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Sunday, July 26, 1998

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ASEAN divided on censuring India
MANILA, July 25 (PTI) — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was today sharply divided on censuring India for its nuclear tests, with Indonesia and Malaysia asking member states to desist from adopting double standards on the issue.
Hectic lobbying by India, a full dialogue partner of the ASEAN, with member nations has resulted in considerable toning down of a statement issued at the end of the 31st ASEAN ministerial meeting here.
The statement by Mr Domingo L. Siazon, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, did not directly name India or Pakistan but said, "Recently, our region and the entire world were stunned by a series of nuclear tests conducted in south Asia."
It said the tests threatened the very principles and ideals the ASEAN was seeking to achieve through the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-free Zone Treaty.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s special emissary Jaswant Singh, who is leading a high-level delegation here, stoutly defended the tests during his parleys with several ASEAN leaders.
Outlining India’s security concerns that prompted New Delhi to carry out the tests, Mr Singh contended that India had not violated any international treaty or law.
Mr Singh is here to firmly put across India’s stand on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and related issues at the meeting of the ASEAN regional forum on Monday which will be followed by the post- ministerial conference on ASEAN members and its dialogue partners.
The statement made no mention of the strong words used by Philippines President Joseph Estrada at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN ministerial meeting when he condemned both India and Pakistan for showing "utter disregard for world opinion against nuclear weapons".
Senior Indian officials said New Delhi’s close ties with friendly ASEAN members also influenced them in not taking a harsh line against India.
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Brunei said they understood India’s security concerns and made it clear that they would not subscribe to "India bashing" at this forum.
At the deliberations, Thailand and the Philippines, under pressure from the USA, China and Japan, have strongly reacted to the Indian tests.
Meanwhile, Mr Singh is likely to meet US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on the fringes of the forum meeting as a follow-up of Indo-US dialogue after the May nuclear tests.
Officials here also attach considerable significance to the meeting Mr Singh is expected to have with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.
This is the first multilateral forum where top Indian and Chinese leaders will face each other since the nuclear tests.
Meanwhile, nine Asian states, including countries of the infamous opium-golden triangle, today signed a landmark agreement to work towards abolishing drug production.
The signatories were ASEAN members – Brunei, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) says that Myanmar and Afghanistan together accounted for 90 per cent of the world’s illicit opium production in 1996-97.
The states signed a declaration which affirmed their goal of eradicating "the production, processing, traffic and use of illicit drugs in southeast Asia by the year 2020".
Myanmar Foreign Minister U. Ohn Gyaw said in a speech to the ASEAN meeting yesterday that his country was waging a relentless war on drugs.

6 Canadian Sikhs declared 'tankhaiya'
From H.S. Bhanwer
Tribune News Service
AMRITSAR, July 25 — The Sikh clergy today "excommunicated" five Sikh leaders and a journalist from Canada for allegedly defying the hukamnama on the institution of "Guru ka langar" (community kitchen) and directed the Sikh Sangat for their complete social, political and economic boycott.
The hukamnama to this effect was pronounced by Bhai Ranjit Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, after a three-and-half-hour close-door meeting held on the top floor of the Takht.
All these leaders were declared "tankhaiya" (guilty of religious misconduct) on June 25 and were directed to clarify their position at Akal Takht. None of them appeared at Akal Takht today, the stipulated date and time.
Those, who have been excommunicated are Giani Harkirat Singh, a former Head Granthi, Mr Balwant Singh Gill, president, Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Surrey, Mr Tara Singh Hayer, Editor, Indo-Canadian Times, a weekly, Mr Jarnail Singh, senior vice-president, Khalsa Diwan, Mr Rattan Singh, president Akali Sikh Society, Vancouver, and Mr Kashmir Singh, record secretary, Khalsa Diwan.
All Sikhs have been directed not to have "roti-beti" (bread and bride) relations with them, and boycott them socially, politically and financially. In case of Mr Hayer, the Sikhs have been directed not to subscribe and read any paper being published under his editorship.
The hukamnama on the institution of Guru ka langar was pronounced by Sikh clergy on April 20 and all gurdwaras and Sikh organisations were asked to implement this edict by May 29, the martyrdom day of Guru Arjun Dev.
This is first time that a journalist has been excommunicated from the Sikh Panth. Mr Hayer was awarded the prestigious award of "Shiromani Punjabi Pattarkar" by the Punjab Government headed by Beant Singh.
He replied in the negative when asked whether Mr Sucha Singh Langah, Minister of State for Industry, and Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, senior vice-president of the SGPC, had given their clarification on their involvement in instigating these leaders not to abide by the hukamnama.
Responding to a question, he said he had received reports that some Sikh leaders, including a high priest had been taking langar on tables and chairs during their respective visits to Canada. He has asked the complainants from Canada to send proofs to this effect. On receiving the same, he will seek their explanation.
When pointed out that the Canadian Sikh leaders had been pleading that the langar was being served on tables and chairs in certain gurdwaras of Canada for the past over a century, Bhai Ranjit Singh said the institution of the Guru ka langar was introduced by the Guru himself about 500 years ago.
The petitions filed by Mr Avtar Singh Hit and Mr Atma Singh Lubana, members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (DSGPC), who were "excommunicated" last year in the case of assault on Bibi Darshan Kaur, an eye witness in the case against Mr H.K.L. Bhagat, for seeking forgiveness and reinduction into the Panthic fold, would be considered on August 17. The president and secretary of the DSGPC, have been asked to appear at Akal Takht on August 17 to confirm whether Mr Hit had surrendered the possession and legal documents of a piece of 2.7 acre of prime land in the Hari Nagar area, housing a Khalsa school, to the committee.
Bhai Ranjit Singh said that the petition of the Gurmukh Singh of Ludhiana for reinduction into the Sikh-Panth would also be discussed on August 17.
Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, who is a frequent visitor to Canada, did not participate in today's meeting. Besides Bhai Ranjit Singh, the meeting was attended by Giani Mohan Singh, Head Granthi, Golden Temple, Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Giani Bhagwan Singh, Head Granthi, Akal Takht, and Giani Gurbachan Singh, a Granthi of Golden Temple.