Rock band Aberrant crowned 'Meghalaya Icon'

Shillong, Feb 1 : Shillong based rock band Aberrant was today crowned 'Meghalaya Icon III' at a rock music competition here as part of the government's initiatives to create awareness on HIV/AIDS through music and promoting local talents. Other bands Symphonic Illusion and Acts of Violence were crowned the first and second runners-up respectively at the competition Organized by the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society (MACS). Aberrant, which would be the brand ambassador for MACS, received a cash award of Rs one lakh while Symphonic Illusion and Acts of Violence received cash awards of Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. The band will be participating in the awareness campaigns in the state on HIV/AIDS. MACS officials said, the event has been held for the past three years to showcase local musical talents and also to enhance and increase their understanding on the subject of HIV/AIDS. Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh gave away prizes to the title winners.

New Publication: Legal Pluralism in Southeast Asia

A new publication entitled "Diverse Paths to Justice: Legal Pluralism and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia" has been released by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Forest Peoples Programme, the Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC), and Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). Demonstrating that legal pluralism is "at the heart of Indigenous peoples' struggles", this fascinating compilation includes a range of articles by leading practitioners and academics about the legal landscapes and Indigenous peoples' experiences in Nagaland (India), Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia), the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh).

The publication can be downloaded here.

Exploring Native Land Rights in Sabah

Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a symposium entitled "Sabah Native Land Rights: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward". Chaired by Dr. Jacqueline Pugh-Kitingan (UMS Kadazandusun Chair), it was hosted by the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) School of Social Sciences from 30-31 January in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The opening keynote was delivered by YAA Tan Sri Richard Malanjum (Chief Justice, High Court of Malaysia). Highlights of the paper presentations included:

• Overview of Native Customary Land Laws in Malaysia (Dr. Ramy Bulan, Centre for Legal Pluralism and Indigenous Law, University of Malaya)
• Governance of Customary Land and Natural Resources in Sabah (Datuk Osman Jamal, Director, Sabah Lands and Surveys Department)
• Land Rights, Native Rights, and Human Rights (Tan Sri Simon Sipuan, Former Vice Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia)
• Selection of Village Headmen in Sabah (Dr. Paul Porodong and Dr. Gaim Lunkapis, UMS)

As in many former British colonies, the legal landscape in Sabah consists of a mosaic of statutory, common, and customary law. Drawing on a burgeoning global jurisprudence in support of Indigenous peoples' rights, many presenters called for greater legal pluralism, effective reform of decades-old legislations, and a national tribunal to address violations and the backlog of an estimated 300 000 native title applications.

Thousands vow to struggle for corruption-free Meghalaya

SHILLONG, JAN 31 : Thousands of people Monday vowed to struggle for a corruption-free Meghalaya at a mass rally held here as part of Clean Politics Campaign. and to make 2013 the beginning of an era of clean, transparent and effective governance in the state.

The “partyless campaign” initiated by Team Ardent - named after Meghalaya legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, attended thousands of people from across the state aims aims at educating people about the electoral politics, ills of corruption, rights and duties of citizens and responsibilities of the lawmakers.

“We have resolved to continue to strive in our struggle for a corruption-free Meghalaya,” Basaiawmoit said after thousands of people supported Team Ardent’s Clean Politics Campaign at the mass rally.

With a year left for the 2013 battle of ballots in Meghalaya, the rally also resolved to make 2013 the beginning of an era of clean, transparent and accountability governance in the state. Political instability appears to have become a permanent feature in Meghalaya, which has seen four governments since the March 2008 assembly elections.

“We cannot provide clean and transparent governance without ensuring political stability in the state. Therefore, we are going to educate our people across the state about the electoral politics and to elect a right-thinking legislator who would ensure to provide the electorate with clean and accountability governance,” Basaiawmoit said.

Moreover, the “Clean Politics Campaign” rally also resolved to reach out to every nook and corner of the state in choosing the “right kind of parliamentarians”. “Before you cast your vote, please ensure that you have done a careful analysis of the candidates.

Choose the one who has a clean image with a good social standing so that he can fight for your rights,” Basaiawmoit said.
In fact, the “partyless campaign” which was launched in May 2010 had received positive response with Over 7,000 people have registered for the political mass movement held in various parts of the Khasi-Jaintia Hills in eastern part of Meghalaya.

Speaking at the mass rally , the United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator said campaign was the cure-all to the problems afflicting the society ranging from corruption to the disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

 “This is the beginning of a revolution which would lead to the institution of clean and effective governance in the state. We will try to show results from 2013 onwards by electing good people to the Assembly and to reject those who come to us with false hopes and promises,” Basaiawmoit said.

