முழுக்க முழுக்க தனிச் சிங்களத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற கிழக்கு மாகாண ஒருங்கிணைப்புக் குழுக் கூட்டம்

Source: Tamil CNN. திருகோணமலை கச்சேரியில் நடைபெற்ற கிழக்கு மாகாண ஒருங்கிணைப்புக் குழுக் கூட்டம் முழுக்க, முழுக்க தனிச் சிங்கள மொழியிலேயே நடைபெற்றதாக கவலையும் கண்டனமும் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. கடந்த 23ஆம் திகதி திங்கட்கிழமை அமைச்சர் கரு ஜயசூரிய போன்ற புதிய அரசின் முக்கிய அமைச்சர்கள், முக்கியஸ்தர்கள் பிரதம அதிதிகளாக கலந்துகொண்ட இக்கூட்டம் ஆரம்பம் முதல் கடைசி வரை சிங்களம் மற்றும் ஆங்கில மொழிகளில் இடம்பெற்றதாகக் கவலை வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.
நேற்று செவ்வாய் மாலை நடைபெற்ற கல்முனை மாநகர சபையின் மாதாந்தக் கூட்டத்தில் மாநகர சபையின் பிரதி மேயரும், முஸ்லிம் காங்கிரஸின் சிரேஷ்ட பிரதித் தலைவருமான ஏ.எல்.அப்துல் மஜீத் இந்த விடயத்தை எடுத்துக் கூறி பெரும் கவலையும், கண்டனமும் தெரிவித்தார்.
மாநகர மேயர் சிரேஷ்ட சட்டத்தரணி எம்.நிஸாம் காரியப்பர் தலைமையில் நடைபெற்ற மாதாந்தக் கூட்டத்தில் பிரதி மேயர் மஜீத் இந்த விடயத்தைப் பிரஸ்தாபித்ததுடன், குறித்த விசேட கிழக்கு மாகாண இணைப்புக் குழுக் கூட்டத்தில் தமிழ் மொழியில் எழுப்பப்பட்ட கேள்விகளுக்கு சிங்களத்திலேயே பதிலளிக்கப்பட்டதாகவும் விசனம் தெரிவித்தார்.
பொது நிர்வாகத்திற்கும், அரச சுற்று நிருபங்களுக்கும் பொறுப்பான அமைச்சர் கரு ஜயசூரிய பங்குகொண்ட முக்கிய இக்கூட்டத்தில் தமிழ்மொழி புறக்கணிக்கப்பட்டமை பெரும் வருத்தத்திற்குரியதென சபையில் உரையாற்றிய பிரதிமேயர் மஜீத் சுட்டிகாட்டினார்.
வடக்கு, கிழக்கு மாகாணங்களில் தமிழ் மொழி நிர்வாக மொழியாகவிருந்தும் இந்த விஷேட மாகாண இணைப்புக் குழுக் கூட்டத்தில் தமிழ் மொழிக்கு இடமில்லாமல் போனமை கண்டிக்கத்தக்கதெனவும் பிரதி மேயர் மஜீத் சபையில் கூறினார்.

