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Wednesday,
June 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Pak people
want friendship, say Indian MPs WHO ends
ban on SARS-hit Beijing PM lays
stone for new embassy
SA move to
remove Indian languages evokes protests |
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Malaysia
to set up anti-terror centre Standoff
with USA can lead to war: N. Korea Suu Kyi
‘not in Insein prison’ Sponsorship
for NRI medicos to visit India Indian
boy died of chest injuries 
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Pak people want friendship, say Indian MPs Islamabad, June 24 “I have visited Pakistan in the past. This time I noticed fundamental change, not only in the common man but even in the ruling elite in Pakistan, about the realisation that there can be no solution to the conflict between India and Pakistan except negotiations,” MP Shahid Siddiqui told Indian journalists here. Mr Siddiqui also pointed out to the change of attitude among the average Pakistanis towards jehad. “In the past I used to hear a lot about jehad. This time I have not heard this in a single meeting anywhere. Even in private conversations, nobody mentions this word. There seems to be a change in the attitude of the ruling elite in the Pakistan,” he said. Led by noted journalist and MP Kuldip Nayyar, the delegation reached Karachi yesterday on its last leg of the tour. Mr Siddiqui said he also noticed a perceptible change in the mindset of the Pakistan people towards Indian Muslims. “In the past, whenever I mentioned Indian Muslims I was not allowed to speak. This time not only people are listening to me but they are appreciating my point that Indian Muslims are crucial part of the Indian secular fabric. And the Indian secular fabric is inextricably linked to the solution of the Kashmir issue,” he said. Stating that privately people admitted that Pakistan cannot ignore the interests of 18 crore Muslims of India for the sake of one crore Kashmiri Muslims, Mr Siddiqui said “there is change in perception that way. The whole environment is positive. They realise there is nothing much to gain through conflict”. Agreeing with Mr Siddiqui, Mr Rashed Shaeen, National Conference MP from Baramula in Jammu and Kashmir, said he wanted to send out a message to Pakistanis that they should help reduce violence in Kashmir. Saying that attempts to “violenty” silence the people had done a lot of harm and caused a lot of psychological problems, he said, “They agreed that violence should be stopped and the monster of suspicion removed”. Congress MP Pawan Bansal also expressed surprise at the amount of love and affection showered by the people wherever the delegation went. He said while some Pakistanis still had reservations about India, large sections wanted peace and friendship, adding that a lot of Pakistanis were opposed to third-party mediation to solve the Kashmir issue and other problems between India and Pakistan. “There is a discernable change in the mood of people here. People believe war is not the solution. They believe that both countries should sort out the issues between themselves. The outsiders bring their own baggage. We should address our problems ourselves. Trade should be developed,” he said. The delegation members also called for more people-to-people contacts to remove misunderstandings between the peoples of the two countries. While the recent peace moves were well appreciated, Rajya Sabha MP from Hyderabad K.M. Khan said there should be more consistency in the approach of leaders. Stating that the Kashmir issue was the stumbling block in relations between the two countries, MP Lakshman Seth said, “I do not know what the government here thinks, but people of Pakistan want friendly relations with India. Doubting whether there could be a durable solution to the Kashmir issue without restoration of democracy in Pakistan, he said the “peace process in the past was disrupted by the military in Pakistan. That is why our government and people doubt whether any solution was possible without democracy in Pakistan”. Another MP Ramdas Athwale of the RPI said while issues like Kashmir require prolonged negotiations to resolve, efforts should be made to increase people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
PTI |
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WHO ends ban on SARS-hit Beijing
Beijing, June 24 “The WHO has decided to remove Beijing from its list of SARS restricted areas and lift its travel advisory against the city”, a WHO official announced here. “The decision took effect immediately”, Shigeruomi, WHO Regional Director for the western pacific, announced at a press conference jointly held by the WHO and China’s Ministry of Health. The WHO was changing this recommendation as the situation in the Chinese capital had now improved significantly. The last new case in Beijing was isolated on May 29, since when a number of suspect cases had been considered but ruled out as SARS, Shingeruomi said. The WHO’s move comes amid the visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to China. Vajpayee is one of the first world leaders to visit Beijing since the city was severely hit by the SARS virus in March this year. The WHO travel advisory had severely hit China’s tourism and hotel industry, especially in Beijing, leading to the temporary closure of some hotels here. Speaking at the press conference, Chinese Vice-Minister of Health Gao Qiang said the decision made by the WHO to lift the travel advisory against Beijing and remove Beijing off its list of locally transmitting area of SARS meant that China’s efforts in fighting against SARS had been recognised by the international community and the WHO.
PTI |
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PM lays stone for new embassy
Beijing, June 24 Laying the foundation stone for the new Indian Embassy building here yesterday, Mr Vajpayee said he had seen the rapid pace of change that was transforming the Chinese capital tangibly. A new and impressive city was being created to represent this ancient civilisation. “However, the process will not be complete without a building from our country which is heir to an equally ancient civilisation, with a long history of friendly contact with China,” he said. He said the new building must be a representative of both this long history of friendship as well as cultural traditions of the two countries and a symbol of modern India.
