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Wednesday,
May 28,
2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Sinha: Pak’s steps on infiltration inadequate Media seeks freedom of expression in Bangladesh SARS spread slows in Asia Edmund Hillary cheered by Nepalese
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Dissolved Nepalese House meets today Animal lovers save 2,000 stray cats
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Sinha: Pak’s steps on infiltration inadequate
Islamabad, May 27 “The measures suggested for trade are clearly inadequate and there is also no indication of specific steps that Pakistan would take to end cross-border infiltration and terrorism”, Mr Sinha said in his first interview to Pakistan’s official news agency APP in New Delhi released today. “We have a clear road map and approach in our minds to normalise our relations in a step-by-step process, and to resume the dialogue process in a calibrated and a well prepared manner. We are ready to take these further steps,” Mr Sinha said welcoming confidence building measures (CBMs) announced by Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to upgrade diplomatic ties and release of prisoners. In another interview to London-based ‘Financial Times’, Mr Sinha, reflecting a subtle shift in nuance said India had relaxed its pre-conditions for holding a political summit between Mr Vajpayee and Mr Jamali. Mr Sinha also described as “positive” the actions taken by Pakistan recently against the leaders of the Pak-based militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. On the involvement of the USA in Indo-Pak peace process, he said, “We expect the international community, including the USA to continue to exert pressure on Pakistan to end cross-border terrorism in the context of the global war against terrorism and Pakistan’s commitment to end terrorism directed against India. “The curbing of infiltration must be supplemented by dismantling of infrastructure of terrorism. That alone can build a conducive atmosphere for the proposed dialogue”, he added. Expressing India’s wish to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, and to work together towards a better future and common prosperity, he said, “We would like to be positive and optimistic about the prospects for peace in the region”. Replying to a question whether India would attend the SAARC summit, proposed to be held during current calendar in Islamabad, he said like all other members, India looked forward to such events. However, so far, no dates have been proposed for the next summit, he said. On Pakistan’s proposal for the monitoring of the LoC by International Observers Mr Sinha said, “We have proposed to Pakistan to undertake joint patrolling of the LoC if they are serious of not supporting infiltration and terrorism. Similar cooperative measures do exist in sections of the International Boundary between us”. About the comments of Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri that trust, confidence and mutual understanding were must before pursuing measures like joint monitoring of the LoC, Mr Sinha said “perhaps he is right”. On whether India will like to pick up the threads from Agra Summit for the formal talks, he said “we would like to pick up all the old threads starting from Simla”. Asked if India will restore full strength of its High Commission to Pakistan in the near future, Mr Sinha said this would depend on how the normalisation process moved forward.
PTI |
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Media seeks freedom of expression in Bangladesh Dhaka, May 27 The two-day meeting of the mediapersons from the region which ended here last night stressed on the need for freedom of expression and to fight terrorism and violence as they undermine both democracy and freedom of the media. The SAFMA also resolved to secure and enlarge the right to freedom of information for the media in particular and the people in general. More than 160 journalists, who included eminent editors and writers from the region, participated in the two-day deliberations centred on “Media and Democracy”. In the formal and informal deliberations which took place over the two days the stress was on forming a public opinion, particularly in India and Pakistan, for solving all pending issues which have been hampering the growth of the two countries for more half-a-century now. The document stressed on the need to foster professionalism and transparency in the media and to develop intra-state and inter-state solidarity among mediapersons in resistance to intimidation and violence by anti-democratic interests. For Bangladesh the view was that efforts were needed to strengthen the gains of people’s struggles for self determination and democracy. The major political forces have to come to a closer understanding and co-operation to ensure the basic right of the people, especially the disadvantaged. The SAFMA declaration said the prospects for consolidation of democratic institutions, pluralism and respect for human rights still remain unclear in Sri Lanka. But the suspension of hostilities and the process of negotiations have set the country on the road to peace. Pointing towards Nepal it said the disruption of democratic system was threatening to erase the people’s right secured through the democratic resolution of 1990. |