Dangerous Method - March 1st.

The next Cardiff sciSCREEN will be on Thursday March 1st from 6pm at Chapter Arts Centre when we will be discussing themes brought up in the film Dangerous Method.

Directed by David Cronenberg and starring Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen, the film explores the birth of psychoanalysis by focussing on the relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. After the film screening there will be discussion, debate and a wine reception. The talks will cover the representation of the female characters, popular and professional attitudes towards psychoanalysis in Edwardian society, the depiction of psychiatrists in film, Freud’s Welsh connection, and one hundred years of psychoanalysis and Buddhism. This event will be sponsored by the Welsh Psychiatric Society (WPS).

Speakers:

Dr. Keir Waddington – Cardiff School of History, Archaeology and Religion

Dr. Steven Stanley – Cardiff School of Social Sciences

Rachel Cohen – Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies

Dr. Rhys Bevan-Jones - Hywel Dda Health Board, and Cardiff University School of Medicine (Institute of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences)

Tickets for the film are to be purchased from Chapter Arts Centre (6pm showing on March 1st). The discussion and debate will commence after the film in the room Stiwdio. This part of the event is free but places will be limited by the size of the venue. This room is, however, larger than previous events.

Kalpavriksh Newsletter on Biodiversity and Livelihoods

The latest edition of People in Conservation, the newsletter of the Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, focuses on biodiversity conservation and livelihood security. The introductory editorial carefully analyses current methods of agricultural production and concludes by arguing, "to avert a humanitarian crisis of major proportions, new agri-food systems (production and access to food) are desperately needed – to ensure food security for all as well as to do so in an environmentally sound way. Continuing to rely on fossil-fuel-based mechanized industrial production is not a possibility." 

Other articles examine the Indian National Biodiversity Authority's decision to prosecute Monsanto for promoting BT brinjal in violation of the Biodiversity Protection Law, a critical analysis of India's proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, and a report on the Lokpanchayat movement to protect local seeds. 

Read the newsletter in English and in Hindi. 

Meghalaya to host mass rally for clean politics

SHILLONG, JAN 29 : After Team Anna launched its anti-graft campaign across India, Team Ardent - named after Meghalaya legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit - is set to host a mass rally as part of Clean Politics Campaign here Monday. With a year left for the 2013 battle of ballots in Meghalaya, the “partyless campaign” initiated by Basaiawmoit aims at educating people about the electoral politics, ills of corruption, rights and duties of citizens and responsibilities of the lawmakers.

“Team Anna is putting pressure on representatives to make good laws in the country. We are telling people to elect the right people who will legislate good laws,” Basaiawmoit told reporters when asked about the difference between his and Anna Hazare’s campaign. 

He said Team Anna was active in identifying the symptoms of the disease (corruption) and the campaign here was directly tackling the disease by enlightening the citizens.  The United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator made it clear that his campaign had nothing to do with any particular political party nor was he trying to gain any political mileage out of it. 

“I am already a legislator. I am not using this campaign to gain political mileage. But this campaign is to reclaim democracy, reject corruption and redeem politics,” Basaiawmoit said.  He had toured villages across Khasi-Jaintia Hills in the eastern part of Meghalaya to motivate the rural masses to support his campaign.

Stating that he had received positive response, the social activist-turned-politician said nearly 70 meetings have already been held in various parts of the Khasi-Jaintia Hills. Over 7,000 people have registered for the crusade.

Governor laments rising militancy in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 27 : Governor R.S. Mooshahary Thursday regretted that militancy was rising in Meghalaya as the scenic state celebrated Republic Day amid a shutdown called by a rebel group.

After unfurling the national flag and taking the salute at a ceremonial parade here, the governor spoke about militancy in the Garo Hills region.

“My government is determined to deal with this threat squarely and to banish the scourge of militancy from the state for good,” he said. “We need to join (hands) and be united to fight such insidious forces.”

The outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) called for a shutdown Thursday.

The HNLC, which conducts hit-and-run operations from hideouts in Bangladesh, seeks a sovereign Khasi homeland in Meghalaya’s eastern part.

Lamu Communities File Petition on Port

Lamu community members yesterday filed a legal petition at the Milimani Courts in Nairobi arguing that the Government of Kenya has violated several sections of the new constitution with its implementation of the proposed Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET). These violations include failing to provide information, consult the community, and carry out an environmental impact assessment. The case will be heard in Malindi on February 8th. Natural Justice is currently supporting the communities of Lamu in their calls for information and participation in the process and development of a biocultural community protocol (BCP).

