இரத்த உறவுகளாக மாறிய மரங்கள்

சிக்கிம் மாநிலத்தில், ‘மைத்’, ‘மைத்தனி’, ‘ஸ்மிருதி’ ஆகிய மூன்று முறையில் மரங்களைத் தத்தெடுத்து வளர்ப்பவர்கள் எக்காரணம் கொண்டும் மரத்தை வெட்ட அனுமதி இல்லை. சரியான காரணம் இருக்குமானால் வனத்துறை அனுமதி வேண்டும்

மேரி தெரேசா - வத்திக்கான்
காடுகளில் இழந்துவிட்ட மரங்களை ஈடு செய்யவும், இயற்கை விவசாயத்திற்கு ஆக்கம் தரும் வன வேளாண்மையை மேம்படுத்தவும், மரங்களுடன் மனிதர் கொண்டுள்ள பாரம்பரிய உறவுகளைத் தக்க வைக்கவும், மனிதரின் இரத்த உறவுகளாகவே மரங்களை நேசித்து வளர்க்கிறார்கள் சிக்கிம் மாநில மக்கள். அம்மாநிலத்தில் ‘மைத்’ என்ற பாரம்பரிய வழக்கம் ஒன்று தொன்றுதொட்டு உள்ளது. இப்படிப்பட்ட ஒரு பாரம்பரியப் பண்பு மங்கிவிடாமல் அதனைப் பட்டை தீட்டி மிளிர வைக்கும் விதமாக சிக்கிம் மாநில முதல்வர் பவன்குமார் சமலிங் அவர்கள், ‘சிக்கிம் வனமரங்கள் பாதுகாப்பு விதிமுறைகள் – 2017’ என்ற பெயரில் ஒரு புதுமையான சட்டத்தை நிறைவேற்றியுள்ளார். மக்கள் மரங்களோடு கொண்டுள்ள இரத்த உறவை மூன்று விதமாக வகைப்படுத்தி, அவ்வுறவைக் காப்பாற்ற சில விதிமுறைகளைப் பின்பற்ற வேண்டுமென்றும் அவர் கேட்டுக்கொண்டுள்ளார். முதலாவது, ‘மைத்’ என்று அறிவித்து ஒரு ஆண் ஒரு மரத்தை தத்தெடுத்துக் கொண்டால், அம்மரம் அவரின் சகோதரனாகக் கருதப்படும். இரண்டாவது, ‘மைத்தினி’ என்று அறிவித்து ஒரு பெண் ஒரு மரத்தைத் தத்தெடுத்துக் கொண்டால் அம்மரம் அந்தப் பெண்ணின் சகோதரியாகக் கருதப்படும். மூன்றாவது, குடும்பத்தில் ஒருவர் இறந்துவிட்டால் அவர் நினைவாக, குடும்பத்தினர் ஒரு மரத்தைத் தத்தெடுத்துக் கொண்டால், அம்மரம், ‘ஸ்மிருதி’ அதாவது நீத்தார் நினைவு என்று கருதப்படும். இப்படிப்பட்ட உறவுப்பெயர்கள் சூட்டி மரங்களைத் தத்தெடுக்க வேண்டும். அவரவர் தங்களுக்குச் சொந்தமாக உள்ள நிலத்தில் உள்ள மரங்களை மட்டுமே தத்தெடுக்கவேண்டுமென்ற கட்டாயம் இல்லை. மற்றவர் நிலத்தில் வளரும் மரத்தையும் மேற்குறிப்பிட்ட முறைகளில் தத்தெடுக்கலாம். அவ்வாறு தத்தெடுக்கும்போது மற்றொருவர் நிலத்தில் உள்ள மரத்திற்கு நிகராக, மரமதிப்பை சந்தை விலைக்கு ஏற்ப நிர்ணயித்து நில உரிமையாளருக்கு இழப்பீடு வழங்க வேண்டும். அதே போன்று, வனத்துறைக்கு சொந்தமான இடத்தில் உள்ள மரங்களையும் தத்தெடுக்கத் தடையில்லை. வனத்துறையிடம் முறையான ஒப்புதல் பெற்றால் போதுமானது. எந்த மரத்தை யார் தத்தெடுத்தாலும் அவர் இறக்கும்வரை அதை வளர்ப்பது கட்டாயமாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. தாங்கள் தத்தெடுத்த மரத்தை வெட்டினால், அது வனத்துறை நிலத்தில் உள்ள மரமானால் அந்த மரத்தின் மதிப்புக்கு நிகராக நான்கு மடங்கும், தனியார் நிலம் என்றால் இரண்டு மடங்கும் அபராதமாகச் செலுத்த வேண்டும். சிக்கிம் அரசின் இந்த மர வளர்ப்புக் கொள்கை, இமயமலை சார்ந்த உத்தராஞ்சல், ஹிமாசலப் பிரதேசம், ஜம்மு-காஷ்மீர் போன்ற மாநிலங்களிலும் பின்பற்றப்படுமானால், இமயத்து பனிமலை உருகாமலும், இமயமலைக் காடுகள் நிலச்சரிவுகளிலிருந்தும் காப்பாற்றப்படும். (நன்றி தினமணி)

சிறியோருக்கு பாதுகாப்பு வழங்கும் ஓர் இடமாக, திருஅவை

கத்தோலிக்கத் திருஅவை, சிறியோருக்கு பாதுகாப்பு வழங்கும் ஓர் இடமாகவும், மக்களின் நம்பிக்கைக்குரிய ஓர் இடமாகவும் எப்போதும் திகழவேண்டும் - திருத்தந்தை

கிறிஸ்டோபர் பிரான்சிஸ் - வத்திக்கான் செய்திகள்
அருள்பணியாளர்களால் சிறார், பாலியல் முறையில் தவறாக நடத்தப்பட்டது குறித்தப் பிரச்சனையும், சிறார் அடைந்த வேதனைகளும், தவிறிழைத்தோரை திருஅவையின் அதிகாரிகள் காப்பாற்ற மேற்கொண்ட முயற்சிகளும் பல ஆண்டுகளாக தொடர்ந்துகொண்டிருப்பதை, முடிவுக்குக் கொணர, ஒருங்கிணைத்து எடுக்கப்பட்ட முயற்சியே, வத்திக்கானில் நடைபெற்ற அண்மையக் கூட்டம் என்று, திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், தன் மூவேளை செப உரையின் இறுதியில் கூறினார்.
பாலியல் வழியில் சிறார் அடைந்த கொடுமைகளைத் தடுக்க, 'திருஅவையில் சிறியோரின் பாதுகாப்பு' என்ற தலைப்பில், கடந்த 4 நாள்கள் திருப்பீடத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற கூட்டம் குறித்து தன் மூவேளை செப உரையின் இறுதியில் பேசியத் திருத்தந்தை, திருஅவையின் அனைத்து கண்டங்களிலிருந்தும் வந்திருந்தோர், இக்கொடுமைக்குத் தீர்வு காணும் உறுதியுடன் வந்திருந்தனர் என்று எடுத்துரைத்தார்.
பாலியல் கொடுமைகளால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டோரின் குரலுக்குச் செவிமடுக்கவும், அவர்களிடமும், இறைவனிடமும் மன்னிப்பு வேண்டவும், திருஅவையின் பொறுப்பாளர்களுக்கு உள்ள கடமைகளை உணரவும், வருங்காலத்தில் இத்தகையத் தவறுகள் நிகழாதவண்ணம் உறுதிப்பாட்டை எடுக்கவும் இந்தக் கூட்டத்தில் முடிந்தது என்பதை, வலியுறுத்திக் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை.
கத்தோலிக்கத் திருஅவை, சிறியோருக்கு பாதுகாப்பு வழங்கும் ஓர் இடமாகவும், மக்களின் நம்பிக்கைக்குரிய ஓர் இடமாகவும் எப்போதும் திகழவேண்டும் என்பதை உறுதி செய்யவேண்டிய வண்ணம், திருஅவையில் அனைத்து நடவடிக்கைகளும் அமைய வேண்டும் என்பதை, திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள் தன் மூவேளை செப உரையின் இறுதியில் கூறினார்.