மூடப்படும் மஹிந்த புதல்வர்களின் தொலைக்காட்சி சேவை

Source: Tamil CNN.
ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஸவின் புதல்வர்களான நாமல் மற்றும் யோசித ராஜபக்ஸ ஆகியோரின் தொலைக்காட்சி நிறுவனமான சீ.எஸ்.என். தொலைக்காட்சி அலைவரிசை மூடப்பட உள்ளது. குறித்த தொலைக்காட்சி நிறுவனத்தின் ஒளிபரப்புப் பணிகளை எதிர்வரும் 1ம் திகதி தொடக்கம் நிறுத்துவதற்கு தீர்மானிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
தொலைக்காட்சி நிறுவனத்தின் நிர்வாகிகளினால் இந்த தீர்மானம் எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஜக்கிய மக்கள் சுதந்திரக் கூட்டமைப்பு ஆட்சி நடத்திய காலத்தில் இந்த தொலைக்காட்சி அலைவரிசை ஸ்தாபிக்கப்பட்டு இயங்கி வந்தது.
இந்த தொலைக்காட்சி நிறுவனத்தை கட்டியெழுப்ப பாரியளவில் அரச சொத்துக்கள் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டதுடன், எதுவித வரிகளும் கிரமமான முறையில் செலுத்தவில்லை என குற்றம் சுமத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. கடந்த ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தல் காலத்திலும் இது குறித்து குற்றச்சாட்டுக்கள் முன்வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தன.
நிறுவனத்தின் அதிகாரிகள் ஊழியர்களுக்கு நிறுவன நிர்வாகம் விடுமுறை வழங்கியுள்ளது. விரும்பிய அதிகாரிகள் ஊழியர்கள் நட்ட ஈட்டைப் பெற்றுக்கொண்டு பதவியை ராஜினாமா செய்ய முடியும் என அறிவித்துள்ளது.
உலகக் கிண்ணக் கிரிக்கட் போட்டித் தொடரின் ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமையை சீ.எஸ்.என் நிறுவனம் சட்ட விரோதமான முறையில் பெற்றுக் கொண்டிருந்தமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது. புதிய அரசாங்கம் ஆட்சிப் பொறுப்பினை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டதன் பின்னர் இந்த ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமையை மீளவும் இலங்கை ரூபவாஹினிக் கூட்டுத்தாபனத்திற்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது.
சீ.எஸ்.என் நிறுவனத்தின் சில உயர் அதிகாரிகள் ஜனாதிபதி செயலகத்தின் ஊடாக ஊதியம் பெற்றுக் கொண்டுள்ளதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது. ஜனாதிபதி செயலகத்தின் சில உத்தியோகபூர்வ வாகனங்களையே இந்த அதிகாரிகள் பயன்படுத்தி வந்தனர் என தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது.
அமைச்சர் அர்ஜூன ரணதுங்கவின் சகோதரர்களில் ஒருவரான நிசாந்த ரணதுங்க இந்த தொலைக்காட்சி நிறுவனத்தின் முக்கிய பதவியொன்றை வகித்து வருகின்றார் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
அண்மையில் புதிய அரசாங்கத்தினால் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட்ட வரவு செலவுத் திட்டத்தில் சீ.எஸ்.என் போன்ற விளையாட்டு நிகழ்ச்சிகளை ஒளிபரப்புச் செய்யும் தொலைக்காட்சி அலைவரிசைகளுக்கு பாரியளவில் வரிகளை விதித்திருந்தமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
சீ.எஸ்.என் ஊடக நிறுவனத்தை மூடுவதற்கு முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஸவின் புதல்வர்கள் எடுத்த தீர்மானம், மீளவும் ஆட்சி அதிகாரத்தை கைப்பற்ற முடியாது என்பதனை உணர்ந்து கொண்டு எடுக்கப்பட்ட முடிவாகவே அரசியல் வட்டாரத்தில் பேசப்படுகின்றது.

சர்வதேச குற்றவியல் விசாரணையைக் கோரி தமிழ் சிவில் சமுக அமையம் கையெழுத்துப் பிரச்சாரம்

Source: Tamil CNN. இலங்கை தொடர்பான ஐநா மனித உரிமை ஆணையகத்தின் விசாரணை அறிக்கை பிற்போடப்பட்டதற்கு எதிர்ப்பும் கவலையும் தெரிவித்தும், ஐநா வின் விசாரணைக் குழு இலங்கைக்கு நேரடியாக வ்ந்து விசாரணைகளை நடத்த அரசாங்கத்தை அனுமதிக்குமாறு ஐ. நா. மனித உரிமை ஆணையாளர் அழைப்பு விட வேண்டும் எனக் கோரியும், எந்த விதத்திலுமான உள்ளக விசாரணைகளை ஏற்றுக்கொள்வதில்லை என்பதனை தெளிவுபடுத்தியும், சர்வதேச குற்றவியல் விசாரணை ஒன்றைக் கோரியும் தமிழ் சிவில் சமுக அமையம் கையெழுத்துப் பிரச்சாரம் ஒன்றை நேற்று ஆரம்பித்திருக்கின்றது. இதன் பொருட்டு இலங்கைத் தீவு வாழ் தமிழர்களின் கையெழுத்துகள் பெருமளவில் திரட்டப்பட்டு ஐ.நா மனித உரிமை ஆணையளருக்கு அனுப்பி வைக்க திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.
இக் கையெழுத்துப் பிரச்சாரத்தை நேற்று (24 பெப்ரவரி) தமிழ் சிவில் சமுக அமையத்தின் அழைப்பாளர், மன்னார் மறை மாவட்ட ஆயர் இராயப்பு ஜோசப் ஆண்டகை ஆரம்பித்து வைத்தார்.
இக் கையெழுத்துப் பிரச்சாரத்திற்கு யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழக சமூகம், தன்னார்வ தொண்டு நிறுவனங்கள் மற்றும் பல இளைஞர் கழகங்கள் சனசமுக நிலையங்கள் விளையாட்டுக்கழகங்கள் ஏற்கனவே தமது ஆதரவை வெளிப்படுத்தி, இதில் தம்மை ஈடுபட ஆரம்பித்து உள்ளன.
இவர்களின் உதவியுடன் கையெழுத்து சேகரிப்பதற்காய் நாங்கள் தமிழ் சிவில் சமூகத்தின் மாவட்டக் கிளைகளின் ஊடாக உங்களிடம் வருவோம்.
நீதிக்கான தமிழர்களின் குரலை ஓங்கி ஒலிக்க செய்வதற்கு இக்கையெழுத்துப்போராட்டத்திற்கு தமிழ் மக்களின் ஒட்டுமொத்த ஆதரவை தமிழ் சிவில் சமுக அமையம் வேண்டி நிற்கிறது.
கையெழுத்து சேகரிக்கும் செயன்முறைக்கு தங்கள் பங்களிப்பை வழங்க விரும்பும் அமைப்புகள் தமிழ் சிவில் சமுக அமையத்தின் இணைப் பேச்சாளர் எழிழ் ராஜன் அவர்களையோ (077144663) அல்லது அமையத்தின் யாழ்ப்பாண மாவட்ட இணைப்பாளர் வைத்திய கலாநிதி. தி. பாலமுருகன் அவர்களையோ (0772094344) தொடர்பு கொள்ளலாம்.
நன்றி.
எழில் ராஜன் மற்றும் குமாரவடிவேல் குருபரன்-
இணைப் பேச்சாளர்கள், தமிழ் சிவில் சமூக அமையம்-