The press statement prepared by the Chief Petitioner can be found here.

Meghalaya governor's aide accused of molestation, denies charge

Shillong, Jan 26 : An aide of Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary has been accused of molesting a teenage dancer inside his official residence, police said Monday. The aide has vehemently denied the charge.

Assam Rifles Deputy Commandant Gopa Kumar, who was deputed as ADC to the governor, allegedly molested the 19-year-old dancer of the Megha Rockers Dance group Sunday evening, A.R. Mawthoh, the police chief of the East Khasi Hills, said.

"We have received a complaint of molestation. We have registered a case and a probe is on," Mawthoh told IANS.

The ADC, however, has rubbished the allegation against him and termed it as a ploy to "tarnish" his image.

"If I want to do something, why should I call them all? It is nothing but this allegation was to tarnish my image. I will fight it in the court," he said.

A case has been registered against Kumar under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. If proven guilty, he could be imprisoned for two years and fined.

On Sunday, Kumar invited the group, comprising four girls and five boys to come his residence to discuss a cultural programme to be held Jan 26 during the governor's reception on Republic Day.

"He (the aide) had called the girl to another room on the pretext of offering her something but instead molested her," Mawthoh said.

Kumar admitted that he had invited the dancing group to his residence but said that this was to inform them that their proposal to participate in the "Governor's At Home" Jan 26 was not considered as authorities has already finalized the cultural programme.

"They were angry with me because they were not considered for the programme and now they are making these allegation," he said.

Shillong Superintendent of Police M. Kharkrang said they were still questioning the aide.

"We have nothing to comment," he said.

A Raj Bhavan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "The aide was summoned by the governor today but it is not known what transpired in the one-on-one meeting."

Understanding Community-Based REDD+

As REDD+ programmes begin to be implemented at the community level by UNREDD and the World Bank, it is critical that communities are fully informed about the projects and the rights and protections mandated under REDD. In this complex context the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) have produced a fantastic resource for communities, 'Understanding Community-Based REDD+: A Manual for Indigenous Communities.'

The manual 'looks at REDD+ at the project level and tries to provide some guidance to finding answers to questions like: How does REDD+ fit into the overall livelihood and forest management systems of indigenous peoples? How does REDD+ work on the ground? What are the typical activities of a REDD+ project? Who are involved in a REDD+ project? What are the particular knowledge and skills needed for implementing a REDD+ project? By assisting communities in finding answers to such questions, the purpose of this manual is to help indigenous communities acquire the knowledge and skills needed to take a decision on whether to join a REDD+ project, and if they do, to be able to fully and effectively participate in it.'

You can download the full manual here.

Communities Legal Petition and Mass Action Against Port

On the 24th of January the communities of Lamu held a demonstration and press conference in protest against the Government of Kenya's plans to develop a major port in their territories without consulting and involving the communities in the process. The proposed port will have massive impacts upon the livelihoods of the Lamu communities and the incredibly rich biodiversity in the region. On the 25th of January, the communities will be filing a legal petition in the Kenyan courts to stop the construction of the port construction. The petition will argue that without adequate information, proper consultation and a credible environment impact assessment the construction contravenes a number of international and national laws. Natural Justice is currently supporting the communities of Lamu in their calls for information and participation in the process and development of a biocultural community protocol (BCP). 

Information regarding these activities can be found here. For further information, please read the press statement, letter to the President of Kenya and profile of Save Lamu, the umbrella group of the communities of Lamu.

Four women rescued from a brothel in Silchar

Shillong, Jan 25 (PTI) Four women from Meghalaya, including a minor, were rescued by city-based women NGO and police teams from a brothel in Silchar, police said Friday. Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO) and the Meghalaya police led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (Crime) Vivek Syiem, in collaboration with Assam police raided a brothel at Radhamadhav Road in Silchar from where the four were rescued, they said. Two women traffickers - Suku Debnath and Gita Singh- were arrested in this case, police said. "We are taking the girls with us for necessary counselling and post trauma treatment," said Agnes, the head of the NGO. According to the NGO leader, a nine-year-old minor was also rescued from the brothel.

Risk and Take Shelter

by Colin Young, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University

This excellent film poses some important questions. For instance, is the young man experiencing paranoid delusions, or is he in tune with the premonitions of a forthcoming apocalyptic event? Those of us who appreciate science fiction films, will be aware how often that kind of question is posed.

To me, some fundamental questions are raised in the film:

What’s really going in the world?

What are the threats that we face?