Pulwama தாக்குதலுக்கு இந்திய ஆயர் பேரவை கண்டனம்

நாட்டின் எல்லையைப் பாதுகாக்க, வீரத்துடன் அயராது உழைத்து வரும் இராணுவ வீரர்கள் மீது நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ள தாக்குதல், அருவறுக்கத்தக்கச் செயல் - இந்திய ஆயர் பேரவை

ஜெரோம் லூயிஸ் - வத்திக்கான் செய்திகள்
வன்முறை எந்நாளும், எந்த ஒரு பிரச்சனையையும் தீர்க்கப்போவதில்லை என்று, இந்திய ஆயர் பேரவையின் பொதுச்செயலர், ஆயர் தியடோர் மாஸ்கரீனஸ் அவர்கள் ஆசிய செய்திக்கு அளித்த பேட்டியொன்றில் கூறினார்.
பிப்ரவரி 14, இவ்வியாழனன்று, இந்தியாவின் காஷ்மீர் மாநிலத்தில் Pulwama என்ற இடத்தில், இராணுவ வீரர்கள் சென்ற பேருந்தின் மீது, குண்டுகள் நிறைக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு கார் மோதி, நிகழ்த்தப்பட்ட தாக்குதலில், 40க்கும் மேற்பட்ட வீரர்கள் உயிரிழந்தனர்.
இந்த தீவிரவாதத் தாக்குதல் குறித்து இந்திய ஆயர் பேரவை சார்பில் தன் வன்மையான கண்டனத்தை வெளியிட்ட ஆயர் மாஸ்கரீனஸ் அவர்கள், துயரத்தில் மூழ்கியிருக்கும் நாட்டு மக்கள் அனைவரோடும் சேர்ந்து, இந்தியத் திருஅவையும் தன் அனுதாபத்தையும் செபங்களையும் பதிவு செய்கிறது என்று கூறினார்.
நாட்டின் எல்லையைப் பாதுகாக்க, வீரத்துடன் அயராது உழைத்து வரும் இராணுவ வீரர்கள் மீது நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ள இந்தத் தாக்குதல், அருவறுக்கத்தக்கச் செயல் என்று கூறிய ஆயர் மாஸ்கரீனஸ் அவர்கள், தங்கள் உறவுகளை இழந்தோருக்காக இந்தியத் திருஅவையின் செபங்களை அர்ப்பணித்தார்.
Pulwamaவில் நிகழ்ந்த இந்தத் தாக்குதலுக்கு, பாகிஸ்தானைச் சேர்ந்த ஓர் இஸ்லாமிய தீவிரவாதக் குழு பொறுப்பேற்றுள்ளதாகவும், இத்தாக்குதலில் இறந்தோரின் எண்ணிக்கை தற்போதைய நிலையில் 45ஆக உயர்ந்துள்ளது என்றும் ஊடகங்கள் கூறுகின்றன. (AsiaNews)

Transfers of priests highlight corruption in China Church

Bishops given too much power to decide who goes where, meaning new postings can be a reward or punishment.

Photograph: iStock

By Father John Lo
China:  The Church in China has taken much flak of late for being riddled with problems as more clerics fall prey to greed.

These range from prelates selling church property without proper authorization and embezzling vast sums of money to having affairs with women and church officials working too closely with the state.

More recently, it has emerged that bishops in China are observing a policy of transferring "obedient" priests, who follow them slavishly and unquestioningly, to the more affluent parishes.

Greater affluence means more resources to work with, which makes formation and preaching easier, but it also opens the window to graft as the transferred priests can find surreptitious ways of bumping up their income.

On the flip side, bishops are transferring priests who do not follow their every word, or who they just don't like, to poorer and more remote parishes as a kind of punishment or retaliation.

This phenomenon, especially in parishes or dioceses that lack a standardized system of management, is more common because bishops in China have almost unfettered power. Their word is sacrosanct, which results in a dangerous lack of balance and is grossly unfair.

The selling of religious property, the sexual liaisons and the other corrupt practices of such high-ranking clergymen could even result in a systematic breakdown as their subordinate priests refuse to cooperate with them.

This would obviously have a harmful impact on the parishes and very likely cause their pastoral work to deteriorate.

In other parishes in China, priests cannot be transferred until a certain number of years have passed.

In such cases where relations between the bishop and priest or priests are tense, this makes the situation even worse as the gap between them grows ever larger, and the bond of brotherhood ever weaker.

Meanwhile, I have heard stories of some priests who refuse to cooperate with their bishop when the latter requests they be transferred.

This is usually because the priest has got used to living in a more affluent parish and does not want to leave or they have established strong personal connections in the parish that they are unwilling to surrender.

This untrammelled selfishness is dangerous and harmful to the Church.

Those guilty of harboring this kind of attitude seek enjoyment and forget their vocation; or perhaps their reason for joining the priesthood in the first place was not to serve God as much as to wring as many personal benefits out of the position as possible.

I have heard of other priests who loathed the idea of being transferred so much they asked the government to intervene in church affairs — effectively "selling out" their brothers in the process.

This is especially prevalent in situations where underground church communities go to war with state-sanctioned church communities over who claims legitimate jurisdiction over which parish.

As such complaints can help to eradicate those underground communities, the state is usually more than happy to step in and adjudicate.

Of course, some priests cooperate with their transfer orders despite whatever grievances they may have about being on the losing end of such an unfair deal.

They accept their fate in order to fulfill their vow of submission and carry on their pastoral work regardless of these challenging circumstances.

The challenges the Church is facing are absolutely related to secularization because this causes the quality of the clergy to deteriorate. Bishops and priests alike are duty-bound to serve the Church and also bring it closer to God.

However, at the dictate of a corrupt Chinese government, clerics succumb to the secular world and become running dogs of the regime in the pursuit of money and power, leaving their pastoral work in a terrible mess.

Parishes should be well structured and have a priestly advisory council to discuss transfers, rather than leaving such important matters purely to the discretion of the local bishop.

Father John Lo is a Catholic priest in China

Source: UCAN

No more excuses for sex abuse, pope tells bishops

Pontiff wraps up Rome summit with call for 'all-out battle' against abuse of minors, but abuse survivors disappointed.

File photo.

Vatican City:  There are no excuses to justify the abuse of children, who are an image of Jesus, and clerics who are guilt of such grave offenses must be punished by "civil and canonical processes," Pope Francis said on Feb. 24.

"If in the Church there should emerge even a single case of abuse — which already in itself represents an atrocity — that case will be faced with the utmost seriousness," he told an assembly of 190 cardinals, bishops and religious superiors in the Sala Regia at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.

The pontiff's remarks capped an historic four-day bishops' conference on the protection of minors in Rome.

He also concluded by praying the Angelus and referencing the power of Satan, citing the example of King Herod.

"Consecrated persons, chosen by God to guide souls to salvation, let themselves be dominated by their human frailty or sickness, and thus become tools of Satan," he was quoted as saying by Catholic News Service.

In the widening sex abuse crisis, which has ensnared priests in various continents and also victimized nuns and seminarians, he said the Devil's work must be seen in the actions of those guilty of covering up such crimes.

"I see the hand of evil that does not even spare the innocence of the little ones. And this leads me to think of the example of Herod who, driven by the fear of losing his power, ordered the slaughter of all the children of Bethlehem," he said.

The pontiff, who issued a set of guidelines at the start of the conference and ordered bishops to come up with "concrete" measures to resolve the crisis, said it was time for an "all out battle" against sex abuse within the Church.

"We are dealing with abominable crimes that must be erased from the face of the earth," he noted.

However, not everyone was satisfied with the results of the much-anticipated conference.

Some abuse survivors said they felt "let down" by the lack of tangible results, and were disappointed the pontiff has opted to let church leaders tackle the issue at a local level rather than issuing edicts from Rome.

"Pope Francis' talk today was a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful," Anne Barrett Doyle, who helps run BishopAccountability.org, told The New York Times.

"As the world's Catholics cry out for concrete change, the pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we've heard before," she said.

At the end of a weeklong period that saw Vatican officials speak with sex abuse survivors, and priests hear feedback from other victims, Pope Francis admitted cover-ups had taken place.

He also referred to the "unjustifiable negligence" that had let other cases slip through the cracks.

While most abused minors suffer at the hands of someone they know, often a family member, it is the Church's duty to shake hypocrisy out from the ranks of the clergy and protect children "from ravenous wolves," he added.

Moreover, the Church must rise above "ideological disputes" and exploitative journalistic practices, and "hear, watch over, protect and care for abused, exploited and forgotten children, wherever they are," he said.

He also blasted "the plague of clericalism" and urged members of the Curia to study the work of international organizations while the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors looks to draft guidelines to guide the Church forward.

Source: UCAN

Philippine church groups accused of being communist fronts

Govt UN report a bid to blacken organizations helping poor and defending rights, critics say.

Tribal groups from Mindanao join a protest in Manila on Feb. 23 to mark the anniversary of the 1986 uprising that ousted Ferdinand Marcos. Church and human rights groups helping tribal groups in Mindanao have been accused of having links with communist rebels. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

Manila:  The Philippine government has accused several church groups with having links to the communist underground movement in a report submitted to the United Nations this month.

