INN Digest - Mar 23
Uma Ramamurthy
Today's News Topics:
IOC awards just two cargos in May kerosene tender
Motorola makes a strong pitch for Indian radio waves
They're getting the system to work for India's poor
Conference on Children's Rights in New Delhi
Robin Raphel arrives in New Delhi
Open warfare within one of the 4 main sects of Tibetan Buddhists
Indian Legislators urge China for talks with Dalai Lama
Cricket: Resolute Aussies even score
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Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 06:10:14 -0700
From: RAJESH <RAJE...@sfov1.verifone.com>
Subject: India awards just two cargos in May kerosene tender
#1 IOC AWARDS JUST TWO CARGOS IN MAY KEROSENE TENDER
AP-DOW JONES NEWS 03-21-94
MANAMA (AP-DJ)--The Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) awarded just two cargos of
kerosene in its May tender, to the Kuwait Petroleum Co. (KPC),
according to Gulf-based oil sources.
They said the IOC, which tenders for middle distillates each month,
agreed to purchase two 50,000 metric ton cargos of kerosene from the
KPC at a price between 1.65-1.70 dlrs a barrel (dlrs/b) over the
Persian Gulf mean of a benchmark pricing service on a cif basis. The
cargos are for delivery to the east coast during the month.
#2 MOTOROLA MAKES A STRONG PITCH FOR INDIAN RADIO WAVES
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE (AFPR)
Byline: Pratap Chakravarty
03/20/94
NEW DELHI, March 20 (AFP) - US giant Motorola is preparing to
take on its rivals in India's expanding communications market with
the launch of tiny walkie-talkies and successful mobile radios
manufactured locally.
The multinational's entry follows an end to decades of controls
on Indian radio waves, which also has lured Japanese, Korean and
Dutch firms into the race for a share of the market for wireless
sets.
"The pie is big enough for everyone," said Bijan Banerjee,
Motorola's business manager, of the market which widened in January
when India freed 40 Citizens' Band (CB) radio frequencies.
Liberalisation of the communications business, in line with
market reforms launched in 1991, has brought cordless telephones
and other sophisticated gadgets within reach of the Indian
middle-class.
The consequent entry of companies such as Motorola, Phillips and
other leaders in the line also ended the decades-old monopoly of
state firms such as the Bharat Electronics Ltd.
"Protection ends and so the market grows," Banerjee said, citing
ventures such as the Indo-Japanese Punwire and the Indo-Dutch Webel.
Several state governments have also tied up with foreign
collaborators to manufacture wireless equipment locally.
"We will take on Motorola even if it means a complete update on
the technology we are now offering," said a marketing executive of
UPTRON, a tie-up between the Uttar Pradesh state government and
several overseas partners.
Motorola will begin production of its latest walkie-talkies and
mobile radio sets from June at its factory in the southern Indian
city of Bangalore.
"We are not only looking at the existing market in defence,
police, aviation or health services, but we also plan to make
forays into construction and the railways sector," Banerjee said.
India has an annual demand for 60,000 wireless sets, and 10
state enterprises have tied up with Japanese, Korean or Dutch firms
to manufacture professional equipment.
#3 THEY'RE GETTING THE SYSTEM TO WORK FOR INDIA'S POOR
International Herald Tribune (INHT)
Byline: Binu S. Thomas
03/18/94
The situation seemed hopeless for Bhagwandas Panchal. Lawyers
told Mr. Panchal, a 37-year-old member of an impoverished tribal
group at the bottom of India's social scale, that without a title
he did not stand a chance against the property tycoon who was
attempting to evict him.
The police had refused to register his complaint when hired
toughs destroyed the shed on his plot and took his farm tools.
Fearing for his safety, friends advised him to take the pittance
being offered by the politically influential developer and move
away, as other tribal people in similar circumstances had done.
At stake was a 1.5 acre (0.6 hectare) plot in Kandivili, a
Bombay suburb. "When my father moved here long ago, this was
forest," Mr. Panchal recalled the other day. "The then landlord
gave us this land, which we cleared and have been farming ever
since."