How should we define these?

What should we do about them?

My focus – my perspective – is derived from being a qualified social worker, with over 30 years experience, and having researched risk-based practices in social work, specifically social workers working with vulnerable adults in health settings. Risk assessments are seen as an essential tool for social workers in this field, as in many other areas of social work, and also in many other organisations – the risk –based framework is an all pervasive mechanism of regulation and standard setting. In technical speak – threats are hazards, and the risk is the outcome of the hazard, - the impact should it occur - and the likelihood of it occurring. Risk –management is a cost effective way of managing uncertainty.

So what are the threats? Many writers on risk, e.g. Beck (1992) , talk about the risk society – that life is getting riskier, and that technologies that have been developed to solve life’s problems, for us to have a comfortable existence, carry with them many negative consequences (e.g. nuclear power, global warming due to carbon emissions, pesticides, obesity due to cheap processed food). Some of these threats one may seek to measure statistically – a calculation of risk, and respond accordingly. For example, - New Orleans by the Gulf of Mexico is in a main hurricane runway. The levees were built to withstand a category 3 hurricane – however, sooner or later it is likely that the strongest, a category 5 hurricane will hit – which is what happened with hurricane Katrina in 2005 (actually it passed by slightly, but it was near enough to overwhelm New Orleans’s defences). So statistical measures are useful, but have their limitations. We have recently heard a lot about exceptional weather events in this country – severe flooding, a very cold winter, and been told that these are something like “1 in 200 year” events, - that cannot be planned for – which I suppose is meant to imply that we will be safe for another 200 years from a repeat! But of course it does not work like that! It may come along next year! Providing defences against certain calamitous events costs a lot, and risk management is a way of managing those costs, by considering a statistical assessment of likelihood.

So we live in a very uncertain, unpredictable, and potentially hazardous world. So how should we respond? Statistical assessments are part of the picture, but there are also important social and psychological perspectives on the risks we face. There is a terrorist threat level in this country – which is considered to be severe? – certainly not low. Prime Minister Tony Blair, when the booklets informing us what to do in the event of a terrorist threat, were sent to all households, said words to the effect: “know where the booklet is, and forget about it”. Is that a rational and reasonable way to proceed? Carry on regardless? Should we modify our behaviour in some way. (One has recently become aware of the terrorist threat level here, with the news that during the Olympics more troops are going to be deployed than are currently in Afghanistan!) The link to my research and practice experience of social work here, is that in social work, we tend to encounter, or at least work through in our minds, worse case scenarios - both for planning to support people in very difficult circumstances, but also, it must be said, as back covering! There is a risk that one gets into a state of high alert. This may manifest itself in a number of ways – one of which is to be aware of the limitations of any formalised processes of assessing risk (i.e. the forms and protocols), and look beyond them – be intuitive, look for signs that others may miss. Many risk-based assessments are susceptible, to what Donald Rumsfeld, Defence Secretary in the US, in 2002, at the beginning of the IRAQ war, famously termed “unknown unknowns”. These are things that are happen outside the conceptual framework of the risk assessment. An intuitive sense is something that many professionals will describe, and indeed the late Donald Schon, a Harvard professor of some distinction, who researched many professions, noted similarities in the way that many professionals described trusting their “gut instincts” in problematic, complex situations (Schon 1983). Curtis, the husband in the film, conveys a sense of “high alert” – looking for, and reading intuitively “signs” that other people miss or discount. Interestingly, another dimension to the film, given brief reflection, is the young daughter in the film is Deaf (Deaf spelt with a capital D refers to Deaf Culture). Scenes are shown, where the parents are attending classes, learning sign language. Throughout the film, a strong connection is displayed between Curtis and his daughter, - an intuitive understanding.

So to return to the themes of the film, is someone experiencing apocalyptic visions, tuned in , having real premonitions, or are they experiencing mental illness? There is a fine line between the two I would suggest. I have talked about risk being a statistical thing – a measurement – another dimension is its social construction. Risk perception is also borne out of how people describe the world around them - A famous sociologist –Anthony Giddens (1991), Tony Blair’s guru – describes the importance of perception, when communicating ideas about risk. However, to rely on a consensus of views as a definitive description of what is going on, is problematic – what if most people are wrong? You could say about the banking crisis that there was a group delusion amongst the bankers, and those engaged in the financial system (note the very recent report by the Financial Services Authority into RBS) – few raised their voices, and fewer still did anything about trying to head off the impeding catastrophic collapse. (One can imagine a similar conversation to that in the film, amongst bankers before the crash – “is anyone else seeing this?” – “no stop being negative and depressing share prices! Everything's fine!”A number of people with 20/20 hindsight are now saying they knew – too late!) So the majority view may be a flawed one. In a house full of people, just because only one smells smoke, that does not mean that the house is not on fire! In such a situation, do you take the group view, or check out closely the minority one? Maybe that one person is just more tuned in.