Saint Leander Archbishop of Seville († 596)

Saint Leander

Archbishop of Seville
(† 596)

Saint Leander

Saint Leander was born of an illustrious family at Carthagena in Spain. He was the eldest of five brothers, several of whom are numbered among the Saints. He entered into a monastery of Seville very young, where he lived many years and attained to an eminent degree of virtue and sacred learning. These qualities occasioned his being promoted to the see of Seville; but his change of condition made little or no alteration in his way of life, though it brought on him a great increase of solicitude.

Spain at that time was held in possession by the Visigoths. These Goths, being infected with Arianism, established that heresy wherever they came, in such wise that at the time Saint Leander was made bishop, it had already reigned in Spain a hundred years. This was his great affliction. Nonetheless, by his prayers to God and by his most zealous and unwearied endeavors, he became the happy instrument of the conversion of that nation to the Catholic faith, as his story makes clear.

The holy archbishop had converted, among others, his own nephew Hermenegild, who was the king's eldest son and heir apparent, and for this he was banished by King Leovigild, his own brother-in-law. The pious Catholic prince, now known as Saint Hermenegild, was put to death in prison by his unnatural father in the following year, for refusing to receive Communion from the hands of an Arian bishop. Afterwards, touched by grace and filled with remorse, the king recalled Saint Leander.

When Leovigild fell sick and found himself past hopes of recovery, he sent for Saint Leander, and recommended to him his other son Recared. This son, by listening to Saint Leander, became a Catholic, and finally brought the whole nation of the Visigoths to the faith. The new king Recared also brought the Suevi back to Catholic unity; they were a people of Spain whom his Arian father Leovigild had perverted.

Saint Leander was no less zealous in the reformation of morals than in restoring the purity of faith, and planted the seeds of the zeal and fervor which produce martyrs and Saints. He received from Saint Gregory the Great a painting of the Mother of God by the hand of Saint Luke, Evangelist, since known as Our Lady of Guadelupe (of Spain). It is he who, as a refutation of Arianism, added to the liturgy of Spain the recitation during Mass of the Nicene Creed, which practice spread to Rome and then to the entire Church. This holy doctor of Spain died about the year 596, on the 27thof February.

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Army's long-running battle with communist insurgents takes heavy toll.

A Banwaon woman speaks of her situation at an evacuation center in Agusan del Sur

Davao City:  In December, gunmen shot and killed an indigenous village chief in the southern Philippines. Necasio Presioso died, activists say, because the Banwaon tribal leader vocally opposed the presence of government soldiers in his village.

Since then, former residents of the village he headed in Agusan del Sur province have evacuated en masse. They are fleeing clashes between government troops and communist rebels, the latest hostilities in a long-running insurgency centered on eastern Mindanao.

"It was a bad sign of more deaths to come, so we left," Nini Sayasaya told ucanews.com.

Sayasaya was among 1,200 others from her area who escaped to a crowded evacuation center in the village of Balit, near San Luis town. When she left, however, she didn’t foresee that death would follow them.

On February 12, Sayasaya’s two-year-old son, Prenton, died. He had suffered from a fever for at least a month before then.

“We did not have the money to buy medicine or bring him to the hospital,” Sayasaya told ucanews.com.