Among the groups accused of being guerrilla "fronts" are the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc.

The report, which was submitted to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva on Feb. 21, alleged that groups allied with the rebels are trafficking tribal children.

It accused the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, of fanning conflict among tribes in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao.

In his report, Vicente Agdamag, deputy director-general of the National Security Council, said the rebels are also recruiting tribal children to become "child warriors."

"To include the Rural Missionaries ... is the height of malice," Benedictine nun Mary John Mananzan told ucanews.com.

The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines is an inter-congregational and inter-diocesan organization of women and men religious, who live and work in rural poor communities.

The Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc., an ecumenical church group, has been setting up tribal schools in rural areas in Mindanao.

Sister Mananzan, whose congregation helped set up some of the schools, said the government has been "recycling lies."

"It is another example of how this administration will do anything to demolish those who dare to oppose it," she said, warning that it might pave the way for a wider crackdown against activists.

The schools accused of being training centers for guerrillas have been granted permits by the Education Department, Sister Mananzan said.

Also listed in the report are human rights group, Karapatan, independent think-tank the Ibon Foundation, and several other activist groups.

Redemptorist priest Oliver Castor, spokesman of the Rural Missionaries, said President Rodrigo Duterte seems to be "laying the groundwork for a new phase in his bloody wars."

He told ucanews.com that attacks on communities resisting destructive mining and plantation projects have surged in recent months.

Human rights group Karapatan noted that Mindanao accounts for 86 of 134 activists killed in the past three years since Duterte came to power.

Source: UCAN

UN panel raps Indonesian police over snake torture

Demands probe into use of serpent to question boy, other cases suggesting 'widespread pattern of violence' against Papuans.

The U.N. has called for a torture inquiry after Indonesian police put a snake on West Papuan youth. (YouTube screengrab)

Jakarta:  The use of a large snake by Indonesian police to frighten a young boy during an interrogation is indicative of a “widespread pattern of violence,” and other abuses committed against Papuans, according to a United Nations panel of experts.

They called for an end to a culture of impunity in dealing with human rights abuses, and for the prosecution of those involved.

The call follows a video circulated earlier this month that showed police wrapping a snake around a handcuffed Papuan youth they were interrogating.

In the video, the young man — arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone — was seen screaming in fear while police officers laughed at him.

The U.N. experts said the case reflected a “widespread pattern of violence, alleged arbitrary arrests, and detention as well as methods amounting to torture.”

“These tactics are often used against indigenous Papuans and human rights defenders,” they said in a statement.

“This latest incident is symptomatic of the deeply entrenched discrimination and racism that indigenous Papuans face."

Prompt and impartial investigations must be carried out to ensure “those, who have committed human rights violations against the indigenous population of Papua are held to account.”

“We are also deeply concerned about what appears to be a culture of impunity and general lack of investigations into allegations of human rights violations in Papua,” the panel said.

Rights activists within the church in Papua, welcomed the call.

Yuliana Langowuyo, deputy director of the Franciscan Commission for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation said the Indonesian government must respond to this call immediately.

The interrogation with the snake was just one of many examples illustrating discriminatory treatment by security officers against Papuans.

“We have called on police and the military to stop such practices but to no avail,” she told ucanews.com.

Father John Djonga, a human rights activist who has worked for 40 years in Papuan villages, said indigenous Papuans said the abuse has gone unabated for many years.

“It does not look like any change will be forthcoming soon,” he said.

Arrmanatha Nasir, spokesman for Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said those responsible for the snake incident would be investigated and punished.

“This was an action committed by individuals and is against the national police's rules and regulations,” he said.

Ahmad Mustofa Kamal, a police spokesman in Papua called the incident highly irregular.

However he denied claims of systematic abuse being committed against Papuans.

“We treat every Papuans fairly and enforce the law fairly,” he claimed.

Source: UCAN

Bangladesh mourns victims of deadly Dhaka blaze

Pope Francis joins Christians, Muslims and Hindus in praying for families of at least 70 who died.

A Muslim woman bursts into tears after failing to trace her brother who went missing after a deadly fire broke out in Dhaka on Feb. 21. Bangladeshi people observed state-level mourning on Feb. 25 for about 70 victims. (Photo by Piyas Biswas/ucanews.com)

Dhaka:  The national flag flew at half-mast and special prayers were held in religious places on Feb. 25 as Bangladeshis observed state-level mourning for dozens of victims of a deadly blaze in capital Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s parliament passed a “motion for mourning” on Feb. 24 to express grief and condolences to the families of at least 70 people who died in the fire at a residential-cum-business district in the old part of Dhaka on the night of Feb. 21.

Although the cause of the fire is still unclear, it is believed that it was sparked by a car’s gas cylinder or an electricity transformer near a residential building in the Chawk Bazar area of Dhaka.

The first blast triggered a chain of explosions in a warehouse storing inflammable chemicals before the fire engulfed the five-story building and quickly spread to buildings, shops, restaurants and vehicles on adjacent narrow streets.

Police said 70 bodies were recovered from the rubble after firefighters doused the fire and dozens of injured were taken to hospital.

About 19 bodies remain unidentified as they were so badly charred that they were beyond recognition, police said.

Pope Francis has offered condolences and prayers for the victims.

“His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and of the injuries caused by the conflagration in the center of Dhaka,” said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. “He extends his solidarity to all affected and prays especially for the repose of the deceased and for the healing of those injured.”

Christians are mourning the victims, said Father Kamal Corraya, parish priest of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Tejgaon in Dhaka.

“Our prayers for the eternal rest of departed souls and the recovery of the injured have been ongoing. All church organizations have observed mourning with prayers and hoisting the national flag half-mast,” Father Corraya told ucanews.com.

“Time and again the call was made for factories and warehouses with deadly chemicals to move out of the area. This time, after the loss of many lives, the government must make moves to remove chemicals.”

Govinda Chandra Pramanik, secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Grand Alliance, said Hindus were also grieving for the victims.

“We are heavily saddened by such a tragedy, and the government must take the blame. The chemicals must be forced out of residential areas so that we don’t witness such a tragic loss of lives again,” Pramanik told ucanews.com.

Muslims have also prayed for victims and their families, said Maolana Amzad Hossain, a Shia Muslim imam from the southeastern port city of Chittagong.

“After the tragic news spread, Muslims gathered for special prayers for the victims and also during Jumma prayers. Today, we are holding a milad mahfil (Islamic prayer meeting for departed souls) to pray for the victims and for their families,” Hossain told ucanews.com.

The cleric said his family has been involved in chemical business in Dhaka for decades but moved to a new location after a deadly fire in a chemical warehouse in the Nimtoli area of old Dhaka in 2010.

The Nimtoli blaze left 124 people dead and sparked a public outcry to force more than 800 factories and warehouses using inflammable chemicals out of Dhaka. To date, only a handful of factories and storehouses have shifted.

Source: UCAN

Congress demands Arunachal CM's resignation, imposition of President's Rule

The state government is yet to provide an official figure on the number of casualties in Sunday's firing that took place in the Arunachal capital, Itanagar.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. (File Photo: IANS/PIB)

New Delhi: 

The opposition Congress on Monday demanded the resignation of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the imposition of President's Rule in the state following violence over the controversial permanent residence certificate (PRC) issue.

"The Chief Minister (Pema Khandu) and his council of ministers have no more right to continue in office as the people of the state have lost faith in them when they decided to grant the PRC to six non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes communities," state Congress President Takam Sanjoy told IANS on the phone from New Delhi.

"Four people were killed in firing triggered by the state police and the Army on Sunday. Isn't this a breakdown of law and order in the state?" he asked demanding imposition of President's Rule in the state.

The state government is yet to provide an official figure on the number of casualties in Sunday's firing that took place in the Arunachal capital, Itanagar.

Security forces resorted to firing to prevent protesters from marching towards Khandu's residence after they burned down the Deputy Chief Minister's bungalow.

Dismissing the government's allegation that the Congress was instigating the protestors, Sanjoy said: "We (Congress) have nothing to do with the unrest. Despite knowing that the indigenous people are against granting PRC to these six communities, the Chief Minister provoked the people by boldly announcing that PRC would be a New Year gift to the six communities."

The six communities - Adivasi, Moran, Deori, Mising, Kachari, Ahom - inhabit the hill state mainly in Changlang and Namsai districts adjoining Assam.

"The Congress party is with the people and understands the voice of the people. Therefore, we had made it clear that we strongly opposed with the government's move to grant PRC to them," he added.

Besides Khandu, the Congress has also demanded the sacking of Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, who is also an MP from West Arunachal parliamentary constituency.

An indefinite curfew which was imposed Itanagar and Naharlagun following the urest, continued on Monday.