So to conclude – lone voices need to be listened to, sympathetically and may be correct. The key player in the film – an everyman for our time, treads a fine line between alertness and mental illness. Mental illness can be socially constructed by others - e.g. Thomas Szasz (1974) - a writer in the 1970s in a famous book talked about mental illness being entirely socially constructed. We live in a very uncertain world, creating challenges to keep thinking outside the box (thinking reflexively, sociologists call it!). To summarise the risk perspectives, Donald Rumsfeld, when Secretary of State for Defence during the Iraq war came up with the schema:

“Known knowns – things we can agree we know

Known unknowns – things we can agree we don’t know

Unknown unknowns – things we don’t know we don’t know”, and it is these unknown unknowns that to me the film seeks to explore. In some societies – visionaries, prophets, mystics, witch doctors, are seen to have special qualities, gifts, as they tap the unknown unknowns, and we should be cautious about dismissing these perceptions.

This clever film raises many issues and does not fully resolve the question of whether Curtis was experiencing paranoid delusions, or witnessing the forthcoming apocalypse. We are left to make up own conclusions.

Watching the film was a very thought-provoking experience, and very relevant to many of life’s modern day dilemmas!

Dr. Colin Young, Lecturer in Social Work Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences. January 2012.

Natural Justice in 2011

From supporting the development and use of biocultural community protocols in three continents to engaging in law and policy across numerous national and international fora, 2011 was a very busy year for the Natural Justice team. Our chronological review of 2011 outlines the activities undertaken under the headings Community Work, Technical Advice, International Meetings & Negotiations, Communications, Legal Submissions, Publications, International Development, Partners, and Funders. 

Please read the review here. More information will be available in our forthcoming 2011 annual report. Many thanks to all of our partners and supporters - we look forward to further strengthening the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities in 2012!

Two sites inaugurated for WiMAX project in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 20 : To provide easy and fast Internet connectivity to the rural areas of Meghalaya under the WiMAX project, two sites were formally inaugurated today by Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Sachin Pilot. Altogether 28 sites were targeted to be installed within March 31 this year in the state under WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), a technology for delivering wireless high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. Addressing the function to inaugurate sites of Barapani and Cherrapunjee from Kolkata through video conferencing, Pilot said, "This technology will enable easy accessibility to Internet connectivity in the state." "We will continue to install more such sites across the state of Meghalaya," he added. Congratulating the state for achieving this project, Pilot asked students of schools, colleges and universities to avail the facility. Highlighting more on the project, Senior General Manager of Telecom District in charge of Meghalaya, George Santosh said, "Just like 3G services which are bundled basically for the mobile phone and data card which actually requires a SIM, the WiMAX is also wireless based and requires a device called CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) which can then be connected to the PC or Laptop". He added, “We would be delivering maximum speed of 5 Mbps which is really good for the rural audience. A number of attractive tariffs are available." Last year, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma inaugurated the first site at Ampati in the Garo hills region.

Fowl culling on in Meghalaya district

SHILLONG: More than 4600 fowls from 25 villages of East Garo Hills district in Meghalaya were completely wiped off to contain the spread of bird-flu, officials said here today.

"We expect to cross the 5000 mark today when culling operation is left in only two villages within 3 km from the epi-centre," state's veterinary director L Lyngwa told PTI.

On Tuesday, 1222 fowls from four villages were culled following stict guidelines from the Centre, he said.

A total of 4666 fowls were subjected to culling and hygienically disposed off even as more than 1500 eggs were destroyed in seven days of cleaning operation in East Garo Hills district, including those from the government-run farm where the disease broke a week ago.

Lyngwa was optimistic that culling operation will be over by evening.

Earlier, the state government had projected that more than 24,000 bird will face the knife in the area.

District administrator Pravin Bakshi said Rapid Response Teams (RRT) will have to stay quarantined together at a designated place in Williamnagar until January 28.

Around 15 temporary toilets, blankets, mattresses, pick-up trucks, food, vehicles and earth movers have been arranged for the culling and mopping operations.

The district, with a population density of 122 inhabitants per square kilometre, has a population of 3,17,618 persons as per 2011 census.

Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory has confirmed that blood samples sent was detected with bird-flu on January 11.