She said at least four others from her group have also died this month: a three-year-old boy, a four-year-old boy, as well as an 18-year-old mother and her stillborn baby.

Amid ongoing military operations against communist rebels in the area, children from displaced indigenous communities continue to suffer.

“The Banwaons are in danger," said Jun Santiago, a Redemptorist brother who heads the social apostolate of the congregation in the area. “The situation in the evacuation center is really bad.”

He said at least 50 people have fallen sick because of poor living conditions. The displaced villagers sleep on the ground in simple huts made of grass and plastic sheets.

Armed clashes have intensified in recent months, with communist rebels launching attacks against military targets. But many who work with indigenous communities say the government’s strategies have actually alienated the local population.

The government’s Community Organizing for Peace and Development (COPD) program, which aims to convince villagers to stop extending support and resources to communist insurgents, is part of the government's anti-insurgency program.

Rights groups, however, say COPD has become one of the main causes of human rights abuses. COPD operations include occupying community centers and public structures such as village health centers, community schools and houses, directly placing innocent civilians in harm’s way, activists say.

Santiago said soldiers have occupied highland villages and have actively tried to recruit men to fight for the government as part of the COPD.

Instead, the communities decided to flee, believing they would be more secure away from government troops.

However, Major General Eduardo Ano, commander of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, denied soldiers are in villages to terrorize communities.

“There is no truth to the allegations that soldiers are occupying civilian villages,” he said.

Congressman Lawrence Lemuel Fortun of the Caraga region said he would look into reports of rights abuses in the area. But, he warned, villagers will continue to be caught in the crossfire until there were genuine peace talks between the government and the communist New People’s Army rebels.

“Peace is the only way to address the issue,” he said. “We have to address the roots of the armed conflict.”

Between 2008 and 2012, as many as 44,000 people were displaced in eastern Mindanao alone, according to a 2013 report from the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.

According to the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines, up to 50 indigenous people have been killed by military and paramilitary groups since 2010 when President Benigno Aquino came to power and launched the anti-insurgency program.

Dolphin Ogan, secretary general of Kalumaran, a group representing indigenous peoples, blamed the program for the displacement of tribal communities. He said tribesmen who resist the presence of soldiers in their villages have become “primary targets” for military and paramilitary groups.

“The military are not only staying in houses in the community but they have also confiscated schools to use as barracks," Ogan said, referring to November 2014 reports from rights groups that the military was using classrooms in at least five schools in southern Mindanao as bases for counter-insurgency operations. Military spokespeople have disputed such claims.

Source: ucanews.com

In Japan, robot dogs are for life—and death

Many owners of Artificial Intelligence companions believe that their pets have souls.

Japan:  Incense smoke wafts through the cold air of the centuries-old Buddhist temple as a priest chants a sutra, praying for the peaceful transition of the souls of the departed.

It is a funeral like any other in Japan. Except that those being honored are robot dogs, lined up on the altar, each wearing a tag to show where they came from and which family they belonged to.

The devices are "AIBOs", the world's first home-use entertainment robot equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and capable of developing its own personality.

"I believe owners feel they have souls as long as they are with them," said Nobuyuki Narimatsu, 59, who heads an electronics repair company specializing in fixing vintage products.

Sony rolled out the first-generation AIBO in June 1999, with the initial batch of 3,000 selling out in just 20 minutes, despite the hefty 250,000 yen (more than US$2,000) price tag.

Over the following years, more than 150,000 units were sold, in numerous iterations, ranging from gleaning metallic-silver versions to round-faced cub-like models.

The dog came with an array of sensors, a camera and microphone. The final generation could even talk.

By 2006, Sony was in trouble; its business model was broken and it was facing fierce competition from rivals in all fields. The AIBO, an expensive and somewhat frivolous luxury, had to go.

The company kept its "AIBO Clinic" open until March 2014, but then — politely — told dedicated and loving owners that they were on their own.

For Hideko Mori, 70, that nearly spelled disaster.

'Beautiful noise'

Mori has had her AIBO for around eight years. She enjoys the conversations she has with it, and thinks it far more convenient than a real puppy.

"He doesn't require feeding and he doesn't pee... actually he does pee by cocking his leg, making an indescribably beautiful tinkling sound." But, she said, nothing actually comes out.

"I never thought there was a limit to his life."

But in May last year her beloved AIBO, whose name is simply "Aibo", became immobile.

"I e-mailed a former Sony worker (on behalf of the dog), saying: 'Do I have no choice but to die like this because I can't walk?'," she said.

The engineer introduced her to A FUN, a company that employs former Sony engineers, who fixed her machine in two months.