Also on Sunday, the Arunachal Pradesh government froze its decision on the controversial PRC.

Internet has remained suspended since the protests broke out on Friday evening.

Source: IANS

Salesian nuns’ centre in Mumbai bags award

Sahayini has trained and placed 500 marginalized youth and contributed social advancement of the poor.

Mumbai:  A Salesian social development agency has been awarded the first Father Edward D’souza Memorial award meant to honor services rendered to the poor and under privileged.

The Sahayini Social Development Society Vocational Training Centre was given the award Feb. 23 at a function in Mumbai.

Sister Rosaline Pereira, in charge of Sahayini received the award from Auxiliary Bishop Savio Dominic Fernandes of Bombay archdiocese.

Sahayini has trained and placed 500 marginalized youth and contributed social advancement of the poor.

Adrian Rosario, a member of Bombay catholic Sabha and in-charge of the award selection team said the Sabha instituted the award to perpetuate the memory of Father Edward D’souza, the Sabha’s chaplain who passed away four years ago.

Sahayini Social Development was created to provide programs and services to the poorer and needy children, adolescent girls, women through the community centres established in various locations of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

The outreach services include youth and women empowerment, child rights and education, special care, protection and services to girls at risk, livelihood promotions, health and environment development. It has community centres through which it carries out its services with required team of staff and logistics.

Sahayini officials said 95 percent of their trainees are well placed with living wages in and around Mumbai.

END

Eight Catholics among 140 killed in Assam liquor tragedy

Local church taking anyone who may have drunk suspect alcohol to hospital for checkups.

Catholics in India’s Assam state mourn two people who died from a mass incident of poisoning from bootleg liquor. (Photo supplied by Father Caesar Henry of Dibrugarh Diocese)

New Delhi:  The church is assisting those affected by a mass toxic alcohol poisoning that has killed more than 140 tea-estate workers in India’s northeast.

Some 350 people continue to fight for lives in hospitals in Assam state after they consumed bootleg alcohol on Feb. 21.

A similar tragedy occurred earlier this month with bootleg liquor killing more than 100 people in northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The victims of the most recent incident were laborers from two tea estates in Golaghat and Jorhat districts.

Father Caesar Henry of Dibrugarh Diocese, that covers the affected area, told ucanews.com that the poisoning had killed 149 people as of Feb. 24.

“Among the dead, eight are Catholics, including two women,” Father Henry said, adding that more than 50 sick Catholics were admitted to hospital.

The death toll has continued to rise steadily since the first day of the poisoning, the priest said.

“Even one parishioner who attended the funeral of others on Saturday, and who showed no symptoms, suddenly collapsed and died the next day,” Father Henry said. “He suffered immediate loss of eye-sight, stomach pain and he vomited and then died,” he said.

“Now we are going to house to house to identify people who have consumed the suspect liquor and taking them to hospital for a checkup,” the priest said.

Salesian Bishop Joseph Aind of Dibrugarh told ucanews.com that the local church is working to identify the exact cause of the tragedy.

“The Church will do whatever it can to create awareness against such illicit distillation and distribution so to help avoid such tragedies,” the bishop said.

Church volunteers have also been appealing for people to refrain from distilling and consuming locally made alcohol.



Local culture

Thousands of poor Catholics are among the six million tea-garden workers who work in some 800 tea gardens across Assam.

Journalist Digjyoti LakharIt said distilling alcohol is part of local culture. “Usually one or two families in a village are involved in this kind of business,” LakharIt said.

“Occasional deaths from spurious liquor have been reported several times in the past, but this was the biggest number in recent memory,” he said.

Diocesan vicar-general Father Lazar Kakkassery said most of the poor workers in the state are unaware of the dangers posed by consuming bootleg liquor.

“More awareness is required to end these types of tragedies,” Father Kakkassery said.

Police have arrested 27 people for brewing and distributing illicit liquor in the state since the poisoning occurred.

Source: UCAN

Church-organized interfaith meet stresses unity

The Muslim leader urged everyone to stand united against the small minority in their communities, who instigate hate and violence.

Religious leaders from different faith during a meet in New Delhi on Feb. 23.

By Bijay Kumar Minj
New Delhi:  Some 50 leaders from Christian, Hindu, Islam, Sikhism, and Judaism joined in a program in New Delhi to condemn the recent terror attack on Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Feb. 23 program was organized by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India in collaboration with Federation of Catholic Associations of Archdiocese of Delhi and Alliance Defending Freedom-India (ADF), a Christian rights' group.

“We don’t believe in terrorism as it is an act against humanity,” Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, Secretary General, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India told the inter faith program titled: Aman-Bhaichara Sammelan (Brotherhood and goodwill meet).

India, following its political independence in 1947, made “a conscious decision to be a multicultural, multi-religious, pluralistic nation and this unique identity and idea of India must be preserved” Bishop Mascarenhas said.

India’s unity in diversity is the “fire that enlightens and inspires,” he said adding that what makes a nation “a superpower is not its firepower but rather the strength of its character, peace and harmony.”

A C Michael, a Christian leader and one of the organizers told ucanews.com that “the program was hurriedly organized because of the situation. We thought it is our responsibility to unite together during this difficult times our country is facing”.

At least 40 Indian soldiers were killed Feb. 13 when a suicide bomber exploded his car near a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway at Lethpora in the Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack. A Jaish-e-Mohammed member named Adil Ahmad Dar, a Kashmiri local, was identified as the attacker.

Pakistan has been widely rebuked for exporting terrorism to Indian soil but Islamabad has challenged India to provide proof of its involvement in the latest attacks.

The armed insurgency in Kashmir started in 1989. Indian attempts to suppress the conflict have resulted in an estimated 100,000 deaths since then, but official records put the number at 47,000.

Hindu spiritual Guru Goswami Sushil Ji Maharaj in his keynote address said that “spiritual leaders play a great role in society and have power to influence the people, it is a very difficult time and we have to leave our difference to fight terror who has to love for humanity.

Maharaj who started Bhartiya Sarv Dharm Sansad (Parliament of all religion) in 2006 said “the whole world looks to India as role model of peace and harmony. Let’s keep our faith in constitution. India is country of diverse faith where we all respect each religion so gradually time will heal”.

Imam Umar Ahmed Illyasibegan while addressing the meet said that the violent mob is not human but satanic. He recalled the horrific 1984 riots and brutal murder of Graham Staines and his two children.

The Muslim leader urged everyone to stand united against the small minority in their communities, who instigate hate and violence.

Sikh leader Paramjeet Singh Chandok quoted the words of Guru Nanak and the Guru Grant Sahib on the message of Universal Brotherhood and serviced to all mankind. He urged all present that if only we stand together, this land will always be a land of peace.

They together resolved “to appeal to the people of India that let us together work towards promoting religious, cultural understanding, peace, harmony and cooperation in our country.”

Their resolution also wanted to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue to sort out the differences among ourselves and to eliminate intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief.

END

Bangladesh's largest Islamist party in turmoil

Resignations of leaders leave Jamaat-e-Islami struggling to regain its former influence.

A file image of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party, demonstrating in Dhaka on Jan. 11, 2015. The party has been in turmoil since 2013 with its leaders facing war crimes charges and an election ban from the country’s Supreme Court. (ucanews.com photo)

Dhaka:  Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party faces an existential crisis as its leaders split and resign over reforms and rebranding of the party.

Jamaat-e-Islami, a long-time ally of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country’s second-largest party, has seen a series of resignations of leaders amid infighting over the party’s course of action.

Jamaat jointly ruled the country with the BNP from 2001-06, but it has been in tatters since 2010 when Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League party set up a war crimes tribunal to prosecute politicians, mostly from Jamaat, for their crimes against humanity during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Jamaat opposed Bangladeshi independence from Pakistan and was accused of collaborating with Pakistan’s army to carry out a genocidal crackdown against Bengali civilians that saw about three million killed and tens of thousands of women raped during the nine-month war.

The tribunal found dozens of Jamaat leaders guilty of war crimes and handed down death and life sentences. Five top leaders have been hanged since 2013.

Terming the tribunal a tool for “political vengeance” and sentences “politically motivated”, Jamaat supporters held violent protests that saw hundreds killed and injured across the country.

In response, the government sued and arrested thousands of Jamaat leaders and activists. Jamaat’s offices across Bangladesh have been largely shut down.

In 2013, the Supreme Court banned Jamaat from contesting elections after describing the party’s Islamist charter as “conflicting” to Bangladesh’s secular constitution. Last year the Election Commission cancelled the registration of Jamaat, disqualifying the party from using its weighing scale logo for any political purpose.