Kandivili is today an urban jungle. Even a modest two-bedroom
apartment sells for more than 1 million rupees ($33,000), a sum far
beyond the means of most Indians. Here Mr. Panchal and fellow
"tribals" hold sizable tracts of prime real estate on which they
grow rice and leafy vegetables. Formal land titles are alien to
India's 67 million tribals, most of whom are illiterate.
But someone told Mr. Panchal that the Shramjeevi Sanghtana, or
Laborers Union, might be able to help him. Its members are tribals
and Hindus excluded from India's caste system. They constitute the
bottom rung of the social ladder and are much exploited. The union,
formed in 1982 by Vivek Pandit and his wife Vidyut, two upper-caste
Hindus, has successfully championed cases of injustice on behalf of
the poor in rural areas around Bombay, India's commercial and
financial capital.
"Panchal's only advantage was actual possession of the
property," recalled Mr. Pandit. "The builder on the other hand had
the law, political patronage and money on his side."
The union planned its strategy carefully. First, it removed the
builder's signboard on Mr. Panchal's property. When the anticipated
backlash came, Mr. Panchal filed a complaint with the police,
citing a 1989 law that gave special protection to tribals against
violence.
When no police response followed, Mr. Pandit got friendly
lawmakers in Bombay to raise the issue of police inaction in the
state legislature. An embarrassed government ordered the arrest of
the developer. A series of articles followed in the local and
national press, depicting the publicity-shy property tycoon as an
exploiter of the poor. Result: He quickly signed an agreement with
Mr. Panchal and a dozen other tribal families permitting them to
continue farming for as long as they wished.
"But for the union's help I would have been on the streets,"
said Mr. Panchal.
In the last decade the union has freed about 1,500 people from
bonded labor. It has raised sixfold the minimum wages for laborers
in areas where it operates.
But the unity and strength of the union are not, by themselves,
enough to effect change. The strategy used by Mr. Pandit and other
leaders puts pressure on the system from within by getting the
legislature, bureaucracy, judiciary and news media to work for
their cause.
A research unit in the union feeds information on poverty
issues to selected legislators, and they raise the issues in the
national Parliament or the state legislature in Bombay. Several
lawyers provide free legal advice. Contacts in the media help keep
pressure on authorities.
Mr. Pandit's success with the union has encouraged him to try
to extend this program to other parts of India. With help from the
Advocacy Institute in Washington, he hopes to establish the
country's first organization to train field-level activists in the
art of making the system work for the poor.
The writer is a coordinator of AC TIONAID India, a private
development agency. He contributed this comment to the
International Herald Tribune.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 22:41:05 -0500 (EST)
From: kv...@dad.bgsu.edu (Prof K. V. Rao)
Subject: Conference on children's rights in New Delhi
#4 CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN NEW DELHI
Date=3/22/94
Byline=Anjana Pasricha
Dateline=New Delhi
Intro: Leading lawyers and jurists from more than 50 countries
are meeting in New Delhi to discuss measures which can be
implemented worldwide for the protection of children's rights.
From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha cables this report.
Text: The International Conference in New Delhi is the first of
its kind to bring together legal experts and child-welfare
workers to consider ways to strengthen the legal protection for
children.
Richard Young -- Chief of the Community Development Section at
the United Nations Children's Fund Office in New Delhi --
outlined the objectives of the conference:
" It will address actions to assure equitable access to
health services, to water and a sanitary environment.
And, very importantly, it will address action required
to provide freedom for children: freedom from
exploitation, freedom from child labor and child
trafficking and child prostitution. So the conference
therefore represents a very-important step toward
establishing a firmer basis in law for what had
previously been considered welfare and humanitarian
concerns. "
Across Asia, Africa and Latin America, millions of children do
not have access to primary education. Many work for long hours
in factories, workshops and at carpet looms. Countless numbers of
abandoned and neglected children live on city streets.
In many countries, there is no legislation which defines child
rights or the obligations of parents. In other nations, laws to
protect children are inadequate or totally ignored.
