its nuclear programme is for non-military purpose. Amidst these, speculation of possible military action against Iran has caught up. While the US and Israel seem to favour such an option; Russia and China, on the contrary, have vowed to oppose tooth and nail any sanction against Iran in the UNSC, let alone military strike. Even the US administration is apparently divided over the use of force on Iran. The US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned that attacking Iran may have “a serious impact in the region and on U.S. forces in the region.” Panetta opined that bombing Iran would merely “delay that (nuclear) program or derail it up to two or three years at most.”

In response to such discussions in the Western media, Iran has issued a stern warning. Parvez Sarwari, the chief of Security Commission of Iranian Parliament, said that Iran has the courage to turn Israel into a heap of dirt, in case any such mistake is committed by Israel. He said that he is eager for the moment when Israel provokes Iran to demonstrate its power and technology. This echoes Ahmadinejad’s view aired some years ago where he said that Israel must be “wiped off the map.” Such kind of threatening certainly gives strength to American and Israeli fears that Iran is actively involved in creating nuclear weapons.

To understand this speculation of war, we need to consider two other factors than the nuclear programme of Iran i.e. the disputed Presidential elections in Iran in 2009 and the ongoing anti-regime uprisings in the Arab world, better known as Arab Spring. These two things, in addition to Iranian nukes, have helped create such a negative atmosphere against Iran. Just after the Presidential elections in 2009, the protesters, led by the loser candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi, occupied Azadi Square in Tehran, accused the government of large scale poll rigging in the elections and demanded re-election. The government suppressed that movement by the use of force. Encouraged by the Arab Spring, once again the protesters took to streets in large numbers. This time again the movement was brutally crushed.

Iranian government claims that these protests are getting tacit support from the US and Israel, hence need to be suppressed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also complements this assertion by saying that Arab Spring could “turn into an Iranian winter.” At the same time, pro-Nejad Iranian lawmakers have called for hanging of those opposition leaders who are involved in “conspiracy” against the government. This kind of internal conflict presents similar kind of excuses to the enemy countries, which were evident in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya in recent years. In other words, wherever the US intervened militarily, it had the support of a large section of local people.

Though Iran can have a sigh of relief since the US will hesitate from acting against it, keeping in mind the ‘intolerable’ losses it had to suffer from military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. In case Washington decides to land on Iranian soil, the resistance to its forces will be much stronger and violent than it had experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan. Apart from this, the current financial position of the US won’t allow it to take on any new military adventure. Hence, the shadow of war on Iran is not so real. It may be a mere pressure tactic being used by the US and Israel to make Iran fall in line.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/how-real-is-the-danger-of-military-strike-on-iran/

UNLF expresses gratitude to media faternity – KanglaOnline

UNLF expresses gratitude to media faternityKanglaOnlineIMPHAL November 22: Kh Pambei, acting chairman of the UNLF on behalf of the central committee, UNLF expressed his pleasure to the media fraternity both local and outside Manipur for accepting an in…

UNLF expresses gratitude to media faternity
KanglaOnline
IMPHAL November 22: Kh Pambei, acting chairman of the UNLF on behalf of the central committee, UNLF expressed his pleasure to the media fraternity both local and outside Manipur for accepting an invitation and for being present in a media meet with a

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JD (U) demands written assurance from Union home minister on Supra state – KanglaOnline

JD (U) demands written assurance from Union home minister on Supra stateKanglaOnlineIMPHAL, November 22: Unconvinced with the recent report of Union home minister denying the granting of 'Supra state' as circulated by the Manipur Information Ce…

JD (U) demands written assurance from Union home minister on Supra state
KanglaOnline
IMPHAL, November 22: Unconvinced with the recent report of Union home minister denying the granting of 'Supra state' as circulated by the Manipur Information Centre, the Janata Dal United (JDU-U) Manipur unit today demanded a written clarification from

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Poets` meet held – KanglaOnline

Poets` meet heldKanglaOnlineIMPHAL, Nov 22: The Manipur University Kanchipur Imphal organized “Manipuri Hindi Kavi Sammelan” at senate hall Manipur University today. The programme was attended by Prof. HNK Sharma, vice chancellor of the university …

Poets` meet held
KanglaOnline
IMPHAL, Nov 22: The Manipur University Kanchipur Imphal organized “Manipuri Hindi Kavi Sammelan” at senate hall Manipur University today. The programme was attended by Prof. HNK Sharma, vice chancellor of the university as chief guest, Prof.