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SARS spread slows in Asia Toronto/Hong Kong, May 27 In announcements that showed how hard it will be for the world to rid itself of SARS, Canadian officials said they were monitoring the health of 20 hospital workers who might have been exposed to the virus. They left the number of probable cases in Canada’s largest city at 11, including persons who have been ill for a time and a new cluster of cases that emerged last week. “There is no doubt that more people are going to die in this outbreak,” said Dr Allison McGeer, head, Infection Control, Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. “This is a disease where people become progressively more ill over three or sometimes four weeks.” Toronto, which until last week was boasting that it had controlled SARS, is the only place outside Asia where people have died from the disease, which started in China last year. Hong Kong reported one new case of SARS and one more death, while China reported eight new cases — the first single-digit daily rise in infections since the Chinese Government began coming clean on the extent of the outbreak in mid-April. Taiwan said it had 15 new probable cases, leading officials to cautiously suggest the virus was being brought under control there after spreading rapidly through the health system. But the growing number of suspect cases remained a worry. The SARS virus is spread by droplets from coughing or sneezing and Hong Kong promised on Monday an all-out campaign against spitting and litterbugs. The more upbeat mood encouraged many people in Hong Kong to put aside their surgical masks today. The World Health Organisation (WHO), which last week rescinded an advisory against travel to Hong Kong, is still warning people not to travel to Beijing. But it welcomed China’s lowest daily increase in SARS cases since April 20. BEIJING: China reported four more persons had died from SARS and another nine were infected in the 24 hours to 7.30 am IST on Tuesday. Meanwhile, scientists in Hong Kong and mainland China have developed an activated strain of SARS coronavirus for testing on animals as a tentative vaccine, Xinhua news agency quoted a press note from University of Hong Kong as saying. Researchers from the university, Guangzhou Medical College in South China’s Guangdong province and Fudan University in East China’s Shanghai said it was still too early to tell whether the experimental vaccine was safe or effective on humans.
Agencies |
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Edmund Hillary cheered by Nepalese Kathmandu, May 27 The tiny Himalayan kingdom is feting the 83-year-old former beekeeper from New Zealand, now Sir Hillary, to mark Thursday’s 50th anniversary of the ascent of the Mount Everest, a feat that kicked-off a tourism boom in the impoverished nation. Garlanded with marigolds, bougainvillea and a yellow Buddhist prayer scarf, Sir Hillary drew loud cheers and claps when he spoke at Hanuman Dhoka (“the gate of the monkey god”) as a band played wedding music and curious monkeys hung from temple roofs. “Today is a fantastic celebration of the warmth of the people of Nepal for their mountaineers who have climbed their great Mount Everest,” Hillary told a large crowd packing the 300-year-old square lined with Hindu and Buddhist temples. Bemused Hindu priests men looked on and schoolchildren in grey and white uniforms lined parts of the route for the parade, some holding small signs in Nepali and English with slogans such as: “May God give us the strength to be like you” and “Summiteers are the pride of us”. Camera-wielding tourists mobbed the dais and local residents watched from rooftops and balconies. About 450 summiteers are in Nepal for the anniversary, including the first woman to scale the Everest, Japan’s Junko Tabei, and the first man to climb alone, and without bottled oxygen, Reinhold Messner, who accompanied Sir Hillary in today’s parade. Although organisers are trying to recreate the nationwide celebrations that swept Nepal in 1953, just a few years after it was opened to the outside world, one crucial ingredient was missing: Tenzing Norgay, the Nepali, who climbed with Hillary to the 8,850 meter (20,035 feet) summit. Tenzing died in 1986, but his son and grandson, who have both reached the top of the Everest themselves, are part of the celebrations. Also missing are the nationalistic posters of 1953 showing Tenzing hauling a limp Hillary to the summit. Hillary insists he reached the top a few metres ahead of Tenzing.
Reuters |
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Dissolved Nepalese House meets today Kathmandu, May 27 The meeting of the dissolved House had been called in protest against the King’s decision, a Nepali Congress leader said today. All members of the dissolved House had been invited to participate in the session, to be held at Nepal Academy hall tomorrow and the day after, a press statement issued by the Nepali Congress said.
UNI |
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Animal lovers save 2,000 stray cats Singapore, May 27 There are an estimated 80,000 stray cats in Singapore, but the cleanliness campaign targets only those caught near markets and other places that serve food. The culling is part of an overall hygiene campaign launched on May 6 in response to the SARS outbreak, officials say. Cathy Strong, president of the Animal Lovers League, said over 2,000 stray cats had been gathered so far and that they would be sent to Noah’s Ark animal shelter in Johor, Malaysia.
AP |
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