However, dozens of Jamaat leaders contested the Dec. 30 national election in 2018 using the BNP’s “sheaf of paddy” logo. The election saw the Awami League win by a landslide, while the opposition alliance led by the BNP won only eight out of 300 parliamentary seats. All Jamaat candidates were defeated.

The latest blow came when barrister Abdur Razzaq, an assistant secretary general of Jamaat now living in London, resigned from the party on Feb. 15 citing its failure to apologize for its role in the 1971 war and bring reforms to its charter.

Razzaq joined the party about 30 years ago and was the chief defense counsel for Jamaat leaders facing war crime trials.

“I appealed to bring fundamental changes to Jamaat’s objectives, plans and programs in view of the change in world politics, and particularly, the upheavals in Muslim countries. As usual, there was no response,” Razzaq was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune on Feb. 17.

In the following days, five leaders from district units of Jamaat also resigned. On Feb. 16, Jamaat expelled a senior party leader for his alleged anti-party activities.

Local media reported that Jamaat has formed a five-member committee to make reforms. It will work on the formation of a new party, its constitution and other strategies to make them acceptable to the country's people, the Daily Star reported on Feb. 17.

Rasheda Rownak Khan, a political analyst in Dhaka, said Jamaat must change to survive.

“The political landscape of Bangladesh has changed over the years and Jamaat’s so-called Islamist politics has lost its appeal to people. Whether it forms a new party and re-emerges, it cannot attract wider society unless it apologizes for its mistakes and changes the party’s charter to a truly democratic party. It’s a long way for the party,” Khan told ucanews.com.

Father Anthony Sen, a member of the Catholic bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission, echoed those sentiments.

“I think Jamaat leaders are realizing that people won’t accept them anymore unless they change. Most people believe in progressive and democratic politics, so Jamaat’s politics based on religion and communalism makes no appeal to them,” Father Sen told ucanews.com.

Source: UCAN

Cambodian beach town in China's grip

Locals are being swept aside as Sihanoukville swells with Chinese and their investments.

Chheav Sovannarith stands by his village home that was demolished during a raid by Cambodia security forces. (Photo by Ate Hoekstra/ucanews.com)

Sihanoukville :  It's like a hurricane hit Chheav Sovannarith's humble home. Of the four walls that supported the roof, only one in the back is still standing. Large piles of rubble make it look as though Chheav and his neighbours live on a garbage dump.

But it wasn't a hurricane that struck the people of Koki, a village close to the Cambodian beach town of Sihanoukville. It was a large band of policemen, soldiers and military police. They came armed with sticks, guns, assault rifles and demolition equipment when the villagers of Koki protested against a forced eviction.

"We tried to block them, to stop them from destroying our houses," Chheav said in the shadow of a makeshift tent next to his demolished home. "But that didn’t work. They came with a lot of equipment and destroyed everything."

The violent crackdown on protesters took place on Jan. 24 after a court decided that a large part of Koki is owned by a politically connected tycoon. A 28-year-old man was seriously injured after a bullet hit his shoulder. A teenager, who was accused of throwing petrol bombs at the police, was beaten up, eyewitnesses said.

Human rights organisation Licadho said in a statement that it was clearly a case of excessive force being used. Sveng Vanly, a local Licadho coordinator, told ucanews.com that up to 300 members of the security forces moved against 200 to 300 villagers.

The villagers claim that they don't know who now owns the land, but they suspect the eviction is related to large-scale Chinese investment in the area. They worry that the land they lived on and farmed for years will soon be in the hands of Chinese businessmen.

Over the past two to three years, Sihanoukville has received more Chinese investments than any other place in Cambodia. It has transformed Sihanoukville from a relatively quiet beach town that mainly attracted Cambodian and Western tourists into a Chinese-run city with dozens of casinos and large hotels mainly catering for Chinese tourists. It’s estimated that 25-30 percent of the population of Sihanoukville is now Chinese.

Even though the casinos and hotels bring jobs for Cambodians, the price that the local people pay for the investment is high. Land and real estate prices, as well as rents in and around the city, have doubled or tripled. Pollution is becoming a major problem, with garbage piling up in the streets and thick layers of dust blowing around. Major roads are in a desperate need of repair, while basic utilities clearly aren't ready for the influx of tens of thousands extra people.

Land disputes on the increase

Sveng Vanly told ucanews.com that the number of land disputes has increased since Chinese money started pouring in. "Last year there were three new cases," he said. "Often it's about forest land where it is unclear who it belongs to."

Koki was also built on forest land. Mey Dorn, 58, remembers how he cleared a piece of forest in 2002 to use it for farming and to build a house for his family. "In all these years nobody ever told me this land belongs to someone else. I only found out that it was sold a few weeks ago, when the military came and told us we have to leave," he said.

His neighbor Chheav also said that he was unaware of a dispute over ownership until the day his property was destroyed. "I bought this land two years ago from someone in Sihanoukville," he said. "I then built the house myself. The land and property were recognized by the village chief. I don't understand how they can say that I don’t own this. Why don't we have any rights?"

No more than 10 minutes away from Koki, Chinese investments are impossible to miss. In walking distance from Otres beach, a once popular destination for Western backpackers looking for a cheap and laid-back holiday, new hotels and apartment buildings are under construction. Closer to the city, the first casinos appear and there are construction sites and businesses with large Chinese signs.

Licadho coordinator Sveng Vanly said the casinos and hotels at least create some employment for locals as well as outsiders. And those who are lucky enough to own real estate have a chance to make big money. "But for the poor in the city there's serious disadvantages," Sveng said. "In the past, they could rent something for 50 to 70 dollars. Now they need to pay 150 or 200 dollars. And the Chinese control a lot of businesses now, including hotels, restaurants and even taxi companies."

Sihanoukville may be the most popular investment destination in Cambodia for Chinese businessmen, but it certainly isn't the only place where Chinese influence is on the rise. In recent years China has become the largest foreign investor in Cambodia as well as the biggest aid donor. In January, China promised another US$587 million to Cambodia in aid funds during the next three years.

However, there are concerns that Cambodia will become too dependent on Beijing, especially now that Cambodia's ties with the European Union and the United States are under pressure because of the threat of sanctions and a possible ban from an EU-led preferential trade access scheme.

In Sihanoukville, the Chinese already make the rules, said Sophal Ear, a Cambodia expert and associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at the Occidental College in Los Angeles.

"Is Sihanoukville still Sihanoukville if everyone who used to live there is removed and a bunch of Chinese are put in their place? Of course not! The government, in a normal place, would care about what people think and react accordingly. Not in Cambodia, where the golden rule applies: whoever has the gold, makes the rules. China has the gold, China makes the rules."

Back in Koki, Chheav Sovannarith fears for the future now that security forces want to evict him and others. But even though his house lies in ruins and he has only a small tent to sleep in, Chheav refuses to leave the area. Several other villagers are also drawing a line in the sand. "It's scary and we are worried, but we have nowhere else to go," Chheav said. "We've been here for many years. It's our choice to live here."

Source: UCAN

Assam hooch tragedy toll touches 133

The tragedy occurred after a large number of people consumed the spurious liquor on Thursday night at the Salmora tea estate in Golaghat.

Guwahati:  The death toll in the Assam hooch tragedy increased to 133 on Sunday, with over 200 people hospitalised in Golaghat and Jorhat districts, authorities said.

The toll was confirmed by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal, who added that 10 people have been arrested in connection with the sale and manufacture of the illicit liquor known as 'Sulai mod' in Assamese.

"We have sent liquor samples to the forensic science laboratory and a report is awaited," he said.

Meanwhile, an Excise Department official said that a total of 90 cases have been registered regarding the unauthorised sale and production of hooch and also for violating the excise law.

"We have seized and destroyed 4,860 litres of illegal liquor since February 22," he said.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday visited the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital to check on the victims undergoing treatment.

He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the victims' families and Rs 50,000 to the people undergoing treatment.

The tragedy occurred after a large number of people consumed the spurious liquor on Thursday night at the Salmora tea estate in Golaghat, 300 km from here, and at two remote villages in Titabor sub-division of Jorhat district.

IANS

India cuts funds to fight child labor

Activists warn the problem is getting worse amid government inaction because children cannot vote.

Children participate in an awareness rally on World Day Against Child Labour in Chennai, India, on June 12, 2018. (Photo by IANS)

New Delhi:  Catholic Church officials in India have joined rights activists criticizing a drastic government budget cut to an allocation for the rehabilitation of child laborers.

The nation in 2011 had 10.1 million child laborers aged 5-14, according to census records. The estimate now is that there are 12.7 million toiling without access to a proper education.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, run by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a budget handed down earlier this month reduced funding to help stem child labor to US$14 million from last year’s US$17 million.