"I was so happy to see him back to health and at home," she said.
Hiroshi Funabashi, 61, who supervises repairs at A FUN, said troubled AIBO owners think of him more as a doctor than an engineer.

"The word 'repair' doesn't fit here," he said at his home in Kasama, north of Tokyo. Scattered around him are dozens of AIBOs sent in with problems owners typically describe as "aching joints".

"For those who keep AIBOs, they are nothing like home appliances. It's obvious they think their (robotic pet) is a family member," he said.

Funabashi says he does not enhance the functions of aged AIBOs, but tries to restore them to health.

The problem is that repairs can take weeks or even months because of a shortage of spare parts. Dozens of AIBOs are now "hospitalized", with more than 180 on the waiting list.

Organ donors

The only source of genuine parts are "dead" robots, who become donors for organ transplantation, but only once the proper respects have been paid.

Bungen Oi, a priest at the 450-year-old Kofukuji temple in Isumi, east of Tokyo, says the AIBO service last month was an occasion on which the robots' souls could pass from their bodies.

"I was thrilled over the interesting mismatch of giving cutting-edge technology a memorial service in a very conventional manner," he said.

It is a mismatch that humans will probably become more used to over the coming years and decades, as robots with "personalities" become ever more part of our lives.

Later this year, Japanese telecoms giant Softbank says it is going to start selling the humanoid Pepper to the public.

Despite the $2,000 cost, Pepper will be useless for housework, but developers say it will learn to imitate and intuit human emotions over time.

This blurring of lines means more people could feel the kind of attachment that AIBO owners know so well, said A FUN's Funabashi.

"I don't know if people will develop affection (towards a new generation of robots) in five, six years' time," he said. "But I think we need to recognize they are not ordinary electrical devices."

Source: AFP/UCAN

China blocks 'underage' Tibetan monks from returning to monasteries

Novices in Qinghai province told to give up their robes after returning home for Lunar New Year.

Tibetan prayer flags

China:  Authorities in northwestern China’s Qinghai province are blocking young Tibetan monks visiting home for the Lunar New Year from returning to their monasteries, demanding instead that they give up their robes and attend government schools, sources said.

The move by officials in the Tsonub (in Chinese, Haixi) Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Tulan (Dulan) and Terlenkha (Delingha) counties follows similar campaigns last year in Tibet aimed at restricting the size of Tibetan monasteries, often seen as centers of resistance to Beijing’s rule.

To issue their orders, county authorities took advantage of the monks’ annual visit to their family homes to observe Losar, or Lunar New Year, celebrations, which began last week, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

“On February 23, four days after the first day of the new year, government officials held meetings with parents in Tulan and Terlenkha counties and told them that young monks now studying in distant monasteries will not be allowed to return there,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Instead, they must attend local schools as lay students when the holidays end,” he said.

The move appears especially to target monks from rural nomadic areas who are under 19 years of age, RFA’s source said.

Tibetan language classes organized for students who have already graduated from local schools have now also been banned, he said.?? ??

“Parents have regularly complained that Tibetan language is not being taught in the schools,” a second source said, also speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity.

“To compensate for this, an educated local Tibetan had organized special classes to teach the language, but these have now been shut down,” he said. “So parents are asking that Tibetan language classes be included in the curriculum of local schools.”

The young monks now forbidden to return to their monasteries had chosen on their own to study there, one local source said.

“Now the government is forcing them to revert to lay status and to attend local schools without Tibetan language classes in their curriculum.”

“This confuses us as parents and places us in a dilemma,” he said.

“If we disobey the government’s directive, this could create problems for us. And if we comply, this could hurt the future of our children.”

The new clampdown in Tsonub prefecture echoes moves last year in Driru (Biru) county in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), where authorities in October ordered that monks aged 12 and under be expelled from their monasteries and returned to family homes.

Tibetans in Driru, a county considered “politically unstable” by Beijing, have long resisted forced displays of loyalty to Beijing, which has imposed tight restrictions in the area.

Reported by Kunsang Tenzin and Lhuboom for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.

SOurce: Radio Free Asia

UN says Afghanistan is making progress on reducing detainee torture

Ill-treatment, abuse by security forces still common during arrests and interrogations.

Kabul:  The Afghan government is making progress in reducing the torture of conflict detainees, the UN said Wednesday, though more than a third still suffer mistreatment.

In a new report, the UN said there was credible evidence that 35 percent of detainees they interviewed between February 2013 and December 2014 had suffered ill-treatment while in the custody of Afghan security forces.

This marks a fall from the UN's last report on torture, which found that 49 percent of detainees were mistreated.

The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Nicholas Haysom welcomed the progress and urged the new government of President Ashraf Ghani to make good on its commitment to end torture.