— UNI |
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SA move to remove Indian languages Durban, June 24 Country’s National Education Minister Kader Asmal has suggested that 18 foreign languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati and Urdu, be removed from the syllabus. He, however, has suggested that languages such as Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and German be retained. A number of Indian language organisations and religious and cultural groups have announced that they will fight the move all the way to the Constitutional Court. The issue has also entered political circles with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) condemning the move, saying it would rob the Indian community of their rich culture. An IFP member of the provincial parliament in KwaZulu-Natal, Mrs Lauretta Ngcobo, said the move would undermine the Indian “intellectual and economic” contribution made to the province and the country. “South African Indians have been in the country since 1840 and they constitute the largest population in the province. They have contributed to the economy, intellectual and cultural development of the province”, she said.
— PTI |
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Malaysia
to set up anti-terror centre Kuala Lumpur, June 24 The police and the military will not be involved in the centre, which will focus on studies of terrorist organisations, and give instruction on border security and how to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist attack, officials said. Washington proposed last year that Malaysia host a centre, after thanking Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad for his government’s help in the war on terror after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. Ties between the two have become strained since then, but they maintain strong defence and security links. Mahathir, a critic of the US-led attack on Iraq, accused the West on Thursday of using the 2001 attacks on the USA as an excuse to return to “violent old ways” and attack Muslim nations. Malaysian officials say the US threatened in March to withdraw Ambassador Marie Huhtala after anti-US remarks by the Prime Minister. In May, Huhtala said Washington found some statements by Malaysian leaders “offensive”. Malaysia decided to fund the centre on its own rather than risk stoking anti-US sentiment among the majority Muslim Malay population, but it still took US help. “Subsequently, with cooperation and necessary personnel expertise from the USA, we have established what is called South-east Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism,” Syed Hamid told reporters. The centre, to be officially opened on July 1, is primarily for officials from the 10 member states of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAM).
— Reuters |
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Standoff
with USA can lead to war: N. Korea Seoul, June 24 The latest rhetoric comes as South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun prepares for a trip to China, one of North Korea’s few allies, early next month to discuss the nuclear standoff between the North and the USA. “The situation on the Korean peninsula is growing tenser as the days go by due to the Bush group’s undisguised moves to stifle the DPRK by force and the acute confrontation between the DPRK and the USA may lead to a war any time,’’ the Korean Central News Agency quoted the Minju Joson as saying. The daily is published by the North Korean cabinet. The newspaper also repeated North Korea’s earlier assertions that it had the right to take self-defensive measures and had the will to carry them out.
— Reuters |
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Suu Kyi ‘not in Insein prison’ Bangkok, June 24 Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano said military intelligence Chief Gen Khin Nyunt had made it clear to him during talks yesterday that Suu Kyi was not being held in the jail. Britain’s assertion last week that the Nobel peace laureate was being held at Insein under a draconian internal security act, after the junta said she was in “protective custody”, drew widespread international outrage. Asked if Suu Kyi was being held at Insein, Yano said, “Secretary Khin Nyunt made it clear that he was aware of this kind of information, however, (he said) it was not a fact.” Yano, speaking to reporters in Bangkok late yesterday upon arrival from a one-day mission in Yangon, did not say whether Khin Nyunt specified where Suu Kyi was being held.
— AFP |
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Sponsorship
for NRI medicos to visit India Washington, June 24 “There are 10,000 NRI medical students and 15,000 doctors in training (residents) in the USA. In due course they will occupy key positions in the USA and it is important that they have links with India”, said Dr Navin Shah, who is funding one scholarship. Interaction of the second generation of NRI doctors with their counterparts in India, learning about ayurveda, tropical medicine and infectious diseases, which are not prevalent in the USA, are the principle objective of the scholarship. Besides Dr Shah, other doctors funding the scholarship are Dr Kiran Patel, Dr Vinod Shah and Dr Bharat Barai. Pointing out that the leading cause of deaths in India is due to accidents in the absence of trauma centres, the doctors are also planning to build many such units in India.
— PTI |
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Indian boy died of chest injuries Sydney, June 24 The post-mortem report revealed that 17-year-old Samir Shah had died of chest injuries and the death was not suspicious, they said. During a search, Samir’s body was spotted by a family friend at the bottom of a 15-m cliff at a disused quarry in the Eloura Bushland Natural Park on Saturday.
PTI |
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Potter
breaks US sales record New York, June 24 Saturday’ first-day sales of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” were nearly two times the total year’s hardcover sales for 2002 bestseller, “The Summons” by John Grisham, the newspaper said, citing numbers provided by “Harry Potter” publisher, Scholastic.
— DPA |
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