This will adversely impact the federal National Child Labor Project that aims to offer free education, meals and health care to these children, according to church leaders and rights activists.

"Is there any other problem greater than this in India at present?” asked Bishop Alex Vadakumthala, who heads the Indian bishops’ office for labor.

Just because children cannot vote should not mean they don't deserve to be able to have a decent existence, Bishop Vadakumthala said, adding that there was no clue as to why the budget allocation was reduced.

India has a law that prohibits employing children below the age of 18. But with lax enforcement, children continue to work in roadside restaurants and small-scale industries, the bishop said.

"There have been no steps to seriously implement the law," Bishop Vadakumthala said. “The problem is that the government isn't taking the issue seriously."

The law has provisions to punish those who employ children with jail terms of up to two years and a fine or US$715 or both.

Puja Marwaha, chief executive of the non-government organisation Child Rights and You (CRY), told ucanews.com that the government's 2030 Vision goal to make India a developed nation had failed to adopt a comprehensive response to combating child labor.

The February budget was the last one before national elections due in April-May, but it had no specific scheme for the welfare of children who constitute some 40 percent India's 1.2 billion people, she said.

Balbier Singh, also a child rights activist, said the actual number of child laborers in India could be double the official estimate.

Fear of punishment or of being stopped from going to work force parents and even children to lie about their actual age and employment, Singh said.

"You can find children working everywhere in the country; be it in construction, vehicle repair, domestic work, carpet making, selling cigarettes on the roadside," Singh said. "But, ironically, the government isn't acting to end this."

J.P. Dutta, a social activist based in Jammu, said government alone cannot address the issue effectively and that social mobilization and community participation remain vital for the eradication of child labor.

"There has to be a public interest," he said. "An extensive awareness campaign is needed, and budgetary provisions must be made for it."

Father Jaison Vadassery, secretary of the Indian bishops' labor office, told ucanews.com that church people in India are already conducting awareness campaigns to educate people against tolerating child labour.

However, he believes that a more effective government system is needed to eradicate the social evil. "Until steps are taken to strictly implement the ban on child labour, the situation will not change for the better," Father Vadassery said.

Source: UCAN

Religious minorities in India 'attacked with impunity'

Reports by rights groups show victims are often blamed as BJP moves to create Hindu-only nation.

File photo.

New Delhi:  Religious and ethnic minorities in India continue to face violence at the hands of Hindu groups that support the federal government led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has failed to prevent or credibly investigate growing mob attacks on religious minorities and marginalized communities, said the report released in New Delhi on Feb. 19.

Some critics have even accused Modi of turning India into "a republic of hate."

The BJP's political leaders, since forming the federal government in May 2014, "have increasingly used communal rhetoric" that spurred violence from vigilante groups, it said.

They have also vowed to protect cows, a revered animal in Hinduism.

"Mob violence by extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumors that they traded or killed cows for beef," according to the report.

Between May 2015 and December 2018, at least 44 people — 36 of them Muslims — were killed across 12 Indian states.

"Over that same period, around 280 people were injured in over 100 different incidents across 20 states," the report stated.

It said there were 254 documented incidents of crimes targeting religious minorities between January 2009 and October 2018, in which at least 91 people were killed and 579 injured.

About 90 percent of these attacks were reported after the BJP came to power in May 2014, and 66 percent occurred in BJP-run states.

Muslims were victims in 62 percent of the cases, and Christians in 14 percent. These include communal clashes, attacks on interfaith couples and violence related to protecting cows and religious conversions.

Christian groups in the country have been complaining of increased attacks on their people and institutions by pro-Hindu groups, who are working to turn India into a Hindu nation, often with the tacit approval of the administration.

"A country's government must understand that it should take care of the people irrespective of cast, creed or religion," said Bishop Alex Vadakumthala of Kannur in the southern state of Kerala.

Hindu organizations use violence against religious minorities with impunity, "dictating what to eat and how to pray. It's a worrying situation," the bishop added.

He told ucanews.com that minority groups, especially the socially and economically disadvantaged Dalits and tribal people, are living in tumultuous times as they feel subjugated by Hindu groups.

"One wonders whether, after 71 years of independence, minorities have been freed from the clutches of ruthless subjugation," Bishop Vadakumthala said.

Meenakshi Ganguly, the rights group's South Asia director, told media while releasing the report that instead of acting against violence, the government has been trying to justify the attacks on minorities and has even blamed the victims themselves.

Last November, Alliance Defending Freedom, a global Christian rights group, released a report claiming that in first 10 months of 2018 there were 219 incidents of targeted violence against Christians by Hindu groups.

"Out of these 219 incidents, 192 are of mob attacks in the form of threats and intimidation. Women and children are most affected by these incidents, with 160 women and 139 children reported to have been injured," the report said.

Hindus make up 80 percent of India's 1.2 billion people. Muslims, the largest religious minority, comprise 14 percent or 172 million people. Census records show there are just 28 million Christians, constituting 2.3 percent of the population.

Source: UCAN

Christian beheaded in Odisha

Families say he was earlier threatened with death by Hindu villagers for converting to Christianity.

Sukhbati Gand with her children in a photo taken before her husband Anant Ram Gand was found murdered in India’s Odisha state. He had been given an ultimatum to renounce Christianity or face death. (Photo supplied)

New Delhi:  A Christian man has been found virtually beheaded in an interior village of India's Odisha state in what family members and many others believe was an anti-Christian attack.

They dismiss a police claim that he was killed by politically motivated Maoist rebels.

The body of 40-year-old Anant Ram Gand, father of four girls and a boy, was on Feb. 11 found on a road in Bhenas village of Nabarangapur district, local pastor Chandan Jani told ucanews.com.

Pastor Jani said the victim's throat was cut and his head had been crushed by a heavy object. "He seemed to have died unmoved from the spot of attack," said the evangelical pastor, who helped the widow to bury his body.

He said news of the killing took more than a week to become more widely known because the area where the murder took place is extremely isolated.

Gand and his family had accepted faith in Jesus three years ago but local Hindu villagers applied pressure for him to give up his Christian faith. That included forcing the family to live on the outskirts of the village and at times he was manhandled.

"But yet they continued in faith," the pastor said.

A week before the vicious attack, seven people from the village had given Gand an ultimatum to renounce Christianity or face death, said the pastor, who has remained in contact with the family.

Pastor Jani said police had registered it as murder carried out by outlawed Maoists active in the hilly area of the state.

The Maoists, who clash with authorities in their attempts to establish a parallel administration in outlying areas, kill villagers suspected of aiding the security forces.

Pastor Jani said the Maosts were clearly not involved in this case and it was obvious that fellow villagers murdered Gand.

However, it was easier for police to avoid having to conduct a proper investigation and pursue court proceedings against village Hindus by falsely blaming the Maoist rebels, the pastor said.

Another local pastor, P.S. Nakul, told ucanews.com that Gand's wife Sukhbati is continuing to be placed under tremendous pressure from her own family to quit being a Christian. "She is the only one from her family who adopted Christianity," he said.

According to Pastor Nakul, the victim's family are determined to continue in Christian faith until death.

Gand's six-year-old son was present at the time of his murder and he is the only eyewitness. The family has moved out of the village as they face ongoing threats to their lives.

The boy is the most vulnerable as he could inform police of what he saw and possibly testify in court, the pastor said.

Hostility toward Christians continues in many parts of the state, which witnessed India's worst anti-Christian violence in August 2008 when frenzied Hindu mobs armed with axes and swords attacked Christian homes, churches and convents in the hilly Kandhamal district.

Violence that continued for seven weeks resulted in an estimated 100 people being killed. About 350 churches and some 6,500 houses were looted and burned, making 56,000 people homeless. Several rapes were reported, including that of a Catholic nun.

Gand's village is several hundred kilometers further into the interior from Kandhamal.

Church leaders say that persecution of Christians has been on the rise in India ever since the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party came to power nationally in 2014. The BJP also holds power in 19 of the nation's 29 states.

Persecution Relief, an ecumenical forum monitoring violence against Christians, in its annual report released recently said Indian Christians suffered 1,059 incidents of violence in 2018, up from 736 in 2017.

Source: UCAN

Church leaders' abuse response mutes prophetic voice

Philippine president has a talent for making enemies twist in the wind and a ghoul's delight in seeing targets suffer.

By Inday Espina-Varona
Manila:  The arrest of an American priest who allegedly abused minors gives Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte a weapon against members of the clergy who criticize his bloody war against narcotics.

Police served five more arrest warrants on Father Kenneth Hendricks, who was nabbed in December by a joint team of Philippine and American law enforcers in the central Philippines.