"The Government of Afghanistan’s efforts to prevent torture and ill-treatment have shown some progress over the last two years," Haysom said.

"UNAMA welcomes the incoming Government’s commitment to implement a new national plan on elimination of torture."

The report highlights ill-treatment and torture during arrest and interrogation in numerous centers run by the National Directorate of Security — the Afghan intelligence agency — as well as the national police, local police and the army.

Detainees, mostly alleged members of the Taliban and other militant groups, were subjected to 16 torture techniques aimed at forcing them to confess, the report said.

These included severe beatings with pipes, cables and sticks, electric shocks and near-asphyxiation, it said.

After the last report in 2013, the president at the time, Hamid Karzai, issued a decree aimed at stopping torture.

The UN said this had helped improve the situation, with more inspections of detention centers and training in alternative interrogation techniques.

But the new report said there was still a lack of accountability, with only one prosecution brought for torture since 2010.

"UNAMA’s finding that torture of conflict-related detainees persists in spite of Government efforts over 2013-14 to address it is a source of serious concern," said UNAMA Human Rights Director, Georgette Gagnon.

Apart from torture, UNAMA said there was also evidence of the disappearance of 26 detainees held by the national police as well as extrajudicial killings by security forces.

The UN said the report was based on interviews with 790 conflict detainees between February 2013 and December 2014, as well as security, police and judicial officials, and analysis of documentary, medical and other information.

Source: AFP/UCAN

Philippine military declares 'all-out offensive' on BIFF

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Missing, presumed dead: underground Chinese bishop, aged 93

Shi Enxiang's family say that authorities should allow them to have the bishop's body for the sake of 'human dignity'.

China:  In a living room plastered with pious images, the Shi family flicked through timeworn pictures of a wizened man with tortoiseshell glasses and bright eyes, the oldest bishop of China's underground Catholic church.

Almost a month ago, they were passed word that Shi Enxiang — who spent more than half a century in detention for refusing to renounce the authority of the Pope — had died, aged 93. Since then, nothing: no official confirmation, no corpse, no ashes.

"All we want is to be able to bury him. They should give us the body out of human dignity," said Shi Wanke, 66, the bishop's nephew, in a calm, gravelly voice. Around him, his children nodded in agreement.

The family were first told at the end of January that Shi Enxiang — whom they have not heard from since he disappeared during a trip to Beijing in 2001 — had died.

The village chief "asked if we had received the body of my uncle", said Shi Wanke. "We asked if he was alive. He said: 'No, he's dead. Apparently he's dead.' After that he came back twice to see if the body had arrived."

The former bishop of Yixian in the northern province of Hebei, Shi Enxiang was ordained in 1947, two years before the Communists came to power. He spent 54 years in labor camps for refusing to disavow the Pope and cooperate with China's state-sponsored church, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA).

Instead, he ministered in one of the hundreds of underground churches that have sprung up across China.

"He is a martyr and I hope that, one day, the life of our bishop will be recognized by the pope," said his 33-year-old great-nephew Shi Daxing.

"We want to organize a big public ceremony for his funeral. Even if we are under pressure, we want to honor him, as a member of our family (and) as a prominent member of the church."

Unholy silence

The fates of Shi Enxiang and Bishop Su Zhimin, who was detained in 1997, have been a key sticking point in relations between the Vatican and Beijing.

The two have not had diplomatic ties since they were broken off by Mao Zedong in 1951, and have been embroiled in a long-running battle for control of China's estimated 12 million Catholics.

Beijing bans adherents from recognizing the Vatican's authority, regarding the Holy See's insistence on the right to appoint bishops as foreign interference in China's domestic affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis exchanged letters of congratulation on their respective elections in 2013, fueling speculation that ties could be warming.

In December Francis ducked out of a meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, which would have been sure to rile Beijing and jeopardize quiet behind-the-scenes contacts.

But Xi has overseen a crackdown on independent Christian groups and Shi's fate has drawn an angry response from Hong Kong, where Cardinal Joseph Zen, the city's emeritus bishop, led protests and sent an open letter to the Chinese authorities denouncing forced disappearances.

Calls by AFP to the Baoding municipal government, which oversees Shizhuang, went unanswered. A woman at the CPCA's Baoding diocese said she had "heard he's died" but declined to give details.

District officials have told the family the village head who gave them the news was a drunkard spreading "false information", they said.

They have long faced a wall of silence from Chinese authorities.

After he disappeared in 2001, Shi Daxing said, "We went to the county government, but they told us they didn't know anything and we should ask Beijing. But in Beijing, they sent us back to the county."