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Sangai fest under way – Assam Tribune

Sangai fest under wayAssam TribuneIMPHAL, Nov 22 – The ten- day Manipur Sangai Festival opened at the historic Hapta Kangjeibung here on Monday. A number of business delegates and cultural troupes from neighbouring Myanmar, Thailand and Kenya along w…

Sangai fest under way
Assam Tribune
IMPHAL, Nov 22 – The ten- day Manipur Sangai Festival opened at the historic Hapta Kangjeibung here on Monday. A number of business delegates and cultural troupes from neighbouring Myanmar, Thailand and Kenya along with State's ethnic communities are
Absence of cycle parking space in Sangai festival and introduction of cycles E-Pao.net

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Nagas affirm on Alternative Arrangement at Chandel rally – MorungExpress

Nagas affirm on Alternative Arrangement at Chandel rallyMorungExpressImphal | November 22 : The United Naga Council (UNC) declared today in Chandel that the movement demanding the 'Alternative Arrangement' for the Nagas in Manipur will go on as…

Nagas affirm on Alternative Arrangement at Chandel rally
MorungExpress
Imphal | November 22 : The United Naga Council (UNC) declared today in Chandel that the movement demanding the 'Alternative Arrangement' for the Nagas in Manipur will go on as long as its demand is not met. Holding a public rally today in Chandel
Protest against creation of Sadar Hills district in ChandelNagaland Post

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Nagas affirm on Alternative Arrangement at Chandel rally – MorungExpress

Nagas affirm on Alternative Arrangement at Chandel rallyMorungExpressImphal | November 22 : The United Naga Council (UNC) declared today in Chandel that the movement demanding the 'Alternative Arrangement' for the Nagas in Manipur will go on as…

Nagas affirm on Alternative Arrangement at Chandel rally
MorungExpress
Imphal | November 22 : The United Naga Council (UNC) declared today in Chandel that the movement demanding the 'Alternative Arrangement' for the Nagas in Manipur will go on as long as its demand is not met. Holding a public rally today in Chandel
Protest against creation of Sadar Hills district in ChandelNagaland Post

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Share all details – Daily Star Online

Bangladesh News 24 hoursShare all detailsDaily Star OnlineThe 1500-MW project is located on the Barak river near India's Manipur-Mizoram border just off Bangladesh's Zakiganj border in Sylhet. The Barak enters Bangladesh as the rivers Surma and…


Bangladesh News 24 hours

Share all details
Daily Star Online
The 1500-MW project is located on the Barak river near India's Manipur-Mizoram border just off Bangladesh's Zakiganj border in Sylhet. The Barak enters Bangladesh as the rivers Surma and Kushiyara. Concern heightened in Bangladesh after news broke that
Keep us in loop, Dhaka tells DelhiBangladesh News 24 hours
Tipaimukh deal struck 'silently'HydroWorld
In Bangladesh, Tipaimukh dam pact sparks fresh rowThe Hindu
Zee News –Financial Express Bangladesh –IBNLive.com
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Share all details – Daily Star Online

Daily Star OnlineShare all detailsDaily Star OnlineThe 1500-MW project is located in Barak river near India's Manipur-Mizoram border just off Bangladesh's Zakiganj border in Sylhet. Barak enters Bangladesh as Surma and Kushiyara rivers. Concern…


Daily Star Online

Share all details
Daily Star Online
The 1500-MW project is located in Barak river near India's Manipur-Mizoram border just off Bangladesh's Zakiganj border in Sylhet. Barak enters Bangladesh as Surma and Kushiyara rivers. Concern heightened in Bangladesh after news that India's
India again promises 'no Tipaimukh harm'Bangladesh News 24 hours
Khaleda calls for stopping building of Tipaimukh damFinancial Express Bangladesh
Bangladesh opposition protest planned Indian damMonsters and Critics.com
Zee News –HydroWorld –The Hindu
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Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body of Zeliangrong: Rongmei Council – E-Pao.net

Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body of Zeliangrong: Rongmei CouncilE-Pao.netRongmei Council(Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) in a release issued by its present Thuankubi Pamei has asserted that there was “no apex body of Zeliangrong to fit the name” in res…

Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body of Zeliangrong: Rongmei Council
E-Pao.net
Rongmei Council(Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) in a release issued by its present Thuankubi Pamei has asserted that there was “no apex body of Zeliangrong to fit the name” in response to the assertion of the Zeliangrong Baudi(Assam,Manipur and Nagaland)
Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body: Rongmei CouncilMorungExpress

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Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body of Zeliangrong: Rongmei Council – E-Pao.net

Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body of Zeliangrong: Rongmei CouncilE-Pao.netRongmei Council(Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) in a release issued by its present Thuankubi Pamei has asserted that there was “no apex body of Zeliangrong to fit the name” in res…

Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body of Zeliangrong: Rongmei Council
E-Pao.net
Rongmei Council(Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) in a release issued by its present Thuankubi Pamei has asserted that there was “no apex body of Zeliangrong to fit the name” in response to the assertion of the Zeliangrong Baudi(Assam,Manipur and Nagaland)
Zeliangrong Baudi not apex body: Rongmei CouncilMorungExpress

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BREAKING NEWS India again promises ‘no Tipaimukh harm’ – Bangladesh News 24 hours

Bangladesh News 24 hoursBREAKING NEWS India again promises 'no Tipaimukh harm'Bangladesh News 24 hoursThe assurance came in the wake of media reports on signing of a promoter's agreement by India's state-owned NHPC Limited, Satluj Jal V…


Bangladesh News 24 hours

BREAKING NEWS India again promises 'no Tipaimukh harm'
Bangladesh News 24 hours
The assurance came in the wake of media reports on signing of a promoter's agreement by India's state-owned NHPC Limited, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and State Government of Manipur to set up a joint venture company for implementation of the
India admits signing Tipaimukh agreementDaily Star Online
Bangladesh opposition protest planned Indian damMonsters and Critics.com
Tipaimukh deal struck 'silently'HydroWorld
Zee News –The Hindu –IBNLive.com
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Campus Front observes National Education Day in Manipur – TwoCircles.net

Campus Front observes National Education Day in ManipurTwoCircles.netImphal: Campus Front of India, Manipur State, celebrated National Education Day on 11th November, 2011 at the Lilong Haoreibi College Auditorium, in Lilong, to mark the 123rd birth an…

Campus Front observes National Education Day in Manipur
TwoCircles.net
Imphal: Campus Front of India, Manipur State, celebrated National Education Day on 11th November, 2011 at the Lilong Haoreibi College Auditorium, in Lilong, to mark the 123rd birth anniversary of the first Education

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In Pursuit of Change TEDxImphal – E-Pao.net

In Pursuit of Change TEDxImphalE-Pao.netAs far as Manipur is concerned, familiarizing with the issues or in other words finding out the real problems would be the first ever step to bid adieu to all the indifferences prevailing in the society. One of t…

In Pursuit of Change TEDxImphal
E-Pao.net
As far as Manipur is concerned, familiarizing with the issues or in other words finding out the real problems would be the first ever step to bid adieu to all the indifferences prevailing in the society. One of the probable reasons on why the problems

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Loktak Lake being cleared of encroachments – Zee News

Zee NewsLoktak Lake being cleared of encroachmentsZee NewsImphal: The majestic Loktak Lake in Manipur is being cleared of all floating fishing huts that have mushroomed encroaching upon the core zone of the wetland. "We have given them a notice to…


Zee News

Loktak Lake being cleared of encroachments
Zee News
Imphal: The majestic Loktak Lake in Manipur is being cleared of all floating fishing huts that have mushroomed encroaching upon the core zone of the wetland. "We have given them a notice to vacate the lake and have also given them a proper compensation

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