A magistrate judge in Ohio district issued the first warrant against Hendricks for allegedly engaging in illicit sex with a minor in a foreign country, a crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

At the time of his arrest, the American priest was serving in the rural town of Naval on the island province of Biliran. A judge in Naval issued the new warrants for alleged "acts of lasciviousness" and child abuse.

Authorities said they expect prosecutors to process an estimated 50 more victims who were entrusted to Hendricks by poor families, a practice that dates back to Spanish colonial times.

The 78-year-old, now in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration, had served in Naval since 1968.

The Catholic Church around the world is reeling from accusations that bishops have been involved in sexual abuse or covering these up for decades.

Aside from undermining the Church’s credibility, these cases also come with crippling financial costs.

But few countries have a president like Duterte, who regularly curses clerics and God and has urged supporters to subject bishops to theft and killings.

His supporters say those are just the president's theatrics. But there was no mistaking Duterte’s pain and rage when he recalled a priest molesting him when he was a child, a claim validated by classmates.

Many Filipinos see this frequent remembrance of personal hell and the president's torrent of verbal abuse as reasons for the muted response by the country's church leaders to the spate of drug-related killings and other human rights violations.

A few outspoken prelates, activist priests and lay people continue to take on Duterte. It is frustrating, however, when senior members of the clergy call for moderation to avoid triggering another presidential rant.

The odds are high of this fear being rooted in sins committed by these privileged shepherds of souls.

Duterte likes to brandish a book, Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church, when he delivers his tirades against the Church.

Published in 2013, it is a collection of investigative reports on the affairs of some bishops and the children that spring from these, sexual abuse and financial mishandling of church funds.

Bishops can’t sneer at Duterte’s choice of a "truth-telling" source. Its late author, Aries Rufo, won awards for his coverage of the Church. He was also part of an independent group of journalists now considered prime enemies of Duterte.

The book also casts a harsh light on attempts to cover up scandals involving favorites of the late Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila, who played a pivotal role in the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

In the case of one bishop, the author wrote that the cardinal blocked a demand for a formal investigation for fear of causing damage to the Church’s image.

Cautious instincts

Cardinal Sin’s successor, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, has the same cautious instincts toward investigations of alleged sexual abuse by members of the clergy.

Cardinal Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis and the Catholic Bible Federation since 2015, has been selected to speak at this week’s Vatican summit on clerical sex abuse titled "The Protection of Minors in the Church."

A Vatican media announcement said the Manila prelate will tackle "smell of the sheep" and "knowing their pain and healing their wounds is at the heart of the shepherd's task."

Yet, in a 2016 interview with the BBC, Cardinal Tagle strongly hinted that compassion is better shown within the Church’s strong walls, battling for internal resolution of complains via "the canonical process."

While he does not stop victims from seeking redress in the country’s long and winding legal justice system, Cardinal Tagle indicates keeping cases under confidential processes would protect survivors from shame.

That’s exactly what Hendricks told his scared victims: to speak out will bring shame on you and your families.

While the book being brandished by Duterte was well received by critics, there isn’t really a mass market for investigative journalism books in the Philippines.

Chances are the public only has hazy memories of the scandals that led to the resignation of at least three bishops of dioceses around the national capital.

But Duterte has a talent for making enemies twist in the wind and a ghoul’s delight in seeing targets suffer.

With the president’s vast, well-funded social media machinery, the Church is faced with a very real prospect of prolonged torture by a thousand cuts.

And when the shepherds cower, the wolves are left free to devour the flock.

Inday Espina-Varona is an editor and opinion writer for various publications in Manila.

Source: UCAN

Air pollution: Dhaka's silent killer

The Bangladeshi city is ranked fifth worst in the world in terms of air quality.

A motorcyclist drives past brick kilns just outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Unregulated brick kilns are major air pollutants for the city and adjacent areas. (Photo by Stephan Uttom/ucanews.com)

Dhaka:  About 10 years ago Muhammad Motin was a farmer in a remote village in northern Bangladesh.

The plot of land Motin had was not large enough for him to support his family which included his three sons.

In search of a better life, he uprooted his family and they migrated to Dhaka, the country’s capital.

His family found a place in an overcrowded slum in Gabtoli near the city’s major inter-district bus terminal.

The now 49-year-old pulled rickshaws for a living and he made better money than before, but the work in the polluted streets began to affect his lungs.

“I have visited doctors five to six times a year over the past five years,” Motin told ucanews.com. “I have coughing and breathing problems,” he said.

Doctors gave him medicine and advised him to wear a face mask to protect him from dust and polluted air. He also took the doctor’s advice to cease smoking.

Despite adhering to his doctor’s advice, Motin continued to suffer daily from respiratory problems which affected his ability to work to support his family.

“It seems my suffering will never end,” he said.

Abdul Baten*, 40, a traffic police sergeant in the Mirpur area of Dhaka has had to deal with similar issues.

“For 15 years I have been doing this job and I have been suffering from skin diseases and lung problems for years,” Baten told ucanews.com.

The policeman says sometimes his coughing is so bad he cannot sleep at night.

“With the extreme coughing I visited a doctor who found that I had tuberculosis. He prescribed me medicine that I need to take for the long-term,” said the Muslim father of two.

Baten said his skin problems are also a result of working outside in the city.

“My whole body starts itching when I get exposed to dust while on duty,” he said. “But I cannot quit working as I am the only breadwinner of the family and I have to pay tuition fees of my two children. I am totally helpless.”

These are just two cases of how pollution can affect the inhabitants of Dhaka, a city ranked fifth worst in the world in terms of air quality according to the latest air quality index (AQI) put out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the State of Global Air report 2018, the city’s air consists of hazardous levels of common six particle pollutants — PM 2.5, PM 10, nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone.

Smoke from brick kilns, mills and factories, emission from motor vehicles using fuel with sulfur, construction work and the open-air dumping of waste have been cited as the main causes of Dhaka's air pollution.

Five of the top 10 diseases that cause death in Bangladesh are linked to air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dhaka is also among the top 50 out of 3,000 cities with the highest concentration of PM 2.5, the most efficient and potent killer particle pollutant, said WHO.

During winter, the city’s daily PM2.5 level increases to over 200 micrograms per cubic meter — eight times the level considered safe by the WHO.

In 2016, Bangladesh Health Ministry sponsored research estimated that more than 100,000 deaths across the country were linked to exposure to PM 2.5.

Dr. M.A. Matin, secretary-general of leading environmental group Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said that air pollution has long been a problem for the country.

“A study carried by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) in 2000 found that most deaths in health institutes across Bangladesh were caused from air pollution,” Matin said.

“This was an unprecedented finding as most people had perceived water borne diseases or water pollution were responsible for most deaths,” he said.

“The study was done 19 years ago, and the situation has since worsened. Today, it is an established fact that air pollution is a silent but deadly killer for mortality and morbidity in Bangladesh.”

Dr. Edward Pallab Rozario, secretary of Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Healthcare, said air pollution affects some groups more than others.

“Children suffer from respiratory problems, pneumonia, loss of appetite and vomiting. Pregnant women exposed to air pollution risk having a miscarriage,” were two of the examples that Dr. Rozario gave.

“All in all it is a fatal crisis for us,” said Dr. Rozario who heads health programs at Catholic charity Caritas.

The government is trying hard to improve air quality through various initiatives, Tajminur Rahman, a deputy director from the government’s Department of Environment.

“Battling air pollution is a gigantic task because there were many driving factors,” Rahman told ucanews.com.

He said the government often remains helpless amid pressure from lobby groups linked to the business community as well as a serious lack of awareness among people over air pollution.

BAPA’s Matin said he refuses to accept the government’s excuse of helplessness over the issue.

“Our government seems to be following the Chinese model of development, so it says if we want development we need to endure pollution,” Matin said.

“China is a wealthy country and it can fix pollution after development work is completed, but we don’t have this recovery capacity,” he said.

“We want development but not at the expense of environment and health.”

Source: UCAN

Scars run deep from Sino-Vietnamese War

Catholic families commemorate martyrs who died protecting Vietnam in a brief conflict 40 years ago.

Relatives of Sino-Vietnamese War martyr Joseph Tran Van Dong dressed in purple and white attend a special Mass to pray for him at Cang Huong Ly chapel on Feb. 19. (Photo by Joseph Nguyen)

Hanoi:  Mary Tran Thi Thuy warmly welcomed 20 people to the chapel of Cang Huong Ly subparish to pray for the soul of her elder brother Joseph Tran Van Dong, who died in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.

After they said prayers, sang hymns, listened to a Gospel message and offered incense in front of Dong’s picture, she served tea, fruit and candy to them while they shared vivid memories of the martyr and the bloody war.