Inside the family home, between the bursts of firecrackers marking the Lunar New Year and the cries of children, his relatives were left only with scraps of memories.

"He was a simple man," recalled a grandmother.

"The last of five siblings, he never had much. He wore only the clothes they gave him, ate practically only vegetables and never complained, even if we had forgotten to give him chopsticks to eat."

Source: AFP/UCAN

Allies oppose, government defends land acquisition bill

Anna Hazare, who is spearheading an agitation against amendments in the act, rubbished the government's claim that these were more "effective" and "farmer-friendly", saying it was trying to mislead the people.

New Delhi:  Under attack from the opposition, and now its allies, over the land acquisition bill, the government said Wednesday it was "open minded" to suggestions but added that the measure was "farmer friendly".

After the Shiv Sena, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) said Wednesday it has apprehensions over the bill.

"We have objections over some measures. There are questions about the need of doing away with farmers' consent. They also will have no right to move court," LJP MP Chirag Paswan told reporters here after a meeting, attended by six LJP MPs, where the bill was discussed.

The Shiv Sena has already made its opposition clear that it will "not support any law that is against the interest of farmers".

Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant Wednesday questioned government's explanation about the legislation and said: "When there will be no land left then what is the point of PM irrigation scheme? The farmers are scared that the government will take away their land. This needs to be addressed. We cannot make farmers unhappy."

He made the comment while participating in the discussion on motion of thanks to the president's speech.

Another key BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has also expressed reservations towards the bill, which is facing a stiff opposition from political parties, farmers and social groups.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, however, defended the law and blamed the opposition for spreading misinformation on the bill.

Addressing a press conference in the parliament house here, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the ordinance had to be brought before Dec 31.

The minister added that the land that would be acquired will be used for rural infrastructure projects like irrigation and roads, which will help the rural population.

Gadkari also said the central government did not intend to acquire any land for the private sector or corporates.

"Even the industrial corridor the ordinance talks about will not be more than 2 km wide, and will host agro-processing industries. It will help farmers," he said.

"It is a misunderstanding that we will acquire land for private sector. The projects which will be in PPP mode (Public-Private Partnership) will be ultimately owned by government," Gadkari said.

He added: "The industrialist today does not want the government acquired land. They prefer buying the land. The land that will be acquired under this law will be used for public purposes."

Asked if the government would consider suggestion made by opposition parties, Gadkari said: "We are open minded to suggestions."

Activist Anna Hazare, who is spearheading an agitation against amendments in the act, rubbished the government's claim that these were more "effective" and "farmer-friendly", saying it was trying to mislead the people.

"The government is more worried about the industrialists and not about farmers. The country has woken up now. These people will also take irrigated land and give it to the industrialists," Hazare said.

Having vociferously protested against the land ordinance for the last two days, activists are now gearing up for a massive showdown with the government at district and state levels.

"We are beginning a district level movement from next week against the land bill," said Gandhian activist P.V. Rajagopal.

He said that the focus would now be on mobilisation and training of youth for a final showdown in 2019, a year which coincides with the completion of five-year term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.

"The government may not be able to ignore this and engage us in a dialogue process," he added.

IANS

Panic spreads as swine flu deaths rise in India

Fatalities pass the 800 mark, lack of awareness stokes fears.

An Indian medical staff member treats a swine flu patient at an isolation ward of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad on January 23

New Delhi:  More than 800 people have died and further deaths are expected as India battles to contain a swine flu outbreak spreading across the country.

At least 14,000 cases have been reported since December last year, with western Gujarat and northern Rajasthan states the worst hit with over 200 deaths each.

Meanwhile, 100 fresh cases have been reported in the national capital Delhi this week and over 140 people have tested positive for swine flu in Jammu and Kashmir.

Federal Health Minister JP Nadda told parliament on Tuesday that affected states would receive all possible help to fight the virus.

“The situation is being closely monitored by us and all necessary assistance is being provided to the states. Adequate stocks of medicine and masks are available. No efforts will be spared to effectively deal with the situation,” he said.

Health officials say a lack of knowledge about the disease is helping stoke panic, which in turn presents a challenge for them.

“There is no doubt there is an outbreak of swine flu in the country but one should understand that swine flu is less dangerous than the common flu,” KK Aggarwal, secretary-general of the Indian Medical Association, told ucanews.com.

People need to be aware that swine flu does not kill but swine flu pneumonia does. People are not able to differentiate between the two, Aggarwal said.

“What is worrying is that due to the panic there is too much treatment, too many hospitalizations, excessive drug prescribing and investigations,” he added.

In Haryana state, the health department is training doctors to treat swine flu and has launched an awareness campaign about the disease through the media, said Shiv Kumar, chief medical officer in the state’s Rohtak district.