Govt to create more lay byes to accommodate traffic: CM

Shillong, Jan 18 (PTI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said the state government would create more lay byes to accommodate traffic and had engaged a magistrate and a senior police officer to monitor the smooth flow of traffic along the Shillong-Guwahati-Silchar highway and especially in Shillong city. "We will create more lay-byes from Umiam Lake to Shillong with an aim to reduce traffic congestion along the narrow Shillong-Guwahati road," Sangma said after visiting the highways. "The PWD has been entrusted to work out on the proposal for the lay-byes," the chief minister said. The Single Window Agency of the state government headed by the Chief Minister himself is expected to clear the proposals. The Government of India, through the NHAI, is constructing a four-lane from Jorabad in Guwahati to Lad Umroi in Umiam Lake. According to the Chief Minister, the government is contemplating to extend the four lane road up to Mawiongrim near here. "For the remaining eight km from Lad Umiam to Shillong, the government is acquiring more land for the four-lane road," he said. Sangma also met with around 12 land owners along the stretch for the four lane road for which he said they are ready to part with. Last week more than 5000 vehicles were stranded along the roads here due to massive traffic jam.

Oro Verde Fairtrade and Fairmined Certification

Congratulations to Oro Verde on becoming only the second organisation to receive both Fairtrade and Fairmined Ecological certification for gold and platinum mining through FLO CERT, a leading fair trade organisation. The artisanal mining practices of Oro Verde the 25 mining units in Tadó-Chocó preserve the environment by not using chemicals and sustain the livelihoods of 120 individuals.

Conrad Sangma led young delegation to visit Israel

Shillong, Jan 17 (PTI) Meghalaya's Leader of Opposition, Conrad K Sangma, will lead a delegation of young politicians from the country to Israel on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing bi-lateral cooperation in agriculture and homeland security. "The delegation will be exposed to Israeli capabilities in fields of agriculture and homeland security with a view to enhance bi-lateral cooperation in these spheres," Shimon Mercer-Wood, Israeli Embassy political representative said in an invitation. "In the course of the visits, the delegation will meet with counterparts from across political spectrum in Israel and interact with leading public figures from the media and the civil society," Shimon added. The Israel Embassy said, the visit holds potential for genuine benefit to Meghalaya and Israel. Sangma's visit came in the wake of Meghalaya's seeking experts from Israel to study and suggest measures to further improve fish farming in the state in line with the Aqua-culture Mission, the flagship programme of the state government proposed to be launched later this year. Among those selected for the visit are Sudhir Sharma (Himachal Pradesh), Sanjay Jha (Bihar), Krishna Byre Gowda (Karnataka), P C Vishnunadh (Kerala) and Vani Tripathi (BJP member).

Save Lamu at the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission

Natural Justice partner, Save Lamu, successfully read and presented a memorandum on historical land injustices to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in Lamu, Kenya on the 9th January 2012. Save Lamu, a coalition of Indigenous communities of Lamu, has been working with Natural Justice to develop a biocultural community protocol (BCP) to call for transparency and full participation in the process of considering developing a mega-port on their traditional lands and waters from the Kenyan government. Save Lamu is a member of the BCP Initiative, a network of communities developing BCPs in Africa and Asia. The memorandum covered the following issues, all of which are exacerbated by the port development: 

1. Illegal/un-procedural Adjudication of Government Land; 

2. Lack of Compensation for Displaced persons; 

3. Un-procedural Settlement Schemes; 

4. Failure to Recognize Natural Resource Rights; 

5. Misuse of State Power to Gain Land without Consultation or Compensation; 

6. Intimidation by Organized Groups and Powerful Leaders. 

The Save Lamu memorandum can be accessed here.

Poultry exports hit after flu outbreak in Meghalaya

KOCHI/CHANDIGARH: Poultry companies are exercising caution with the outbreak of bird flu in parts of Odisha and Meghalaya, though they think it could be temporary and may not spread to other regions. But egg exporters aren't lucky thanks to an export ban in place for the next six months.

Bird cull which began in the two states is expected to carry on for a few days. The two states have put a quarantine procedure in place.

Coimbatore-based Suguna Poultry, which has a market share of 15% in the Rs 600-crore poultry industry of Odisha, is watching the situation. Sales have not been impacted yet. "Our business is concentrated in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, where the flu has not spread so far," said B Soundararajan, managing director of Suguna Poultry Farms.

Its supply to Meghalaya from its unit in Assam too hasn't been affected. Suguna is India's largest broiler chicken producer with about 70 lakh birds and claims to be the world's 10th biggest.