“We have held prayer sessions for him on February 16, 17 and 18 for the past 40 years because we never forget but pride ourselves on our brother, who bravely fought against the invading army,” the 53-year-old woman said.

On Feb. 17, 1979, about 600,000 Chinese troops entered Vietnam’s six northern provinces, waging a bloody strike along the 1,400-kilometer border. According to historians, China’s month-long invasion was a response to what China considered to be a collection of provocative actions and policies undertaken by Hanoi.

Comradeship between Chinese communists and their Vietnamese neighbor swiftly began to deteriorate when Vietnam joined the Soviet-dominated Council for Mutual Economic Cooperation (Comecon) and signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the Soviet Union (USSR), then China’s greatest rival, in 1978. China called the treaty a military alliance and branded Vietnam the “Cuba of the East,” pursuing hegemonic “imperial dreams” in Southeast Asia.

In December 1978, Vietnam attacked China-friendly Kampuchea (today’s Cambodia) and quickly wiped out the genocidal pro-Beijing Khmer Rouge regime, which was also friendly with the Soviet Union, then massively building up forces on China’s northern border.

Fearing that China’s security and interests in the region were under threat, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had good reason to take military action to teach a proper lesson to the Vietnamese.

The 1979 war and armed clashes that broke out over border disputes in the 10 subsequent years resulted in a heavy toll in terms of casualties. Though neither side publicized its casualties and the exact figures remain unclear, historical records estimate 26,000 Chinese dead and 37,000 wounded, with 30,000 Vietnamese dead and 32,000 wounded.

Thuy, who serves as a catechist at the subparish in Yen Bai province, said her parents were not informed of their son’s death until late 1980. His body has not been found yet.

“His death was etched on our heart. My dad cried his eyes out and mom suffered mental illnesses for months,” she said.

Thuy, a pharmacist, said the government pays little gratitude and attention to war martyrs and their relatives.

“We are given an annual allowance of 500,000 dong (US$22) for his martyrdom,” she said, adding that when her parents were alive, they were offered only 500,000 dong a month. They died 20 years ago.

She said government authorities did not dare to declare that her brother lost his life in fighting Chinese troops but claimed that he had fought Americans. “They distorted the truth as my brother died in fighting Chinese invaders at Ban Phiet in Lao Cao province on February 17, 1979.”

Thuy, who has seven siblings, said local authorities have never helped her family to look for her brother’s body. They hold no clues to his remains, so they make yearly visits and offer incense at two unnamed graves in Ban Lau commune. Many other people also declare the graves to be of their martyrs.

Nguyen Cong Ha from Thua Thien Hue province each year offers incense, food, alcohol and fruits before a picture of his uncle, who was killed fighting Chinese troops in Lai Chau province on Feb. 17, 1979.

Ha, 34, said his uncle’s body has not been found and it is unfair that few local authorities console his family or offer incense to the martyr.

“The government should erect a monument to war martyrs and officially commemorate them,” he said.

Vo Than, whose right leg was broken in a fierce fight with Chinese troops in 1979, said many of his army comrades were never found after being killed in the war.

Than, who sells lottery tickets to support his four-member family, said he is given 1.5 million dong per month by the government while many veterans are not offered government allowances.

“I am lucky to receive a wheelchair from Caritas in Hue to travel to sell lottery tickets,” the father of two said.

Joseph Tran Van Hong, who survived the devastating war, said Chinese soldiers killed all people including children and women and destroyed all facilities in places they invaded.

“Tens of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians were killed and their bodies were not found,” he said.

The veteran, who collects firewood and catches fish in lakes for a living, said thousands of war veterans who joined the 1979 conflict have received no support from the government. He received 5 million dong one time from the government.

“We fought against Chinese invaders to protect the nation but have been ignored and treated unfairly for decades,” Hong said, adding that the government had cracked down on those who visited and offered incense at martyrs’ cemeteries for fear of displeasing China’s communist government.

He said this year for the first time Vietnam’s government has allowed local media to publish reports on the war. Many people called on the government to put the war in high school history textbooks. “It is too late to talk about the war publicly,” he noted.

Arranging incense, candles and flowers on the altar of her brother, Thuy said the government should change its policies 40 years after the brief war to respect, honor and treat war veterans and martyrs well.

Source: UCAN

At least 70 dead in Bangladesh blaze

Explosion at chemical warehouse believed to have started fire that ripped through apartment buildings.

(Photo credit: BBC)

Dhaka:  At least 70 people were killed in the old part of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka after a deadly fire engulfed several apartment buildings on the night of Feb. 20.

Although the origin of the blaze is still unknown, police believe it was started by an explosion at a chemical warehouse on the ground floor of a five-story building. Many apartment buildings in the area are used to store chemicals.

Firefighters raced against time to douse the fire overnight at a business-cum-residential area in Chawk Bazar, police inspector general Jabed Patwary told media on Feb. 21.

“A total of 70 bodies have been recovered and dozens of people remain hospitalized. Many are still missing. We fear the death toll might increase,” Patwary said.

“We suspect a blast from the warehouse started the fire and then some vehicles using cylinder gases exploded before the fire engulfed nearby buildings, shops and restaurants.”

Eyewitness Muhammad Soinik lost his cousin Muhammad Wasiuddin, 20, in the tragedy.

“At around 10.30 p.m. I was in the area and I saw a private car explode, catch fire and jump up several feet from the ground. Several people including my cousin died on the spot immediately. Then the fire spread to the chemical warehouse nearby and to adjacent buildings quickly,” Soinik told ucanews.com.

The tragedy came only hours before Bangladeshi people started observing International Mother Language Day on Feb. 21 to pay tribute to the language movement martyrs of 1952 who shed blood to establish Bangla as the state language, defying the then Pakistani government.

Deadly fires are not uncommon in Bangladesh.

On Feb. 17, nine people died and dozens were injured after a fire razed 200 slum dwellings in the southeastern port city of Chittagong.

In 2012, about 110 workers died after the Tazreen Fashions garment factory caught fire in the Ashulia industrial belt of Dhaka .

In 2010, an explosion at a chemical warehouse in the Nimtoli area of Dhaka saw 124 people perish in a deadly blaze.

The Nimtoli blaze triggered a massive public outcry demanding the relocation of chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka. The ruling Awami League government promised to shift about 800 chemical warehouses but it failed to keep its pledge.

“After the Nimtoli tragedy, the government assured the warehouses would be moved, but nothing happened. If the warehouses had gone, we should not have seen another such tragedy,” Soinik said.

Police official Patwary said the chemical warehouses should be driven out of the city. “All concerned government agencies would work with police to make Old Dhaka free from chemical warehouses,” he said.

Dhaka has been estimated to house about 1,000 chemical factories that have long been regarded as a ticking time bomb. Around 850 are illegal, according to the environmentalist group Poribesh Banchao Andolon.

A survey by Bangladesh’s fire department two years ago found 360 chemical warehouses in residential buildings in two neighborhoods.

Source: UCAN

3,000 Catholics remember South Korea’s first cardinal

Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan helped guide nation through dark era of military dictatorship.

Seoul:  About 3,000 people gathered in Myeongdong Cathedral to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of South Korea’s first cardinal and most respected spiritual leader.

A memorial Mass for Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan was celebrated by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, bishops and priests.

A memorial ceremony included speeches by Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, apostolic nuncio to South Korea, and Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea. A speech by South Korean President Moon Jae-in was read by Kim Yong-sam, vice-minister in the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

“This commemoratory Mass today is not only just to miss him. Even in the many difficulties and challenges all of us are undergoing in everyday life, we all should try to inherit his message of love and gratitude engraved in his last words ‘Thank you, love each other,’” Cardinal Yeom said in his homily on Feb. 16.

The Archdiocese of Seoul has prepared various events and programs during 2019 to commemorate Cardinal Kim. They include a photo exhibition, a relic exhibition, an academic symposium and a special Mass for peace and reconciliation of the Korean people.

Cardinal Kim, who was ordained as the first Korean cardinal in 1969 by Pope Paul VI and served as archbishop of Seoul from 1968 to 1998, was not only a respected religious leader for all Catholics in Korea but also a social and spiritual leader for all Korean people.

In the dark era of dictatorship and a military regime throughout the 70s and 80s, Cardinal Kim spoke out to criticize the government. “You will have to trample me first,” he said in June 1987 when riot police tried to enter Myeongdong Cathedral to capture students who were resisting the military regime.

He always spoke for the poor, the weak, the needy and the vulnerable while insisting that the Church should focus more on pastoral activities for the poor.

After he died on Feb. 16, 2009, a historic number of 400,000 Koreans people lined up to honor and remember him.

Source: UCAN