The district has had 11 cases of swine flu and only one person has died, he said.

The doctor said there are three categories of swine flu. About 90 percent of patients were suffering from Category A, which involved normal flu symptoms — coughing, runny nose, stomach ache and diarrhea — which are treated with the usual medicines.

Categories B and C involve symptoms such as a high fever, severe sore throat, respiratory problems and pneumonia.

Children, pregnant women, the elderly and people suffering from other major illnesses are most at risk, Kumar said.

The Indian Medical Association has written to the federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare calling on it to warn medical practitioners to be careful when making their views on the virus public.

In case of outbreaks, only authorized people appointed by the government should be allowed to talk to the media in order to offset widespread panic, Aggarwal said.

“At the moment almost every doctor is speaking to the media, giving his/her views on swine flu. This should be restricted,” he added.

Swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, is transmitted from pigs to humans. It is very contagious and is transmitted from human to human like any other influenza.

Source: ucanews.com

Church cemetery vandalized in Kerala

Many family vaults and tombs were found damaged on Monday morning and the police had registered a case in connection with it.

Raju Abraham, MLA, and CPI(M) district secretary K.P. Udayabhanu, accompanied by church members and municipal councillor K. Anilkumar, visiting the cemetery of the Shalom Mar Thoma Church at Mylapra, near Pathanamthitta, on Tuesday.

Pathanamthitta:  A Christian cemetery in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala was vandalised by unidentified anti-socials for the second consecutive day on Monday.

Managing committee members of the Shalom Mar Thoma Church at Mylapra said two more vaults were found partially damaged.

Many family vaults and tombs were found damaged on Monday morning and the police had registered a case in connection with it.

The second attack took place late on Monday.

The wall of the cemetery too was found defaced with blood stains and graffiti.

The managing committee strongly protested against the repeated vandalising of the cemetery and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary K.P. Udayabhanu and Raju Abraham, Ranni MLA, accompanied by the committee members, visited the cemetery on Tuesday.

They demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. Mr. Udayabhanu accused the police of negligence in properly investigating the case when the cemetery was attacked on Sunday night.

Source: The Hindu

Catholic prayer hall vandalised in Karnataka

A state minister said some anti-social elements were trying to "create insecurity and panic in society".

A church in Mangalore in Karnataka was vandalised last night. Photo courtesy: NDTV

Mangalore:  A Catholic prayer hall on the outskirts of Karnataka's coastal city of Mangaluru was vandalised by stone-throwing miscreants, police said Wednesday. A state minister said some anti-social elements were trying to "create insecurity and panic in society".

"The incident seems to have occurred late Tuesday or in the early hours of Wednesday, resulting in the St. Josep Vaz prayer hall's window panes being damaged. It is a case of mischief," Mangaluru police commissioner S. Mururgan told IANS here, about 350 km from Bengaluru.

A case has been registered against unidentified persons on a complaint filed by the parish priest.

Clarifying that the incident was not an attack on the make-shift church, the police chief said statues of Mother Mary and Infant Jesus were intact and no damage was caused to the prayer hall or any objects inside it.

"We have set up a team to investigate the case and identify the suspects, who damaged the window panes under the cover of darkness," Murugan said.

The prayer hall, adjacent to a cemetery, is located 15 km away from the city in a sparsely populated area.

"We have directed the pastor to fix lights around the prayer hall and engage a watchman to secure the place," he added.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader told IANS the church was attacked here by some "anti-social elements".

The minister, who visited the site in the morning, said he hoped that the culprits will be nabbed soon.

"Some anti-social elements threw a stone and damaged the glass of a statue to create insecurity and panic in society," Khader told IANS.

The minister said the site was littered with cigarette butts that indicated that the group might have been small.

He said police were looking for the culprits and citizens have also joined the operation.

"It is between good society and bad society. All 90 percent of the good society will join against them," he said.

Khader said the church, located beside a graveyard in an isolated place, is 250 years old and was renovated some 10-15 years ago.

IANS

ROBERT JOHN KENNEDY: Catholic Church in Kuzhithurai Diocese set fire by...

ROBERT JOHN KENNEDY: Catholic Church in Kuzhithurai Diocese set fire by...: ...

Catholic Church in Kuzhithurai Diocese set fire by miscreants: A three years old thatched Catholic Church of Annai Vailankanni - Palayam Annainager, a substation of Murasancode Parish, Diocese of Kuzhithurai, Tamil Nadu, India was set fire by miscreants at night 11 pm on 21 Saturday Feb 2015....CHRIST'S CHURCH Before and After...