Andhra Pradesh, a major supplier of poultry products to Odisha, has seen a slowdown in sales. "We sell about 3 lakh hatching eggs and chicks to Odisha. This has been hit," said Ram Reddy, president of Andhra Pradesh Poultry Breeders Association.

Venkateshwara Hatcheries, which has a good presence in the Northeastern states, has stopped supplies as a precautionary measure. "We sell around 40,000 eggs a day to parts of the Northeast, of which Meghalaya accounts for around 15%. At the outbreak of the bird flu, we have stopped our supplies for the time being," said T Venkateshwara Rao, a director with the company.

The regions bordering Bangladesh have been susceptible to avian flu. "In the past seven months, poultry exports from India have been banned due to the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal and the Northeast. We were just receiving export orders from Middle East countries when the Indian government confirmed bird flu. Exports will not be allowed now," said Poultry Federation of India president Satish Pal.

India export poultry products to the Middle East and Saarc countries from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Over 1,000 birds culled in Garo Hills

TURA, Jan 15 – Thirteen rapid response teams of the Meghalaya Government are continuing the culling of poultry in the affected zone of Williamnagar in East Garo Hills where the first bird flu outbreak has taken place and by Friday as many as 1,043 chicken have been culled within the three km radius, informed authorities.
The teams have been assigned the task of culling all poultry in the affected region and the administration has also formed a separate 15 teams headed by magistrates to go from area to area to create awareness on bird flu because some poultry owners have been expressing reluctance to kill their birds.

The first culling operation was conducted in the government poultry farm at Williamnagar where the outbreak was first reported. The culling operation in the farm took place on Thursday.

On Friday, the rapid response teams began the second stage of the operation and culled 482 birds from house to house and the market complex. There is concern over reports that some poultry owners are throwing the carcass of birds into the Simsang river in and around Williamnagar town there by polluting the river water and threatening contamination and spread of the disease.

A senior official of the Health department representing the Government of India has arrived in Williamnagar to monitor the situation.

Import of poultry and poultry products including eggs has been banned in West, South and East Garo Hills ever since the outbreak began and police and Veterinary officials are manning check points at all entry points to Garo Hills because of the suspicion that the outbreak may have taken place from infected birds that were brought in from outside the State – particularly Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Orrisa which are the main supplier of chicken and eggs to the North East, including Meghalaya.

Meghalaya choir to compose music score of Malayalam movie

Shillong, Jan 14 (PTI) Meghalaya sensation ‘Shillong Chamber Choir’ will set the music score for Malayalam movie ‘Goodbye December’. Composer and the man behind the choir group, Neil Nongkynrih said today “we agreed to do this project as the script suits us as a team and secondly as a choir group.” The choir will record more than five songs including composition of a background music. “Although Malayalam is the most difficult language to cope with while singing, it promises to be pure fun as a composer and for the boys and girls in the group,” Neil told reporters. The Choir group recorded their first Malayalam number in Kochin last December but as the girls and boys have to appear for their school and college exams, other recording could also be done in Shillong besides Mumbai. Asked how he and the team cope with the shift in their working environment- from composing/singing Opera to studio recording, Neil said, "It is a different territory and all of us are working hard to adapt to the demand of the new environment.” According to Neil, "The script was too good to say 'No'. This assignment was tailor-made for us as the script is about a choir group." "We worked hard. It took the boys and girls a month to make the pronunciation right," Neil said. According to Neil, his band members were made of differently abled persons who would make music anytime, hum any songs anywhere. 

Kinabalu Project Planning Meeting

On 13 January, Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined partners Borneo Conservancy Initiative (BC Initiative) and Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC) for a full-day planning meeting about the Kinabalu Biocultural Law Project, which is set to begin local work soon. Dr. Jamili Nais (Sabah Parks) and Dr. Agnes Lee Agama also joined the meeting for specific topics.

Presentations and topics discussed throughout the day included: Projek Etnobotani Kinabalu; international framework for access and benefit sharing (ABS); Sabah's framework for ABS; project aims, activities, outputs, and outcomes; proposed workplan for the first year; and linkages with other related initiatives around Mount Kinabalu (including a proposed wildlife corridor, Biosphere Reserve, and collaborations between Kinabalu Park and surrounding communities). Natural Justice thanks all of the participants as well as SaBC for hosting the meeting.

More birds die in Meghalaya, test reports awaited

Shillong: Another 40 birds died Tuesday on a government-run farm in western Meghalaya, even as the state government awaited the test reports on earlier deaths to know whether they were due to bird flu, officials said.