The conference will recommend laws which can help governments
establish a system of child rights and juvenile justice. Also,
the conference will highlight the role courts can play to
implement existing laws.
The experts agree laws alone may not solve the childrens'
problems -- but they can give activists and social agencies a
firmer footing to promote childrens' rights. (Signed)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 22:42:42 -0500 (EST)
From: kv...@dad.bgsu.edu (Prof K. V. Rao)
Subject: Robin Raphel arrives in New Delhi
#5 ROBIN RAPHEL ARRIVES IN NEW DELHI
Date=3/22/94
Byline=Michael Drudge
Dateline=New Delhi
Intro: U-S Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs,
Robin Raphel, has arrived in New Delhi to try to patch up strains
in Indo-U-S relations stemming from controversial remarks she
made about disputed Kashmir. Correspondent Michael Drudge
provides details from the V-O-A South Asia Bureau.
Text: Indian Authorities beefed up security Tuesday to prevent
any major anti-American demonstrations as Ms. Raphel arrived for
a four-day visit to New Delhi.
Police blocked a small group of demonstrators from Shiv Sena, a
radical Hindu faction. Witnesses say the protestors, carrying
black flags and shouting anti-American slogans, were turned back
about one kilometer from the U-S Embassy.
Ms. Raphel has been the target of demonstrations and a media
campaign since last October, when she made a controversial remark
about Kashmir, where India is trying to quell a Muslim separatist
campaign.
In a briefing with South Asian reporters in Washington, Ms.
Raphel questioned the legal basis of India's claim that Kashmir
is forevermore an inseparable part of India.
The United States considers Kashmir disputed territory whose
final status must be negotiated by India and Pakistan, taking
into account the views of the Kashmiris.
Ms. Raphel had spoken on the condition of anonymity, but Indian
newspapers broke the ground rules and identified her.
The comments touched off a firestorm of controversy in India,
where nervous officials thought the United States was questioning
their country's territorial integrity. U-S Officials scurried to
clarify that Washington had not changed its policy.
Now Ms. Raphel has arrived to try to patch things up. She plans
to meet officials of the Foreign and Home Ministries, and on
Friday she delivers a policy address. She is not scheduled to
see Prime Minister P-V Narasimha Rao.
Ms. Raphel's trip also will pave the way for a visit on April 6th
by Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. He will be the
senior-most U-S diplomat to visit India since a 1983 trip by theN
Secretary of State George Shultz.
The Raphel and Talbott missions are seen as two-fold -- to
reassure New Delhi of Washington's desire for good relations and
to explain Clinton Administration policies on sensitive issues
such as Kashmir, Human Rights and nuclear non-proliferation.
(Signed)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 22:44:07 -0500 (EST)
From: kv...@dad.bgsu.edu (Prof K. V. Rao)
Subject: Open warfare within one of the 4 main sects of Tibetan Buddhists
#6 OPEN WARFARE WITHIN ONE OF THE 4 MAIN SECTS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISTS
Date=3/22/94
Byline=Peter Heinlein
Dateline=New Delhi
Intro: Open warfare has broken out within one of the four main
sects of Tibetan Buddhism, with rival factions each claiming to
have found the authentic reincarnation of their most revered
Lama. From VOA'S New Delhi bureau, Peter Heinlein tells a tale
of religious and political intrigue, deceit and greed.
It doesn't exactly square with the pacifist image of Tibetan
Buddhism. Nearly 100 red robed monks storm the gates of an
ornate monastery but are repulsed by a hail of rocks and bottles
rained down on them by adherents of a rival faction, stationed on
a rooftop three stories above. The scene is pandemonium. The
battle rages for more than half an hour. Several people are
injured. At least one is hospitalized.
But this isn't Tibet.
This is the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute, located in
a suburban New Delhi neighborhood. And while the attackers are
Tibetan monks, those inside the monastery are mostly European
Buddhists.
They are in India on a pilgrimage to pay homage to a 10-year old
boy being introduced as the 17th incarnation of the Gyalwa
Karmapa, leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of the oldest and
most important sects of Tibetan Buddhism.
