 |
|
|
Malaysia accuses ethnic Indians of links with LTTE
Maoists assault Swiss tourist
|
|
|
Bhutto-Sharif poll strategy deadlocked
Indian filmmaker bags Commonwealth award
Benazir leaves for Dubai
|
|
Malaysia accuses ethnic Indians of links with LTTE
Kuala Lumpur, December 7 Malaysia’s inspector-general of police Musa Hassan said recent investigations revealed that the campaign group, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), had been actively canvassing for support and assistance from terrorist groups. The links were discovered, following intense police investigations in the past six months into Hindraf’s activities, reports here said. Hindraf has accused the government of sidelining and denying the rights of the Indian community in the economic, education and public sectors. Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail accused Hindraf of suspected collusion with the LTTE. “Everybody in the world is worried if there is an LTTE connection,” he said, adding that the police was investigating the issue. A Malaysian minister in an interview to PTI alleged that “some” organisation from India and local opposition parties were behind the high-profile protests launched by ethnic Indians last month against alleged marginalisation of the community. — PTI
|
|
Kuala Lumpur, December 7 Malaysia has tried to paint the group, the Hindu Rights Action Force or HINDRAF, in terrorist colours after it organised a rare protest by 10,000 ethnic Indians last month. Malaysia’s police chief said it was trying to provoke racial clashes. But HINDRAF dismissed the accusation as ridiculous, saying that it was pursuing its objectives by legal and peaceful means. Multiracial Malaysia has brushed aside claims that it has mistreated its ethnic Indians, saying they are better off than those still at home. But ethnic Indians, who make up about 7 per cent of a population of roughly 26 million, complain of a lack of educational and business opportunities, saying that government affirmative-action policies that favour majority ethnic Malays have marginalised them. — Reuters
|
|
Maoists assault Swiss tourist
In yet another incident, Maoist cadres in Nepal assaulted a tourist at Birethanti of Kaski district on Wednesday on the charge of not paying donation to them. According to Prem Nepali, local correspondent of The Kathmandu Post, a leading English daily of Nepal, Maoist cadres beat up 31-year-old Swiss national Steve Jeanerette with bamboo sticks and firewood at a check-post in the Birethanti area as the latter refused to pay donation. Jeanerette was returning from the Annapurna trekking trail through the Tatopani area when two Maoists caught him at the check-post and sought donation. Latter he managed to arrive at Pokhara late evening on Wednesday with a profusely bleeding scalp and bruises all over his body. “I was walking along when abruptly a boy came running from behind, held my arm and asked for money introducing himself as a Maoist,” Nepali quoted Jeanerette as saying. “As I did not see any Maoist office or signboard there I tried to move on ahead but the boy caught me off guard and hit me on the scalp with firewood for not giving donation,” he added. Jeanerette was asked to pay Rs 1,800 for his 18 days of trekking. Meanwhile, the police on Friday claimed that they had arrested two Maoist cadres on the charge of assaulting a tourist. However, the name of the arrested Maoist cadres is not made public yet. According to SP at Kaski district Ramesh Bhattarai, a team of police, which was mobilised in the area, arrested two cadres of the Maoists who were involved in the incident.
|
|
Bhutto-Sharif poll strategy deadlocked
A move to work out a joint strategy by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif over conditions for participation in elections appears to have deadlocked on two key issues-- reinstatement of deposed judges and a cut-off date for the acceptance of the demands.
Eight-member panel representing the PPP, the PML-N and their allied parties set up in Tuesday’s marathon meeting between Bhutto and Sharif could develop a consensus on 13 of the 15 demands, but was stuck on the question of judges and whether to give a deadline to President Musharraf for their acceptance or go for a boycott. It left both issues to the two leaders to decide. The two leaders had warned after their meeting on Tuesday that Musharraf would be confronted with a “charter of demands” to ensure a fair general election on January 8, failing which they would “move towards” a boycott. A boycott by the two main opposition parties and smaller allies would rob the vote of credibility. But the Nawaz Sharif’s camp was intrigued by sudden departure of Benazir Bhutto to Dubai for four days without finalising the charter. She was unable to board a plane for Dubai on Thursday evening but dropped out with aides, saying that she was carrying an expired passport. Bhutto finally left on Friday morning. But speculations were rife in the capital that Bhutto had a meeting with President Musharraf and his aides would continue parleys in Dubai. On the question of reinstatement of judges, she said their dismissal was wrong but appeared to be ditching them while recalling that there was nothing new in that. Musharraf had earlier sacked several judges in 2000. Zia-ul Haq did the same while the chief justice of Supreme Court was also shown the door during Sharif’s rule, Bhutto observed in an apparent dig at Sharif.
|
|
Indian filmmaker bags Commonwealth award
London, December 7 The 90-second film is a celebration of initiatives to recycle paper in India and according to the film-maker, “it stands as an example and a symbol of traditional Indian values - under threat today but still surviving - to conserve anything that may be of use, to let nothing go to waste”. — PTI
|
|
Benazir leaves for Dubai
Islamabad, December 7 Bhutto had planned to leave late last night, but the trip was delayed in a mix-up over her passport, spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP. Babar said she had to return from the airport because she was carrying her old passport which had expired. “She left this morning,” he said, adding that she would stay in Dubai for three or four days. Bhutto, who returned to Pakistan from eight years in self-exile on October 18, is leading her opposition party into the January 8 general elections.
— AFP
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In yet another incident, Maoist cadres in Nepal assaulted a tourist at Birethanti of Kaski district on Wednesday on the charge of not paying donation to them. 