"Forty more birds have died an unnatural death in the same farm at Williamnagar and we are yet to establish the cause of their death," Animal and Husbandry Director D. Lyngwa told IANS.

In the past few weeks, around 2,000 poultry birds have died on the farm at Williamnagar, the district headquarter of East Garo Hills, 312 km west of Shillong.

Samples have been sent to the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory and the results are awaited.

Moreover, he said that a rapid response team has been kept on standby in the district to deal with the unnatural deaths of thousands of birds.

Chief Secretary W.M.S. Pariat has directed district authorities in the three districts of Garo Hills to monitor the health of all the poultry birds following their unnatural deaths.

"The district administration has taken all precautionary measures and rapid response team has been geared up to take action in case the laboratory confirms bird flu," East Garo Hills district magistrate Praveen Bakshi told IANS.

He said a seven-kilometre radius of the area where the birds died has been kept under surveillance

"There is nothing panic and the district authorities are all geared up to meet any eventuality," Bakshi said.

2,000 dead birds set off flu fears in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 10 : Around 2,000 poultry birds have died in the past few weeks on a farm in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district, fuelling fears of bird flu, even as a general alert was sounded in the area, officials said Monday.

A government official said 2,000 chickens died an unnatural death in a government-run poultry farm at Williamnagar, the district headquarter of East Garo Hills, about 312 km west of Meghalaya's state capital Shillong.

"We have sent samples for laboratory tests to Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory for confirmation. We don't know for sure if the poultry deaths were due to bird flu," Praveen Bakshi, the district magistrate, told IANS.

Initially, he said the government has sent samples to a Guwahati-based Laboratory, but it did not yield any results.

"The district administration has taken all precautionary measures and rapid response team has been geared up to take action in case the laboratory confirms bird flu," Bakshi said.

He said a seven kilometre radius of the area where the birds died has been kept under surveillance.

Meanwhile, the district administration and health and family welfare and veterinary officials are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss on the unnatural deaths of birds at the farm.

New Book: Agrobiodiversity and the Law

As agricultural biodiversity deteriorates with increased reliance on fewer and fewer crop varieties, it is vital that policies to encourage the protection of crop genetic resources are considered and promoted. A new book by Juliana Santilli published by Earthscan, ‘Agrobiodiversity and the Law: Regulating Genetic Resources, Food Security and Cultural Diversity’, takes on this challenge. 

According to the online synopsis, "this book analyzes the impact of the legal system on agrobiodiversity (or agricultural biodiversity) – the diversity of agricultural species, varieties, and ecosystems. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it takes up the emerging concept of agrobiodiversity and its relationship with food security, nutrition, health, environmental sustainability, and climate change. It assesses the impacts on agrobiodiversity of key legal instruments, including seeds laws, the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, plant breeders’ rights, the Convention on Biological Diversity (regarding specifically its impact on agrobiodiversity), and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It also reviews the options for the implementation of these instruments at the national level in several countries. It discusses the interfaces between the free software movement, the ‘commons’ movement, and seeds, as well as the legal instruments to protect cultural heritage and their application to safeguard agrobiodiversity-rich systems. Finally, it analyzes the role of protected areas and the possibility of using geographical indications to enhance the value of agrobiodiversity products and processes." 

 Order the book here.

Anti-graft activists take midnight dip in cold water

Shillong, Jan 1 : At midnight, a group of anti-graft activists in Meghalaya pledged to fight against corruption by taking a dip in the icy-cold water with an aim to inculcate a fighting spirit, endurance and determination to end social frauds. While the rest of the country welcomed the New Year with
revelry in their own kinds, 24 brave men and children heralded the first hour of 2012 by taking a mid-night dip last night at the Crinoline swimming pool at sub-zero temperature.

Led by former influential student activist, and a convener of the Mait Shaphrang Movement (MSM), Michael Syiem, routinely undertaken the dip for the fifteenth year in a row.

"We take this dip to refresh ourselves about the fighting spirit that we should have in order to overcome all odds that we, as individuals and the society, are facing," Syiem said.

He said, "To take a dip at the icy-cold water is the most challenging thing an individual could do especially at midnight."

Braving the cold water, Syiem added another 40 blocks of ice to make the 'dip' more challenging this year, 20 more ice than last year.

Syiem, who as an anti-graft activist in the state, has unearthed many wrong doings of several coalition governments in Meghalaya.

"A dive into a pool under sub-zero temperature is a pointer that it is an odd that we have overcome during the first minutes of the new year, and we will overcome any odds in the 365 days to come."