The attackers belong to another faction of the Karma Kagyu. They
support another boy discovered and crowned as Karmapa in Tibet
two years ago.
Each side says its Karmapa is authentic, the other an impostor
sent by China to split the Tibetan people.
It is a tale with roots in centuries-old feuds between the Lamas
of ancient Tibet,and the Tibetan Buddhist belief in Karma,
wherein a person's fate is ruled by his actions in previous
incarnations.
As the battle outside the New Delhi monastery subsided, reporters
were allowed in for an audience with head Lama Shamar Rimpoche.
He says the rival monks, and their leader, Tai Situ Rimpoche, are
part of a Communist conspiracy in Tibet.
" It is very, very obvious he is linked to the Communist
Party or Communist Government. It is very true and
proved today. Sending Buddhist monks to throw stones
over people in a monastery is an absolutely evil action. "
Shamar Rimpoche charges Tai Situ Rimpoche forged a letter
allegedly written by the previous Karmapa containing
instructions about how his next incarnation could be found.
Shamar says forensic tests would show the letter was written
after the Karmapa died in 1981.
Across town, in an Indian Government guest house, Tai Situ says
forensic tests are unnecessary. He says any doubts about the
authenticity of the letter have been put to rest by the Dalai
Lama, who last year accepted Tai Situ's candidate.
Tai Situ says the move to put forth a fake Karmapa proves his
rival is a reincarnation of an evil Lama who died 200 years ago
in disgrace after a failed coup. He says like his earlier
incarnation, Shamar is doomed to failure.
" I can say this loud. The Chinese tried to use the
Karmapa for negative things, against Tibetans, against
Buddhism, against whatever, but they will not succeed. "
The intrigue is being followed closely in countries with large
Buddhist populations, some of which have expressed hope the Dalai
Lama will intervene. Other than confirming the authenticity of
the approval letter, the Dalai Lama's office has remained silent
about the controversy. But a spokesman in the Dalai Lama's office
said the succession struggle has damaged the image of Buddhism
and cast a shadow over its belief in reincarnation. (Signed)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 07:28:05 -0700
From: RAJESH <RAJE...@sfov1.verifone.com>
Subject: Indian Legislators urge China for talks with Dalai Lama
#7 INDIAN LEGISLATORS URGE CHINA FOR TALKS WITH DALAI LAMA
AP-DOW JONES NEWS 03-22-94
'They openly trumpeted for `liberation of Tibet' on the ground that
there were human rights problems in Tibet,' said the statement, issued
via the official Xinhua News Agency.
'We sternly condemn the anti-China clamors made at the meeting. We
deeply deplore that such anti-China political activities had not been
forestalled on the territory of India,' the statement said.
China had asked India not to allow the weekend conference, which
brought together lawmakers from 24 countries at the invitation of
Indian parliamentarians. Most European countries, including Russia,
sent delegates.
While it declined to stop the conference, the Indian government urged
the Dalai Lama not to attend to avoid further angering Beijing.
Participants at the conference in India urged China to open
unconditional talks with the Dalai Lama.
China, however, says that the Dalai Lama must give up any demands for
autonomy before it will talk with him.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 94 10:31:00 WST
From: Amit=Rudra%IS=Staff%CUR...@ba1.curtin.edu.au (Amit Rudra)
Subject: Cricket: Resolute Aussies even score
#8 CRICKET: RESOLUTE AUSSIES EVEN SCORE
Source: The Australian Tuesday 22/03/94
(Freely adapted from Malcolm Conn's article)
Cape Town: Australia evened the score 1-1 in the second of the 3 match test
series when they beat the South Africans by 9 wickets here yesterday. The
first test at Johanesburg was won by the South Africans by a margin of 198
runs.
2nd Test South Africa: 1st Innings - 361
Scores: 2nd Innings - 164 (Shane Warne 3 for 38
Steve Waugh 5 for 28)
Australia: 1st Innings - 435
2nd Innings - 92 for 1
Man of the match: Steve Waugh
------------------------------
End of India News Network Digest
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